Well it's been a while since I've updated this, but there really hasn't been too much to write about. Lately the routine has been the same, sometime I'll head over to Sloan just for treatment. The new regiment of chemo they have me on is so much better than what I was on before. The drug oxalliplatin is very potent and has a cumulative effect on the body, so my side effects started to get so bad I didn't even have the energy to get out of bed for two or three days. Since then, my doctor deemed the risks of continuing the oxalliplatin far too much considering I probably wouldn't continue to benefit from taking it. So now I barely have any side effects at all and just continue to go into New York City every other week for treatments. Some good news is my doctor has given me the "ok" to head back to school for the spring semester which I'm really looking forward to. Obviously I won't be able to return to school in Charlotte since that commute to NYC every other week would be impossible. I'm looking at Seton Hall and Fairleigh Dickinson as my two choices since I'll be able to commute from home, both are a little under an hour away. Throughout the last month or so I've come to the realization that I could be doing this the rest of my life. All I can do now is just pick up the pieces of the life I once had and try to rebuild the best I can around my situation. It is unfortunate and people tell me that I have terrible luck and that they don't know how I do what I do and haven't fallen apart...the answer is quite simple actually...I do this because I have to, because I hope I can be an example for anyone else who has difficult things to deal with in life. I always remind myself that it could be much much worse.
We've been doing a lot of work and collaboration with the genetics department at Sloan Kettering and also Yale because apparently my family is incredibly unique with this situation. This fast growing and early development of cancerous tissues is not only found in myself and my siblings, but also other distant relatives. All of this points to some sort of genetic mutation that only needs to come from one parent, and is almost definitely from my father's side of the family. I've also been contacted by the Cleveland Clinic to participate in a study they are organizing...there may or may not ever be results from this study, but if there is anything I can do to help my family or anyone else I will gladly do all I can. The study that Yale is doing is called a "Linkage" study which the genetics people at Sloan have not had to conduct in almost ten years...that just goes to show how unique this problem within my family is. All in all I gave about seven tubes of blood (not fun) to the two studies, so now all we can do is just sit and wait and hope that something can be discovered...that's all for now so LiveStrong everyone and take a moment to pause and take in a deep breath and smile just to appreciate all that's around us.
