Vacation & Results

Thank you to all who supported us (prayerfully and financially) on our trip out west! Cathy & I had a WONDERFUL time! I thought it had been since our honeymoon that we had made the trek out west (27 years ago), but we were reminded by a video recording which we watched while in Montana that we had, indeed, been there when our eldest, Adam, was 11 months old---we had BOTH forgotten about it!

The majestic mountains are always breathtaking, but the best part was being with family. Cathy has such a wonderful family---I am so blessed to be a part of that! Some of the highlights of the trip: Focus on the Family visit, Olympic Training Center, visiting my friend Dorothy---all in Colorado Springs; a visit to the Ball Metal Canning Plant---in Golden; National Bison Range and Glazier National Park---in Montana. My daughter allowed us to borrow her older camera, so we were able to take some nice pictures, as well.

We returned late Sunday from our vacation and Cathy's next Block Center visit was scheduled for Wednesday morning. She had to get her blood work done and a CT scan between Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, we met with Dr. Block to discuss the scan and course of action. The scan was "unremarkable" (i.e. unchanged) for the most part, with the exception of some signs of cirrhosis forming on the liver probably due to the Kadcyla drug she has been taking. The liver enzymes continue to trend slightly upward but the bilirubin counts (liver function) continue to be good. Dr. Block suggested that we 'stay the course' with the current treatment, at least until the next scan. His summary was that we had reached a plateau 'with a slight rise', but with stage 4 cancer this is still a good sign. The new drug she is taking may take a little longer to work; she is, after all, the first patient at Block to get this treatment. When Cathy asked him what else could SHE could do he suggested that we double her intake of Milk Thistle from 8 to 16 pills which should help fight the cirrhosis and he added another supplement to help in the cancer fight (Lutein).

So for now, we continue the fight and "run the race" as Paul encourages us. Thank you for your prayers and your support. We are so thankful and blessed that you share in this suffering and know that you also will rejoice in the victory on that day!

Blessings,
Mike (Cathy's husband)