I am just following up from my last post, as a lot has happened since then. Last week, I went to MD Anderson, where I had a liver biopsy (it was painful) and a brain MRI. The goal was to see if my cancer had mutated from its original ER/PR+ status and Her2- status. If it had, that would open up other options for treatment. I have been on a lot of different treatments since I became stage IV in 2022. When one fails, I move on to the next one. Well, it appeared I was nearing the end of options, so I wanted to see what clinical trials were available to me. Yesterday, I had a follow up appointment with my MD Anderson doctor. The cancer has not changed ER/PR + status or Her2- status. The good news is that the cancer in my brain still looks stable or even improved. Unfortunately, there are no clinical trials available to me at MD Anderson. In fact, my appointment yesterday with my MD Anderson oncologist was short and very sad. He recommended a drug (eribulin) that has a median progression free survival of only a few months. In addition, it tends to cause a number of serious side effects, include severe neutropenia, which I already have issues with. So, instead I am going to go with my local oncologist's recommendation of treatment with Trodelvy, which, in studies, provides a couple of additional months of progression free survival. It is also a little more targeted chemotherapy option.
None of this is good news though. The only good news in all this is that I am totally reliant on a miracle from God. God is sovereign over all and is in control. There is no option available to me on earth that can heal my cancer. Only God can heal. So, when that happens, it will be totally obvious who deserves the Glory and praise for my healing---no man, oncologist, drug or anything else can receive the Glory.
Friends, please pray with me for healing:
- That the Lord heals my body miraculously and completely
- That I have enough energy to exercise my body
- That I find time to write out all the instructions and plans for my family (for all the stuff that only I know in my family), just to be prepared. Friends have encouraged me that planning in this way does not show a lack of faith, but just preparedness.
- That I can get nutrients into my body regularly. Nothing ever sounds good to eat and it is difficult to eat, but I need to eat good food!
- That this new treatment doesn't knock me down or provide too harsh side effects. What I read about the side effects does not look fun.
- That I have faith as a grain of mustard seed: For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you. (Matthew 17:20) My parents were told after they were married that there was very little chance they would ever have a baby. They had this verse on a wooden sign hung on the wall and would pray for this type of faith. Then, I was born---it was a miracle. I have seen many miracles in my life and have experienced many of them in my own life. SO, I know anything is possible. Please pray that as I watch friends with the same cancer as mine pass away these past two months, and as I hear a lot of negativity from my oncologists, I don't forget that only God is in control and can perform miracles.
