Small change in Infusion

I went for my second treatment yesterday. Unfortunately, I developed a serious allergic reaction to the Taxol  (Paclitaxel) and had to stop taking it.
I will continue with the other three drugs and hopefully they will do the trick and help keep the cancer from progressing.
Keep up with your prayers and good thoughts.

A New Path

I am happy to report that the radiation killed the active cancer cells in my skull and hip.
In addition my lungs and brain are stable which means the clinical trial was working well on my lungs and brain.
However, I developed more tumors on my spine.
Even though they don't hurt me, I cannot continue on this clinical trial. With this much progression of disease, they kick you off the trial. Unfortunately, there is no clinical trial that I am currently eligible for. 
I have had several liquid biopsies to see if there are biomarkers that can be useful in finding a targeted therapy or clinical trial, but the latest only showed a slight EGFR mutation and the previous mutations disappeared. It appears that the cancer cells are smart enough and learn to resist the treatment drugs used.

Thankfully, I am not out of options.
Next week I will start a new chemo regiment of four powerful drugs.
Paclitaxel and Carboplatin which are system wide general chemo drugs. These chemotherapy drugs destroy quickly dividing cells, such as cancer cells.
Avastin, which blocks a specific protein (VEGF) in the cells, since some cancer cells produce too much of this VEGF.  Blocking VEGF may prevent the growth of new blood vessels that feed tumors.
The fourth drug is Tecentriq, which is an immunotherapy drug. Which can help to reactivate the immune system so that it can recognize cancer in the body and destroy it.
 I am not an ideal candidate for immunotherapy. Immunotherapy is most successful when the patient has high levels of a certain protein (PDL1) in their blood. I don't, but since it can't hurt to try it, I will get will be immunotherapy as part of my new cocktail.

I will go in once every three weeks for the infusion. Hopefully this new treatment will work for a long while. I will keep u posted.
Please continue to keep me in your prayers and thoughts.

Brief update

I saw Dr. Jonathan Yang, a wonderful radiation oncologist.
I ended up with radiation to my skull and to my hip.
My skull, because of the pain and its proximity to the brain stem and jugular. It was also near my right cochlear, which will cause permanent hearing loss on that side, but other than using the phone with my left ear, the other side effects, pain and fatigue should abate within six weeks.
The hip was also nuked, because the tumor on my hip bone was growing and caused a hairline fracture on my hip, which they feared will grow and cause a larger fracture.
Other than that I am doing great.
Hopefully, the next scans will show that the radiation caused bone tumors shrink and that the chemo keeps working to keep me stable.
It's been exactly three years that I was diagnosed.
As crazy at it seems, I truly miss New Year's Eve in Times Square. It was an annual ritual I hope to resume. Perhaps, next year.
Keep up with the prayers and good thoughts, they are working.

To all those celebrating have a merry Christmas and happy New Year.

A Bump on the Journey

The clinical trial I have been on has done an excellent job of keeping my lungs and brains free of growing tumors.
It's been a while since I've had any complications, except for the annoying side effects.
However, yesterday we found out that there are several tumors on my bones. Specifically on my skull, my spine and my hip.
While tumors on the bone can be a nuisance, if it does not cause pain or grow too large, they are usually left alone and just treated with the regular chemo or clinical trial.
Unfortunately, the one one my skull is causing pain and also protruding on the jugular vein.
So while I will stay on the trial because I have had a great response to it, I will additionally have radiation to my skull.
I will meet the radiation oncologist soon and hopefully zap this tumor quickly.
I will keep you all posted.

Thanks again for all your prayers and good thoughts.

Update

I apologize for not posting for three months, but two people very close to me reminded me of how long it's been, so here I updating my blog.

It's funny how our mind works.
When we are healthy, we take our good health for granted.
When I first got sick, I learned to appreciate every breath I take and every anatomical function that works. Walking, talking and breathing were all skills I was suddenly acutely aware of. I praised God for every moment of each day. I realized it was a gift that was not owed to me, but one that was graciously and generously handed to me.
As my scans came back repeatedly clear, I fell into a trap of taking these gifts for granted.  Sure, I continued praying for continued good health and thanking God for granting me each day, but it started becoming routine and my prayers were said by rote.
How foolish we can be that we often need a reminder that everyday is a gift from God. Everyday and every breath is to be cherished as if it is the first day of our life. It's ironic that good health is what makes us foolish, and through the grace of God we are sometimes blessed with a needed reality check.

Back to my health.
My recent scans continue to show the lungs and brain clear of any progression of the cancer.
My fatigue is less and I am able to enjoy spending time with my family and friends.
Thank you all for your continued prayers and good thoughts.

Transitioning

It's been totally amazing. My scans which I've faithfully have every six weeks, continue to show that the clinical trial medications are doing their job. My scans continue to be clear and the side effects are manageable.
I apologize for not updating more frequently but I now find myself transitioning from a 'lung cancer patient' to a 'person with lung cancer'.
It might seem trivial but it is wonderful to go about my daily activities and enjoy life, without the immense gray cloud of disease.
I am still under treatment and I am a regular fixture at MSKCC, but  I can plan activities for a month from now, without thinking will I actually be able to....

Thanks for the continued prayers and good thoughts. May they continue to keep working and may you all be blessed for you kindness to me.

I will try to update with good news more frequently.

A Chanukah miracle

Chanukah is a holiday that celebrates miracles that occurred a long time ago.

There is the military victory of the Jewish Maccabees against the huge Greek army and a seemingly insignificant miracle of one small cruse of oil that lasted eight days. 

We commemorate the miracle of the oil by lighting the menorah. True it was a miracle, but it was just an extension of nature, similar to your cell phone battery almost dying, but lasting until you find your charger.

Often we think of miracles necessarily being against nature, a small untrained army victorious over a huge military presence, but most miracles occur everyday. 

They are an extension of what happens naturally, and are often taken for granted by us. We must work on recognizing the miracles around us and viewing then as a gift from God.

This week I have had my own Chanukah miracle.

On Wednesday, the first day of Chanukah, I had an appointment to get my latest test results.

As the previous scans in November by lungs and brains were totally free of any tumors, as were all my internal organs.

An additional test, called a blood biopsy was done. My lung cancer was not only present in the tumors but also in my blood, causing gene mutation that helped pinpoint treatments. In May of 2017 my blood contained three tumor friendly gene mutations; EGFR, MET-C, and TP53. After being on the newest clinical trial for six months, I have had a 100% response to the gene mutation. My newest test results show no cancer loving DNA mutation in my blood.

I might not have explained it correctly or clearly, but this is truly a Chanukah miracle, an extension of a natural occurrence. With the help of my oncologist, research team and all of your prayers and good wishes I have truly experienced my own Chanukah miracle. 

I hope to continue with this clinical trial and hope to continue seeing miracles everyday.