IT’S A TRIAL

Another trip to Houston is in the books….

If you read our last blog post, you may remember that Cliff was offered a clinical trial in Houston, at MD Anderson. On December 27, Cliff received an email from his oncologist saying that the trial was being put on hold. Although on hold, his doctor still wanted him to come to Houston so he could see how the new chemo was working and to talk to us about the trial.  We try not to put all of our eggs in a basket when it comes to Cliff’s treatments, but we had with this trial and we were so disappointed.  

We spend hours in waiting rooms hoping to hear someone call out Cliff’s name. It is imperative to bring along large amounts of Diet Coke, a fully charged phone and for me, a blanket.  Everyone in the room is waiting to hear what their next journey in life is going to be.  Doing well, not doing well, cured, not cured, terminal. You might be surprised to know that Cliff is considered terminal. We don’t put much weight into that word.  I mean, look at the guy, not much has slowed him down.  And by the way, we believe in miracles and that prayers are answered.  

So what did we learn while in Houston?  GOOD NEWS this time.  In three chemo treatments, all the cancer spots have reduced in size, some significantly.  But the best news of all… The trial is back on and Cliff will be the next patient.  We are cautiously excited! We will leave for Houston the end of February, first of March (dates have not been confirmed yet). He will meet with the surgeon the day we get there and have the surgery to remove his largest tumor in his right lung the next day.  At that point they will remove all the good fighter cells, also known as tumor infiltrating lymphocytes, from the tumor and will start growing tens of millions more.  We will come home while those are growing. Two weeks later we will be back in Texas, as the doctor will need to do some base line checks on his health. Two weeks later Cliff will be admitted into the hospital to reintroduce the new fighter cells into his body.  This process will take about 3-4 weeks.  He will be immune compromised, so I will be the only person allowed in his hospital room.  

We will have several trips back and forth to Houston but feel that this trial is worth it.  In the words of Cliff’s oncologist, “this is not a cure, but I believe that the gun is now pointing in the right direction for that to happen.”  

You may be asking yourself, “if it’s not a cure, why do it”?  Cliff has always wanted to be a part of the science to find a cure.  And even if it’s not a cure, but stops the cancer from growing for a time, it is worth it to us.  Oh, and don’t forget, we believe in miracles. Who knows, this may be a cure for him. This Thursday, Cliff will receive his 40th chemo treatment. On Saturday, January 18 he has been fighting cancer for 4 years.  

A friend of ours asked us the other day how we stay positive? Family, friends and God.  We will continue the fight and know that no one fights alone. Thank you for being there for us.