Drug Trial Approval

Just got back from Steve’s appointment at Mayo. Back to the room anyway…we’re staying an extra night just to decompress a bit. Not sure my prose will be up to par so I’ll just list what we learned…

— Steve DOES qualify for the drug test.

— The test has shown very good results in those who have used it. It’s not a cure for cancer, but does shrink the disease.

— CT showed that another tumor has appeared, this time in the clear lung. It’s very small, but we still…it’s a tumor and it shows the cancer is spreading.

— Cancer is also showing up in two lymph nodes in Steve’s lung. Chances are, it was there before, but the tumor was hiding it.

— The radiation helped shrink back the tumor so now Steve’s bronchial tube is less than 50% blocked.

— A woman who took part in the first trial had a chronic cough that DISAPPEARED three days into the trial. This is such good news! If you haven’t been around Steve in the past year, you have no idea how good of news this really is.

— The study runs in a 16-day cycle. We have to be here for some of it during the first cycle, but after that only once every 16 days.

— He can start the first cycle on October 2 (we think, it may change by a day or two).

— If the drug is effective, he can stay on it for as long as he wants. We were concerned that once the study was over we’d have to wait for the drug to be approved. This is not the case. We are grateful for this opportunity!

— The NP we saw today said something before we left that really touched me. I mentioned that cancer is now not always terminal…it’s sometimes chronic. She said she agrees and that while there may be a point where they stop treating the cancer aggressively, they’ll NEVER give up on Steve.

Through everything we have experienced a lot of hard times, but also moments of grace, love, hope, and joy. Last night I started feeling scared and just then my aunt Ann texted me the following verse:

I am leaving you with a gift–peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. –John 14:27

We’re never alone. You aren’t either. Thanks for reading our list and for all the support you give us. Go Team Zieser!

Advertisement