Well, today is Steve's "CANCERVERSARY"!! One year ago today, Steve had a fine needle biopsy that later confirmed metastatic melanoma. Later it was confirmed even further that it was Stage IV melanoma. Survival rates for Stage IV melanoma are grim. Many reports state less than one year. When Steve and I were told, we both sobbed. How could this be? Why? This can't be happening?! So many thoughts raced through our minds.
Over the last year, Steve has had a grueling round of biochemo which entailed him being hospitalized for a week every 3 weeks, a major surgery (and hospitalization) to remove his right adrenal gland and the adrenal tumor attached to it, he has taken Zelboraf (with horrible side effects), he was hospitalized with a very serious virus for 11 days, he had numerous blood transfusions, platelet transfusions, and most recently has started a new drug (Yervoy). Today Steve went back into the office for the first time in several months. How fitting that he was able to return to work on his 1 year "Cancerversary".
I am so proud of Steve. He has had many ups and downs over the past year. But, he is still here fighting. The melanoma that he started with last year is the same melanoma he currently has (minus the adrenal gland). We would have loved to have him NED, but everyone is different and you just have to find the right medication while beating the clock. Steve's current medication is a 90 minute infusion every 3 weeks for 4 rounds. Then 4 weeks after the last round he will have scans. That is a total of FOUR months before we know if the current treatment is working or not. That is a long time to wait. But, like I try and remind Steve every day, he is fighting to live......so we are living! We may not be living the same life we were a year ago, but we are living.
We still find the time and energy to celebrate holidays and birthdays with family. We attended MD Andersons Moon Shots Announcement. We still try and squeeze in some dinner dates with friends. We were able to take the kiddos on a mini vacation this summer. Steve and I were able to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary in New Orleans and go to our first Saints game. Steve and I have been to the casino's a few times during the last year. We had poker at our house once over the last year. We were able to take the kids looking at Christmas lights. Sure, there is plenty we wanted to do but couldn't, but we are still living. Steve is still fighting.
In 3 1/2 months, if we find out that this current treatment is not working, we will move on to the next one. I eat, sleep and breathe melanoma and have the next two treatments lined up if needed. We are lucky that there is so much research and advancement going on in the melanoma world. There is still a long, long, long way to go. But, they are so much further along than even a couple of years ago.
Thank you to everyone who has been there for us over the past year, we sincerely appreciate EVERYTHING and EVERYONE!
