Hope is alive!

Ed with son-in-law (Hubster) and granddaughter Courage.

Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow! I got a call from Dr. Splichal's office today (Ed's oncologist)...Ed will begin his Avastin treatment tomorrow! Yeeeeaaaahhhhhh! The patient services coordinator informed me that although Cancer State Aid has not yet approved payment, she is sure they will eventually, and she is pushing Ed on through for treatment! She said if Cancer State Aid funding is depleted, she is sure the drug manufacturer will give patient assistance with the drug.

My brother is taking him to his first treatment. The instructions were to eat a good breakfast and be prepared to have lunch there. This drug is administered via IV and takes hours. The Avastin is not actually the chemo drug, I am not sure of the name of the chemo drug that is taken with the Avastin, but the Avastin is a drug taken with chemo to enhance it and to also act on it's on to cut out the blood supply to tumors.

I thank God that this young lady has worked so hard to get this drug for him and for having patience with me as I call every few days to get an update. I really thought she was ready to crown my head (and not with jewels) yesterday when I called her. I think I could hear her speaking through clenched teeth. But God bless her, she kept her cool and delivered the good news today.

Just a reminder, this is not a cure. If the drug does it's job and Ed's body is responsive and tolerant, a dose of this drug every two weeks for six to twelve treatments will at the most reduce the size of the tumor, at the least it will slow or stop the growth of the tumor. Thank God it came through because as you know, his tumor is growing. His headaches are becoming more frequent and bothersome. He doesn't want to take the Lortab prescribed to him, but for the past few days he has reluctantly given in to our pleads to take it to relieve his pain. I am praying that the drug will start working immediately and relieve some pressure on his brain. No, it is not a cure, but the hope is to prolong his life and better the quality of his life.

Hope is alive. It comes to us in the form of a colorless, odorless, astronomically expensive liquid that will be dripped into his vein through a tube and needle. It comes in the form of stories shared by others who have taken Avastin with good results. New breath of hope comes to us in the form of cards received by family, friends and strangers with well wishes. It is delivered to us by people who have been on their knees praying for healing and gentleness. It is felt in the hands of nurses, doctors, office assistants and kind people we meet with each trip to the doctors. Hope is still with us.