Survey Says......

*ding-ding-ding-ding-ding!* It's a WINNER!!!!!

Dr. O'Reilly was "very pleased" with the results of Dad's scans. Despite the fact that adenocarcinoma is a chemo-resistant cancer, Dad has proven that he's a super-hero once again. He and the chemo have arrested the development of the disease - stopped it in its tracks, really - and even caused it to back up a bit. And all in only 9 weeks. I am totally in awe of him.

Basically, the scans showed no new cancer growth and his Ca 19-9 marker, which is the marker for pancreatic cancer, is down by more than 50 percent from its pre-treatment levels. The largest lesions are a little bit smaller and the small lesions haven't grown at all. His lungs are clear.

These are all HUGE wins for us. We're so happy!

We've got good momentum going right now, so we're going to keep it up and jump right into another course of chemo. Dad starts up again next week. This time we're going to do 4 sets instead of 3, again doing two weeks on and one week off, and we'll have another set of scans 12 weeks from now. I have high hopes that we'll see further regression after the next round, and maybe we'll get the main lesion to drop back enough that it becomes operable. That would be incredible!

After the appointment, Mom, Dad and I did something we haven't done in a very long time. We hung out. We went to St. Patrick's Cathedral and gave some heartfelt thanks and checked out the gorgeous Nativity scene:

and the Christmas wreaths:

Then we went to Rockefeller Center and visited with the Christmas Tree (it's very big and very pretty):

We watched the ice skaters slip and slide all around the rink (it's very small - much smaller than it looks on television):



We peeked at some of the department store window displays (much better this year than last), and then we went out for lunch.

I haven't gone out for lunch with Dad in MONTHS, and I have to say, although I've eaten in some pretty amazing restaurants, no meal has ever tasted better or been more enjoyable than the meal I shared with my parents today.

As soon as we finished lunch, I sent Mom and Dad home and headed back to my apartment. I was so excited to log on and share the good news with all of you! We have been so blessed with the support we have received - I know it has made a difference in our ability to march forward with this battle, so let me take this moment to say again to every person reading and praying and thinking good thoughts for us - THANK YOU. We could not be doing this alone. May you all feel as blessed this holiday season and throughout the coming year as we feel today.

Peace to you all, and Happy Holidays too!

Connie