Palliative….
We were glad to get 2024 behind us because it was a pretty crappy year.
Don’t get me wrong, there were some really good things that happened last year. In June we hosted the beautiful wedding of Jackson and Chelsea and got to spend time with family and friends. Now we are excitedly waiting for the birth of their baby boy in March.
Health-wise, however, things were not good and we really don’t even understand how things got so bad so fast!?! We have worked so hard to build this life that we have and love! We still hope and pray for a long life together, but when doctors throw out words like palliative it is hard to hear!
2025 hasn’t started out very well at all.. Mike had bloodwork and an oncologist appointment on Tuesday, Jan. 7. He is slightly anemic, but not terrible and isn’t concerning. Dr. Molina did tell us that the results of the biopsy came back and once again there was not enough cancer cells in the 6 pieces of tumor they took so he wants him to go to Northwestern in Chicago or MD Anderson in Houston for a second opinion and to see if they have any clinical trials for the RET gene (original gene) that Mike does have, because he doesn’t have anything else to offer besides a chemo pill with some nasty side effects. To add insult to injury, insurance doesn’t want to pay the $8,500 for the Gardant 360 blood test they did to try and learn more about his cancer, saying it “wasn’t necessary”?!
Dr. Molina also wants to set Mike up with a palliative care doctor to help with some side effects. The dictionary meaning of palliative: alleviating the symptoms of a disease or disorder, especially one that is terminal, when a cure is not available. We know that stage 4 metastatic cancer is terminal, but we are not ready to give up on a miracle! So we will be going to Chicago and Houston for those second opinions.
Mike not only has NSCLC (non-small cell lung cancer), but also lives in chronic pain from his trap/neck that also causes headaches and dizziness. He gets dry needled weekly, but also gets trigger point injections at Mayo when it gets really bad. He got that done Friday before his 6th round of Chemo/Keytruda. His weight is down to under 150 pounds after catching a bad “bug” over Christmas time, so we are working to get that back up even though food doesn’t taste the same to him.
Mike and I met during my freshman & his sophomore year of college. We quickly fell in love and got engaged after only 2 months of dating and got married just another 9 months later at the age of 18 and 19! We started our family two years later and have grown up together. I love Mike, love our kids and grandkids, and love our life we have built together. Like most people we had plans to enjoy retirement together, to travel, to explore, to enjoy the fruits of our labor! My word for 2025 is “Miracles” and we need one! We serve a God of miracles…he is a Way-maker, a miracle-worker, so we cry out and ask for a miracle for Mike, Mikey-Mo, Mighty-Mo!!!
I made a new playlist on Spotify and named it Miracles and I have it on repeat… it helps me a lot during the days when my mind gets going to places I don’t want it to go. People also send us songs that speak to them and we so appreciate that because most of the time they speak to us as well.
Psalm 107:19&20 “Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; and he delivered them from their distress. He sent out His word and HEALED them, and delivered them from their destruction.”
Be blessed,
Paula