MS Bike Ride - Missy Express

I had mentioned the 25-mile MS Bike Ride from last weekend and was able to corral a picture we took post-ride. There was one other picture that was taken at the mid-ride rest stop that included Missy but I don't have my hands on that one yet.

Stephanie Tobler, Grace Capato, me, and Dan Nies

And treatment continues...

A 2-week gap between posts….eek! Sorry about that.

I’m one week out from treatment #8 of 2011 and as I had mentioned in my last post this was also going to be the first opportunity for me to discuss the details of the May 2^nd PET/CT scan with Dr. Richards. The discussion, with Sasha listening intently, was actually quite short since Dr. Richards and I are in complete agreement with regard to go forward treatment plans. The SUV 4.3 reading that showed in the scan clearly indicates that we’re not quite where we need to be for a treatment pause and so we continue. We’ll continue through the summer until the next quarterly scan which will be in early August. The biggest downside of this is that while I’ve enjoyed 3-week treatment intervals this month I’ll be returning to a 2-week cycle after treatment #9. Oh well.

Cycling has been going well and I was even able to ride this past Saturday in the MS Coast the Coast ride in support of my friend Mary Ellen Gervasini who was diagnosed 4 years ago with MS. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect since it was a treatment week for me and Amy was more than a little bit concerned. The weather gods came through with an absolute stunning day after a full week of rain and the topper was that I also felt terrific for the entire 25-mile route. It turned out to be one of those stop and smell the roses days that I won’t soon forget. The ride with my usual crew of Dan Nies, Grace, and Stephanie made for an awesome awesome day.

This Friday I head for Colorado with Sasha. The mission is to get her settled in her off campus digs while enjoying a bit of R&R with the Quinn’s. This means that I won't be home for my birthday but we'll just have to celebrate (at least a little) when I get back.

Back in NJ

I’m at least a week late with this blog post and I apologize for that. But last week was quite hectic with the PET/CT scan first thing on Monday and then a crazy few days at work in preparation for a few days of vacation wrapped around Bailey’s graduation weekend from Indiana University.

The road trip out to Indianapolis and Bloomington was a lot of fun. The 10-hour drive each way wasn’t too bad but considering that we spent only about 36 hours in Indiana for the IU graduation it would have been nice if the drive was just a bit shorter. All in all we had a blast and needless to say it was a significant family event. We also had the opportunity to meet Bailey’s boyfriend Colton and to see her good friend Marissa and her family. We hadn’t seen Marissa since last summer. By the end of July Bailey will be off again to attend grad school at Florida International University in Miami.

Here are a few pictures from the weekend.

Erin and Bailey (unfortunately Sasha was in Fort Collins prepping for her finals)

Amy, me, Bailey, mom and dad

One last jump in the whirlpool in the training room

Bailey and her friend Marissa

And, yes, now for the PET/CT results. Actually I only got my first look at the actual report when we returned from Indiana to a full mailbox yesterday. Dr. Richards had given me the good news of “significant treatment response” that is noted on the report but no real statistical detail. Now I have that detail. Two of the liver lesions no longer can be visualized through the PET/CT. That is a very good thing. On the flip side is a lesion that still has an SUV of 4.3. That’s not quite in the normal range and the radiologist suggests an MRI follow-up for another view. I have my next scheduled chemo treatment next Tuesday and I expect to discuss these details with Dr. Richards. We have 2 treatments already scheduled and although I want a chemo vacation very badly I’d also like for it to be longer than just a few months. So we’ll see what we decide next Tuesday. And Sasha will be home to chaperone me on this chemo treatment. Maybe she can have a discussion with Dr. Richards about the experiment she’s been working on that uses Taxol for bone cancer treatment.

Now for a couple of other updates.
Jen Goodman Linn is feeling a bit better with her 4 drug chemo cocktail and has had some positive physical changes. I continue to send her all the positive healing vibes I can. Please join me.

Our Mintz’s Mentschen team effort for LiveSTRONG is really starting to build some momentum. We’re up to 16 team members and our team total fundraising is at $5,750. Personally I’m at $2,308 and we still have 3 months before the event! If you’re in a position to consider a donation of any size I’d appreciate the help in our battle to fight cancer. You can donate on my fundraising website by clicking here.

Next Saturday, May 21st, I will be riding in the MS Coast the Coast event that is in support of the Multiple Sclerosis Society. It’s a treatment week but I should be OK for a flat 25-miler and I want very much to support my friend Mary Ellen Gervasini who also rides with our Mentschen team at LiveSTRONG.