Merry Christmas!

Madeleine’s Blog

December 25, 2012

So do not fear, for I am with you

Do not be dismayed, for I am your God

I will strengthen you and help you

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand

Isaiah 41:10

From Madeleine:   

Merry Christmas!!

I am so blessed to be able to enjoy the holidays with such wonderful supportive loving people. I am so thankful for all I have been given and to be feeling well on Christmas.

Have a great day everyone! ♥


(Picture from Christmas Eve: Madeleine with her family, her cousin Katherine, and with Austin)

Radiation completed

Madeleine’s Blog

December 22, 2012

So do not fear, for I am with you

Do not be dismayed, for I am your God

I will strengthen you and help you

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand

Isaiah 41:10

Austin & Madeleine at the infusion center

Madeleine made it through this marathon week of daily radiation, as well as her Yervoy infusion that was on Friday. So glad to have that behind her!

This time, Austin was here in town and was able to go with her to the infusion - it was so nice to have his encouragement, support, and company! :)

Now, Madeleine's looking forward to Christmas and is so glad to have some more time off of treatment between now and her scans that come on January 4th.

Please continue to keep her in your prayers ~ and have a wonderful Christmas, everyone!

Yervoy + radiation

Madeleine’s Blog

December 14, 2012

So do not fear, for I am with you

Do not be dismayed, for I am your God

I will strengthen you and help you

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand

Isaiah 41:10

It has been 2 weeks since Madeleine's first infusion of Yervoy, and I'm happy to report that so far she has not experienced the negative side effects - which is such a blessing! She has been able to enjoy life and all the usual activities of this season. It is so great to feel good.

Radiation mask before it dries

This time, however, has not been without its challenges. Because of a slowly enlarging lymph node, Madeleine has to go in to have more radiation targeted to that area.

On Monday, we went to the radiologist and she was fitted for a new custom radiation mask. (To do that, they stretch the form tightly over you, and then dry it until it hardens into a rigid mask that will hold you in the right position for the precisely-targeted radiation.) To be honest, this process was no fun for Madeleine because of the pressure it put on her lymph nodes, but she made it through.

So, the radiation is planned to begin on December 18th, and then her next infusion of Yervoy will be on December 21st. We are hoping that the radiation will give her some relief from the growing lymph node, as well as to work synergistically with the Yervoy against her melanoma.

Enjoying this season! (from November)

As we mentioned before, Yervoy works by taking the "brakes" off of your immune system, helping your body to recognize the melanoma as being "foreign" so that it will attack it instead of letting it grow. Because of this, it usually takes time for it to work (weeks or even months) and to get your immune system revved up enough to effectively go after the melanoma. So, we are waiting and praying in the meantime.

Madeleine's next PET scan is scheduled for January 4th. Between now and then, she's looking forward to being with friends who will be home from college and elsewhere, and she's also really looking forward to enjoying this Christmas time.

As always, thanks so much for keeping her in your prayers and for your encouragement during this time.

And the decision is...

Madeleine’s Blog

November 30, 2012

So do not fear, for I am with you

Do not be dismayed, for I am your God

I will strengthen you and help you

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand

Isaiah 41:10

Decisions...

The decision has finally been made, and the recommendation is for Madeleine to start on a drug called ipilimumab - which is also known as "Yervoy" (much easier to spell and to say!).

With the help of her local oncologist, and consultation with the melanoma specialists at UCSF, it was decided that this would be the best option for Madeleine right now. (Their recommendation had been to check into getting into a promising clinical trial with a new drug known as anti PD-1, but there aren't any openings available at this time.)

So, Madeleine starts this afternoon receiving her first infusion of Yervoy. She's relieved that this can be done right here at Kaiser... that it is just an IV infusion (no central line - yay!)... and that the infusion lasts only 90 minutes. Also, she only has to have one of these treatments every three weeks.

Yervoy is a drug that works by "taking the brakes off" your immune system so that that it can recognize and destroy the cancer cells. This process can take some time to work, and it can also result in some significant side effects in a percentage of patients. But the drug was approved last year because of its demonstrated effect on patients with melanoma that has spread, and we are hoping and praying that this drug will also be effective in Madeleine's case.

We have been praying that the treatment choices would be clear, and that we would know which path to choose -- so we are really thankful for the clear consensus from her oncologists. They are also currently considering an additional option that may enhance the effect of the Yervoy as well.

Please join us in praying that this treatment will be effective in fighting this cancer, that her body's own immune system would be mobilized to fight, and that Madeleine would be protected from any serious side effects.

Thank you so much for your encouragement and prayers. We'll keep you posted!

Thankful

Madeleine’s Blog

November 22, 2012

So do not fear, for I am with you

Do not be dismayed, for I am your God

I will strengthen you and help you

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand

Isaiah 41:10

From Madeleine:

There are many things to be thankful for in this life we are given. 

Being diagnosed with cancer has made me realize what is important and what truly matters in life...

I am so thankful for my family and friends. 

I am thankful for the doctors and the treatments that I have been given. 

I am thankful for anyone who has been there encouraging and supporting me during these past 10 months. 

Most of all I am thankful that I am alive! 

♥ Happy thanksgiving!

The joys of freedom...then back to the fight

Madeleine’s Blog

November 20, 2012

So do not fear, for I am with you

Do not be dismayed, for I am your God

I will strengthen you and help you

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand

Isaiah 41:10

It has been a little bit since I updated things...but I want to let you know that Madeleine has been having fun taking a break from the cancer treatments that have been such a part of her life for these past months. It has been so much fun ignoring melanoma!

One thing about this diagnosis is true: It really does give you an enhanced appreciation for the joys of life. Enjoying family, friends, snow, the freedom to travel, the joy of feeling good again - all of these things have been a part of her life during these past weeks.

Madeleine had her PET scan on November 9th, and then took off for the cabin at Mt. Lassen that afternoon. Up at Lassen, she enjoyed hiking through the snow searching for the "perfect" Christmas tree to bring home (an annual tradition), and she had lots of fun with extended family and her younger cousins. 

Shortly after coming home from Lassen, Madeleine took off on a road trip to see several of her friends who have gone away to college. She drove down to Southern California, taking the 101 freeway to enjoy the coastline, and stopping along the way to see friends as she went. She had fun dressing up and going to the "Marine Ball" with Austin, and then she spent two days at Disneyland going on all her favorite rides. 

With Austin at the Marine Ball

Madeleine drove back to Santa Rosa on Sunday, so excited from all her adventures and so refreshed. It was hard for her to hear the news that night that her latest scans showed some small growth in the melanoma in her liver (as well as the lymph node that she already knew about). Having just come off the high of her fun adventures, it was really hard to face that reality again.

The next day (yesterday), we went down to UCSF and met with the melanoma specialist there to see what options are available for the next stage of her treatment. There were several options discussed, and one involved the possibility of getting a spot in a clinical trial that has been shown to be very promising. (This is actually better than it may sound like at first because so many advances are being made in melanoma treatment right now, and sometimes the best treatment medications are still making their way through the clinical trial process, which can take several years.) The other option is something called Yervoy, which has also shown good results. So, we are in the process of getting Madeleine's complete records to UCSF to see if she would qualify to be placed in the trial. No matter which treatment she decides on, it looks like the next course of treatment will be a few weeks off at least. The clinical trial (if approved) would be done at UCSF and the side effects appear to be milder than some of the other options available. 

We would appreciate your prayers that the best treatment option for Madeleine would be revealed (whether it is the trial drug or something else), and that she would be protected and healed from this cancer. Thank you everyone for your concern and support.

Enjoying a break

Madeleine’s Blog

November 4, 2012

So do not fear, for I am with you

Do not be dismayed, for I am your God

I will strengthen you and help you

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand

Isaiah 41:10

Pumpkin farm with her mom

Life since the last round of biochemo has been good -- especially since Madeleine has been gaining strength as the days go by. 

One thing about going through intensive chemo... It gives you new appreciation for the simple, everyday parts of life that most of us take for granted. Madeleine has been enjoying being with family and friends, and she has some plans to look forward to in the weeks ahead as well.

Tomorrow, she begins teaching a swim conditioning class at her gym that is for off-season swim competitors. This is something that she has a real passion for, and she's looking forward to working with high school swimmers from this area. 

Riding a friend's horse today

Then, on Friday, November 9th, she will have her next PET scan to determine how things are responding to the chemo. Please keep her in your prayers during this week, and especially next week as the results come in and the doctors determine what the next step will be. She has a lymph node that they are planning on treating, but are waiting for the results of the scan before making that decision.


Right after the scan is taken, she will head up to the cabin at Lassen again to spend time with extended family, and for the annual tradition of bringing home the family Christmas tree. Shortly after she returns from Lassen, Madeleine will go down to southern California to be with friends (and she's so happy to be heading to SoCal without having to do chemo this time!).

We are all grateful for this break from treatment and for the chance to enjoy life, friends, and family. As always, thank you for your prayers and encouragement.
  

With her brother (Max)

Swim conditioning class