Still hanging in there . . .

Had my appointment with Dr. K yesterday.  There is a drug, new for sarcoma, that has been used in treating late-stage kidney cancer.  He suggested I give it a try.  It hasn’t been approved by the FDA for sarcoma yet, but if my insurance company approves it anyway, I can start in the next couple of days.  It’s called Pazopanib, brand name – Votrient.  (I’d love to know who comes up with these names!)  Anyway, it’s supposed to cut off the blood supply to the tumors.  Dr. K is also looking into clinical trials at Sloan Kettering in NYC and MD Anderson in Houston for me.  He’ll have that information by the end of the week. 

I’m not going to lie – I got the distinct impression that Dr. K doesn’t hold out much hope that anything is going to work due to the progression of the cancer.  He may be right, but I’m not ready to give up the fight just yet.  I appreciate his willingness to be supportive of my desire to keep fighting.  He could easily wash his hands of me. 

My hope is that we’ll at least find something that buys me a little more time.  I still have things I need to do! 

A friend from work shared this poem with me.  I loved it.  Thanks, Debbie!

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a fellow turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out,
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man;
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor’s cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint in the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It might be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit,
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.

Until next time . . .