Day 22 - October 7, 2009

Have I mentioned how much I love the people I work with? They've been so supportive throughout this whole process. Today I was pumping kids up at lunch for our night football game tonight when one office staff member came to find me to take a call from Kim. The oncologist had called and wanted us to come in...in one hour. Of course it was no big deal to leave in 15 minutes, because everything just "works" with my colleagues. I couldn't do this without them.

Once at Dr. Liao's office we received tentative news. Pathologists at TG have determined at this point that there are 2 types of tissue in Kim's sample. They all originate in the Thymus, which we found out today is quite important as a child as it aides in your immunity, but as an adult it is about as useful as a parka in downtown Baghdad. A condition sometimes exists called (forgive the spelling) hyper-placia. This is gross over-growth of the tissue. It is begnin, but can become malignant. She has evidence of that type of tissue in her sample. Some at work believe this is evidence of the mysterious "third boob". She also has apparent evidence of malignant thymoma in the sample. On top of that, there appears to be the existence of fluid filled cysts for good measure. That said, this was good news today. Let me finish.

1) Doctors believe there is a good chance that they removed most of the tumor during the biopsy on the 2nd.
2) The treatment for thymoma is surgical, and if they can get all the tumor plus some surrounding tumor they often times are done...no chemo or radiation. This possibility looks good for Kim. Good news: no more tumor. Bad news: bye-bye third boob. Oh well...you win some, you lose some.
3) The tumor is very slow growing, so we don't have to worry while we are waiting on results from other labs.
4) Pathologists from TG are examining right now. They are affiliated with Seattle Cancer Care Alliance...some of the best in the country. Doctors at PhenoPaths are looking as well...they are some of the best in the world. Doctors at the National Institute of Health will be looking at it soon...you know them. All told...3 world-class organizations examining Kim's case...we like those odds.

So for now, we feel good to be one step closer to a resolution. In about 2 weeks we'll have definitive answers about where we are going. We're looking to surgery in early November, and are hopeful about the possibility of being cancer free by Thanksgiving. Wow...that would be something to give thanks about...right?

Heart-warming story of the week: The kids at school have now heard about what is going on. Teenagers are often ego-centric, but are very caring and sensitive at the same time. A 9th grader came to me the other morning with a smile covering a concerned look. She explained how sorry she was about what was going on, and that her family was really into Relay for Life. She felt it was important to give us a purple back pack, bracelet, and t-shirt that all read "Cancer Sucks"! It was so sweet, and so genuine. I live for moments like that.

One more thing...have you heard people say that bad things always happen in threes? I believe good things do too. Kim's friend from California who was also having biopsies done? Clear. My friend at work who's family was impacted by flooding in the Philippines? Safe. Now...Kim's turn. I think we're almost there!

There's your update. Have a great weekend.