SWMBO news - July 8, 2008

Last weekend (Independence Day) Sandie and I went to San Diego to visit my two children and their 7 children. We really enjoyed the opportunity to see how much the grandchildren have grown.

But there was a more vital element to our visit.

On Thursday, June July2, SWMBO received communications from the Genotype program at Boston Mass., suggesting that if she wanted to enroll in the program she could show up at U.C. Irvine (California) on Tuesday June July7, for interviews and to complete some forms. This is the necessary first step step toward enrolling in the program.

I immediately called my daughter, Jenn, in San Diego. I asked if she would be able to help SWMBO get from San Diego to Irvine (about 90 miles) on Tuesday. "No Problem, I can take the afternoon off) she replied.


(She had already found us a motel in San Diego who was willing to give us a 'deal' on a 3-day stay; we simply had to convert the reservation to a six-day stay.)

Yesterday, Tuesday, SWMBO and Jenn drove to Irvine and completed the initial interview process.

Then they went to Disneyland. What's the use of living, if you can't enjoy life?

I felt terrible about not being able to stay with SWMBO in San Diego, but I absolutely had to go to work for the 3 days when she would be in California. Jenn and I did whatever we could to make sure that she was comfortable staying in a motel for an extra 3 days, and providing for her own transportation.

When she returned to Corvallis this evening, after taking a shuttle-bus from the Portland International Airport (PDX), SWMBO was exuberant. She related that the program has already successfully treated a Lung Cancer patient with the same symptoms (including resistance to the benefits of Tarvastin Tarceva), and they are so far willing to accept SWMBO as a program participant.

As I have already stated, this is the epitome of HOPE.

HOPE that she will be judged a viable candidate for the program after she goes to Mass. Gen. for a biopsy.

HOPE that the program will find a genotype profile which matches a previous successful treatment patient.

HOPE that the treatment will result in a complete eradication of the cancer cells in her lungs, as happened with the previous patient.

There are, of course, no guarantees. But there is a chance, albiet a small chance, that the treatment will cure her of lung cancer.

It's too early to be too optimistic. That doesn't stop us from feeling optimistic.

Keep those prayers coming, folks. They really work.

I'm still impressed that Granddaughter Samantha refers to me (in conversations to SWMBO) as "Your Boyfriend".

I suppose I should be upset that I became the less-important member of this relationship, but I'm not.

As long as this world contains such perceptive five-year-old children as Samantha, there is nothing that we cannot accomplish.

Miracles are still possible.