[Magdalen] Clinical trial

[Judy Fleener]

You continue in our prayers, Eleanor.


On Fri, Dec 9, 2016 at 4:09 PM, Eleanor Braun <eleanor.braun at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Thanks, Marion.
>
> And for those not on Facebook, "young Harold" is a shih tzu puppy who will
> come to share my life in mid-January.
>
> Eleanor
>
>
> On Fri, Dec 9, 2016 at 4:05 PM Marion Thompson <marionwhitevale at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > It's always good to have options and you'll be in good company with
> >
> > Jimmy Carter! Who better?!  I will keep you in my prayers, Eleanor, and
> >
> > especially raise prayers for peace and hope.  Here's to the new year and
> >
> > to young Harold's arrival.
> >
> >
> >
> > Love and hugs,
> >
> >
> >
> > Marion, a pilgrim
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > On 12/9/2016 12:51 PM, Eleanor Braun wrote:
> >
> > > You may recall that I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in September
> > 2014.
> >
> > >
> >
> > > Since then I've been through surgery and two rounds of chemotherapy.
> >
> > >
> >
> > > After my trip to Iona and England this last September, my cancer marker
> > had
> >
> > > once again gone up to the point where I needed further treatment.
> After
> >
> > > further tests and a visit to my top doc at Dana Farber Cancer Institute
> > in
> >
> > > Boston, I learned my options.
> >
> > >
> >
> > > For the first time those options included three clinical trials.  In
> the
> >
> > > past I've been hesitant about clinical trials, mainly because they
> > require
> >
> > > frequent trips to Boston from Cape Cod.  But now I'm more open to them.
> >
> > >
> >
> > > As I learned about the available trials, the one that really caught my
> >
> > > attention was a combination of a standard chemotherapy with an
> >
> > > immunotherapy drug.  That drug is the same one that was used to treat
> and
> >
> > > cure Jimmy Carter's brain tumor (which was metastasized melanoma).
> > Several
> >
> > > trials are now being undertaken to test that approach on other tumors.
> >
> > >
> >
> > > So I had to wait until slots in the trial were opened up, and go
> through
> >
> > > more tests and exams, but I will finally start treatment next Monday at
> >
> > > Dana Farber.  I won't have to go every week; the chemo is given every
> > four
> >
> > > weeks, and the immuno treatment every three weeks.
> >
> > >
> >
> > > And I know I will be getting both drugs, not a placebo.  This is a
> phase
> > 2
> >
> > > trial, where they are testing the dosing and timing, but everybody gets
> > the
> >
> > > treatment.
> >
> > >
> >
> > > Tests so far have indicated the immuno drug has less side effects than
> >
> > > regular chemo.  And I've tolerated the chemo side effects fairly well
> >
> > > through the first two rounds.
> >
> > >
> >
> > > So I'm hopeful that this will be a tolerable treatment with the
> > possibility
> >
> > > of improvement, at least for a while.  Ovarian is regarded as an
> >
> > > "aggressive" cancer, and the best hope is to keep beating it back as
> long
> >
> > > as possible.
> >
> > >
> >
> > > Your prayers for peace and hope are welcome.
> >
> > >
> >
> > > Eleanor
> >
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>



-- 
Judy Fleener, ObJN,SSH
Western Michigan