Bowling to Strikeout Cancer, Washington & a Cancer Update! Bowling to Strikeout Cancer Event My family and I attended the “Bowling to Strikeout Cancer” fundraiser in Ottawa last month! Myself and Dr. Wheatley Price (Chair of Medical Advisory Committee for … Continue reading
It’s been almost 2 months since I last updated you on what’s going on in my life. We’ve been very busy so far this winter making lots of great memories.
PANAMA CRUISE: Firstly, I have to mention that I happen to have the BEST parents in the entire world. For Christmas this year, rather than exchanging gifts with one another, my parents, brother, sister-in-law, Dax, Jack and I all decided to go on a Panama Cruise together (I know – they’re pretty cool people!). Continue reading
Another scan, and still stable! I had another x-ray this past Monday and things look relatively the same. Of course, I would love to say that it shrunk like crazy and like magic, “there’s no more cancer!”, but unfortunately it is a long process and I am trying to stay positive and hope that it is shrinking ever so slightly. X-rays are not “exact” Continue reading
What a fantastic week we have had!! We just found out that Xalkori is still working for me and the tumours continue to shrink – slowly but surely!!! I am BEYOND grateful and this positive news continues to give me the hope that I will one day be NED (No evidence of disease!). Once again, we continue with this plan and Continue reading
I don’t know if I have mentioned lately just how thankful I am to have a genetic marker!! We received more positive news last week when I learned that my tumours have continued to shrink while taking Xalkori! They are slowly, but surely, shrinking and I couldn’t be more grateful that this targeted treatment is working! I am able to lead a normal (as normal as it can get while living with lung cancer) life while on these pills.
A little Photo Booth Fun – Never stop living!
I attended my brother’s wedding on Continue reading
I had an x-ray yesterday and there didn’t appear to be any shrinkage but it hadn’t grown either which is a constant fear of mine! I have only been on the pills for a little over 4 weeks so it wouldn’t be common to see much change at this time but the fact that it hasn’t grown shows that it is blocking it at least! Obviously you hope to go in and hear that “the pill is working miracles and it’s shrunk by half” but must remember that slow and steady wins the race!
I am now scheduled for a CT on Continue reading
I had an xray after a 12 day trial on Xalkori on Monday and the scans showed that the tumours looked marginally smaller! This is great news because one of my fears was that the cancer wouldn’t react to the … Continue reading
As I explained in my previous post, I tested positive for the ROS-1 genetic mutation! Essentially what this means is that they’ve been able to identify my cancer cell’s exact mutation. These mutations have been studied and they’ve actually created targeted therapies (oral medications) that have shown amazing results to reduce and control the cancer. Some people have been on this medication for over 3 years and are still seeing results! I was beyond thrilled to receive this news from Foundation Medicine and was so thankful that I sent my tissue away to the US for further testing since they don’t test for these markers in Canada. Currently in Canada, they test for only 2 genetic markers (ALK & EFGF) related to lung cancer. In the US, for a fee of $6000, they tested the tissue that I got from my biopsy for 315 markers. Had I not been aware or able to send this tissue out I would never have learned about my marker! Continue reading
We have had an amazing couple of weeks! Lots of updates!!
Firstly, we welcomed our son Jack Louis Dessureault into the world on June 30th weighing 5.1lbs. He was born at 32 1/2 weeks and is doing very well! He should be able to come home in a week or two. The staff at the NICU has been so fantastic and is taking great care of him while he gets stronger. We are completely in love and so thankful that he was born early without any complications!
As many of you already know, I was recently diagnosed with late stage non-small cell lung cancer. Since the diagnosis, I now refer to this stage of my life as “life interrupted”. On April 21st, 2015 I was told that … Continue reading
from lizzie's lungs 