Well, here we are. I’m trying really hard to make it all work.

Thank goodness for the kiddos and our gorgeous granddaughter! And we have TWO MORE grandbabies on the way! We are being watched by the most spectacular guardian angel ever!

Our family decided to turn a tragic loss into exactly what Darren would have wanted and we started a foundation in his name! First up, a golf outing we are preparing for! It’s gearing up to be a WILD success. We sold out team spaces in a matter of weeks and we are ready to make a ton of money for cancer care in West Michigan!

So how dare you rear your ugly head again cancer! After 18 glorious months of Opdivo doing it’s job like a BOSS, my June 24th CT scan showed 4 lesions on my liver. Talk about a deflated birthday balloon.

In my oncology office, we had talked about this new and amazing trial they were running. Immunotherapy was working so well, so I was not super interested in hearing about it, but it was admittedly nice to know it was something to consider should it be needed down the road. Well here we are, “down the road!” It was time to decide if we would go for the clinical trial.

A phase 3 trial to help find a tolerable and effective dose of a combination of two FDA approved drugs.
1. 20 Mg of Lenvima, a known to be pretty toxic drug.
2. 120 Mg of Belzutifan, a newer drug being closely looked at as being very promising with minimal side effects!

Vs.

Cabozantinib alone. The current “standard of care” after immunotherapy stops working. (they use the word “fails”. I don’t like that! Immunotherapy did NOT fail me. It was just time to make a change!)

I was randomized in to the trial meds! The Lenvima & Belzutifan combination. Everyone seemed excited, so let’s do this!

We will start in July. A brand new adventure! And I feel SO honored to be doing this trial.

I’m SO hungry to learn all I can about these drugs, how I can help my body adapt to the new meds, avoid side effects, keep my mental health on track and to be a shining example of what these drugs and a willing participant can accomplish!

Off we go!

Much Love,

Carie