To open this blog, I'm going to copy and paste from an email that I sent to this years team of Light the Night walkers. It will lay the foundation for the rest of this post and ones in the future...
"Now, for the hard part. As I've said countless times before, I am grateful for each and everyone of you and having your support at such a meaningful event means a lot to me. It's been an interesting 2+ years and I don't know how my family and I would have done it without your love, support and prayers. There's no easy way to relay this information so I will just write it the best I can...I am asking for you to continue to pray for me and my family and specifically my younger brother, Jereme. It seems as I am transitioning into my "new normal" with clean scans and bloodwork, he is beginning his own journey into the world of what appears to be lymphoma. I'll spare you all of the details but he has been symptomatic for some time and the last few weeks have brought a flurry of overwhelming reports and appointments. He met with an oncologist who specializes in leukemia and lymphoma this week who told him he is 99% sure it is lymphoma. Jereme has a biopsy tomorrow and meets with the oncologist again on October 30th. At that time the results of the biopsy will be discussed as well as the next steps. I will be in San Diego with him for that appointment. I know this is shocking information and I apologize for having to relay it via email but that seems to be the most manageable way. I wanted to give all of you a heads up before Saturday as all of this is still fresh news for my family and emotions may be running high. Jereme is definitely not one for attention but I did get his blessing on sharing this information with all of you. If you know my brother, you know that he is a fierce competitor and has a great sense of humor, both of which will come in handy in the coming months.
To answer a few questions that have come up when sharing this information: No, Jereme will not be at this years walk. He was not planning on being at this years walk long before all of this came to light and that is probably best at this point. Regarding the cause or possible link with my diagnosis...we don't know and may never. Here is the best explanation I have found, "The genetic links to lymphoma are complicated and uncertain. Direct inheritance does not seem to be a factor. Even in the rare cases in which lymphoma occurs in family clusters it is not clear whether genetics or environmental exposure–or a combination of the two–is the determining factor.""
I spent time in San Diego last week and had the opportunity to meet Jereme's oncologist and accompany him to a couple of tests. I was happy to be there for him, not happy about what it was for. It's a bit surreal hearing the terminology again but from the perspective of a family member rather than patient. Jereme has since finished all of the tests and scans and received the news today that he is staged at 3B. The cancer is above and below his diaphragm and he is symptomatic. He also had his first chemo treatment today. He is receiving the same combination of drugs that I did but it sounds like his doctor is anticipating 6 rounds instead of 4 like I had (I was staged at 2A). I will be over in San Diego again this weekend as I am walking in a half marathon on Sunday. I am hoping to spend some time with Jereme if he's feeling up to it. I am asking for prayers and positive thoughts on his behalf. That he takes care of himself the best he can and is mentally and emotionally coping with things in a healthy way and his body responds in an efficient and effective way to the chemo.
I am still in a little bit of "twilight zone" mode as this seems so surreal at times. I hope to update/vent again soon :) Thank you for your continued support of my family, we are forever grateful.
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