Tuesday, March 28, 2006
What is Sarcoma?
Having read quite a bit about it as of late, I wanted to share some general information on Sarcoma.
Cancer, in general, is the abnormal growth of cells in the body. Each cell in our bodies has 23 pairs of chromosomes. Mutations during cell division (caused by genetics or external damage or factors) can result in abnormal chromosomes that cause rapid cell division and tumor growth. These cells quit obeying the normal rules and keep dividing in an uncontrolled manner. The specific type of cancer is a direct function of the type of cell that went haywire. Carcinoma (tissues that line internal organs & passageways), Sarcoma (soft tissue & bone), and Lymphomas/Leukemias (lymph glands and bone marrow) are general categories of cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates that 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women will be diagnosed with some type of cancer in the lifetime (pretty scary). Men are most likely to suffer from Prostate (1 in 6) or Lung (1 in 13) cancer, and women are most likely to suffer from Breast (1 in 7) or Lung (1 in 18) cancer.
Sarcoma accounts for less than 1% of all cancer, with ~ 10,000 new diagnoses each year in the US. At any one time about 50,000 people are dealing with Sarcoma. Because it is a rarer form of cancer, it is advised that you seek treatment at a cancer center that specializes in sarcoma, such as Sloan Kettering or about a dozen others. There are over 50 types of sarcoma identified -- soft tissue sarcoma can occur in the muscles, fat, blood vessels, tendons, fibrous tissues and synovial tissues (tissues around joints). In my particular case, my original diagnosis was leiomyosarcoma ("lay"-"oh"-"my"-"oh"-"sarcoma"), which means the cancer developed in smooth muscle tissue (in my abdominal muscle). The cancer can spread through the blood stream and metastisize in other parts of the body (as in my case, in the vertebrae). In general sarcoma is very aggressive and has a very high recurrence rate. I've joined a leiomyosarcoma listserve and it is clear that many patients deal with recurrence and multiple tumors and metastatic sites. The good news is that many of these patients have found successful treatment options by working with sarcoma specialists, and many have achieved a "No Evidence of Disease" or NED condition. This is the goal of any motivated sarcoma patient! Surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy are often used in parallel (as they will in my case), and there are many clinical trials underway testing experimental drugs. I'm hoping to be able to enroll in a specific clinical trial at Sloan.
There are several good sites that deal with sarcoma:
Sarcoma Alliance
National Leiomyosarcoma Foundation
Leiomyosarcoma Info
Leiomyosarcoma.net
Probably more than anyone wanted to know, but not bad for someone whose last biology class was in 9th grade.
Jenny and I are headed to NYC tomorrow morning, my parents will be in town taking care of the kids. We can be reached via our cell phone and will be back Saturday. I got my Masters degree at George Mason when we lived in DC, so I'm looking forward to Saturday's Final 4 game. Go Patriots!
Cancer, in general, is the abnormal growth of cells in the body. Each cell in our bodies has 23 pairs of chromosomes. Mutations during cell division (caused by genetics or external damage or factors) can result in abnormal chromosomes that cause rapid cell division and tumor growth. These cells quit obeying the normal rules and keep dividing in an uncontrolled manner. The specific type of cancer is a direct function of the type of cell that went haywire. Carcinoma (tissues that line internal organs & passageways), Sarcoma (soft tissue & bone), and Lymphomas/Leukemias (lymph glands and bone marrow) are general categories of cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates that 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women will be diagnosed with some type of cancer in the lifetime (pretty scary). Men are most likely to suffer from Prostate (1 in 6) or Lung (1 in 13) cancer, and women are most likely to suffer from Breast (1 in 7) or Lung (1 in 18) cancer.
Sarcoma accounts for less than 1% of all cancer, with ~ 10,000 new diagnoses each year in the US. At any one time about 50,000 people are dealing with Sarcoma. Because it is a rarer form of cancer, it is advised that you seek treatment at a cancer center that specializes in sarcoma, such as Sloan Kettering or about a dozen others. There are over 50 types of sarcoma identified -- soft tissue sarcoma can occur in the muscles, fat, blood vessels, tendons, fibrous tissues and synovial tissues (tissues around joints). In my particular case, my original diagnosis was leiomyosarcoma ("lay"-"oh"-"my"-"oh"-"sarcoma"), which means the cancer developed in smooth muscle tissue (in my abdominal muscle). The cancer can spread through the blood stream and metastisize in other parts of the body (as in my case, in the vertebrae). In general sarcoma is very aggressive and has a very high recurrence rate. I've joined a leiomyosarcoma listserve and it is clear that many patients deal with recurrence and multiple tumors and metastatic sites. The good news is that many of these patients have found successful treatment options by working with sarcoma specialists, and many have achieved a "No Evidence of Disease" or NED condition. This is the goal of any motivated sarcoma patient! Surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy are often used in parallel (as they will in my case), and there are many clinical trials underway testing experimental drugs. I'm hoping to be able to enroll in a specific clinical trial at Sloan.
There are several good sites that deal with sarcoma:
Sarcoma Alliance
National Leiomyosarcoma Foundation
Leiomyosarcoma Info
Leiomyosarcoma.net
Probably more than anyone wanted to know, but not bad for someone whose last biology class was in 9th grade.
Jenny and I are headed to NYC tomorrow morning, my parents will be in town taking care of the kids. We can be reached via our cell phone and will be back Saturday. I got my Masters degree at George Mason when we lived in DC, so I'm looking forward to Saturday's Final 4 game. Go Patriots!
Saturday, March 25, 2006
Twin Testing
My brother and I received the results from our genetic testing yesterday. It probably doesn't come as a surprise that we are genetically identical. The following is an excerpt from the report....
DNA samples were analyzed using a technique called PCR. Next, we
analyzed 7-8 standard DNA markers (D5S818, D13S317, D7S820, D16S539, vWA,
TH01, TPOX, and CSF1PO) and determined that the highly variable DNA markers
were the same for both twins. Thus, there is greater than a 99% probability
that the twins are monozygotic.
Rob and I feel a sense of closure with this, primarily because our experiences growing up were those of identical twins. It turns out that about 20-30% of identical twins will form separate placentas early on, leading a doctor to mistakenly believe that newly born twins are fraternal.
DNA samples were analyzed using a technique called PCR. Next, we
analyzed 7-8 standard DNA markers (D5S818, D13S317, D7S820, D16S539, vWA,
TH01, TPOX, and CSF1PO) and determined that the highly variable DNA markers
were the same for both twins. Thus, there is greater than a 99% probability
that the twins are monozygotic.
Rob and I feel a sense of closure with this, primarily because our experiences growing up were those of identical twins. It turns out that about 20-30% of identical twins will form separate placentas early on, leading a doctor to mistakenly believe that newly born twins are fraternal.
Friday, March 24, 2006
Friday Update
I've now been home a week and am feeling well. My legs have improved a good bit in the last 48 hours and I am now just using a cane to move around the house. I can get up and down the stairs fine. After 10 minutes or so on my feet, my back and neck start to complain, so that is my biggest constraint to complete mobility right now.
Jenny and I will be heading to NYC on Wednesday the 29th and stay at her good friend Lara's appt in uptown. We have 3 appointments on Thursday (Surgeon, Oncologist, Radiation Oncologist). We have lots of questions and things to discuss with all 3, so I should have lots of answers by the time we return. On Friday, I am having a Myelogram done at MSKCC as well. This is in preparation for my radiation treatment. Along with the myelogram, they will be creating a full body mold of my body and doing a C/T scan. All of this feeds a complex computer model/simulation to conduct the IMRT (Intensity Modulated radiation Treatment). This is currently scheduled as a single high dose treatment on April 10th. IMO, this is pretty cool stuff. The whole idea is to be able to precisely aim high energy X-Rays at the cancer site, killing off any remaining cells from the surgery, all while minimizing damage to healthy tissue.
Friday will be a long day, so we expect to leave NYC on Saturday morning.
A special thanks to Jenny's brother Mark (or as Nathan calls him "Uncle Shark" :)) who spent the week here. You were a huge help! My sister Sarah is currently visiting, and Jenny's sister Ann is headed up for the weekend.
Another topic....... Jenny and I lost our dog Blue this past year, and after much searching in January, we brought home a female Australian Shepard puppy named Zuzu. When I was admitted to the hospital, the breeder, Kelly, (she lives down in the Harrisburg area) was quick to volunteer to puppy sit for the long term while we dealt with my medical issues. Kelly shows dogs, and last weekend she took Zuzu to a dog show down in Virginia. We were quite surprised to learn that our own Zuzu brought home 3 awards, one best of breed puppy award and 2 best opposite sex puppy awards. Apparently, she has whatever the judges are looking for! Once things settle down, we'll be taking Zuzu back, but right now she is in excellent hands and doing great.
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
Seth
Jenny and I will be heading to NYC on Wednesday the 29th and stay at her good friend Lara's appt in uptown. We have 3 appointments on Thursday (Surgeon, Oncologist, Radiation Oncologist). We have lots of questions and things to discuss with all 3, so I should have lots of answers by the time we return. On Friday, I am having a Myelogram done at MSKCC as well. This is in preparation for my radiation treatment. Along with the myelogram, they will be creating a full body mold of my body and doing a C/T scan. All of this feeds a complex computer model/simulation to conduct the IMRT (Intensity Modulated radiation Treatment). This is currently scheduled as a single high dose treatment on April 10th. IMO, this is pretty cool stuff. The whole idea is to be able to precisely aim high energy X-Rays at the cancer site, killing off any remaining cells from the surgery, all while minimizing damage to healthy tissue.
Friday will be a long day, so we expect to leave NYC on Saturday morning.
A special thanks to Jenny's brother Mark (or as Nathan calls him "Uncle Shark" :)) who spent the week here. You were a huge help! My sister Sarah is currently visiting, and Jenny's sister Ann is headed up for the weekend.
Another topic....... Jenny and I lost our dog Blue this past year, and after much searching in January, we brought home a female Australian Shepard puppy named Zuzu. When I was admitted to the hospital, the breeder, Kelly, (she lives down in the Harrisburg area) was quick to volunteer to puppy sit for the long term while we dealt with my medical issues. Kelly shows dogs, and last weekend she took Zuzu to a dog show down in Virginia. We were quite surprised to learn that our own Zuzu brought home 3 awards, one best of breed puppy award and 2 best opposite sex puppy awards. Apparently, she has whatever the judges are looking for! Once things settle down, we'll be taking Zuzu back, but right now she is in excellent hands and doing great.
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
Seth
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Family Photo
Latest Schedule
It looks like Jenny and I will be heading to NYC next week for a few days (29th-31st) to meet w/ several doctors. First, I'll be meeting with a Radiation Oncologist, Dr Yamada, to discuss the radiation treatment on my spine. The plan is to use a single high energy treamtment on the effected verterbrae. With proper modeling, they have the ability to steer the X-rays within 2mm of your spinal cord, giving max lethality to the cancer cells and minimizing collateral damage to healthy tissue. The actual radiation treatment will probably occur the first week of April.
Second, we'll be meeting with an Oncologist, Dr D'Adamo, to discuss my chemotherapy options. Because of the remaining disease in my body, a systemic treatment is going to be required. Sloan has several clinical trials going on, and Jenny and I are researching as much as we can to determine what "new" therapies might work best. Because Sarcoma is rare, many of these approaches are largely experimental. We've also spoken to my original Oncologist in Washington DC to see what approaches he might recommend.
I'm now off the major pain killers and I've had to slow down a little bit. My back is quite tender and keeps telling me to stay, while my legs are feeling antzy to walk around a get stronger. Jenny's brother Mark is in town helping with the kids, so things are peaceful around the house.
I read a book called "Freakonomics" yesterday which was quite good and seemed to keep my mind occupied on other things. Any good book recommendations are welcome!
Seth
Second, we'll be meeting with an Oncologist, Dr D'Adamo, to discuss my chemotherapy options. Because of the remaining disease in my body, a systemic treatment is going to be required. Sloan has several clinical trials going on, and Jenny and I are researching as much as we can to determine what "new" therapies might work best. Because Sarcoma is rare, many of these approaches are largely experimental. We've also spoken to my original Oncologist in Washington DC to see what approaches he might recommend.
I'm now off the major pain killers and I've had to slow down a little bit. My back is quite tender and keeps telling me to stay, while my legs are feeling antzy to walk around a get stronger. Jenny's brother Mark is in town helping with the kids, so things are peaceful around the house.
I read a book called "Freakonomics" yesterday which was quite good and seemed to keep my mind occupied on other things. Any good book recommendations are welcome!
Seth
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Special Thanks
It's Sunday morning, and I have another good night of sleep behind me, it feels good. My legs are still weak, and my balance isn't all there yet, but I am getting around pretty well.
Some many of you have helped in many ways, but there are a couple of thank yous I wanted to send out today.
First, to my brother Rob, whose presence in NYC was invaluable, and who got me back to PA. THANK YOU, I'm proud to have you as a brother. For those that don't know, Rob is my twin and lives in California with his own family, so we don't get to see each other as often as we would like. Rob has been training hard for this upcoming cycling season and I 'm hoping he can get back on track quickly. Rob and I are awaiting some genetic testing results to determine our zygosity, since we've always wondered "Fraternal or Identical?". We should hear soon.
Secondly, to all my Cornell Rockledge brothers who crawled out of the NYC woodwork to help me out before I even got there. Your advice, time, calls, visits etc were very much appreciated, it felt good to be back in your company. A special thanks to Kurt and Jim for your continued medical guidance and support, I can' thank you enough.
Thirdly, to my guardian angels, Tom and JoAnne of Bayonne, NJ. Your dial-a-mattress, your Cadillac, and the Judickee's donuts were all integral parts of my "escape from New York", and I can't say how much it meant to our family.
Another thank you to the community of State College, PA. My parents were simply overwhelmed by the amount of genuine support shown by the entire community here, and Jenny and I can't believe how lucky we are to have ended up in such a caring community.
Lastly, to my wife and parents, you already know how I feel......
OK, enough for now.
Jenny and I should have some more schedule details on my upcoming treatment early this week, we'll share as it becomes available.
Until then, visits and phone calls are very welcome.
Seth
Some many of you have helped in many ways, but there are a couple of thank yous I wanted to send out today.
First, to my brother Rob, whose presence in NYC was invaluable, and who got me back to PA. THANK YOU, I'm proud to have you as a brother. For those that don't know, Rob is my twin and lives in California with his own family, so we don't get to see each other as often as we would like. Rob has been training hard for this upcoming cycling season and I 'm hoping he can get back on track quickly. Rob and I are awaiting some genetic testing results to determine our zygosity, since we've always wondered "Fraternal or Identical?". We should hear soon.
Secondly, to all my Cornell Rockledge brothers who crawled out of the NYC woodwork to help me out before I even got there. Your advice, time, calls, visits etc were very much appreciated, it felt good to be back in your company. A special thanks to Kurt and Jim for your continued medical guidance and support, I can' thank you enough.
Thirdly, to my guardian angels, Tom and JoAnne of Bayonne, NJ. Your dial-a-mattress, your Cadillac, and the Judickee's donuts were all integral parts of my "escape from New York", and I can't say how much it meant to our family.
Another thank you to the community of State College, PA. My parents were simply overwhelmed by the amount of genuine support shown by the entire community here, and Jenny and I can't believe how lucky we are to have ended up in such a caring community.
Lastly, to my wife and parents, you already know how I feel......
OK, enough for now.
Jenny and I should have some more schedule details on my upcoming treatment early this week, we'll share as it becomes available.
Until then, visits and phone calls are very welcome.
Seth
Friday, March 17, 2006
Spinal MRI
I am including two photos from my March 3rd MRI on my spine. The first photo on the left above shows a normal vertebrae and spinal cord somewhere below the tumor. My back is at the bottom of the photopgraph.The next photo gives some indication of the pressure that the tumor put on the cord, and explains why I was starting to have the symptoms in my feet, legs, and torso. This photo is from the T4 vert, about chest level. You can see the deformed, darker tissue that was part of the tumor both around the cord and in the bone itself. My complete sensation has not yet returned to my legs and feet, but my strength is there, so I am feeling quite confident about having fully functional legs at this point.
My Background
I 've set up this blog to be able efficiently share current info on my medical condition and let everyone know how things are going. I'm hoping it will help us keep everyone informed, so please let me know what you think.
It's been a crazy couple of weeks. For those that don't know, I was diagnosed with soft tissue Sarcoma in March 2004 when we lived in Wash DC. We found great care at the Washington Hospital Center, specifically at their Cancer Institute, with Dr Steves (surgeon) and Dr Priebat (oncologist). Dr Steves removed a 4.5cm tumor from my left abdominal wall and replaced my muscle with an index card sized piece of mesh. Given the aggressive nature of Sarcoma, a successful initial resection is a great way to start treatment. I was closely followed over the last 2 years, and we had since moved up to State College. I had been seeing an oncologist every 3 months at Hershey with no indication of recurrence. For abdominal sarcoma, recurrence locally or in the lungs is what would be typical.
In my case, since about Christmas, I had been chest and back pain, and not feeling well. I was convinced I had an ulcer, and finally ended up having a pelvic C/T which revealed a 5cm mass in my right pelvis. I had also started having numbness in my legs, shins, and finally torso. We checked in the Hershey Hospital on 3/3/06, and a full spinal MRI showed additional tumor in the T4 vertebrae (this was pretty scary news at the time). The drs were recommending immediate surgery to get the pressure off the spinal cord. Long story short, we knew from past experience that we had to get a Sarcoma center where surgeons specialize in this sort of stuff. We quickly found that Dr Boland and Dr Bilski were published in spinal sarcoma surgery, and Memorial Sloan Kettering is on of the leading sarcoma centers. I called an old friend, now an orthopedic dr in the NY area, and he was able to accommodate a next day appt with Dr Boland, who was one heck of a nice guy and very reassuring. We checked in to Sloan on Wednesday the 8th and had surgery scheduled for the 10th. There were lots of tests, scans etc to get ready, and by early afternoon on Friday they were wheeling me into the OR. The first 2 days of recovery were very tough, I could hardly move, and my whole spine felt like a had a very solid metal yardstick attached to it. It turns out that the tumor was in both T4 and T5, and they ended up operating from T2 to T7 to get everything stabilized. I am still waiting to the X-Ray of the hardware they put in there -- screws, rods etc. The good news is that I have been recovering fast and my neck and spine seem to be adjusting to the new arrangement. The tumor was in both the vertebral body and the epidural space, so the T4 and T5 have definitely been altered in shape and content. The surgeons were quite clear that I "really needed this surgery" and that "things were very tight in there". Quite honestly I don't know if they were expecting me to be able to move me legs again, but they did one heck of a job. By Monday the 13th I was able to get out of bed almost on my own, and by late Tuesday I was chomping at the bit the get checked out and get home to recover. We finally got out of there by Wednesday night. My kudos and thanks to all the staff on the Neurosurgery floor at Sloan, they were all terrific and very supportive of my recovery.
The next big steps here are
1. Following up on my spinal surgery
2. Getting radiation treatment on the spine and
3. Getting a chemotherapy protocol established the address the remaining disease in my pelvis. There are lots of options here on how this will be addressed, so these are topics I will reserve for another post.
Jenny and I will be heading back to NYC next Wednesday to start dealing with all of this , right now we are happy to back in our own bed and to be able to see and hug the kids.
As I get them, I intend to post some C/T and MRI imagery of some of the more interesting aspects of my case.
Also, I hope to be able to share some more information on sarcoma and related topics as we continue to learn about it.
Much love,
Seth
PS my apologies for spelling and grammar, I am still on Percocet among other strange drugs...
It's been a crazy couple of weeks. For those that don't know, I was diagnosed with soft tissue Sarcoma in March 2004 when we lived in Wash DC. We found great care at the Washington Hospital Center, specifically at their Cancer Institute, with Dr Steves (surgeon) and Dr Priebat (oncologist). Dr Steves removed a 4.5cm tumor from my left abdominal wall and replaced my muscle with an index card sized piece of mesh. Given the aggressive nature of Sarcoma, a successful initial resection is a great way to start treatment. I was closely followed over the last 2 years, and we had since moved up to State College. I had been seeing an oncologist every 3 months at Hershey with no indication of recurrence. For abdominal sarcoma, recurrence locally or in the lungs is what would be typical.
In my case, since about Christmas, I had been chest and back pain, and not feeling well. I was convinced I had an ulcer, and finally ended up having a pelvic C/T which revealed a 5cm mass in my right pelvis. I had also started having numbness in my legs, shins, and finally torso. We checked in the Hershey Hospital on 3/3/06, and a full spinal MRI showed additional tumor in the T4 vertebrae (this was pretty scary news at the time). The drs were recommending immediate surgery to get the pressure off the spinal cord. Long story short, we knew from past experience that we had to get a Sarcoma center where surgeons specialize in this sort of stuff. We quickly found that Dr Boland and Dr Bilski were published in spinal sarcoma surgery, and Memorial Sloan Kettering is on of the leading sarcoma centers. I called an old friend, now an orthopedic dr in the NY area, and he was able to accommodate a next day appt with Dr Boland, who was one heck of a nice guy and very reassuring. We checked in to Sloan on Wednesday the 8th and had surgery scheduled for the 10th. There were lots of tests, scans etc to get ready, and by early afternoon on Friday they were wheeling me into the OR. The first 2 days of recovery were very tough, I could hardly move, and my whole spine felt like a had a very solid metal yardstick attached to it. It turns out that the tumor was in both T4 and T5, and they ended up operating from T2 to T7 to get everything stabilized. I am still waiting to the X-Ray of the hardware they put in there -- screws, rods etc. The good news is that I have been recovering fast and my neck and spine seem to be adjusting to the new arrangement. The tumor was in both the vertebral body and the epidural space, so the T4 and T5 have definitely been altered in shape and content. The surgeons were quite clear that I "really needed this surgery" and that "things were very tight in there". Quite honestly I don't know if they were expecting me to be able to move me legs again, but they did one heck of a job. By Monday the 13th I was able to get out of bed almost on my own, and by late Tuesday I was chomping at the bit the get checked out and get home to recover. We finally got out of there by Wednesday night. My kudos and thanks to all the staff on the Neurosurgery floor at Sloan, they were all terrific and very supportive of my recovery.
The next big steps here are
1. Following up on my spinal surgery
2. Getting radiation treatment on the spine and
3. Getting a chemotherapy protocol established the address the remaining disease in my pelvis. There are lots of options here on how this will be addressed, so these are topics I will reserve for another post.
Jenny and I will be heading back to NYC next Wednesday to start dealing with all of this , right now we are happy to back in our own bed and to be able to see and hug the kids.
As I get them, I intend to post some C/T and MRI imagery of some of the more interesting aspects of my case.
Also, I hope to be able to share some more information on sarcoma and related topics as we continue to learn about it.
Much love,
Seth
PS my apologies for spelling and grammar, I am still on Percocet among other strange drugs...
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Initial post
Well I am happy to report that Jenny and I have arrived home this afternoon, (Thursday) from Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in NY.
I am recovering well from my spinal surgery. All of you have been a bedrock of support our family over the last 2 weeks, and Jenny and I send our most sincere thanks and appreciation for all support offered and lent. For those of you who are hearing about this for the first time, we apologize that it has been difficult to get information out easily to our friends. We literally have not been home since the morning of March 3, when we received a phone call from my oncologist at Hershey.
A brief summary: I was re-diagnosed with a pelvic tumor on 3/3/06, another sarcoma. (an original tumor was removed 2 years ago and things had been going well until recently). The drs also discovered a tumor in the spine which required near immediate removal. Jenny and I traveled to NY because of their spinal sarcoma surgical expertise at Sloan Memorial. Surgery was on 3/10 and IÂm home 6 days later. I will be following up with radiation and chemo in the months to come based on the current state of the disease, but we have found the leading sarcoma doctors around and are in very good hands.
This is a web blog where Jenny and I can disseminate info much more efficiently that we are now. We just havenÂt been able to respond to every phone call and email, but appreciate them just the same. And we are especially thankful for all the prayers coming our way! Look for updates in the next day or 2.
Take care, Seth and Jenny
I am recovering well from my spinal surgery. All of you have been a bedrock of support our family over the last 2 weeks, and Jenny and I send our most sincere thanks and appreciation for all support offered and lent. For those of you who are hearing about this for the first time, we apologize that it has been difficult to get information out easily to our friends. We literally have not been home since the morning of March 3, when we received a phone call from my oncologist at Hershey.
A brief summary: I was re-diagnosed with a pelvic tumor on 3/3/06, another sarcoma. (an original tumor was removed 2 years ago and things had been going well until recently). The drs also discovered a tumor in the spine which required near immediate removal. Jenny and I traveled to NY because of their spinal sarcoma surgical expertise at Sloan Memorial. Surgery was on 3/10 and IÂm home 6 days later. I will be following up with radiation and chemo in the months to come based on the current state of the disease, but we have found the leading sarcoma doctors around and are in very good hands.
This is a web blog where Jenny and I can disseminate info much more efficiently that we are now. We just havenÂt been able to respond to every phone call and email, but appreciate them just the same. And we are especially thankful for all the prayers coming our way! Look for updates in the next day or 2.
Take care, Seth and Jenny
