Danelle Fights Cancer

On Tuesday, Danelle had a procedure at Duke.   It was related to her kidney and was a periodic maintenance type of procedure.   Everything went well and she handled it beautifully.  

The next morning we had a 6am flight to Houston.  The appointment was scheduled for 1pm, so we were able to get settled and rested beforehand.   The staff at MD Anderson were very welcoming and got all of the background information together.   They spent at least two hours going over history and details of treatment up to that point.  

By the end of the visit, a game plan was established:

• They supported Duke’s recommendation for the Platinum based chemo with an additional drug to weaken the cancer.  This is a regimen that MDA uses, and thought it was a good choice. 

• They wanted to get Danelle setup with their trial/phase1 program at MD Anderson so that if the Duke option did not work well, that she would be ready to go for evaluation for a new drug in TX.

The next day, Danelle met with the team at MD Anderson – Trial/Phase 1 dept.   Again, they were very detailed and went through medical history and through an orientation.   

Note: A trial program means that they would find all the potential program matches for the type of cancer that Danelle has (genetics, receptors, expression types, etc).   They may have several, they may have one, or they may not have any.   If there is a match, then Danelle could decide if she wants to proceed.  These trials have had initial positives in testing, but they don’t know the dosage.  So those adjustments would be made during the trial period.  Danelle would weigh the risks of side effects and decide from there.  

Houston is HOT!   It’s an oppressive heat that knocks you down when you get out of the car or leave a building.  We were able to have some good food around town, and even got some Schlotzksky’s (one of Danelle’s favorites and they aren’t in Raleigh in anymore).

When the weekend came, we were also able to visit with one of Danelle’s lifelong friends and her family.  It was great to see the Bodarts and had a great time hanging out with them in Mississippi.

We know that there are a huge number of folks praying for Danelle, and we can’t express enough our appreciation for that.  HE hears you.  Thank you, truly.  

Our prayers are:

• This chemo combo really gets after these cancer spots. 
• Side effects are at a minimum and the infusion process goes well
• To strengthen Danelle physically and mentally for the next round of treatment

We love you.