Last month we rode in the LIVESTRONG challenge. Our kids, Kelden & Nick, myself and my sister, Michelle (who flew in from Phili) all did the 45 mile ride. We had a blast! The ride was great – steep hills, lots of curves and even a small creek crossing. We rode through the Austin country side and past people’s farms. There were over a 4500 participants and more than $3.8 million was raised to fund cancer research and education. It was really impressive to see such a turn-out and the volunteers were great. Thanks to everyone who contributed!
Kev is continuing with his chemo cycles – he finishes up his 9th cycle this week. There has been no discussion as to when these rounds will stop. I suspect that as long as he is showing some positive effects and no better option is available we will continue with the Nexavar and Abraxane. He gets scans at the end of this month – the typical MRI and CT but also this time a PET scan is scheduled. The MRI gives a good look at the brain. The CT is good for the torso – major organs. The PET (positron emission tomography) is a full body scan that acquires metabolic information based on the detection of radiation-tagged glucose. A PET scan can distinguish between living and dead tumors unlike MRI or CT which only confirms the presence of a mass. He doesn’t get PET scans very often – I think he’s only had 3 in the last 8 years. Probably because the cost is more than 10x that of a standard CT and the results would not really change the treatment protocol, given the limited choices. But now they want some info that they can't get from the CT/MRI.
Kev is continuing with his chemo cycles – he finishes up his 9th cycle this week. There has been no discussion as to when these rounds will stop. I suspect that as long as he is showing some positive effects and no better option is available we will continue with the Nexavar and Abraxane. He gets scans at the end of this month – the typical MRI and CT but also this time a PET scan is scheduled. The MRI gives a good look at the brain. The CT is good for the torso – major organs. The PET (positron emission tomography) is a full body scan that acquires metabolic information based on the detection of radiation-tagged glucose. A PET scan can distinguish between living and dead tumors unlike MRI or CT which only confirms the presence of a mass. He doesn’t get PET scans very often – I think he’s only had 3 in the last 8 years. Probably because the cost is more than 10x that of a standard CT and the results would not really change the treatment protocol, given the limited choices. But now they want some info that they can't get from the CT/MRI.
A few weeks ago Kev and a few of his colleagues were rewarded by Boeing with a trip to Kennedy Space Center (KSC) to see the Space Shuttle STS-122/10A launch. Although he had seen landings (at Edward’s AFB), he had never seen a launch so this was definitely a great award. The launch went off on time with mostly clear skies and they had front row viewing near the VAB. (see picture). The following day he returned home to work the mission and was very closely involved in the repair to the torn solar array. A picture of Kev and some colleagues at work.
Apparently his MacGyver skills at keeping old lawnmowers/cars/houses running also work well for space hardware. He was part of a small team that designed and tested the "hinge stabilizer" (aka cuff-link) that resulted in the repaired P6 4B solar array. Here's a couple of entertaining links from Space.com: Terrific mission & How to Build a Cuff-Link.
Although the cancer is not going away, Kev’s health has improved greatly since August. He is completely off all pain meds and he is sleeping far better than he has in over a year. He appears to have healed completely from the hip replacement surgery. He still has a limp and walks with a cane, but otherwise no one could tell he was ever so sick. Even his hair has grown in enough to pass for a nearly normal 40-something!
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