[Nfbf-l] Updates for Jim Ellsworth from Caringbridge-org

[Kirk Harmon]

Sherry, this is really sad news indeed! Gina and  My heart goes out to the entire family in this struggle they are all facing. I have had friends in the last few years and survive such devastating
news with today's modern medicine. Let's all pray and hope that he will be one of them as well! 
Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 29, 2013, at 2:22 PM, "Sherri" <flmom2006 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hello all,
> 
> Jim Ellsworth has contacted me and ask that I send updates to the group from 
> Caringbridge.org. This site has updates on how he is doing with his battle 
> against cancer. If you want to join the site, be able to post and receive 
> e-mail updates, please follow the link below.
> http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jime
> 
> 
> Below is the latest update, thanks to his daughter Jennifer. Please keep Jim 
> and family in your prayers. Thank you.
> 
> Sherri
> 
> Moffitt follow-up
> September 24, 2013 3:09pm
> 
> Family and friends,
> 
> Yesterday we headed to Moffitt for the follow-up PET scan and subsequent
> visit with Dr. Sotomayor. As of our last appointment, we had no reason to 
> believe we would be receiving any news other than which direction we would 
> be taking for the maintenance portion of dad's treatment. It is with a 
> saddened heart that I must tell everyone we received quite the opposite. 
> Everything went routine as far as the scans and bloodwork. We were greeted 
> immediately by Dr. Sotomayor instead of his Fellow like the previous visit. 
> He indicated the cancer is coming back at a very rapid rate and that if we 
> do not seek a new treatment within the next 2-3 months, we would be right 
> back where we started over a year ago- collapsed lung, etc. Dad has been 
> feeling great and getting back into the swing of things and to say that this 
> was quite a shock would be an understatement. They would like to do 
> preliminary testing to find out which path we will take from here as there 
> are a couple of options. That testing is scheduled for this coming Friday. 
> Dr. Sotomayor is requesting an echocardiogram, a bone marrow biopsy, and an 
> ultrasound guided biopsy of the lymph node under his right arm. The results 
> of these tests will be received within a week or two. The doctor would like 
> to begin treatment in the next 2-3 weeks. He says that time is of the 
> essence.
> 
> Our first option is the treatment dad would have had originally if he had 
> been strong enough to endure it due to the harshness. It is called HyperCVAD 
> and will be given in the hospital in two parts per round. There will be four 
> rounds total. The first half will be four days long with a three week break 
> and the second half will be given during a three day stay. A month will 
> elapse and then another round in the hospital and so on until completed. The 
> Dr. would perform another PET scan to determine dad's remission status. We 
> will then be looking for a bone marrow donor from the registry as he has no 
> full-blooded siblings. They prefer to find someone on the donor list that 
> would be a closer match than trying to match him with Jamie, who would only 
> be a 50% match.
> 
> The bone marrow transplant would only occur when he reaches remission status 
> and of course outweighing the pros and cons of the situation.
> 
> The second option we have is a daily pill given in conjunction with the 
> Rituxan. Unfortunately, this option will only have a 40% success rate and 
> can take months to become effective.
> 
> As you can imagine, this news is almost as hard to give as it was to receive 
> it. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we continue through our 
> journey. We could certainly use it!
> 
> Jennifer
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Character is the side of yourself you choose to show the world.
> Integrity is what you do, what you say and how you act when you think no one 
> is paying attention.
> Sherri Brun
> NFBF Newsline Chair
> flmom2006 at gmail.com
> _______________________________________________
> Nfbf-l mailing list
> Nfbf-l at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbf-l_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Nfbf-l:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbf-l_nfbnet.org/kvharmon54%40gmail.cm