The news is TERRIFIC!!

We just got back to the hotel from the doctor's office. Dr. Amin showed us the CT scans.  When we compared the old scan to the one from today, we could obviously see that the spots of melanoma have almost completely disappeared. The large spot that was >1cm initially was not even there! We are very very thankful. Dr. Amin said that normally about 50% of patients are still stable in 2 years. We talked about the fact that the statistics are still being made. They don't have long term data on the Ipi...the survival rates are still being made (and Bobby is making them)!

Bobby is very happy-and I'm sure will wake up feeling happier every day. It is overwhelming.  We are taking the kids out for lunch (not that we have a choice)--but we'll enjoy our lunch in Charlotte!

We don't always know why we are dealt bumps and curves in our lives but looking back, I can say that we are living life differently than we were 1, 2 or 3 years ago. We love more, laugh more, and pray more. For me (only)--I can say that I'm spending $$ LESS!

Celebrate TODAY and for tonight-have a nice dinner and celebrate with us! We'll be home tomorrow PM (maybe)!

We are still in the Dr office but GREAT NEWS! They can't even find most of the spots in his lungs!!The big one is GONE!Not much else 2 say-AMEN!

It is Tuesday and we're in Charlotte

Bobby, Julie, Dan and I came down to Charlotte on Sunday. The traffic was bad on the way down. We spent the day shopping and showing the kids around Charlotte yesterday. It is such a pretty city. The buildings are tall (I have pictures but can't add them from here) and the streets are clean. It has always been one of our favorite places. The last few days here have been especially nice because the city is virtually empty. Charlotte is full of business people and bankers. I don't think they have to work during the week between Christmas and New Year. The waitress last night said the hotel was booked at 19% capacity. I asked what it was generally and she said about 65-70%. For that reason, they had no dinner specials :( Usually, their special is a pasta dish with lots of garlic :)

Well, we are waiting while Bobby drinks his CT contrast. They started his IV without any problems. We noticed that the sky was crystal clear this morning, not a cloud to be found. I hope that is the theme of the day. We love you all and know that you are praying for the best. I'll post again later...

It is that time again

We're leaving for Charlotte today. Julie and Dan are going with us and we are leaving a day early to show them around the city. We just hope it is warmer there than it is here! Bobby's CT scans are Tuesday. We will keep you posted.

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and are making big plans for a happy and HEALTHY New Year.

(Erma-don't forget to send me that address)
(Aunt Linda-the cake was delicious)

We had a great dinner!

I had to wait until after we ate (or were eatING) to get pictures. Aunt Rosie's Party Chicken was excellent. We love you Aunt Rosie & Uncle Ron-Thank you for taking the time to prepare and deliver a great meal for our family! I made Bobby strike a pose...to say THANKS!

A little post...

I hadn't thought about this until I made the last post but I have a few pictures that I'd like to put on the blog. I think you'll enjoy them (I hope you do). We had a great Thanksgiving! We felt blessed to be able to share it with family. Julie wanted to have Thanksgiving in Bobby's parents' new house. Bobby's mother took everything we needed down to the house so that we could prepare & eat our meal there. She worked very hard and it paid off because our Thanksgiving dinner was terrific. We had many things to be thankful for.

Yummm, we can't wait...

Our house is smelling quite terrific right now! Aunt Rosie made us dinner for tonight! Uncle Ron brought the entire meal over to us earlier. I put the chicken dish into the oven and it has been cooking (per Aunt Rosie's instructions) for the last 3 hours. The house is filling with yummy smells. We couldn't wait to eat the bread she baked-but I did save half of it for later. I had to have a slice and since it was already cut, I cut a few slices to send along with Bobby and Julie this afternoon. Lemon Poppy Seed Bread with a lemon glaze. I could skip the chicken and just eat bread tonight (I won't though). We are all starving and without Aunt Rosie's meal, we would have had leftover chicken salad & macaroni salad from last week.

THANK YOU AUNT ROSIE & UNCLE RON!!!

I'll let you know how dinner was after we've eaten. I'll bet that the FIRST thing Bobby says when he gets back home is how good the house smells...stay tuned!

Just a note...

Bobby talked to me tonight and he is concerned about any messages that may not be clear. (Hmmm, I remember doing this once before)... I told Bobby that I would send out a short message to make sure there are not any misunderstandings. I hope this makes sense...

We were told by the doctor that the tumors in Bobby's lungs appear to be smaller than they were 12 weeks ago. That's pretty clear to me (wink). This does not mean that he has been cured or that he is even "out of the woods" yet. It is perhaps a sign that the Ipilimumab is working. Melanoma is not something that is ever gone (permanently). I don't think we'll ever be able to erase this completely-but we'll pray that we can. We still need to wait for the official reading on the CT scan. The doctor reviewed the images with us just a few hours after the tests. Bobby says he'll feel better after the next set of scans at the end of December. We'll rejoice again if we continue to get good news!

I told Bobby that we CAN celebrate what we were told. We can celebrate and give thanks for ANY sign that things are better. It would be sad to have to wait for MORE signs, or better news, or bigger changes before we give thanks for even the smallest improvement. The signs we were given were very positive, but in no means are the end of this journey. Still, we give thanks to you and to God for this news-and for the gift of having YOU to share it with!

Encouraging news

Dr. Amin shows Bobby the results of the CT scans today.

We are 12 weeks into the clinical trial for the Ipilimumab. Bobby had a CT scan today to look at the melanoma in his lungs. They look at the changes between the same spots from the original scan and compare them to the scan he had today. I can't say for sure that they looked at ALL of the tumors, but the ones they compared were smaller today. Some weren't even visible on today's scan. Dr. Amin is pointing to one of the spots that isn't there on the new scan. Bobby is still digesting the news...it is a miracle. He is very happy but wants to be very cautious about the future. Melanoma is still a horrible thing-still the percentages of success are small. We definitely want to celebrate this blessing. We are very thankful. Bobby is feeling very well (in relation to side effects...) He is pretty tired(a common side effect) but we try to catch a nap (or two). He had developed some sore spots in his mouth which have gone away. It had been hard for him to eat. He had actually gained a pound this week so, his appetite has definitely NOT suffered. Maybe he had lost a pound when his mouth was sore but he is making up for it! Most nights don't go by without his huge bowl of ice cream, chocolate, and whipped cream! He hasn't had problems with other potential side effects. He's doing so well & we are all so proud of him. Don't stop praying-and we won't stop thanking. Although I won't stop asking for continued progress, I'm going to take a break and do lots of thanking first. We will be back in 4 weeks for another CT scan. We would expect that the Ipi continues to work and Bobby's body continues to keep the cancer away! I don't know what questions to answer-so if you have any questions, please ask and I'll try to answer them. I think you can leave comments? If not, send us an email. We talk about all of the support, friends, prayers, and meals that we have received. We wouldn't be where we are today without each of you! You are each a blessing in our lives. I also want to thank our parents & our kids--we can only imagine what they have gone through & continue to offer so that all of this can happen. Bobby and I are able to support each other and be together because of the support we have at home-we love you guys! (This is from Julie)-Julie Harsh would like to thank everyone for the support and prayers. You guys really helped us and now we are beginning to see the results of so much faith and support. No one really knows how much they do to help someone, but right now I wish they could because alot of people would feel great right now. Thank you everyone for everything!

I will add more info later but the new is very good. The CT scans show improvement. Some of the tumors are smaller-some are gone & nothing new!

Tuesday has arrived

Bobby has been nervously awaiting today's arrival. We are in Charlotte. We have to be at the hospital early. They are doing CT scans to see if the Ipi drug is working. We can only pray that we get good news today. It is quite a day-the fate of one's life will be in these test results. He is very positive & is hoping for good news. He said that either way, he will be OK with the results but that's not possible. I think he'll have a very hard time if the scans don't show improvement. I'll keep you posted. We should know more by this afternoon. Thanks for the prayers.