Home Stretch

When we received Derek's cancer diagnosis in late December and learned that the tumor in his pancreas was borderline to non-resectable, we made a conscious choice to stay positive and believe that Derek could beat pancreatic cancer. During those long, winter months, as Derek fought his way through his grueling chemotherapy treatments, rather than letting the statistics drag us down, we believed that the chemo would do enough to get Derek to surgery. Once surgery became a real possibility, rather than panic that it might be unsuccessful, we believed that surgery would lead to a complete tumor resection. Today, with a successful surgery behind us, rather than worry about recurrence, we believe that Derek will soon be cured of his disease. Who's to say exactly how we made it to this point, but some combination of prayer, attitude and luck have led us to the home stretch for BigDFaust.

Despite some very minor complications, Derek returned home from the University of Chicago on August 26th, nine days after his surgery. Although Derek required a wound vac to drain an infection from his incision site, nothing has slowed him down. Pushing himself to walk twice a day, Derek's stamina quickly improved to the point where he now walks several hours each day. Using an online calendar, we created a system for our family and a few friends to sign up to accompany Derek on his walks. These walks not only contribute to his physical healing, but they have kept Derek's spirits high so that he does not go completely mad during his otherwise monotonous days at home. A huge thank you to those of you who have come to walk with Derek.

This week, Derek and I went down to the University of Chicago to meet with a radiation oncologist as well as Dr. K to discuss further treatment. Even though the surgeon successfully removed the entire tumor, additional treatment will reduce any possible recurrence by 50%. The plan is for Derek to go down to the U of C, Monday through Friday, for 5-6 weeks of concurrent chemotherapy and radiation therapy. An oral chemotherapy will treat any microscopic disease throughout the body while targeted radiation therapy will treat the localized area of the pancreas bed to burn off any residual tumor that was left behind. Because of certain technical aspects of the machines used at U of C as well as the collaboration between the radiation oncologist and the surgical team, the doctors recommend that Derek receive radiation at the University of Chicago. Although it may not be ideal to travel to and from Hyde Park five days a week, this is the final step for Derek. After he completes this final round of therapy, Derek will (hopefully) put pancreatic cancer behind him for good!

We are extremely grateful to have reached this point. Deepest thanks to our loving family, caring friends, and supportive colleagues who have gotten us through these challenging months. Our life may never be the same, but we look forward to many celebrations, milestones and joyful days as we look ahead.