Fast Track to MD Anderson

To pick up where I left off, we came home Friday from the medical oncologist with a bleak outlook. We spent time at home over the weekend preparing to start radiation and an oral chemotherapy regimen. On Sunday morning, September 24, we went to church as a family and a very dear friend who is a fairly recent breast cancer survivor (Melanie) offered to contact her nurse navigator at MD Anderson if we wanted to “just see if we could get in and what they would have to say.”  We agreed to see what would happen and told her to go ahead.  On Monday morning just after 8:00, Melanie came to find me in a meeting and told me that the nurse navigator had called her and said her medical oncologist wanted to see us at 3:30 that afternoon.   At this point, everything moved at lightning speed.

Tim was scheduled to see the surgeon that afternoon to receive the official pathology results from the biopsy and the radiation oncologist to prepare for radiation. I started making phone calls cancelling appointments and trying to get copies of the results and CDs of the CT scan.

We showed up at MD Anderson in The Woodlands and sensed a difference from the moment we walked in the door. Dr Nelson and his nurse, Gio, spent almost two hours with us. He confirmed that it was stage 4 rectal cancer and felt a regimen of chemo was the best option to treat the initial tumor and subsequent matasteses. He thoroughly explained everything to us and wanted to move quickly. Gio scheduled a port installation for Thursday, September 28, and the first chemo infusion for Friday, the 29th.

As we walked to the parking garage at
5:30, we both left knowing that the Lord had parted waters to make all of this happen. We had a totally different outlook and knew that we were, without a doubt, moving in the right direction. Thanks be to God for Melanie’s willingness to walk with us through this! I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. (Philippians 1:3)