bobleboeuf

This is my brother Bill with me after the UM vs OSU football game this past weekend. The rivalry between these two teams has been characterized as the “greatest rivalry in sport.” We would agree, and on Saturday Bill and I celebrated the Buckeyes thrilling victory over #TTUN in “THE GAME” as well as my 49th birthday.

As you all know, I have been involved in A Rivalry Game! of my own these past two years. A Rivalry  played out with my own team from Ohio State University (nurses, doctors and researchers) at The James Cancer Center. Today, 11/28/16 I had my follow up appointment from my most recent episode. Specifically, I had my CT Scans to evaluate any reoccurrence of “my rival,” cancer.  After 4 surgeries, 2 separate rounds of chemotherapy, 1 round of radiation and many many challenging moments for family and friends, today I am cancer free. There is no sign of a recurrence in my scans. My scans are “negative” for cancer (#-4Cancer)!

I am so incredibly grateful for all the wonderful support that has blessed us and that we will need to harness going forward as we march towards a survivor diagnosis.

We are cheering today!

 

  

 Take nothing for granted, take everything as being granted.

Those were the words shared by the priest Sunday October 9th during mass at the St.Thomas More Newman Center. I’ve been thinking about that statement ever since.

Today I received my 28th Chemo radiation treatment (my last). I have been treated every weekday for the past 6 weeks and this final treatment comes 78 days after my 4th cancer surgery. It is 6 days shy of the two year anniversary of my initial diagnosis on October 23, 2014.

Looking back over that 2 year span, I’ve thought about how much of the time has been consumed with this condition, all well documented in this blog.

Of the 103 weeks, I estimate that 31 were spent without the distractions of planning or undergoing a treatment of some sort.

Yet as I neared this latest milestone, I am still grateful to this day for all that I have been granted in life. I am surrounded by blessings and simply appreciate the gifts I have.

Have a great day today.

We are heading into week three (3) of chemoradiation and all appears fine.  I feel good, I’m tolerating the therapy very well and the doctors consider me to be “on track.”  I returned to work on 8/29 and am maintaining a full schedule with little or no interruptions.  I’m grateful for all the blessings that surround me and I am always humbled by the frequent messages from friends letting me know they are “thinking” of me and “praying” for me.

Many have also asked how my dad is doing after his stroke?, which occurred around the time I had my most recent surgery. Marty is a warrior and every time I see him he has made progress towards restoring his physical and speech capabilities. He too is “tracking!

I met with my surgeon Mark Arnold yesterday for the first follow up evaluation after my most recent surgery. I asked him how he felt about my status and he said, “I couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome . . .”  So I asked him, do you mean the surgery or the pathology? and he said, “everything.”

Now you probably don’t know Mark Arnold, or even more so, you probably haven’t spent a lot of time with cancer doctors (try not too),  so you need to know that cancer doctors are very logical and they tend to keep their cards very close to the vest. So, when they express their opinion beyond the mechanics of the procedure or the specifics of the current diagnosis  it can be surprising!  And with Mark, he takes it one step further. In the most loving way, I like to refer to Mark as using words “like they cost him a dollar.” I can’t take credit for this line, but trust me, I’m not the only one who recognizes his frugality with words.

Mark and I have developed a good relationship, which probably isn’t necessarily a good thing, but the reality is that we’ve spent a lot of time together, and I think the world of him. When we met yesterday, he was very positive about our chances of a good outcome, and to me that’s a reason for celebration.

Here’s where we are at with Larry (surgery), Curly (Chemotherapy), and Moe (Radiation).

I have recovered from surgery remarkably well.  This most recent surgery was perhaps the most major yet, which is saying something since I’ve had a third of my right lung removed, and this is my third abdominal surgery in 22 months.  In this most recent surgery, the majority of my rectum was removed as was a block of tissue measuring 8” long  x  4″ wide  x 2″ deep. That’s about the size of an 2 average golf divots. Inside that block of tissue was a golf ball sized tumor.

Yes, I did just work golf into a story about cancer surgery!

Other than the misplaced “Titleist,” there were no other tumor deposits present in the tissue block that was removed, all lymph nodes removed were negative and the margins of the block of tissue were also clear (negative) for any presence of cancer.  The “Titleist” is the same cell mutation (MSI-H) as my primary colon cancer which means it is a recurrence of the colon cancer.  The DNA mutation (MSI-H) is susceptible to radiation which is another positive in our favor.

Now we move on to Curly (Chemotherapy) and Moe (Radiation).  This will hopefully begin on 9/6 and end on 10/10. If you are counting, that is 5 weeks of treatment.  I will receive radiation each day M-F for 5 weeks and simultaneously take chemotherapy in the form of a pill (2x each day). The goal of this phase is to destroy any microscopic presence of the cancer cells in the remaining tissue in my pelvis/abdomen.

Thanks everyone for your support and let’s keep crushing it!

 

 

When I first described this current episode on my blog “Climb” to #crushit again!  I designated the first phase of my treatment plan as “Larry”, to be followed by “Curly” (Chemotherapy) and “Moe” (Radiation). That first phase concludes today!

The last of my 7 tubes were removed today and around 11AM  I will be heading home to recover.  The news is good.  As I previously mentioned, the surgery went as well as could be anticipated. Meaning, that the doctor was able to perform a re-resection of my colon, remove the tumor and the maximum amount of tissue possible to eliminate the presence of any microscopic disease. I met with my surgeon yesterday after he had reviewed the pathology report. He summarized the report this way, in the block of tissue removed, the tumor removed was 3 CM in diameter (the size of a golf ball).  Also, there was no presence of any other tumor deposits in the block, and the margins (edges of the block) were clear (negative for cancer cells).  All of this is encouraging information and sets us on a course to rise up and embrace the next phase with even greater enthusiasm.

Also, this past week I reached out you and asked you to prayer for my dad Prayers for Marty as he had suffered a stroke on Tuesday August 2nd, and has been hospitalized since then. Yesterday, he experienced some improvement in his status and he got the green light to move from the ICU.  He has a tough road ahead, but he and I are one and the same, and nothing is going to take away our appreciation for life and living.  Thank you all for your prayers; they make a difference and I feel them everyday.

With my most recent diagnosis, my friend Brent dusted off his road bike and signed up for Pelotonia and a 100 mile ride to end cancer. Congratulations Brent and thank you from all of us who are fighting cancer. You are helping us #crushit.

  

My dad Marty suffered a stroke on Tuesday morning 8/2. I ask for your prayers to give him strength and the will to fight. To pray for my mom, Martha and that she can have peace and courage at her side throughout the day and night. 

For my brothers, Bill, John, and George and their families, that they can summon the strength within them and their faith to trust in Gods plan for each of us. And prayers for his caregivers to use their gifts to do their best work.

Thank you.

#crushit

  I can’t thank you enough for making the trek tomorrow. Myself along with many other people fighting cancer are lifted up by this event and each of you who participate. I have been at the James since Monday 8/1 for surgery and the recovery from surgery all related to colon cancer. As I walk the halls; this facility and the people working here provide great care, comfort and hope to many, many individuals in the fight.

Unfortunately I have been a frequent visitor to the James, so much so that the staff recognizes me. We joked on Tuesday how I had never stayed on this particular side of the building during previous visits. It was like something you might say about a favorite vacation hotel 🙂 Which, when it comes to hospitals, the James IS truly first class.

The James and the caregivers I work with have been very good to me. I cannot speak for everyone, but for me I believe they are helping me fight a winning battle. Since my diagnosis 2 years ago, I have participated in two studies funded by Pelotonia. I have also been aided by world class researchers and doctors that are here because of the roll Pelotonia plays in their ability to pursue cures and prevention. In fact, two of my doctors, Mark Arnold (50 miler) and Rich Goldberg (100 miler) will be out there along side of you. Please say hi to them if you see them.

Also we need to give a shout out to all our fellow Propel and GH New England Teammates in Boston that will ride in the Pan-Mass Challenge this weekend. Pelotonia was modeled after the Pan-Mass which supports the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Two people I work closely with, Sean McDonnell and Anthony Habayeb (Columbus Native) are riding and I wish them a safe and joyful ride.Thank you again for riding this year and putting an end to cancer.

  “The surgery went as well as it possibly could have.” – Dr. Mark Arnold

The was the message delivered by my surgeon on Tuesday following the Monday re-resection of my colon to remove the golf ball sized tumor in my pelvic region. That reminds me of a good joke.

Seriously, I am very fortunate that the surgery team was able to remove the diseased tissue and reconnect my colon. I am now in recovery mode at the James. This includes resting, taking walks and enduring having 6 different tubes going in and out of my body. I think I am tubular. I have had visitors, prayers, cards and gifts arrive each day all of which give me energy and motivation.

For the moment, we are focused on reactiviting my intestinal track which is the next  step in getting me closer to heading home. Thank you all for your prayers and kind wishes.