Dreadful News -

UGH! This is not the post I wanted to share. I had hoped to be writing positive news to tell you that the 6-month scan from the CAR T cell therapy was completely clear as it had been at the 3 month mark; but I can’t.

Last week we got the news we had been dreading. The cancer is back and very aggressive. We met with my oncology team at the start of the week and they laid out a plan for moving forward.

I am grateful that there is still an option for us to access. Having three relapses in a year-and-a-half is a serious situation, so I am thankful there is still something to try and fight the cancer with. I am also grateful that I am strong and will be able to handle more treatment.

On November 30th, I started high-dose chemotherapy. Every three weeks, I will have 2 days of chemotherapy. We are hopeful this treatment will help us gain control of the disease and buy us some much needed time until we can get access to Glofitamab which is the very latest in lymphoma treatment. Glofitamab was approved for use in Canada in March 2023.

I always like to be positive and fight. I have nicknamed this latest relapse “Earl” as a tip of the hat to The Dixie Chicks song Goodbye Earl. It’s about an abusive boyfriend who the main characters kill. I’ve had it on replay in my headset for the two days while I sat through chemotherapy injections.

The chemotherapy I am taking is called Pola-BR which I’ve tweaked into the image of a “polar bear” who has fierce claws and teeth. My ferocious polar bears are ripping their way through Earl; cause Earl’s gotta die.

Please send all the strength, love, energy, prayers, and courage you can to help my family get through this next fight. I am again in the battle for my life and I am going to win. My husband and two boys mean the world to me and I am doing this for them. I am determined to win.