Gerry Update for July 2007

Ok - I have been updating my blog for the past two hours, so I am gonna skip over the rest of the dull and mundane stuff (cause I am sure that YOU are bored with it all). Dogs are fine....kids are fine...I am fine!
On Monday July 9th we flew to Houston. Gerry had his scans on Tuesday and saw the dr. on Wed. A few lesions (melanoma) were found - near his left kidney, mid-chest, and in a lymph node deep in his left armpit. They are about 1/2 inch in size. This now makes him a candidate for the clinical trial. He had to undergo an MRI Wed night and the results are...no disease present. Now we have to wait to hear from the lab. In April a biopsy of Gerry's tumor was done to attempt to grow t-cells necessary for treatment in the trial. They are grown in the lab with the help of radiation-exposed cells from other blood donors (all tested to be negative for currently screened infectious diseases). Gerry's t-cells grew to more than double the required amount, which is a good thing. A vaccine is prepared from special blood cells to help improve the function of the fighting t-cells that are specific for melanoma. The samples are being evaluated for the activity of the t-cells and their ability to attack the melanoma. If there is a reaction, then they can go ahead with the trial. If there is no reaction, then Gerry will not be part of the trial (at least, that's the way I understood it). So, we wait! And pray, for this is the thing that is giving him and the rest of us, hope!
We are home in Florida and going about our daily life. Hopefully we will hear from TX early next week and will fly out as soon as they tell us to.