The Diagnosis and the Plan

I want to tell those readers who are wondering where we are with my wife Renee's illness.

I haven't been able to write very often in the past two months for obvious reasons, but I hope to resume writing soon.

So here is what has happened so far.

The diagnosis: stage IV colon cancer, which has moved to Renee's liver.
Action so far: she has had surgery to remove the initial tumor from her colon, many meetings with oncologists and nurses, and a lot of tests.

We now have a great team of oncologists from both UCSF and Alta Bates in Berkeley.

This past Monday Renee began chemotherapy.

The plan:
8 weeks chemotherapy.
2 weeks rest.
Then, sometime in June, Renee will undergo surgery again to remove the small tumor that was found by PETscan in her liver. This can be done to great effect, because the liver regenerates.
1 month for post-op recovery.
Sometime in mid-July, Renee will resume chemotherapy, likely for 12 weeks.
Possibly radiation.
Possibly more chemotherapy.

Then we will begin life without cancer again.

That's the plan, in stark relief. As I resume this blog I will tend to focus on the children again, and parenting, and politics. Always in the background I will be absorbed with this fight with my wife's cancer, but I am not going to make a point of giving updates unless they arise naturally in the posts.

Thank you once again for your concern.
Tom