Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Report from MD Anderson

Hello Friends!

I wanted to share with you the report we received last week from MD Anderson. Andrew's doctor decided that she would not administer any more chemo to Andrew. She feels that it would shorten his life and she is not willing to do that. The tumor in Andrew's liver has overtaken his liver and is causing his liver to fail. He has a condition called ascites which means his liver is leaking fluid. This fluid builds up and causes Andrew to be extremely uncomfortable. He has had it drained several times now and each time they drain out at least 10 pounds of fluid. Dr. Araujo decided the next step for Andrew is hospice.

This has obviously been extremely hard to hear and we as a family have spent the last week processing through all this information. We have decided to not contact hospice and instead we are seeking alternative treatment for Andrew. Andrew is still very much alive and his spirit and mind are telling him to fight. So we are listening! And we are fighting with him. Will you join us?

Today Andrew met with a naturopathic doctor in Bellevue. She was very helpful and prescribed Andrew lots of supplements to start with. She said she can not cure him, but she can help to lengthen his life. She developed a treatment plan for him...(but I don't have all the information, so not exactly sure what it is!) We also have a phone consultation scheduled for Andrew next Tuesday with a health clinic in British Columbia. So we are feeling hopeful about a few of the options we have going right now. We will definitely keep you all posted as we move forward.

And don't forget to sign up for the run/walk at Greenlake in just a few short weeks! We would love to see all of you there.

Thanks for all the love.

3 comments:

Lara Sim said...

"When you feel like giving up, remember why you held on for so long in the first place"- Anonymous.

Andrew- life is a journey; with you and your family in our lives, we treasure every turn and are cheering for you at every milepost, even this one. You inspire us.

Hugs,
Lara Sim

Deb said...

Andrew

You are in the hearts and thoughts of your friends in St Louis.

tgd said...

Drew-

The whole Dayton family is sending you loads of love and strength. Terri is praying for you and believes miracles happen. We'll be there on the 22nd and will be looking for you so that we can give you big hugs. Tell us what we can do for you right now. Can we bring healthy meals? Can we come and visit and bring some laughs? We're so glad to see you aren't giving up the fight.


With all our love,
Themba, Terri, Thandi and Ty