The One with Off the Charts Bloodwork, New Medication and a Wish List!

Where is the time going? The Holidays are fast approaching, and Jackson's Senior year is already flying by. On the fun personal side of life, we have been enjoying watching his last year of HS sports. Soccer season finished in mid-October, and basketball season is already well underway. It's been a joy watching him play and navigating his Senior year. We also celebrated his 18th birthday last week. Time is a thief.

Now on to the less fun part, cancer. To refresh, I had to knock my chemo pill strength down by half because of the side effects. When I had scans in mid-October, they showed that the cancer was stable but was not shrinking like it had in past months. I took that news hard bc I had hoped it would continue to shrink and I would be one of the rare cases that could become cancer-free. However, at least it wasn't growing, so I was happy about that. The unfortunate news was that the scan was showing pancreatitis. My Lipase numbers had been high for a while, but I wasn't having any symptoms, so we just kept the same immunotherapy/chemo pill cycle. Now that we had evidence and symptoms of pancreatitis, along with VERY high bloodwork numbers, I had to once again stop my chemo pill. I've been off the chemo pill since October 20th to try and get my Lipase numbers back to an acceptable range. Normal range is 11-82, mine was 580. Oops.

Since this particular chemo pill has given my body a run for its money, my oncologist wants to try a new pill. I was fine staying on the old medication bc I knew it was working. I was willing to put up with any side effects or misery, but my doctor said it was time, so we don't do permanent damage to my body. We are having quite the time getting it approved by insurance, so I am playing a waiting game. I definitely do not like to wait when it comes to my cancer battle. I am hopeful I will hear from the insurance company this week. PLEASE send good vibes my way so I can get this medication started, and it has fewer side effects and starts shrinking my tumors! UPDATE: insurance denied it. My Dr is now going to try and obtain it through manufacturers assistance.

Little quip on my prosthetic. It fits terribly, and I have gone through the process of getting a new one. I went in to pick it up on Oct 21st, and it was cosmetically not at all how they described it would be. I told them I would not take it looking like that, and he told me to give him a week or two, and he would have it fixed. Crickets. I have heard nothing from them. I am so frustrated bc I am tired of being in pain. Also, I have met my yearly insurance deductible, and if they wait too long, I will have to pay $8,000 out-of-pocket. Maddening.

I finally worked up enough courage to ask my oncologist about survivability. She informed me that once sarcoma metastasizes, patients tend to live 18 months. She had one patient survive 3 years. Considering my cancer metastasized to my arm in June 2024, I've survived 17 months. To say her numbers took me by surprise was an understatement. I fell into a deep depression for roughly two weeks, where I didn't want to see or talk to anyone. I spent all my time thinking about all the things I will miss. Will I make it to J's graduation? Will I get to take him to college? I guess seeing him graduate from college is out of the question, or get his first job, or attend his wedding. I knew that it was going to be a tough battle to get to see some of those things, but I was hoping and praying with all my heart that I would win that battle. Once I fought my way out of that particular depression hole, I decided nothing had changed. I am still holding out for a miracle, I am still going to fight like I have always fought, and I will do whatever is necessary to get more time. I can't do this alone, so please send prayers, vibes, good karma, whatever you have my way. I need it now more than ever.

The final item I want to chat a little about is my Wish List. I think we all, at times, think about things we want to do before we die, right? A while back, I talked about a bucket list, and thankfully, I have crossed a few items off that list. I decided to really sit down and think of things I want to see or do, and also OUTRAGEOUS things that would be amazing to do but will most likely never happen. A girl can dream, right? I found myself saying "I wish" a lot. I decided to call it my "Wish List"! The list will be forever changing as I think of items I didn't think to add. I have even added items that I have done before, but I would like to do one last time. I encourage all of you to make a Wish List/Bucket List if you haven't already done so. Please don't wait until you are staring death in the face. Start marking items off, making those memories and fulfilling your dreams!

Places to Visit

Things To Do

Turks & Caicos London Hawaii  Southern Caribbean cruise New York City Universal Studios (EPIC Adventure) Disney (Christmas decor or Flower & Garden Festival) African Safari

fly w/ my son being the pilot Be a Zookeeper for a day  Go backstage at an aquarium Be a VIP for a day (any event) Go ziplining Play paintball Go to a trampoline park attend a Luau  fly first class  Go to a Colts home game go to Super Bowl go to Olympics  be on a podcast  fly on a private plane  Be a member of tv audience or be on a movie set  meet one of the cast from Friends  have a drink with a celebrity or sports star  leave behind a legacy

I hope you didn't get bored and trail off. I rambled a lot this time. I've been feeling extra chatty lately. (Jackson hates that!) Thank you if you stuck around, and thank you to those who still read this blog after a few years. I appreciate having an outlet where I can tell my story on my terms. As always, Make it Count for Cort!

Love, Cort