November 25, 2015

As many of you know, a week and half ago Joey was diagnosed with stage 4 Melanoma in his liver and probably in his colon. Due to the fact we have been in and out of hospitals, clinics and doctor appointments, we have not had a lot of time to communicate clearly with our friends and loved ones. Hopefully this blog will do just that.

It all started about 2 months ago right before Joey and I moved back from the UK to our new home in Cincinnati, OH. Joey hadn’t been feeling well but we simply assumed it was all a part of the stress of moving/starting a new job/new life process. To make a long story short, we eventually went to a series of doctors appointments, culminating in a diagnosis that we neither anticipated nor could have imagined.

We are still in a mixture of shock, numbness, fear, anger, determination and hope. This concoction of emotions is making this update difficult to write with much clarity. So for now, I am just going to give you what we know, some things we are thankful for and how you can continue to pray with us.

So here is what we know right now:

• The melanoma that Joey had as an 11 year old (that was believed to be eradicated) has been laying dormant for the last 16 years and has reappeared in his liver and most likely in his colon (though we are waiting on a colonoscopy to confirm this suspicion). It is stage 4 simply because it has traveled from its original starting place -his ear. This kind of melanoma is due to a rare genetic mutation but we are unaware of any more specifics at this time.
• Joey is receiving immunotherapy treatment once every 3 weeks at the Cleveland Clinic. His first treatment was completed yesterday. It is our understanding that immunotherapy takes the breaks off of Joey’s immune system thus enabling it to fight the cancer cells. Though there are potential side effects related to this treatment, they are not present at this time.

Some things we are thankful for:

• We are really thankful that Joey is young and otherwise healthy which, we are told, can really increase the effectiveness of the drugs as well as his ability to handle them.
• We are really thankful he was not diagnosed with this 5 years ago. The field of melanoma care is making huge strides and we are on the leading edge of effective care. Many stories of remission leave us feeling optimistic.
• We are really thankful for our doctor at Cleveland Clinic (where we have been and will be going for this first phase of treatment). Not only is he a nationally renowned expert in the field of melanoma, he is kind, present and patient with the million questions I have for him.

Specific prayer requests we have:

• Please continue to pray with us for Joey’s full and perfect healing. Though we follow a vulnerable carpenter and not a magician, we believe the Incarnate One among us still performs supernatural miracles.
• Please continue to pray with us that Joey’s body will respond to this treatment effectively – totally eliminating the cancer from his body, without any side effects.
• Please continue to pray with us for Joey’s appetite to return in order to stop his weight loss and that his liver function remains high through this process.
• Please continue to pray with us that we will be able to find an excellent local doctor in Cincinnati.

Thanks for being in this with us.

brooklin (and joey)