10-12-06

Dear Friends and Family,

Mary Immaculate, pray for us! WHOOP! (the aggies won)

We had a blessed time down in the great state of Texas with the opportunity to visit relatives, friends and relax. It was wonderful to again be able to see the full sky line without buildings in the way:) The peaceful sunset and sunrise was wonderful, and it was such a treat to have the opportunity to thank many of you who have been praying for us. Thank you again to the Mechlers for their hospitality.

As we arrived at the airport in Houston we received some great news from our Doctor that the chemotherapy was finished for now. The results from the scan show a decrease in activity in the main tumor, no further activity in the lining of the lung (which previously had several nodules of cancerous cells), no new activity in Matt's body, but still some activity in the adrenal gland (which was apparent last time, but not as much of a concern as long as it stayed localized, which it has- depending on the progress in a few months, there could be a possible surgery to remove his right adrenal gland which is located above the kidney). So from these results we are able to move to the next part of the study and the next part of the treatment.

This will include an IV every two weeks with the drug Avastin (which was one of the 3 drugs he has been taking with the full chemo treatment) and Tarceva which is a pill that will be taken daily (or a placebo). Though Dr. Smith said there could be immediate benefits to continuing the chemotherapy right now, he said in the long run it would continue to wear on Matt and make him less capable of taking the new treatments, thus this is a little break for Matt and an opportunity to try these news drugs. New Side Effects: Avastin (still nosebleeds and high blood pressure)Tarceva (rash- Dr. Smith it was kinda like acne in the sense that it is more annoying than painful)We began this new cycle today and will continue as long as it is working. Matt's overall health is pretty top notch, plateaued off in weight at 205 (WHOOP!) which means he gained 23 pounds on chemo...his nurses just laugh:)

We truly wish everyone could experience the beauty of the season Fall. The colors of the leaves, the falling leaves brought on by the gusts of wind, the cool weather- we brought some leaves back for my mom's second grade class and they didn't believe that they were real:) I will begin the new job shortly on the feast of all souls (Nov. 2nd-and Mom's birthday), but until then we are ever busy and loving the youth group start up activities.

Thank you so much for all of your prayers, especially on those most difficult days, we are encouraged and strengthened by your perseverance in prayer.

St. Teresa of Avila, pray for us!
Matt and Lucy