Bennet Update Containing GREAT News!

First what I'm sure everyone is looking for.  We still don't know what stage Ben's neuroblastoma is.  We're still waiting for the lab results from the bone marrow scan and it looks like they aren't going to be back until tomorrow.  From what Beth told me they also did another MRI and a bone scan today.  The bone scan is different than the bone marrow scan as the cancer could be in the bones but not the bone marrow and vice versa.  We aren't sure what the reasoning was behind the MRI today other than the doctors were trying to get a better angle of the tumor and Benny's spine.

Obviously, we all want to know what exactly we are fighting here, which the above didn't give us, but I do have some good news.  I just talked to Beth's husband Collin.  He said that whether or not we get the lab results back tomorrow, Bennet will be starting chemo.  It looks like at this point they're going to do 4 or 5 days on and then 3 weeks off and then 4 or 5 days one and another 3 weeks off.  At that point they do more test to see how the tumor is responding.  There is a possibility at that point that if the tumor has shrunk enough and is no longer encroaching on certain nerves that they could perform surgery to remove it.  Right now that isn't an option because of the nerves the tumor is encroaching on.  The really good news that Collin shared is that from what the doctors are seeing right now, Bennet has a 90% survival rate.  Even if the lab results show this to be stage 4 and the cancer is in the bone marrow or the bones, the survival rate remains at 90%.  Those things would just mean additional cycles of chemo beyond the two cycles that I described above.

Like I said great news!  That's it for news at this point.  If I hear anything else tonight I will pass it on.  Now, I just want to share with you the first picture I've received of someone rockin' one of the shirts they ordered.  This is Angie Dieringer's 10 month old Chase rockin' his "Hey cancer, F*CK YOU!" onesie!  Thanks for sending this along Angie!

 
As always, f*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!

-Jake