Brian and Goliath

As promised, a blog full of optimism...

Your prayers are working! What a change in the course of one day, and what a testimonial to the power of prayer!

Disclaimer: Before I type this info, I want you all to be clear that Brian's prognosis is no different today than yesterday. We are not blind to what is happening.

But...we ARE getting our hopes up and digging our heals in wholeheartedly. As I told several of you earlier today, God puts in place all that we need. Melanoma International set the wheels in motion to help us find a way to the anti-CTLA drug. Things happened at nearly the speed of light. Catherine, the founder and president of Melanoma International, made connections with Bristol Myers Squibb, who responded around midnight that they would help Brian with compassionate use of the drug.

Simultaneously, we were moving forward with Dr. Anderson. Catherine was already calling soon after 7am today to let us know the good news, and that additionally, Bristol Myers Squibb was offering to run the treatment through Dr. Anderson.

Flashback to Dr. Anderson...before he could find out this info, he let us know what his next steps would be to try to secure the compassionate use of the drug. He felt it to be too lengthy of a process to get the drug at Ellis (application process etc.), and was hoping to find a nearby cancer center to treat him that already has it on trial, so it would happen more quickly. He is very concerned with who will care for Brian, and isn't wanting to let him go to just anyone. Have I mentioned that we really love our doctor?

So then Catherine made contact directly with Dr. Anderson, and it has been a day of getting details ironed out. The last response is from Dr. Anderson, who was very thankful and pleased by the hoops she was able to jump through, and he is working on clearance from the higher ups at Ellis. He hopes to know the answer to this in the morning, and has commented that this drug has already been used at Ellis, but just is not on trial now (speculating that it would be a quick clearance). I have no idea what will happen after that, but I'm actually excited to find out.

Melanoma Intl. has been a Godsend. They have helped us numerous times in various ways, and in the blink of an eye, got us our plane tickets back in January to get to MD Anderson. If you are interested in supporting this foundation, you can purchase a bracelet from me for just $1...let me know.

http://www.melanomaintl.org/

David said to Goliath, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down....and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by the sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands."
1 Samuel 17:45-47

Prayers your way for a special day,

Jenni