a new home

Dear Friends,

We moved into our new home a bit over two months ago. Since then, we have been asked: "When's the housewarming?" In September, I thought. After our other home is sold, after we buy some furnishings and unpack here, after the weather cools off.

But Rich's chordoma --- a little thing, really --- has shifted our plans. Here's where we are.

The yearly scan in July at Mass General revealed a growth in the tumor in his cervical spine. Thus far, the effect is rapid weakening of his right arm, but very little pain. The lack of pain is bewildering to his surgeon at Sloan Kettering, and in this case "no pain" may not be a good thing. Further radiation is not an option now, as the tumor apparently is not sensitive to this form of attack. Surgery, while still possible, would almost certainly destroy use of his arm. And time is important, too, as the symptoms increase almost daily, and as the chordoma works its way into the spine itself.

So, at this moment, we planning to return to Sloan Kettering next Friday for Rich to begin a highly experimental chemotherapy drug, "Sutent," that is primarily used for advanced renal cancer. Using it for chordoma is a shot in the dark, but one that we hope will encourage the chordoma to gracefully fade away, and find a new home.

Candace