An unwelcomed sequel

My husband posted the following message on Facebook and emailed this notice to other friends.  He and I have written often on GuyDads about my previous battle with cancer. 
It has been a challenging start of the new year for us. At the beginning of the week, Eddie’s mom passed on after a long illness. Meanwhile, for the past two months, I have been having on going tests, procedures and doctor appointments. Unfortunately, very few of them resulted in good news. 

Dear Friends:

It is with heavy heart but still with much hope that Ed & I want to report a new development in his health situation.

Bottom-line: Ed's cancer is back.

The original colorectal cancer from four years ago, which we thought and hoped was totally gone, has in fact metastasized. We discovered something might be awry through the every-six-month blood tests he has been getting since he first got cancer. The latest numbers in December had exponentially increased from the previous June, leading to a P.E.T. scan and the discovery of nodules on both his lungs. This test led to two different, one-day biopsy sessions and a diagnosis of there being cancer cells among the nodules. Think of the nodules as small (largest is about .9 cm), numerous, and scattered between both lungs.

Even though the present nodules on both his lungs are very small, the fact they are metastasized from his original colorectal cancer means this is Stage 4 cancer and means he now enters into a stage of life where ongoing periods of chemotherapy will be the "new normal" (i.e., forever) -- with a hope that the drugs work, of course, along the way to give him periods of no chemo.

This first regime of chemotherapy (3 days at a time, every two weeks) will last at least 6 months, maybe 12. (Day one is on site. Days two and three will be an automatic drip system that he can use and carry on life as normal.) There are possibilities that other, more targeted drugs may be used, but that is not clear at this point if they are applicable to his kind of cancer.

As long as and when he feels like it, the doctor says he can continue things like jogging/walking, going to theatre/ballet/opera, etc. Most likely, it seems, the weeks he receives the treatments he will want to back off from much activity. The interim weeks, he hopefully will be better able to do more things. Short trips (even a week at a time) will be possible in between treatments; long trips (like our usual month in Europe in the summer) are out this year at least and during periods when he has chemo.

We are told each case is unique, and we are going to try not to look at the survival statistics (which of course we have already seen). We are going to be focused on healing and on enjoying each and every day along the way to its fullest (which, as you well know, has been our mantra all along).

We do believe in the power of community (global) and in the power of all good thoughts, prayers, drumming, toasts over dinner, etc. So, friends, go to it. Keep it up. We will do the same, if G-d forbid, you should require the same.

With much gratitude to have so many wonderful friends,

Eddie & Ed