Lance Armstrong Supports Scotty

What an awesome 24 hours! Last night on our way in to the hospital, Scotty got an email from Lance Armstrong! Well really it was an email from someone in Lance's camp but it contained a personalized video message made for Scotty! Sally Martell, a close friend of ours, reached out to her contacts and was able to make this happen for him. It was such an emotional moment and it made it all the more real that this is it: Round 4. And even Lance Armstrong himself, supports him. Scotty sent it to Dr. Pomerantz and he and the other doctors thought it was really cool! I love how happy it makes Scotty, it must make him feel so good... so special... and supported. :)

This morning I finally got to meet the infamous Dr. Pomerantz. Over the past few months I always missed him since I would get there at night and leave in the late morning, and he always stopped by in the afternoons. His first words to us were "Did you hear the good news?" Scotty asked 'what news'? "Your tumor markers are down to 70. Based on your record of numbers, this round would put you into remission." Of course we have to wait a few weeks one he's done on Wednesday to get the scans, and then there's the talk of the tumor vs. scar tissue... but I'm going to visualize that tumors will be obviously diminished on their own so there will be nothing to worry about surgically. Care to join me? ;)

I left the hospital today and Scotty is in great spirits. Yesterday was a tough day for him because he was having such a great stretch of time before he had to come back in that it was like hitting the wall again. I just heard from him and he's starting to feel crappy as the finishes up his second day. But I keep reminding him that he's almost done, that he's got this one, and that he's a Super Hero! (My hero!)

Birthday Celebrations!

Hey everyone!

It's been ten days since our last update and I have to say, even after
three rounds of hardcore chemotherapy, this was the best "recovery
time" yet. The chemo definitely takes a bigger toll on Scotty each
round and the side effects (especially nausea) have also gotten worse,
but it is amazing how strong Scotty is and how quickly he has been
recovering after his treatments. Although he experienced a lot of
nausea and vomiting for the first 4 days he was home, we were able to
spend the last week traveling and relaxing while celebrating both of
our birthdays and we had an awesome week! We have to thank Matthew
Shea and Atlas PyroVision Productions for hooking us up and making our
getaway at the Mountain View Grand incredible. With their generosity
we were able to stay two nights and enjoy a carriage ride, massages
and great food. Your generosity is so appreciated. We also want to
thank Grandma Joyce and Uncle Stevie for staying with the furkids so
we could enjoy our time away alone, we so needed it!

After our MVG getaway, we headed up north to Scotty's Dad and Nancy's
house in Maine and had an awesome long weekend visit with them. The
dogs had a blast swimming and it was a wonderfully relaxing weekend
with great company. Scotty handled the non-stop driving really well
and he got to wake up on his birthday there, which was really nice.
Yesterday Scotty turned 34 and something in my gut tells me that this
is going to be his best year yet. We had a great dinner last night at
one of our favorite restaurants and all and all he had a great
birthday. Scotty is feeling so good... and so ready to get back to
work, he went in for the day today to plan out his new office so it
will all be ready for when he's back at it. When that will be, we're
not totally sure yet... but if he could have it his way, it would be
tomorrow. :)

That leads to me to where he is with his treatment. On Friday, he will be
admitted back to Brigham & Women's/Dana Farber in Boston for his 4th
Round of chemo. It will start Saturday and run through Wednesday, and
if all goes well, he will be discharged Wednesday night. This should
be, God-willing, his last round of chemotherapy. His Dr. wants to
wait a little longer after this round (probably about 3 weeks) before
he gets his scans done to give it time to do it's thing as the next
step is a very important one. The scans will show the size of the
tumors and as they shrink, they turn to scar tissue. The Dr. needs to
determine if there are any tumors that will need to be removed, and
because the tumors reduce to scar tissue, they have to be very careful
and certain that what shows up on the scan is in fact a tumor and not
scar tissue so they're not operating for no reason. If you could pray
and think positive thoughts about this, we would so appreciate it. Of
course he's prepared to go through whatever life throws at him, but
the poor guy has been through enough already and he's got the scars to
prove it.

I have to say that I am completely in awe by the strength that one
person can have and I hope that Scotty is an inspiration to all of
you. He was in terrible condition when we found out about his badly
progressed cancer and I hate to say it, but might not have made it if
it weren't for the chemotherapy. No one ever wants to go through
something like this, flushing his body with poison, but sometimes in
life you don't have much of a choice in what you have to endure, but
you have the choice on your attitude and how you handle the crap
thrown at you. Never once did "why me?" come out of his mouth
although I'm sure it went through his mind numerous times. We all
wonder why bad things happen to good people and it doesn't make any
sense, but I do know that in retrospect this experience will be a gift
for Scotty in ways I can not explain, and some are on a personal level
that are only for him to understand. My life is completely changing
(for the better) and yeah, we've had to continue to go through
really hard stuff, but I know that when it's all said and done, our
lives are going to be even better. We all knew in our hearts that
Scotty will be able to beat this and I wasn't kidding when I came up
with the name Super Scotty. He has truly proven to be like a super
hero with how he has been battling and whipping cancer's butt! It goes to
show what the power of a positive attitude, love, and surrounding
yourself with amazing friends & family can do, don't ever forget it!

We owe so many of you thank-yous and shout-outs for all that you have
done for us already through this journey. There are many of you that
have reached out in emails and messages and I haven't been able to get
back to you yet and I'm so sorry. Every single message, email,
donation, favor, card, gift and visit has touched us in ways beyond
words, and as things hopefully get easier and less emotional, I
promise you will hear from me. This journey has not only affected
Scotty, but it has certainly changed my life pretty dramatically and
although exciting, I have a lot of soul searching to do myself.

I realize each time I intend to write a quick update, I end up with a
book, but I can't help myself. Reaching out to all of you and keeping
his close friends and family in step with him through all of this is
the least I can do for such a wonderful man! I hope you enjoy reading
it as much as I enjoy writing it. :)

Peace and happiness to you all. Xx

Jax

P.S. I forgot to mention that Scotty really doesn't want visitors at
the hospital because the chemo been making him feel so crappy and it's
tough for him to visit while feeling that way. Once he's home and
over the "hump" he'll be trying to get back to "normal" as much as he
can, especially if we get great news regarding his post-treatment
scans, so you can visit all you want at that point! :)

Seeing Results!

Hey guys,

I hope this message finds you all doing well.  It's been a while and Super Scotty is home from the hospital again, so I wanted to update you on his progress!

Scotty completed Round 3 on Wednesday and he was discharged that night. It was another rough drive home but with how he had been feeling during most of his treatment, we kind of expected it.  He handled the treatment beautifully (as always) but you can tell that each round is getting harder and harder for him. He is currently still feeling pretty crappy and has been doing a fair share of sleeping.  He has been eating as much as he can and he's doing well with it considering.  During his chemo journey, it's really kind of funny how he has been turing to Mexican food pretty consistently, but hey, whatever works!  He just sent me to the store for tortilla shells, salsa and cheese!  He has slowly been gaining some weight and right now that's the focus, to have him keep putting on the weight so he is strong enough for the chemo. We are not exactly sure what's to come next but we do believe he will go through another round in 2 weeks. The reason that we are unsure is that Dr. Pomerantz is on vacation to be returning on Monday.

Upon admitting Scotty had his scans done and his markers checked again.  This is super exciting news that I'm SO happy to share.  The shrinkage of tumors is comparable to a softball shrinking to a golfball (we're not sure if they were actually that big, Scotty said the doctor who was describing it was a little weird), and that was before this past round of chemo, which means it's working!!!  In the last update I told you that his tumor markers were both down 90% (to 4 and 9500) and this time they showed another dramatic reduction to 2 and 653!!!  It was some other doctors that were covering who updated us with the results so we have not yet been able to discuss it with Dr. Pomerantz to see what the plan is.  As soon as we know, we will pass it on. :)

As this journey continues, we both ask that you keep us both in your thoughts and prayers.  Some days are harder than others and we're both experiencing the emotional ups and downs.  One thing I ask is that you keep showing Scotty the love as he needs your support now more than ever.  I bet cabin fever isn't even strong enough to describe how he's feeling right now and it pains my heart to see him confined to his house, his room... his bed!  We went this morning to the Londonderry Dana Farber to get his "immunity" shot so the next couple days could be tough (the first time it really affected him the last time wasn't so bad) and he may or may not want visitors so just check in first... but after that I'm sure he'll be expecting to see some of your faces!  As long as he's feeling up for it on Wednesday, we're heading to the Mountain View Grand for a night to celebrate our birthdays (all his idea!!) Which reminds me of something else.... his birthday is coming up on the 15th and we're very happy that he won't be spending it in the hospital!  Got to be grateful for the good stuff! :)

I guess that's really it for now... if you have any questions, please reach out and if you want to come see Scotty, please do!  A lot of people have mentioned that they didn't want to overwhelm him... it hasn't happened yet (besides in the small confines of the hospital) so please if you want to visit, just reach out!  Again, please just make sure that if you do visit, you are not sick or able to pass anything on to him, I know I sound like a broken record, but I can't stress how important this is!!!

We wouldn't be getting through this if it weren't for your continued support and love, so thank you!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, to you all!

Jax (& Super Scotty)

P.S. we still have Super Scotty wristbands so if you want one or two, see the blog about the wristbands and supporting Super Scotty!

http://superscottytkachuk.blogspot.com/