And a bit minimal, per content (for those of us who need a laugh, check out this rather dated yet still freshly hilarious take on minimalism).
About that skin biopsy–it turned out to be a basal cell cancer. Dr Shaw called me herself with the news, as we’d all been on pins and needles per the result. Had it been a melanoma, I’d have been disqualified from the trial and likely all future trials for lung cancer. That would suck. So—we were thrilled that it was just a basal cell. I will have a Mohs Surgery to surgically remove the lesion from my shin on July 21st. And, from this point forward, be a lot more careful about sunscreen.
What other important events have come and gone since I last posted?
Justin and me. Two styling dudes.
Well, Mother’s Day. Mine was splendid—I spent the day before in Cambridge with Jemesii and her boyfriend Justin. We went to the Coolidge Theatre to see Only Lover’s Left Alive (a bit vapid for vampires, but delicious none-the-less) and then had dinner out. An altogether lovely Saturday punctuated by a goose crossing the busy byway—I had to play traffic cop from my car seat with an impatient driver of a luxury car (brand unmentioned) who couldn’t understand why we’d all stopped and evidently wished to hurry on to wherever they were going. To strike a goose with one’s car on Mother’s Day eve and leave a gaggle of goslings orphaned….in very poor taste.
Peter Duff text-checking
The day itself: Peter had emailed me a week prior to ask if I’d like to spend Mother’s Day with him (!) and I drove to Exeter where we indulged ourselves with a–surprise, never asked how much it would be–pricey brunch at the hotel down the road. It was almost as tasty as it was expensive. We then took a stroll around town and over to the river where Peter practices crew. There is a small pond there and we saw perhaps two dozen turtles basking in the sun. Splendid!
My day was made complete by a phone call from my eldest son, August, who was catching his breath after a long shift waiting tables on what tends to be the busiest breakfast of the year. He always cleans up (rakes in the tips!), helped no doubt by his MOM tattoo that he got after I asked that he stop getting tattoos.
The next major event on my plate was what was supposed to be the final mediation for my/our divorce. Fortunately, nothing was signed because upon reflection (which started as soon as I walked out the door, dazed as I was), it didn’t go very well—at least for me.
Fortunately I have some good and wise friends and family members who took it upon themselves to advise me. Further legal counsel has been sought and the process is ongoing.
Moving right along, I had the lead-in dose for PF-06463922 on Tuesday, May 20th. I was in the third cohort in the dose escalation or first phase of this trial.
First dose down the hatch!
Sadie was there for the whole bloody-long day, which made it all so much more fun. She insisted that the dosing be delayed for several minutes so that it could happen right at 11:11, when I became the ninth human in the world to take PF-06463922—having been preceded by several hours by a participant in Queensland, Australia and Barcelona, Spain. What a shame that we all could not have skyped along as we dosed, although given the timezones, I would have had to have gotten up earlier!
That giddy after taste!
Anyway, this was a day I had long anticipated. And as it is already the second day of June, much has transpired since that first dose. Those of you unacquainted with clinical trials would probably like to hear a bit more about the particulars and I shall go into greater detail in a subsequent post. In the meantime I figured an update was more than necessary. To summarize: the skin biopsy was a basal cell—good news! I had my lead-in dose of PF-06463922 and regular dosing has begun. Fingers, toes, arms and legs crossed!
life and breath: outliving lung cancer 