Monday, June 16, 2008

Greetings from Cedars...

...where the “strongest minds in the business are trying to cure Dominic.”

It’s my pleasure to get to sit with Dominic tonight; the day was a flurry of activity that seemed to drain Dom, so he is resting soundly now. It’s me, the hum of his machines & some Smith’s cookies that I can’t promise will be waiting here when the Ambriz return tomorrow.

We were all able to talk to the doctors today & get some of our questions answered. I want to reiterate that the doctors here really care about Dom & his main doctor, Rudnick, told Don how much Dominic inspired him. It was a good moment for the family.

The results of the MRI show no tumor or growth development in the spine area; they were all negative! This is very good & somewhat surprising news considering the alternative. It was a huge relief to hear this from the doctor. That information notwithstanding, Dom’s cancer is aggressively changing in his brain and starting to make the doctors very nervous. It is the 30th month Dom’s been fighting this (much longer than most) & its about this time the disease is known to switch things up, become more aggressive & really make things difficult for Dom. He isn’t going to have any of it. Starting immediately Dom will start a second round of radiation – this will be a painstaking process of 5 days a week for 4 weeks. This is rare, if you were thinking it, seeing Dom already had a 6wk radiation treatment a couple years back, but the positive possibilities out-weigh the long-term risks. Each of the doctors feel there needs to be an immediate reversal of the cancer cells in his brain and this is the best way to accomplish that.

As Dom’s strength returns, we will look at different chemo approaches, and possible alternative choices of treatment, but in the meantime, he will be faced with 4wks of radiation. He’ll be ready for it, make no mistake, as will all his family & friends. This is the only treatment scheduled at this time & we will need to see if it is effective before another solution can be tried. Also, Dom’s case will be presented to the Tumor Board on Wednesday to see if there are any other suggestions that can be made.

Many of you have contacted the family or me directly and we thank you very much. Most of you have offered to send something to show your love & support, which is greatly appreciated. I promise I read any message sent to me to Dom or his family, so please keep them coming. As for those who wish to get some flowers, candy, etc – thank you. I ask that you refrain from such offerings & if you wish to get something please do so in the means of a gas card or grocery card. The personal touch can come in the form of a note, but driving to the hospital daily for a month, is going to add up quickly. This is where you can have an impact of the recovery process as he fights on.

Thank you again for all your prayers; today was a “good” day in this fight. The news was mixed and things are much more serious than they were probably the last time you saw or heard from Dom. But we didn’t get the worse news we could’ve today and as Scoob & Jane were saying all day, “one day at a time.” That’s what we do, we BRING IT one day at a time – that time will continue to add up with your love & support. – M

If you are sending a gas/grocery/etc to Dom:
2121 Pacific Coast Highway #2
Hermosa Beach, CA 90254

4 comments:

Benji Tackett said...

Good job with the communication piece. Much Love from Seaside.

wendywayne said...

And lots of love from Bakersfield, too. We're all eager to hear your Blog words, Marsh. Give big hugs and fingers up (the right ones) to Dom. I'm taking him on in arm wrestling on Thursday.

Hugs,

Wendy

Susan Reep said...

Much as I love Wendy, I'm putting my money on Dom in arm wrestling. Altho she is pretty powerful in scrabble. Dom, we are all keeping you in the forefront of our thoughts and we love you.

Hope said...

Way to pull the blogspot together Marsh.

I know Dom is tough, but Wendy is tough too and a little tricky I think.... I don't know who will win that match up!

Lots of love to Dom and the entire family (including Scoob and Matt, and you... the support team is doing a great job!) Keep up posted.