More Numbers
In case you didn’t know, I worked for nine years as a healthcare analyst, with a focus on numbers for much of that. It’s kinda funny to this English-major girl, but it’s what God had for me and I really enjoyed it. Numbers still speak to me.
As I’ve said before, stage 4 cancer is different from early stage cancer. Treatment doesn’t have an end date; you just keep trying treatment after treatment until there are no more left to try. So numbers play a big part in which treatments you try first. The drug I’m currently on was so promising in clinical trials that it was fast-tracked to FDA approval. The promise? Extending the time to progression (either a new tumor or growth in existing sites) from ten months to 20. This represents the median, so half of the women didn’t last 20 months and half lasted longer than that.
Twenty months has seemed like the target I hoped to reach, the amount of time I was “promised” I would get on this drug. That’s not really true; I could respond well to the treatment and go years on it or I could not respond well and last only a few months. But still, 20 months was my target.
In March, I completed my 20th cycle of treatment. I am thrilled to have made it to the median. Every month I go beyond it is another month my life is extended. But once you're past the median, it feels like you're living on borrowed time. Of course I know this isn’t true. God has planned all my days from the beginning of time and He is fully in control of them, not cancer. But still, I am not quite brave enough to dare to believe I’ve been given more time.
Last week, I was given a gift. I have the honor of being someone who gets to share her cancer story with other patients, caregivers, healthcare providers, and the drug company that makes my treatment. As part of this group, I was invited to a company meeting that took place last week. I had the opportunity to share my story and also some candid thoughts on metastatic breast cancer and what it’s like to face it. I also got to speak with some of the medical professionals who worked to make the drug and run the clinical trials. It was an awesome experience.
(Side note: These people really care about the patients they serve. They are not the horrible money-grubbing people movies make them out to be. I was definitely in that camp before I actually got to interact with them, but my opinion is completely changed.)
But one of the best parts of my time with them was learning this: recent results from the phase three clinical trial have determined a new median - 24 months! I’m not sure the other patients were as excited about this as I was, but I was thrilled! I have four more months! Last night in community group, we shared verses about things we were celebrating and mine was this: “For by me your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life” (Proverbs 9:11 ESV). God gives life and takes it away, but sometimes numbers give a girl hope.
As I’ve said before, stage 4 cancer is different from early stage cancer. Treatment doesn’t have an end date; you just keep trying treatment after treatment until there are no more left to try. So numbers play a big part in which treatments you try first. The drug I’m currently on was so promising in clinical trials that it was fast-tracked to FDA approval. The promise? Extending the time to progression (either a new tumor or growth in existing sites) from ten months to 20. This represents the median, so half of the women didn’t last 20 months and half lasted longer than that.
Twenty months has seemed like the target I hoped to reach, the amount of time I was “promised” I would get on this drug. That’s not really true; I could respond well to the treatment and go years on it or I could not respond well and last only a few months. But still, 20 months was my target.
In March, I completed my 20th cycle of treatment. I am thrilled to have made it to the median. Every month I go beyond it is another month my life is extended. But once you're past the median, it feels like you're living on borrowed time. Of course I know this isn’t true. God has planned all my days from the beginning of time and He is fully in control of them, not cancer. But still, I am not quite brave enough to dare to believe I’ve been given more time.
Last week, I was given a gift. I have the honor of being someone who gets to share her cancer story with other patients, caregivers, healthcare providers, and the drug company that makes my treatment. As part of this group, I was invited to a company meeting that took place last week. I had the opportunity to share my story and also some candid thoughts on metastatic breast cancer and what it’s like to face it. I also got to speak with some of the medical professionals who worked to make the drug and run the clinical trials. It was an awesome experience.
(Side note: These people really care about the patients they serve. They are not the horrible money-grubbing people movies make them out to be. I was definitely in that camp before I actually got to interact with them, but my opinion is completely changed.)
But one of the best parts of my time with them was learning this: recent results from the phase three clinical trial have determined a new median - 24 months! I’m not sure the other patients were as excited about this as I was, but I was thrilled! I have four more months! Last night in community group, we shared verses about things we were celebrating and mine was this: “For by me your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life” (Proverbs 9:11 ESV). God gives life and takes it away, but sometimes numbers give a girl hope.
You are in my prayers. God be with you
ReplyDeleteThis is wonderful news. Katherine. I am rejoicing with you in this new number. Praying for you brave lady.
ReplyDelete