When Jeff originally did the guardant 360 testing, they found 2 mutations that may respond to PARP inhibitors or immunotherapy.
I believe what Dr. Kwon recommended yesterday was PARP inhibitor, “Olaparib” (Lynparza).
However, after we saw the radiation oncologist, she strongly feels that Radium 223 would be the best course of action.
Jeff’s progression and pain is primarily in the bones. Dr. Laack feels Radium 223 would be best as it targets the bone and can reach Jeff’s problem areas.
Dr. Laack was going to reach out to Jeff’s oncologist (Costello) and Dr. Kwon. Collectively they will decide best course of treatment. I anticipate hearing something today.
Jeff and I were overwhelmed with the magnitude of his circumstances, but somewhat numb after the appointment with Kwon.
I felt like we both were able to garner some hope after the appointment with Dr. Laack (RO) as treatment options are still being discussed, however, as Jeff hasn’t really responded to any of the therapies and it’s clear his health is declining, it’s difficult to get too excited about
anything.
I think Jeff is pretty remarkable and I remain in awe that he is able to focus on even the smallest positive in lieu of drowning in bad news. To give you an idea of how Jeff operates, I’ll tell you this:
about
2 years prior to this cancer journey, Jeff decided to do something about
the 100+ excess weight he was carrying around.
Through massive diet changes and dedicated trips to the gym, Jeff lost 100 lbs.
He continued on his weight loss journey until about
9 months pre-cancer dx, when the first symptom appeared. He had severe shoulder pain that was misdiagnosed as a pinched nerve.
The pain and eventually weakness in his hands and legs and cancer diagnosis ultimately thwarted his progress at the gym.
Although he lost 100 pounds, he hadn’t reached his goal weight and when he was derailed from going to the gym, he gained a little bit of weight back.
It’s been 15 months since diagnosis.
Through various treatments and most recently just not feeling well, Jeff has endured bouts of loss of appetite.
He has lost additional weight, however he still hasn’t reached his original goal weight.
In lieu of “complaining” about
the side effects of treatment and fretting about
not being able to eat, Jeff joyfully embraces his renewed weight loss.
Although he struggles getting in and out of the wheelchair, he’ll gleefully say, “I sure hope they weigh me today!” When the numbers on the scale are inevitably lower, he celebrates the loss.
I love that about
my Jeff… if there’s a bright side to a situation, he’s gonna find it.
Early in diagnosis I feared Jeff was in some sort of denial. I now understand he was only focusing on the positives in his life.
“My dad always said no reason to worry about
the things you can’t change, so I don’t. ~ Jeff Gallagher”
#teamjeffgallagher
~ Stephanie
Post Edited (Stephanie Williams) : 3/16/2022 5:00:37 AM (GMT-6)