Bad News: November 13th Update

This update was just sent to me by Cheryl one of Tiffany's sisters:
"I just talked to Tiffany and have some BAD news to relate... Jon just had several more tests done at Huntsman including a PET scan which showed that the cancer has spread to his liver, pelvic bone, hip, and femur. They are, of course, devastated by this news.

The plan is to admit Jon to Huntsman this Sunday night to start treatment with an immunotherapy drug called Interleukin-2 (IL-2). This is a substance that is normally produced by the body during an immune response. It works with the body's immune system to stop or slow the growth of cancer cells. The prognosis with this treatment is 10%. During administration he has to stay in the hospital as the drug is very toxic. It can cause flu-like symptoms that are quite severe. It is known to be much worse than chemotherapy in its side effects, but at this point it is the last resort.

He will stay for one week in the hospital while getting this drug and then will be home for 2 weeks, then will go back in for 2 weeks of treatment then home for one week, then back in for another week. At that time he will be reevaluated and have more testing done to see if the drug is working as intended. If not, another round will begin. During the first week he is home he will be going to Huntsman for daily radiation of his hip and pelvic bone to help decrease the pain. Right now he is in so much pain he has to use a cane to walk and cannot sit for very long.

The doctors are also in the process of finding out if he is a candidate for another investigational and rare therapy that is only done in Maryland and Texas. It is TIL cell(tumor infiltrating lymphocyte) harvesting and replacement. With this procedure Jon's lymphocytes would be harvested (removed) and then cultured for 7 weeks in the presence of Interleukin-2. After that time period the "activated" lymphocytes would be transfused back into his body. The goal with this treatment is that his body would then be able to fight off the cancer. He would have to go to Texas to have this done in between sessions of Interleukin therapy at Huntsman. The prognosis with this type of treatment is 25%."

I also cannot stress enough how much they need help in the way of monetary donations. He cannot work anymore and the bills are really going to start piling up. So of course they have that stress on top of everything else. Please spread the word about this need and also donate as much as you can. Thank you.