The Next Step

I thought this would be some of our funny family stories (mostly Heather's funnies), but today just doesn't seem appropriate for them. Maybe next time. We met with Heather's radiation oncologist today. Tomorrow is the regular oncologist. For the first time we heard "anaplastic," which is another word for malignant astrocytoma Stage III. I have spent the last three months learning everything I could about diffuse astrocytomas - Stage II, which means low grade. Today, it's "anaplastic" and "aggressive." I have much more to learn.

Before radiation treatment can begin, Heather will need a CT scan and another MRI with contrast. Then, a team of people will blend the two together to create the perfect plan for Heather. She will begin 3-Dimensional Conformal Radiotherapy (3D-CRT), which combines multiple radiation treatment fields to deliver precise doses of radiation to the brain. The idea is to tailor each of the radiation beams to the patient's tumor, allowing coverage of the brain tumor itself but keeping radiation away from nearby organs, such as the eyes. She will probably begin this treatment on Monday, September 15 if all goes well.

Along with radiation, Heather will be taking daily doses of Temodar (chemotherapy) for six weeks. After her six weeks, she will get a break for about three weeks before she begins a year of chemotherapy. We will be heading to San Francisco during her "break" to see Dr. Chang again.

Hopefully, tomorrow will bring us more information and maybe a sense of better news. No matter what news we receive, we will continue to be hopeful and grateful for all the support we have received. Heather is our #1 concern, and she gets the BEST!