chemotherapy
Aiden Fullenwider; brave 12 year old battling brain tumor
Aiden Fullenwider celebrated his 12th birthday on January 21st this year, and then he and his family prepared for his 6 weeks of treatments. He has a diffuse type of brain tumor, and endured whole brain radiation in February and March, followed by chemotherapy. “He is so brave, how he’s faced this as a…
Read MoreYoung mother who had a rare Stage 4 cancer is now in remission
With around-the-clock feedings, diaper changes and sleepless nights, the weeks after bringing home a new baby can feel surreal and overwhelming. After giving birth to a healthy baby girl on Aug. 21, 2020, Anne Sydney Parrish of Lexington was ready for the joys and challenges that come with adjusting to life with a newborn.…
Read MoreWhat I learned from dying: I’m just so tired
By Dave Taylor I’m tired. I’m really, really tired and I stay that way lately. I wasn’t worried about it until my wife started asking questions and now I’m pretty sure she thinks I’m dying. My last CT scan showed that my chemo had stopped working and the stage 4 cancer had grown in…
Read MoreWhat I learned from dying: More bad news
By Dave Taylor I got the results from my most recent CT scan Monday and it was pretty much all bad news. All of the cancer spots we compared from the last scan in May to this one, were not just bigger, but much, much bigger. Most spots doubled in size and one new metastasis…
Read MoreWhat I Learned From Dying: Pleasantly surprised
Just one month after being told I should go on Hospice, my doctor told me he’s “pleasantly surprised” by my progress. That’s a far cry from when he told me this new chemotherapy was more likely to kill me than the cancer would. My latest CT scan showed that the cancer spots on my liver…
Read MoreWhat I Learned From Dying: I’m going bald fast
So I’m bald, very bald. And I’m going bald at what seems like some kind of world record rate. Just a few weeks ago I had a full head of hair and things were right with the world. Then one day I was drying my hair with a towel and the towel looked like a…
Read MoreWhat I Learned From Dying: Holding out hope
So last week I had to make the decision whether to try a new chemo that could likely kill me or stop all treatment and just slowly succumb to the cancer that is already killing me. I guess I sort of wimped out and chose something in the middle. I decided to try the new…
Read MoreWhat I learned from dying: It’s time for Hospice
Well, it’s official. I got the “There’s nothing more we can do” talk from my cancer doctor Monday. Talk about a major bummer. I knew something bad was coming when, after asking me a few questions, he looked at the floor and started wringing his hands. Then he kind of stammered and mumbled a few…
Read MoreWhat I Learned From Dying: I’m dying
I’m dying. I’ve known that for months but I just had a consult with a surgeon who was a straight shooter and his whole message was that I’m dying and very soon. In fact, one of the first things he said was “you’re in serious trouble.” This was the cancer specialist who was a well…
Read MoreWhat I Learned From Dying: I almost missed this week
By Dave Taylor In late April when I first began this column on my battle with stage 4 esophageal cancer I made it a goal to never miss a week no matter what. Well this week I’m barely making it. I’m still in the hospital with an infected chest cavity and severe anemia. I have…
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