Diagnosis

Sorry for the delay in posting - it's been such a great week, we almost forgot about the cancer..almost! Dad met with his neurosurgeon yesterday and we were told that the cancer is in fact, Melanoma. In looking at the positive, a diagnosis of any kind is better than not knowing, so that you are able to apply the best/most applicable treatment, but we have a lot of work ahead.

After meeting with the neurosurgeon, Dad met with an oncologist and he will meet with another next Wednesday, who specializes specifically in Melanoma in the brain. After the appointment on Wednesday, the three doctors along with the tumor board (likely the following Monday) will determine the best plan of action to attack the remaining tumor in Dad's brain. 

At this point, the goal is to tackle the remaining tumor. They are still (thankfully) not able to see signs of melanoma anywhere else in his body. I now understand the original source can start anywhere on or within the body and sometimes the original source will recess or “disappear” completely and you never find it (which is a bunch of BS in my opinion!) - But, because the cancer cells can travel through the bloodstream, the cancer can appear/metastasis to other parts of the body – when melanoma metastasizes, the brain is a common location.

After we tackle the remaining tumor, it is likely dad will just continue to be monitored closely (brain and whole body) to watch for any new signs of melanoma and tackle any as they appear. As with many cancers, there is no "cure," but thankfully dad does not have signs of Melanoma in other organs. Although the disease is unpredictable, it is treatable if you catch it early and stay on top of monitoring/treatment.

More to come after the tumor board meets re: next steps - In the meantime, Dad is keeping up his positive attitude and his recovery from surgery has been amazing - aside from his healing scar, he is pretty much back to tip-top shape! We plan to spend the next couple of weeks just enjoying life!

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On another note, Dad was able to attend game 6 of the World Series this week! He was SOO excited (h’hmm, understatement). Big thank you to close family friends, the Martin Family, for giving up one of their two tickets, allowing Dad to attend the game – he had an amazing time! A memory he will surely never forget!