Okay, I usually don’t quote Hillary Clinton, but I feel like fighting melanoma really does take a village of people. Not only do we need the medical professionals (doctors,nurses, scientists), we also need the drug companies who run the clinical trials, the family and friends who care for our children, all the people who offer us emotional support and prayers, and our mpip family who truly understands our struggles and fears! When Phil went stage 4 in July 2011, I was so scared and unsure of our future!
Okay, I usually don’t quote Hillary Clinton, but I feel like fighting melanoma really does take a village of people. Not only do we need the medical professionals (doctors,nurses, scientists), we also need the drug companies who run the clinical trials, the family and friends who care for our children, all the people who offer us emotional support and prayers, and our mpip family who truly understands our struggles and fears! When Phil went stage 4 in July 2011, I was so scared and unsure of our future! When the nasty beast spread to his brain only three months later, I thought our family was doomed! I felt for sure, we would be losing Phil soon! But, we got ourselves to MDAnderson, Phil did six rounds of biochemo and the TIL trial. He finished the TIL trial in May/June 2012, and we are thrilled to say that today in Boston, he got STABLE scans again, 11 months post TIL cell day! So, we have another 3 months of treatment free living, and get to enjoy the Spring with our children, and more importantly Phil feels really well. So, THANK YOU to all who have helped us fight against the very bad odds, we love our teams at MDAnderson and Dana Farber! No one has ever taken Phil’s hope, they all encouraged him to keep fighting! So Stay Strong Warriors, you are all AMAZING, and dont forget to kiss/hug your caregivers, the village truly starts with them! God bless, Valerie (Phil’s wife)
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