john partrick michael murphy

I was diagnosed Stage IV in October of 2010, and thought I would never see the humming birds return to my feeders ever again. Yesterday, there the were, right on schedule. It was the fourth time they have returned since then, thanks to what is now called Taflinar and Mekinist. This is the best time in human history to have melanoma come at you. Hope, gratitude, and vigilance will keep those early, creepy thoughts at bay. Give the Reaper the finger and resolve that he may take you by lightening, avalanche, or shipwreck, but you will not let this melanoma take you away. Keep strong and hold on to your courage at all costs.

I was diagnosed Stage IV in October of 2010, and thought I would never see the humming birds return to my feeders ever again. Yesterday, there the were, right on schedule. It was the fourth time they have returned since then, thanks to what is now called Taflinar and Mekinist. This is the best time in human history to have melanoma come at you. Hope, gratitude, and vigilance will keep those early, creepy thoughts at bay. Give the Reaper the finger and resolve that he may take you by lightening, avalanche, or shipwreck, but you will not let this melanoma take you away. Keep strong and hold on to your courage at all costs.

I was diagnosed Stage IV in October of 2010, and thought I would never see the humming birds return to my feeders ever again. Yesterday, there the were, right on schedule. It was the fourth time they have returned since then, thanks to what is now called Taflinar and Mekinist. This is the best time in human history to have melanoma come at you. Hope, gratitude, and vigilance will keep those early, creepy thoughts at bay. Give the Reaper the finger and resolve that he may take you by lightening, avalanche, or shipwreck, but you will not let this melanoma take you away. Keep strong and hold on to your courage at all costs.

I bet he was so proud of you Janner, he stayed around for the extra years just to brag about you. 

I bet he was so proud of you Janner, he stayed around for the extra years just to brag about you. 

I bet he was so proud of you Janner, he stayed around for the extra years just to brag about you. 

Dear Pennie,

I disagree with your sister's doctor telling her how long she has as if he is Merlin or has infused wisdom. I had mets all over also, but a big barnacle of a tumor on my ilium, and lots of them inside my lungs. I am one of the cohorts in the Tafinlar and Melinist trials and took my first pills on December 28, 2010. My tumors melted and have never returned. Your sister needs her auto-immune working well to help the meds. She hit the jackpot with her BRAF positive genome and I think she, and you, should be very hopeful. Stop all the fear, worry, and stress, and concentrate on hope gratitude and vigilance, the rest is just useless baggage. This is the best time to have melanoma since it was first described long ago. 

My cohorts and I are still in the trial, while we test the combo's durability, and from what I see, those who remain are "on the fight" and not on the run from this damnable disease.  We helped bring the drugs to her, and now I think we should also bring the survivor's attitude also. Please tell her, and her doctor, that this is a whole new ball game and the winners seem to be the warriors who keep their spirit intact. When it was hard, like a lung biopsy, or when the meds caused us to shake, sweat, or feel like a cry, I kept thinking about the box they would put us in, the vault of concrete above it, and how they compact the dirt on top of the whole thing, and wonder how I would feel then. All of a sudden a headache and other trifles seemed just fine to me.

Yes it may still kill me, but I think not. If it fails in the future for me, so what? It was a fantastic link to keep me living, almost as I did before, while we wait for a third drug to be developed to help the first two, or switch to another  modality like anti-PD 1 in combo. These trials are in progress now, and her doctor has no idea of how well they might work on your sister, or if she even will need them, as many of us are very happy taking Smith and Wesson pills and living our lives. Fair play and good fortune to her, and, as for her doctor I say, "To the mind of the fool, all things have been revealed."

Dear Pennie,

I disagree with your sister's doctor telling her how long she has as if he is Merlin or has infused wisdom. I had mets all over also, but a big barnacle of a tumor on my ilium, and lots of them inside my lungs. I am one of the cohorts in the Tafinlar and Melinist trials and took my first pills on December 28, 2010. My tumors melted and have never returned. Your sister needs her auto-immune working well to help the meds. She hit the jackpot with her BRAF positive genome and I think she, and you, should be very hopeful. Stop all the fear, worry, and stress, and concentrate on hope gratitude and vigilance, the rest is just useless baggage. This is the best time to have melanoma since it was first described long ago. 

My cohorts and I are still in the trial, while we test the combo's durability, and from what I see, those who remain are "on the fight" and not on the run from this damnable disease.  We helped bring the drugs to her, and now I think we should also bring the survivor's attitude also. Please tell her, and her doctor, that this is a whole new ball game and the winners seem to be the warriors who keep their spirit intact. When it was hard, like a lung biopsy, or when the meds caused us to shake, sweat, or feel like a cry, I kept thinking about the box they would put us in, the vault of concrete above it, and how they compact the dirt on top of the whole thing, and wonder how I would feel then. All of a sudden a headache and other trifles seemed just fine to me.

Yes it may still kill me, but I think not. If it fails in the future for me, so what? It was a fantastic link to keep me living, almost as I did before, while we wait for a third drug to be developed to help the first two, or switch to another  modality like anti-PD 1 in combo. These trials are in progress now, and her doctor has no idea of how well they might work on your sister, or if she even will need them, as many of us are very happy taking Smith and Wesson pills and living our lives. Fair play and good fortune to her, and, as for her doctor I say, "To the mind of the fool, all things have been revealed."

Dear Pennie,

I disagree with your sister's doctor telling her how long she has as if he is Merlin or has infused wisdom. I had mets all over also, but a big barnacle of a tumor on my ilium, and lots of them inside my lungs. I am one of the cohorts in the Tafinlar and Melinist trials and took my first pills on December 28, 2010. My tumors melted and have never returned. Your sister needs her auto-immune working well to help the meds. She hit the jackpot with her BRAF positive genome and I think she, and you, should be very hopeful. Stop all the fear, worry, and stress, and concentrate on hope gratitude and vigilance, the rest is just useless baggage. This is the best time to have melanoma since it was first described long ago. 

My cohorts and I are still in the trial, while we test the combo's durability, and from what I see, those who remain are "on the fight" and not on the run from this damnable disease.  We helped bring the drugs to her, and now I think we should also bring the survivor's attitude also. Please tell her, and her doctor, that this is a whole new ball game and the winners seem to be the warriors who keep their spirit intact. When it was hard, like a lung biopsy, or when the meds caused us to shake, sweat, or feel like a cry, I kept thinking about the box they would put us in, the vault of concrete above it, and how they compact the dirt on top of the whole thing, and wonder how I would feel then. All of a sudden a headache and other trifles seemed just fine to me.

Yes it may still kill me, but I think not. If it fails in the future for me, so what? It was a fantastic link to keep me living, almost as I did before, while we wait for a third drug to be developed to help the first two, or switch to another  modality like anti-PD 1 in combo. These trials are in progress now, and her doctor has no idea of how well they might work on your sister, or if she even will need them, as many of us are very happy taking Smith and Wesson pills and living our lives. Fair play and good fortune to her, and, as for her doctor I say, "To the mind of the fool, all things have been revealed."

It has been over two years on this combo since I had the fever or anything else. I have taken both Taf and Mek since 2010. Same with the long term cohorts I know…just some fatigue. So hang in there. "Intolerable" is an Ace bandage so stretch it your direction. I find the Reaper intolerable.

It has been over two years on this combo since I had the fever or anything else. I have taken both Taf and Mek since 2010. Same with the long term cohorts I know…just some fatigue. So hang in there. "Intolerable" is an Ace bandage so stretch it your direction. I find the Reaper intolerable.

It has been over two years on this combo since I had the fever or anything else. I have taken both Taf and Mek since 2010. Same with the long term cohorts I know…just some fatigue. So hang in there. "Intolerable" is an Ace bandage so stretch it your direction. I find the Reaper intolerable.

Arthur, I know we are all different. Some look at death as a new beginning, and some, like me, look at it as total annaliation. I might have to go a Hell that one or another of the gods made for us, but I doubt it. I just let them run the heavens. So my mindset was all or nothing, literally.

The whole idea is to keep hope. Not like hoping to win the lottery, but real hope, evidence based hope. Once you have that gratitude comes to the picture. I don't think I should have this hope if I wasn't grateful for it. I just am thankful that I have hope and concentrate on the fact that I am OK today,  and stay vigilant as we have a treacherous foe.  I also think I should pass on this hope, as I know the feeling of forsaken when I didn't have it. Keep busy, be pleasant, jump in puddles, just be happy to be alive and "on the fight."

Arthur, I know we are all different. Some look at death as a new beginning, and some, like me, look at it as total annaliation. I might have to go a Hell that one or another of the gods made for us, but I doubt it. I just let them run the heavens. So my mindset was all or nothing, literally.

The whole idea is to keep hope. Not like hoping to win the lottery, but real hope, evidence based hope. Once you have that gratitude comes to the picture. I don't think I should have this hope if I wasn't grateful for it. I just am thankful that I have hope and concentrate on the fact that I am OK today,  and stay vigilant as we have a treacherous foe.  I also think I should pass on this hope, as I know the feeling of forsaken when I didn't have it. Keep busy, be pleasant, jump in puddles, just be happy to be alive and "on the fight."

Arthur, I know we are all different. Some look at death as a new beginning, and some, like me, look at it as total annaliation. I might have to go a Hell that one or another of the gods made for us, but I doubt it. I just let them run the heavens. So my mindset was all or nothing, literally.

The whole idea is to keep hope. Not like hoping to win the lottery, but real hope, evidence based hope. Once you have that gratitude comes to the picture. I don't think I should have this hope if I wasn't grateful for it. I just am thankful that I have hope and concentrate on the fact that I am OK today,  and stay vigilant as we have a treacherous foe.  I also think I should pass on this hope, as I know the feeling of forsaken when I didn't have it. Keep busy, be pleasant, jump in puddles, just be happy to be alive and "on the fight."