January 2021 update

Friends,

Things took an unfortunate turn on my personal health front: my rectal cancer has spread to my lungs. A few months ago we found a tumor on my liver and had it surgically removed. Now recent scans and a biopsy have identified that the rectal cancer has spread to my lungs. I’ve had a cough for a while and some shortness of breath when exercising. I’ve had suspicious nodules in my lungs for years, and the docs always assumed they were melanoma. It’s possible they’ve always been rectal cancer, but we don’t know, and they could be both. Either way, we need to focus on the rectal cancer now. Given how many nodules there are, surgery is not an option.

My primary doctor is at UCSF (Alan Venook), and the recommended treatment at this time is chemo (Folfiri + Avastin). The docs don’t want to use the previous chemo regimen (Folfox) as it would likely result in damaging neuropathy. I will begin treatment on Monday at Stanford with infusions every two weeks.

The unfortunately reality is that my cancer is likely not curable and that we’re most likely in a maintenance mode, working to keep the cancer from advancing as long as possible. I’ll begin with 4 cycles over 2 months and then analyze the results with scans. If the cancer is continuing to grow, we’ll have to look for more experimental options. If the nodules are stable or shrinking, we’ll continue with chemo. While we can take some breaks once in a while, I’ll be on some form of chemo for as long as my body can handle it.

At this time, immunotherapies don’t appear to work for my situation. Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) helped me survive advanced melanoma for six years and counting. Hopefully the researchers are working faster than my cancer and will discover a breakthrough cure. The docs are analyzing the molecular and genetic breakdown of my cancer but haven’t found anything that would suggest a different form of treatment.

At this time I plan on continuing to work full time. Last time I had chemo, I was sick for 2-3 days, yucky for 2-3 days, and then fine for a week. My “work” at BGCP continues to be a great source of positive energy and inspiration. Spending time the past few weeks preparing for our Youth of the Year event was the best possible distraction in between many difficult conversations. I will take as much time as I need for doctor visits, sleep, hopefully some exercise, and my family, and then in between focus on BGCP.

I am nervous about going back on chemo. I’ve lost count of how many nasty treatments I’ve been on over the past six years, and each time it gets harder to face. I’ve even started having phantom symptoms of the chemo – I guess I’m like Pavlov’s dog.

This next chapter will be harder on Betty and the kids, especially Pippa, than me. I’m not sure we need anything at this time, but be certain I won’t hesitate for a second to ask for help. The support I’ve received over the past years has been truly meaningful.

All in all, while I wish I wasn’t dealing with this, I appreciate all the blessings I’ve had and continue to have in my life. I’ve received more than my share, and I look forward to more good times with family, friends and at “work”. Perhaps my biggest accomplishment has been aligning how I spend my time with my values. I’m fortunate to spend my time with folks who share these values; I’ve chosen well 😊.

In peace with love,

Peter