I thank every one of you for your prayers, your flowers, your calls, your visits, your gifts etc. etc.  They have made a HUGE impact.  Approximately 50% of all people given chemo get no benefit from it.   Yet, today when we got Jan’s first official report back after two months of chemo the results made the Dr. excited (and she is not the excitable type!)  Jan’s tumor in her cervix has shrunk in by more than half.  The spots on her liver have also shrunk by more than half.  This is fantastic news.

Equally important is Jan’s CEA score.  CEA is a blood test that is used to measure cancer activity; a normal score is 3 and a normal score for a smoker is 5.  When we arrived in New York at Sloan Kettering Jan’s CEA score was 53.  Now, two months later, Jan’s score is 18.  Such a drop is as close to a miracle as the medical profession will acknowledge.   Again: THANK YOU!!!!  I am convinced your energy and support was and continues to be the difference.

Granted, Jan is not out of the woods; the tumors are not small enough yet to be operable.  However, cancer studies show that those who respond to the first two month round of chemo continue to respond during the second two month round.   Hopefully, they will get small enough to so an operation is possible. Even if the tumors disappear completely she will still need to have an operation.  The survival rate without an operation, even with the tumor complete disappears, is only 5% without surgery.

We will be moving into a small brown-stone that we bought for Jan’s daughter Jessie in Brooklyn in the Bed/Stuy area.  Since there are only three apartments, we are turning it into one single family home.  We will join Jessie and her husband Oliver in the brownstone while Jan continues her treatment.  My best case time estimate: two years.  

Again, thank you for all your good thoughts, prayers and kindness.  Your support has changed my life; I feel I am a better, kinder and more appreciative human being because of the collective you.
 
With gratitude,

Marshall