Two Weeks

From our 1pm meeting today...

The team at Colorado State University is confident that Murphy will show signs of tumor regression by the two week mark before they consider pursuing some of my whacky ideas like implanting a stent or shunt to alleviate his breathing difficulties.

I said something like, "Okay, but he sleeps for 30 seconds then awakens with an unforgiving version of apnea. It's even effecting his eating."

"He's just going to have to learn how to adjust", was the counterpoint and a good one at that. I had just posted the question last nite about how I could teach Murphy to breath through his mouth not his snout. But big dogs are inherently stubborn SOBs (sumbitches as we say in TX) so we'll see how that works out.

I agreed to wait to implant a device contingent upon Murphy's comfortability and that his clinical symptoms don't worsen. But honestly it feels like a crapshot like those commercials you see, 'Give me a week and we'll take off the weight.' Bet it didn't work for those guys.

Don't get me wrong I have complete respect for and trust in our oncology team but I'm a contrarian and questioning everything is the responsibility you have when making decisions on behalf of a loved one who can't speak for themselves.

So once again, we wait but we do so with benchmarks. I'll meet with the radiologist Dr. Custis again next week for a clinical evaluation and then the following week to discuss chemotherapy.

There has been a plot twist though - we got back the results from the biopsy for the two new tumors and from way outta left field, they're sarcomas not adenocarcinoma. Why? No one seems to know but they're malignant cells and anything beyond that seems to have no therapeutic value. Rougly translated, it doesn't matter what color they are - red, green, or purple they must die.

"You got two weeks"

Press Release

Dog Who Walked Cross Country for Cancer Diagnosed with Cancer

August 12 2010 / For Immediate Release

Contact: Luke Robinson
Phone: 901.674.9621. E-mail: 2dogs2000miles@gmail.com

FORT COLLINS, CO ― After completing a two-year, 2,300-mile, cross-country cancer walk from Austin to Boston in June with his two dogs, Luke Robinson recently learned one of them, Murphy, has cancer and is now undergoing treatment at Colorado State University’s (CSU’s) Animal Cancer Center.

The walk, known as 2 Dogs 2,000 Miles (http://www.2dogs2000miles.org/) was inspired by Robinson’s loss of his dog, Malcolm, to metastatic bone cancer in 2006. Sharing Malcolm’s story and educating people about the link between cancer in dogs and humans was the primary purpose of the walk and now that it’s over, their mission isn’t.

“It’s kind of a cruel irony,” Robinson says. “Murphy, who’s nine, walked across the country so he’s in excellent shape for his age and he’s been on the best diet available to dogs. It just goes to show, cancer doesn’t always discriminate and that’s why it’s the greatest epidemic facing dogs ever. What started as a walk for me is now a war.”

This war started with a sniffle and took them to CSU. “At first I thought it was just congestion but when I noticed a trace amount of blood in his nasal discharge that concerned me,” says Robinson. A CT scan and biopsy were performed there and the diagnosis came back as adenocarcinoma, a type of cancer found in the glands of both pets and people. “It was trail magic that the cancer was discovered in Colorado. I came here after the walk to work on the book with my editor and CSU has one of the most advanced veterinary oncology programs in the world.”

Dr. Stephen Withrow, professor at CSU and founder of their Clinical Oncology Program agrees, “We have been proudly watching Luke’s journey with his two dogs, Murphy and Hudson, from afar for almost two years. Little did we know that Murphy would become a patient.”

Murphy’s prognosis is promising according to Dr. Susan LaRue, radiation oncologist at CSU. “We hope with Murphy’s treatment we can exceed the median survival for this tumor which is currently 12 to 15 months.”

Luke Robinson has higher hopes. “Murphy’s a fighter and as Winston Churchill once said, ‘In a fight always bet on the one who’s smiling.’”

And Murphy smiles.

Halfway Through Murphy's Radiation Treatments

We're more than halfway through the 18 radiation doses now. It's been hard for me to evaluate his condition without reference points. Murphy's continual congestion has been the source of some sleepless nights - I just don't want him to be uncomfortable

But today I met a Collie that received three massive doses of radiation for nasal cancer last November and not only had she lost the hair on her snout, she now has a sizable hole in her palate. By fractioning Murphy's doses over 18, the radiation oncology, Dr. LaRue, feels confident the long-term effects will be less drastic.

Only a few years ago, before IMRT (Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy) that uses 3D imaging to make precise adjustments to the location and intensity of radiation, in the words of one of the technicians, 'dogs looked like they had a perpetual sunburn'. I filmed Dr. LaRue going over Murphy's radiation plan with my Sony Digicam and had hoped to post it here but I'm having conversion issues. If you want to learn more about the cutting edge technology at CSU called the Varian Trilogy, here's the link.

It's because of advancements to veterinary medicine and generous donors that have made it possible for Murphy to undergo a less intensive treatment plan. Total donations raised through Paypal: $3,700 Checks: $900. Plus one pony & a couple of spare pairs of big girl panties for Mommy G.

Thank you everyone for your generosity and more importantly the emotional and spiritual support.

Postscript - healing prayers for the Collie

Official Diagnosis: Adenocarcinoma

Two things of significance happened today: (1) we got the biopsy results back and the news is good in that it could've been worse. Had the cancer been either osteosarcoma or squamous cell the prognosis would be less promising; (2) we had our first consult with the radiology oncologist, Dr. LaRue. She walked me through the radiation plan using their Varian imaging software.

I had previously seen the CT scan but it's difficult to fully appreciate the size of the tumor unless it's rendered in 3-D. I hope to get a pic of it up here soon but I assure you it is massive, occupying the entire left sinus cavity. No one can know for sure how long its been growing in my boy but the damage it has wrought is extensive.

Parts of the septum, the wall between the two spaces, has been eaten away by the cancer and it's spilling into the other side now. All of the bones used for filtering in the left passage have been consumed completely. Thankfully it was detected before it breached the brain barrier and invaded the occipital space.

This monster means business.

No Stephen King or Wes Craven could ever imagine a beast as absolutely sinster as cancer. It takes your own cells and turns them against you. And since the cells still look normal your entire defense system is rendered helpless. It's nature's perfect enemy.

Hell it even fooled me. I was so preoccupied with the tumor in Murphy's neck that turned out benign, the nasal congestion never seemed anything more than a URI. I was looking the other way. While on the walk, I came up with the 5 'L's for early signs of cancer: lumps, lesions, lameness, loss of appetite, and lethargy. There should be a sixth: the opposite of what Luke thinks.

Forgive me for the self-indulgent guilt but unfortunately, it's part of the process of coping. I should have been paying better attention but we are very, very lucky.

Tonight Murphy & I are camping at Horsetooth Reservoir, a basin at the foothills of the Rockies. We're out in god's country where Murphy loves to be with his papi. An evening out here with my boy is all I need.

Murphy Has Cancer

Looking at murphy's blood stained snout from the biopsy that was performed some hours ago, I could ask why. Why give him cancer, my boy who walked across the country for all others who suffer from this horrible disease. It may seem a cruel irony that just over a month after its completion he was diagnosed.

I choose not to ask because the answer is as unknowing as it is extraneous. What I felt when I awakened this morning was truly blessed. God's love for us is so great that he held the cancer at bay until after our mission was completed . He got us from Austin to Boston safely fulfilling his promise.

From what the vets said yesterday, nasal cancer can come in several varieties so we're awaiting the results of the biopsy. While I am still digesting all of the information and articles that were provided to me it seems the 'gold standard' of care is radiation therapy over a three week period. The prognosis of nasal cancer especially caught this early is promising even though the tumor has invaded part of Murphy's bone.

I want to thank the staff at Colorado State University Vet School for taking good care of Mr. Murphy yesterday, especially Drs. Woorley and Venable and Jennifer who's a fourth year student.

I'll post regular updates here... puppy up!