Announcement June 2023 from Alison & Brian
艾莉和达丰于2023年6月的公告
A diagnosis
It’s been a huge shock. This is a journey we didn’t expect. On May 30 2023 Brian was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, and since then we’ve been busy learning all we can about his condition, and doing all we can to get him the best possible treatments.
诊断
这是一个巨大的冲击。这是一段我们没有预料到的旅程。 2023 年 5 月 30 日，达丰被诊断出患有一种罕见的癌症，从那时起，我们一直忙于尽我们所能了解他的病情，并竭尽所能为他提供最好的治疗方法。
How we got here
This diagnosis has come out of the blue. Before this, Brian was feeling on top of the world, including health-wise. At 55 year old, he was running 25 miles a week, has lots of healthy habits and almost no vices, loves working out, had no indication of any problem. In mid-April he started having some trouble swallowing, and by mid-May it was becoming worse, so he scheduled an endoscopy on May 23. The doctor found a 15 cm mass in his esophagus, which she said looked malignant. This is when we knew something was very wrong.
怎么到这里的
这个诊断是突如其来的。在此之前，达丰感觉自己在健康方面处于一般人之巅。 55 岁时，他每周跑 25 英里，有很多健康的习惯，几乎没有任何恶习，喜欢锻炼，没有任何健康问题。 但在4月中旬开始出现吞咽困难，5 月中旬情况变得更糟，于是他安排在 5 月 23 日进行内窥镜检查。医生在他的食道中发现了一个 15 厘米的肿块，她说这看起来是恶性的肿瘤。这是我们知道出了点问题的时候。
Tricky Case
A week later the biopsy report confirmed a carcinoma of the esophagus, ‘poorly differentiated’, and ‘high grade’. The doctor says it’s likely only been there for a few months. Unfortunately it's very fast growing and was quite advanced by the time it was discovered. Because of that, he's not a candidate for surgery, at least at this time. We are seeking second & third opinions, and already, the pathology reports disagree somewhat. The first pathologist said it looks like neuroendicrine carcinoma, the second said it looks like adenocarcinoma. We hope that they will find a consensus on a diagnosis.
棘手的病例
一周后，活检报告确认为食管癌，“分化差”和“高级别”。医生说发病可能才有几个月。不幸的是，它生长得非常快，被发现时已经相当晚期了。因此，他目前不适合手术。我们正在寻求第二和第三个意见，而且目前已经有一些病理报告存在分歧。第一位病理学家说它看起来像神经内分泌癌，第二位则说它看起来像腺癌。我们希望他们能就诊断达成一致意见。
Our Plans for Treatment
While we are continuing to seek expert second opinions, all of the doctors agree that the best action is to start chemotherapy right away. On Tuesday June 13 Brian started his treatment, which also includes an immunotherapy medication. (He’s taking Atezolizumab, Carboplatin & Etoposide) So far, he’s tolerating it really well and the side effects are mild. There are other medication options for the future, for example clinical trials or the possibility that genetic tests might help identify promising treatments.
治疗方案
在我们继续寻求专家的第二意见的同时，我们采访过的所有医生都一致表示，最好的行动是立即开始化疗。 6 月 13 日星期二，达丰开始了他的治疗，其中还包括一种免疫治疗药物。 （他正在服用 Atezolizumab、Carboplatin & Etoposide）到目前为止，他的耐受性非常好，副作用也很轻微。未来还有其他药物选择，例如临床试验或基因测试可能有助于确定有希望的治疗方法。
We are strong
At our first meeting, the oncologist noted Brian’s “young age and excellent PS”. “Performance Status” is a cancer term that basically refers to how strong and fit the patient is. Brian’s excellent PS gives him a strong foundation from which to fight back against this terrible disease. And our family is strong, we are working as a team to navigate the difficult place we find ourselves in. We love, treasure and support each other every day.
We are feeling tremendous gratitude for the resources we have that are helping us to cope with this situation, which still feels surreal. Most importantly, we are grateful for our friends and family. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us.
坚强面对
在我们的第一次会面中，肿瘤学家注意到达丰“年轻且PS出色”。 “PS" "性能状态” 是一个癌症术语，基本上是指患者的强壮程度和健康程度。 达丰出色的 PS 为他打下了抗击这种可怕疾病的坚实基础。而且我们的家庭很坚强。我们一个团队会努力应对我们所处的困难局面。我们会每天都彼此相爱、珍惜和支持。
我们非常感谢我们能拥有帮助我们应对这种情况的资源，但这种情况仍然让我们感觉超脱现实难以接受。最重要的是，我们感谢我们的朋友和家人。请随时与我们联系。