3/25/25

Hi there. Hope this finds you and yours doing well as we move into spring. We are actually in that short window of spring in Austin before the summer heat descends on us. Temps are great so getting to spend a lot of time outside...which always does me right. And we could certainly use a little rain - it's dry as hell around here. Just writing that feels like one more confirmation I'm becoming my Dad as I measure rainfall. Anyhooo....

Been a minute since a health update and definitely got some new plans, all thanks to the good progress in reducing the liver tumors with all that we have done so far.

Now that the liver tumors are smaller, we are now scheduled for liver surgery on April 14th! We've spent a LOT of time with our full care team talking through the surgery, why now, what to expect, how to best manage it all, etc.

As I've found to consistently be the case, the patient (me) and their immediate support crew (Stacey!) are the only folks that can synthesize all the info coming in. We are trying to make sure we flex our own agency in that process while honoring all the expertise of the care team.

So here's my attempt at a summary...

Because of increasingly common colon cancer diagnoses which eventually metastasize to the liver in ~70% of all colon cancer cases, there is a large body of research to see what combination of treatments work best. (Quick reminder...get your dang colonoscopy if you are due!) All that research points to the potential "curative pathway" available to someone with my set of current circumstances (tumor sizes relative to liver size, good response in treatment to date, etc.).

This pathway for me includes a surgery at this timing in the overall treatment process, recover from surgery, then finish out the remaining chemo. In advance of the surgery, I get a break from chemo to let my body get closer to full strength going into the liver surgery. So I'm feeling much more myself with the chemo break!

Starting this whole process last year with an oncologist's use of the word "incurable" and now hearing the word "cure" getting bounced around feels pretty damn good. Feels like an affirmation of so many things we have done and all the support of our community. So I'm grateful that we can talk about more than just getting cancer under control. The surgery offers a chance to lower the "tumor burden" on my body, so then we can channel post-surgery treatments toward eliminating remaining cancer and building my body back up.

While envisioning a future where I'm well, I'm trying to focus, as I've tried all along, on doing right by my body/mind/spirit today....this hour...this moment.

So that's what's up on the medical front.

We had settled into a routine with chemo that had become predictable, so changing that routine for liver surgery certainly rattled us. It does stir up the natural fears of a surgery like this and all the unknowns. We've worked our way through a lot of that as we get clearer on what lies ahead, but continue to hold those fears in ways too. Fortunately I'm not left to carry that alone.

I can look back at all these posts and see where I use the word "we" in the whole experience. That "we" is certainly our whole community who have helped us/me shoulder the weight of this otherwise behemoth of a challenge.

And a giant part of that "we" is Stacey.

Stacey has been the best partner in this whole thing, shouldering more than her fair share of the fears, decisions, celebrations, home and family responsibilities, juicing for hours every day to pour nutrients into me, therapist roles, and shuttling me to constant appointments while offering said therapy along the ride...to name just a few things. That's the best love I could ever ask for. (She didn't know what she was agreeing to with the whole "in sickness and in health" thing.)

So here's to the caretakers, like Stacey, who carry so much of the weight of these challenges. Know somebody who is in caretaking mode? Maybe take them to get a coffee, or an ice cream, or a drink. Ask them how THEY are doing and what they need.

I'll try to get a post or two up around the April 14th surgery. Thanks so much for your continued prayers, thoughts, and support. It is felt in my bones.

Much love to each of you...

Matt

Photo is from a quick escape we took for spring break with the kids and friends. Got some wonderful and much needed quiet and big sky in Oplin, TX.