Finally A Biopsy
May 10, 2022 by Stephanie Daigre, Team Member
Once again, I must apologize as it’s been far too long between updates about our brave warrior, Emily, and her sweet family. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting so long and I want to thank you for continuing to follow Emily’s journey. There have been a lot of twists and turns over the last several months and we’re excited to share some of it with you!
Our last update was back in mid-November when Emily had just returned home from UCSF and was starting Optune therapy for her brain cancer. At this time, she was also starting a newly formulated six-month long chemotherapy regimen for her lymphoma and liver mass. We are so excited to report that we believe the Optune therapy is working. Emily has had a couple recent brain MRIs and her case has been reviewed extensively by the UCSF Neuro-Oncology Tumor Board. There are a couple spots of concern, however, after review of her case, the board’s consensus is that there is NO NEW cancer growth in her brain! We wish we could report similar news about her liver mass and lymphoma, but unfortunately, things are not that simple.
After pushing for a liver biopsy for nearly twelve months, UCSF finally performed the procedure and confirmed that Emily has a third form of cancer. We now know that her body has been fighting non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (specifically DLBCL), Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and glioblastoma. This is something we always suspected, but were unable to confirm until now. It was a bitter sweet finding as we wish we had known sooner, so that a more targeted treatment could have been developed earlier. Yet, we are also relieved by the news because we were beginning to fear that the liver mass simply wasn’t responding to treatment when the reality is, we’ve just been using the wrong treatment. I mean, she received the right treatment for the Hodgkin’s and the right treatment for the glioblastoma, but not for the liver mass itself which is non-Hodgkin’s.
As if fighting three forms of cancer wasn’t enough of a challenge for one body, Emily ended up back in the hospital in December due to some breakthrough seizure activity which is believed to be mostly stress induced. Then in January she had to take a short break from her chemo schedule just as a precaution while she had COVID-19 symptoms. Luckily it was only a short break as she fought off the virus in true fearless warrior form and was able to complete her chemo course on February 23rd! She enjoyed several months of freedom away from her weekly infusion appointments and all the challenges and symptoms that accompanied them.
Ben manages to keep her on track with many forms of non-pharmaceutical therapies including: nutraceuticals, RSO, specialized diet/nutrition, fitness, guided meditation, deep breathing, outdoor adventures, singing, nonstop humor, and care provided by a new Naturopathic Integrated Oncologist. Oh, and pet therapy is still a big deal too, obviously.
March and April were great months for Emily, her sweet family, and many of their friends as they got together for another 5k run/walk. This time the 5k was part of a fundraiser for saving the chubby mermaids (a.k.a. manatees). Again, like with the UCSF Neuro-Oncology Head for the Cure 5K run/walk she was able to lead everyone through her childhood neighborhood and along one of her favorite trails. She was also able to pet about 14 dogs along the way, so it was a very successful event! Also, in March she was finally able to complete her very first successful post craniotomy pull up. How amazing is that! It is extremely exciting for everyone, especially for the kids, to see her building up more strength and endurance.
Spending time with friends and family is very important to Emily. She has always loved hosting parties and hanging out with the people she loves. On April 2nd, the Lamberts hosted a backyard BBQ with friends and family. The party did not disappoint and there was plenty of storytelling, laughter, and dancing. Then, later in the month we gathered at the Lambert’s again to celebrate Miss Ivy Jane’s 12th birthday. It was a perfect gathering with games, great food, friends, and lots of family. Emily’s creative cake designing skills did not disappoint and she built a super cool Shrek cake.
To conclude an already incredible month, one of Emily’s amazing best friends, Cory, was able to get the whole family out on the river for a fancy boating adventure day. They prepared food in the galley, soaked up the sun, did a little fishing, saw some sealions, and enjoyed every moment of their special day together. This excursion was a really big deal for the Lambert family because Emily’s anxiety can sometimes be very difficult to manage and often prevents them from venturing too far from home. It was really cool that Cory and Zack were able to provide this opportunity for them in a way that helped Emily feel safe and allowed for them all to have a grand adventure. We are looking forward to helping the Lamberts enjoy more and more adventures and excursions in the future.
May is already off to a great start for the Lamberts. Emily had a follow-up MRI at UCSF last Friday (5/6). Traveling to San Francisco for appointments isn’t new for her and Ben, but this time their trip was very different than ever before. This time, Ivy Jane and Ivan were able to join them and they turned their MRI trip into a family fun weekend adventure. They started off by exploring UCSF Mission Bay and then ventured out to experience more sights and sounds of the city. When they went to see the Painted Ladies, they got lucky and met people and dogs who live inside one of the houses. The whole weekend turned out to be a pretty magical experience for them!
We are anxiously awaiting the results of the MRI and we could really use some prayers and words of encouragement for Emily and her family.
Thank you all for your continued support.