Friends and Family, About a month ago it became extremely difficult to get food down. Each new bite felt like my stomach was going to explode. We scrambled for three weeks to get the right professional involved before some great accidental timing helped out. I had a routine CT scan last week, which showed that the bile ducts connecting the gall bladder, the liver, and the pancreas to my stomach were swollen. That news bought me a quick trip to the hospital, where a procedure was done to unblock the ducts and put in a stint to keep them clear. That’s where the good news ends. Today we met with ..read more

Friends and Family, The results are in, and our lung cancer research fundraiser was far more successful than I could have ever imagined. Including the matching donation from our anonymous donor, 158 people contributed. We raised $40,200! And I can’t thank Sally Rudney’s family, who supported the Sally Rudney Memorial Fund. THEY HAVE MATCHED OUR ENTIRE DONATION, dollar-for-dollar. That means that together, we raised $80,400 for lung cancer research! The amount puts the EGFR Resisters over the fundraising goal of $400,000, which is enough to fund two more research grants that benefit people wit ..read more

Friends and Family, Things are looking up, at least enough so that my eyes are on the horizon. Genevieve and I got the results of my first scan since starting patritumab this week, and the results are positive. There has been no growth in the cancer. There are people close to me who now take it for granted that any treatment I try is going to work. This is not the norm. Even my oncologist told me, “everything we try works for you.” I hadn’t thought of what an anomaly this is, and it gives me even more to be grateful for. The necrosis in my jaw , the lockjaw, and the related infection are ano ..read more

Just wanted to update you on our fundraising progress. We blew right past my goal of raising $10,000! It happened so fast that we’re now at $11,815. What else could I do besides set a new goal? We’re now trying to reach $15,000 by April 23rd! Our anonymous donor has generously agreed to increase their matching funds to anything we raise up to $15,000, so that $15,000 will become $30,000. Then the Sally Rudney Memorial Fund will double THAT donation, turning the original $15,000 donated into $60,000! Thank you so much to the 101 people(!) who have already donated to my fundraiser. I’m asking f ..read more

Friends and Family, I’m raising money for lung cancer research, and your donation has never had the opportunity to pack such a wallop. That’s because whatever you donate will be QUADRUPLED! For example, if you donate $100, then $400 will go to lung cancer research. Here’s how it works. An anonymous donor has agreed to match any donations you and I raise together up to $10,000. When the donations are finalized and turned in to LUNGevity, the anonymous donor will double it, turning into $20,000. Then the Sally Rudney Memorial Fund will double THAT donation, turning it into $40,000! The research ..read more

Friends and Family, The wild ride continues. After my final chemo round, Genevieve and I got lab results which showed increased fluid in my lungs and new fluid around my heart. Our hopes for me to buy more time by staying on ramucirumab alone for the next 6-12 months went out the window. But a parachute arrived just as it was time to jump out of the plane. Dr. Sanborn had requested that I receive patritumab duruxtecan, a HER3 drug, through the Expanded Access (compassionate use) program. She made the request eighteen weeks earlier and approval came through just when I needed it. I had to wait ..read more

There are those occasions when not everything is about cancer. This is one of those times.  It starts with headaches I’ve had all day, every day since chemo started. I believe it’s the ramucirumab since I had a similar drug (Avastin) eleven years ago and had headaches like this for over a year. I also had intense dental/jaw pain that led to a root canal six weeks ago. That pain never subsided and has morphed into lockjaw. As a result, I’ve been on a liquid diet since Christmas. Muscle relaxers and five sessions of PT haven’t helped, so I’ve seen an oncology dentist who specializes in both ..read more

Friends and Family, I had the honor of being interviewed for Lung Cancer Canada’s annual Evening of Hope. The full-length version of that video was turned into a podcast, which I think turned out well.   Ottawa Hospital oncologist Dr. Paul Wheatley-Price interviewed me about the evolution of lung cancer treatment over the past seventeen years, maintaining hope through treatment failures, the difference between surviving and thriving, challenges for caregivers, and other topics. The interview is heartfelt, vulnerable, and optimistic. Most people who read my blog should find this worth the ..read more

Friends and Family, There have been some ups and downs over the past six weeks and two rounds of chemo. Between the antibiotics for the infection in my lungs and the chemo, my breathing has steadily improved over the past six weeks. Where it took me several minutes to climb a flight of stairs six weeks ago, now I’m walking the hills in my neighborhood at a fairly rapid pace. Success is like a breath of fresh air! This guy may be a wee bit younger and better looking, but you get the idea. But before starting my second round of chemo three weeks ago, I asked Dr. Sanborn what chemo options are s ..read more

Friends and Family, I’ve thought about the different things I could do for Lung Cancer Awareness Month and decided I could make the most impact by giving my book away for free to anyone, whether they have cancer or not. From Monday, November 13th through Wednesday, November 15th, go to https://www.amazon.com/Second-Wind-Thriving-Dann-Wonser-ebook/dp/B07C9BWWB7/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1699741635&sr=8-1 for your free copy. You are welcome to share the link and tell anyone you would like – the more the better. If you have read the book and wish to share your thoughts with ..read more