Love and Peace

This will be the final entry to this blog.

Laurie Harris, my mother, has died. On Friday, November 15, 2013, in her home, embraced by her husband, dog and daughter, she left this world. We cried over the body she left behind, reminding ourselves of the love we have for her, and the love she had given to us.

If you choose to make a donation in her honor, she had picked two charities which were meaningful in her life.

The first is Odyssey House, an organization my mother worked closely with for most of her career. They provide services for individuals and families with substance use disorders, mental illness, homelessness, and medical problems. From working with adolescents to senior citizens, they take care to see that all these individuals get the best treatment available to overcome their drug problems.

The second is MSKCC, for whom she raised money to fight Pancreatic Cancer. Her oncologist, Dr Kenneth Yu, worked tirelessly to save her, and by funding his research, we may be able to save others.

Thank you all so much for loving my mom, and I hope the love she had for all of you stays in your heart forever.

 Tracey

Radiation for pain

We met with Dr. Yu this morning expecting hard news as he wanted to talk in person and not on the phone. Her latest PET scan from a couple of weeks ago in preparation for radiation this week aimed at shrinking the tumor in her pancreas in order to relieve pressure on the surrounding nerve which has caused great pain showed evidence of some cancer spread to a surrounding area. Our feeling was ominous. However, I am happy to report that although this is not good news, Dr. Yu was not as concerned as we had thought. He indicated that it was lesser spreading to lymph nodes and the plan is to treat this in about a month by returning to chemo once the radiation is complete. As feared, it does not seem to be an indication of an imminent ending. Since Laurie's just completed weekend included an opening at the Met for some of her artwork from her visually impaired class (A great success!) on Friday evening and walking/running in the annual 5th Ave Mile race (to great applause) she seems to have a lot of life left in her. Thanks for continuing to be in this with us. with love and gratitude---Neal and Laurie

Post Race

Hi all, 

As many of you know, Laurie pushed herself extra hard to make it to her race last Saturday 8/10 and was present and loving it, even if in a weakened state. By last Monday 8/12 she was in the hospital with significant pain, fatigue and digestive problems---all caused by the tumor in her pancreas and all predictable issues for the kind of cancer she has. The tumor is pressing on a nerve which is causing the pain and was blocking a bile duct which was the cause of her digestive issues. While in the hospital, a stent was put in to help re-establish digestive flow which is important. She was discharged last Friday 8/16 and spent the weekend at home, still in considerable pain and coping with it with pain meds. 

At her oncology appointment this morning, Dr. Yu (her fantastic oncologist that many of you met at the race) scheduled a nerve block procedure for Weds that is aimed at lessening the pain. She is also scheduled for 5 days of targeted radiation after Labor Day with the goal of shrinking her tumor so that it will not be pressing on the nerve so strongly and also lessening pain. 

In the meantime, she is very tired and needs to eat more to build up her strength which is not so present. Through it all, she continues to be determined and of strong spirit, but it is not easy. As such an active person, historically, it is a shock not to have the energy to do much. The goal is to get through the pain---the pain and the meds used to treat it both are a big cause of fatigue---and build up her reserves once again to resume enjoying herself more. 

Please keep us in your heartfelt thoughts and prayers as Laurie continues to move forward in this challenging marathon. with love----Neal

Anniversary Celebration

Hi all, 

Just a short message to share good news of the moment with you. 

Despite the fact that it had been a harder couple of months for Laurie physically, today's CT scan came back once again showing no progression of her disease, which is as good as we could hope for. To say we are happily surprised is an understatement! 

Saturday is our 22nd anniversary (Our wedding was also on a Saturday.) and there will be added reason to celebrate. Given the nature of the disease, Laurie is doing unbelievably well. Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised given her innate strength and zest for life. We are certainly grateful. 

Thanks for continuing to have us in your thoughts and prayers. 

love----Neal and Laurie

NY Flyers honor Laurie with Charity Race

In case you haven't heard, Laurie's running team has generously decided to honor her with their very first charity race.

The NY Flyers will be holding the Laurie Harris Hope & Dreams 5K to benefit Pancreatic Cancer research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. The race will be held August 10, 2013 on Roosevelt Island, NY.

You can sign up for the race here, or make a donation in her name directly here.

Please be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the most up to date information on the race.

Latest CT scan

Hi everyone, 

Laurie had her latest CT scan earlier today and we are relieved to report this is the first one that does not bring bad news in quite a while. Deep breath and thanks. While the news is not that of a cure (not on the table at the moment), there is no new growth to report and that is a victory in itself. There are signs of something in the original  tumor sight of the pancreas (unsure if an active tumor or scar tissue remnants of the nanoknife surgery she had in April, but not growing in size), a small spot on the liver that is the same size as previously, and a growth remaining on the lungs (not completely sure it is cancerous, but suspicious) that has shrunk. Again, although not a cure (which technically doesn't happen at stage 4) there is no progress and some shrinkage. We'll take it! 

From here, Laurie continues on every other week chemo which she is tolerating relatively well and we get to have a holiday season that's got some light shining into it. Given what the possibilities were of what we'd find when Laurie went in for the CT scan this morning, we're glad to be reporting on this one.

Thanks for being there with us and for us.

thanks and love, 

Neal

Marathon Sunday

Check this out on Chirbit

Check this out on Chirbit
Today would have been the day we completed the NYC Marathon together as a family. Above you can hear both of the interviews done of my mom in anticipation of this event. Since the marathon was canceled, she will just have to stay well long enough to do it next november and many thereafter.

Tracey