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