After a bit of too-ing and fro-ing we finally have a date for Ray starting chemo treatment - it's Monday 6th July and will last for 6 weeks. Your thoughts and prayers for him leading up to and during this time would, once again, be very much appreciated.
The second clinical trial we were considering is still an option, however, after much discussion with his Bendigo oncologist Ray decided to start chemo with him. The chemo will include the drug Avastin which was going to be used in the first clinical trial that fell through. This drug is now being made available, as from 1st July.
In the meantime, Ray is going over to Perth to visit Andrew (his son) and spend some father-son time catching up and doing some fishing together.
Ray is still feeling well. His blood and liver function tests last week were all in the 'normal' range and he has even gained 3kg! This is great news as it means he starts the chemo treatments in the best possible condition.
Our love and best wishes to everyone.
Ray, Marg, Tahnee & Marli

Again it's been a while since I posted anything, and again because not a lot has been happening. While we have been waiting for the clinical trial to come up, life has been so normal, I could almost believe the whole horrible "Big C" thing isn't happening to us.
Apart from still feeling the tumors as "stinging stitches" now and then, Ray is looking and feeling well otherwise. The girls are happy and very involved in their school and social lives. Tahnee turned 13 last weekend and had a fantastic birthday party down at the Barkers Creek Cricket Hall with 26 of her friends. Marli is becoming a "Master Chef" honing her skills at making delicious cupcakes for her Saturday market stall.
We heard last week that the original clinical trial Ray was hoping to get on, doesn't look like it will be going ahead. Ray has had lengthy discussions with Mark, our Bendigo oncologist, and they have come up with some alternative courses of action. At the moment we are looking at another clinical trial which is being done at Western General Hospital in Footscray. An appointment is being made for Ray to see the doctor there the week after next. Will keep you posted on the outcome.
Best wishes to everyone. Hope you are all well, happy and enjoying and appreciating life!
Marg.

Ray has started to feel the tumors in his liver - a sensation he describes like having a 'stitch'. We thought he might need to start chemo this week, but as the pain is minor and Ray is sleeping and feeling well otherwise, Dr Warren feels it will be better for him to wait until the new clinical trial starts. This won't be for another 4-5 weeks so in the meantime, Ray is having a liver functioning blood test to check that it is OK to wait this long. Unfortunately, if Ray starts chemo in Bendigo, he won't be able to do the clinical trial at Peter Mac in Melbourne which will hopefully give him a better mix of drugs! Please keep your prayers, thoughts and positive vibes going for Ray.
Marg
Feeling in good spirits. Journaling, meditating, juicing, practising guided imagery, reading and practising a wholistic approach to my healthcare. Having a red-hot go at disproving the statistics for longevity! Hope you are all well. Please feel free to contact me in whatever way you feel is appropriate.
Blessings to you all.
Ray

Hi Everyone,
We've heard people have been logging in and wondering what has been happening as it's been a while since I last put something on the blog.
Basically we're in a 'holding' stage. Ray had an ultrasound and PET scan a few weeks ago. They only confirmed what the other scans showed, just in more detail.
At the moment we're waiting to hear back from the clinical trial doctor. His current trial has just finished and he is waiting for results to come back. This will determine when he starts his new trial. If it isn't for another 6 weeks or so, he thinks it may be better for Ray to start the normal chemo treamtment in Bendigo. He was going to speak to Dr Warren in Bendigo and let us know the outcome of their talks this week. So we're just waiting, waiting again.
In the meantime, Ray is back at work and daily gaining back his pre-op strength. He even did a bit of gardening last weekend.
Hopefully I'll be able to post something after this weekend.
Love Marg

At our appointment with Dr Warren last Friday, we discussed 2 clinical trials which he thought would be suitable for Ray. One involved injecting the blood stream with small capsules of radiation that, hopefully, would be delivered to the liver and radiate the lesions there. We opted to go for the other trail which compliments the standard chemotherapy treatment with a newer drug called Avastin. The negatives of this will be that Ray will be a guinea pig for the possible side affects of this new drug as well as the possible side affects of the standard chemotherapy. This treatment with be systemic rather than just targeting the liver which is why we opted for this trial.
The trial is being run at the Peter McCallum Cancer Research Centre in Melbourne, so it will mean Ray going down there for treatment. The wait to get on the trial is between 6 to 8 weeks.
Latest scans have revealed that the lesions on the liver have only grown slightly and Ray remains a-symptomatic and looking and feeling well.
Hoping all is well with you.
Marg

Ray was able to wing an earlier appointment with the oncologist, which we attended on Friday 20th. We also met with the oncology dietician an hour earlier. She was extremely helpful, affirmed our diet and encouraged Ray to keep eating a full range of foods. He has dropped some weight since Christmas (a lot of it probably due to post operation – not to mention stress) and ideally needs to put back on a few kilos.
More importantly the oncologist (Dr Mark Warren) turned out to be the son of a Churches of Christ Minister (George Warren) who mentored Ray when he was doing youth ministry at Hartwell, Camberwell & Balwyn in the late 1980’s. I felt extremely comforted by this and couldn’t help feeling a sense of mystery and wonder – even though what we had to discuss was far from wonderful – the various options for chemo therapy etc.
A positive, for the moment, seems to be that Ray is ‘a-symptomatic’. Dr Warren has never had a patient who has presented with Ray’s type of cancer and not displayed symptoms. While this is unusual, those of us who know Ray well know that he is never ‘typical’.
As a result, Dr Warren is postponing chemo treatment for the moment. Ray will have another scan in a couple of weeks time to see whether the liver lesions have grown and possibly a decision about whether to start chemo treatment will be made then.
Another period of waiting and praying in this long journey of waiting and praying.
Please know that the care, love, best wishes and prayers you all have been sending our way are lovingly reciprocated.
Marg

Unfortunately our visit to the dcotor today did not give us any more information about the when or how of the chemotherapy treatments. We have an appointment on the 27th March with the oncology department. While the waiting is stressful, we know they can't do anything before then as they are waiting for Ray to recover from his surgery.
At this stage the doctor could only confirm his original diagnosis that the cancer has travelled through the lymph system to the liver - so no miracle cures yet.
Your continued prayers are gratefully felt.
Love Marg