January - A New Year

Hello to all - It's been awhile since I've updated this blog. It seems like forever. Glenna has had a much needed month off from meetings, treatments and the day-to-day stress of dealing with her issues. Although she did have to go through the sad loss of a friend, she had many other friends to go through it with. Other than that, December was a good month for her to recuperate and get healthy (if you haven't seen her, she looks fabulous, by the way!) and to get ready to take her next step towards recovery.

As I wrote in the last message, there was a "suspicious" spot on her brain that they wanted to test again to confirm whether or not it was melanoma. Early last week she had a set of full body scans as well as a brain MRI. It didn't take long for Dr. Shih to call and tell us that this spot and the second spot were indeed melanoma; and although they did not see any other spots at this time, there was some growth to the existing spots and they have recommended that she have whole-brain radiation. This is not what we hoped for, but they explained that if she were to have stereo-tactic radiation (which is to just pinpoint radiate the two spots) and something else showed up after that, we would be facing whole-brain radiation later and would have wasted all that time. So, it has begun. Glenna started her treatment last Thursday. She will have treatment five days a week, for four weeks. After that time, they will do one more MRI and, using that MRI, will do the stereo-tactic radiation on the exisiting spots. Dr. Shih is very confident that this whole procedure should knock out any melanoma in the brain. Then once she is cleared of this, she will be able to move forward with the chosen treatment for her body.

Of course, there will be side effects to this treatment. The common ones being she will get very tired and fatigued. There is a slight chance she will not lose all her hair, but most likely, she will, and is preparing for that. There can be some permanent side effects from this type of radiation: one being that with normal whole-brain radiation there is a 20% chance that her hair will not grow back. But the wonderful Dr. Shih has made some adjustments to the way the treatment is being given and has also made her a special scalp plate to wear during treatment which she says will protect the hair folicles and better her chances for hair regrowth.

The other side effect that may be permanent after treatment is short term memory loss. It's not a definite, so we are hoping and praying that she will get through this experience with the best outcome.

Glenna is, of course, being unbelievably strong and plowing ahead with whatever needs to be done. She just amazes me and everyone around her to see what positiveness and determination she portrays. It's quite an inspiration. I can't honestly say I could be that strong, although I wish I could go through this for her. February 9th will be her last treatment, and prior to that we will be working with her team of physicians to plan out the next step. It is reliant on several different things, so I won't get into all that now. But there is plan for her next battle and I will certainly keep you all posted as things develop.

It was so good for her to see all of you over the holidays and I know she loves to hear from you all through mail or email or blog comments. I would ask as time goes on, that she doesn't get any "drop-ins" at the house. As she may not be feeling great some days, I know she would appreciate a heads-up if you're planning to come by. She loves nothing more than being with her friends, but she will have to make that call as to whether she's feeling up to it.

Thank you all for being there and understanding and keep your daily affirmations going for her. It may take some time, but she will beat this thing eventually. And please don't forget to support her two buddies who will be running in the Boston Marathon in support of Glenna and the Melanoma Foundation - Lauren Glazier and Meg Toland. If you didn't get their information, let us know and we will forward it to you.

Love you all...............Mama Kohl