Maria Crews Beiter

Some more good news this week!

First, Maria felt slightly better than usual after this week's chemo treatment. We're hopeful that the changes the oncologist made to the chemo drugs makes the treatments a little easier to bear, since there are still several months of chemo ahead.

Second, the latest tests have shown that her CA 19-9 level has dropped to just under 1800. This is a significant decrease from last month (6500) and from prior to chemo (15,000), and a positive indicator that the cancer is responding to treatment! Of course, 1800 is still well above normal levels (<35), so no change in the approach—just an encouraging sign!

Third, Maria's genetic profile came back and showed no hereditary markers for pancreatic cancer, which means it's unlikely that anyone in the family is predisposed to it. Of course, everyone should still be vigilant about the signs and symptoms of cancer, especially one that's so difficult to detect, but we can be relieved that there's no inevitable genetic link.

Thank you, everyone, for your continued good wishes! We all appreciate them!