All posts by Jessie Kincaid

September scan results

I know there are a lot of terrible things happening right now but we do have a bit of good news to share. We had Tom’s scan today and it was stable. The spots are unchanged and one may be a little bit smaller. We also recently heard back on our second opinion from UCSF and they agree that the spots are likely delayed radiation damage to blood vessels and not indicative of tumor. These last two months have been a bit nerve racking until we got this news as contemplating another surgery and round of treatment 4 years later and in the middle of a pandemic was daunting to say the least. Now we really get to enjoy our anniversary getaway in a place that is very special to our hearts with some great wine from @domainedivio

Glioblastoma Awareness Day

Today is Glioblastoma Awareness Day. We wanted to share some facts with you all (scroll to end if you just want to see Tom’s current status).

Glioblastoma Facts & Figures

Glioblastoma (or GBM) is one of the most complex, deadly, and treatment-resistant cancers.

More than 13,000 Americans are expected to receive a GBM diagnosis in 2020.

GBM accounts for 48 percent of all primary malignant brain tumors.

It is estimated that more than 10,000 individuals in the United States will succumb to glioblastoma every year.

The five-year survival rate for glioblastoma patients is only 6.8 percent, and the average length of survival for glioblastoma patients is estimated to be only 12 to 18 months.

Survival rates and mortality statistics for GBM have been virtually unchanged for decades.

Despite first being identified in the scientific literature in the 1920’s, there have only been four drugs and one device ever approved by the FDA for the treatment of glioblastoma.

None of these treatments have succeeded in significantly extending patient lives beyond a few extra months.

Some patients have a glioblastoma upon diagnosis (de novo or primary GBM), while other patients’ tumors start as another, lower-grade type of brain tumor and over time progress into a glioblastoma (secondary GBM). A vast majority of GBM diagnoses are de novo.

Mean age at diagnosis is 64.

In addition to being life-threatening, GBM – and its harsh treatments – inflict devastation upon the brain, which controls cognition, mood, behavior, and every function of every organ and body part.

Many patients will lose their ability to work, drive, and a host of other functions that contribute to one’s sense of self and independence.

Glioblastoma is also one of the more expensive cancers to treat, often leaving patients and families with major financial hardship on top of the burdens of the disease.

Prominent Americans who’ve been lost to this type of cancer include: Beau Biden (son of former Vice President Joe Biden, and former Attorney General for the state of Delaware); Gary Carter (Hall of Fame Major League Baseball player); U.S. Senator Edward “Ted” Kennedy (Democratic politician); U.S. Senator John McCain (Republican politician and former presidential nominee); and Edward “Tug” McGraw (Major League Baseball player and father of country music star and actor, Tim McGraw).

Here’s the link to today’s presentation if you would like to hear more lf the latest on glioblastoma and hear from other survivors and providers:

Watch the Virtual GBM Awareness Day 

And now for the update:

It’s been just over 4 years since Tom’s diagnosis. We recently had Tom’s MRI and two spots have persisted. While they don’t present as typical tumor, one has grown about 1mm from his last scan while the other faded somewhat. We discussed the option of surgery to remove and analyze the spot with his care team but we all came to the conclusion this week that the spot is too small to warrant surgery and again is not indicative of tumor. Hopefully it will go away on its own like the other spots have. We will re-evaluate at the next scan. We are also going to work on getting a second opinion in the event we need a more in-depth consult in the future. Tom feels great, has no symptoms and is still riding his bike as often as possible. As always, thanks for all of your amazing support!

2020 virtual brain tumor walk!

Huge thanks to all of you who supported Team Food Baby for the virtual brain tumor walk this year. We had team members in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Hawaii this year! Tom’s sister Mary had some awesome shirts made for the Bird family team members! Even with everything going on the team still raised $2963 this year bringing our five year total to $18,420!!!! We still plan on doing the casserole party fundraiser once we can gather again. The virtual ceremony for the walk should still be up on the Northwest Brain Tumor community fb page until 10 am tomorrow if anyone wants to watch. They used some footage from an interview I gave a few years ago and you get to see our favorite Dr. Jerry on there too! Thank you all for your support!!!

Scan results March 2020

Cheers to a mostly stable scan. The spots we found in November have “resolved” but there is a new spot in the field of radiation. It is most likely also radiation damage but we will continue to monitor closely, currently it is too small to biopsy. Thank you all for your words of encouragement. It really means a lot!

Whew!

Happy New Year friends! Celebrating a stable scan tonight! Tom actually had his last scan in November. There were two tiny spots that showed up and while his oncologist said he was not concerned, we agreed to come back and scan again in 6 weeks. It ended up being more like 7, but today’s scan showed no change. The oncologist said if it was tumor, he would have expected some growth or change in that time. It is likely just delayed radiation damage but we will continue to monitor. The spot they measured is 2.99 mm. In December Tom also underwent a hernia repair. He had a great outcome but misses being active. 1.5 weeks until his restrictions are lifted, not that we are counting. I’ll post again tomorrow with details on this year’s tumor walk and before long the casserole party. Thanks for all your continued love and support!

Thank you!!!

The very biggest of thank yous to all who donated to Team Food Baby and the 2019 Brain Tumor Walk. Thanks to those who donated directly, showed up to our fundraisers, showed up to the walk and those who rooted us on. Thank you for funding research for finding s cure for Tom and all those who live with brain tumors! Team Food Baby raised $3505 this year (with big thanks to one donor in particular). This year’s walk raised at least $188,000 total and our team total over four walks is now up to $15,457. We couldn’t do this without all of you!!!!