He Everyone-

I am sorry for such a long absence from updating. There have been so many fabulous things happening and I have so much to fill you in on. Alas, I will make this entry more brass tacks as I am functioning on 7 hours sleep in the past 48 hours and had chemo yesterday which makes me not so smart. I did however want to let you all know what I’ve been up to treatment-wise because I have had several inquiries and requests to update my status. I will save all the other fun updates and epiphanies for the next entry when I am significantly smarter and better rested.

Here goes! I had my last chemo treatment yesterday in preparation for surgery. Dr. Steven Curley at Baylor in Houston is the surgeon I have chosen. He wants me off chemo for 6 weeks after which I will have a PET scan and a CT scan to determine that what we have seen on the most recent scans is truly representative of what is going on in my body. It would not bode well for me to have surgery and be off chemo for the pre-op and post-op time frame if there is something we missed seeing in my body that and isn’t addressed with surgery. Chemo is a suppressant and the 6 weeks off chemo should be a sufficient time frame for anything hiding to show itself. Of course I don’t think anything is lurking there – the last scan I had a month ago showed all the lymph nodes that had previously lit up on a PET and shown on CT scan as cancerous are now looking normal. This is not to say they are cancer free, it could be there on a microscopic level but…they could be cancer free.

So – the scans will be 6 weeks from now and assuming there are no big surprises that take surgery off the table, surgery will happen about the third week in September in Houston at St. Luke’s hospital. What will Dr. Curley do? He will remove entirely the right lobe of my liver because there are a bunch of pesky tumors there some of which no longer show up on a scan but could be there on a microscopic level. He will ablate or dig out a few tumors on the left side of my liver and will also remove the gallbladder as it shares a vascular system with the right side of the liver. In addition he will take out the lymph nodes in my abdomen since we don’t really know if they still have cancer in them or not. Then all these things that are taken out and will be diced and spliced to see exactly how much cancer is in them. There was a lymph node on the left side of my neck (all my cancer is on the right side) that showed up on the PET scan I did in December of 2013. That node doesn’t show up on scans anymore as abnormal but we don’t want to assume it’s fine. Once the other lymph nodes are removed and biopsied we will know how much if any cancer was in them down to the microscopic level and this will tell us what that lymph node in the neck is up to. If those nodes still contain cancer cells that neck lymph node will have to be addressed most likely with radiation.

So, what happens when you take out half of one’s liver? The wonderful thing about this organ is that it’s like an earth worm – it regenerates and the left side will balloon out and take over all function. It takes about 6 weeks for this process to happen. I will be tired as my body works hard to recoup and I can’t push, pull or pick up anything heavier than 5 pounds during this time frame. My surgery takes about 4 hours and I will be in the hospital about 5-6 days.

Then what?! Since I am an outlier and also am writing the book on this it’s hard to know what next. Full cancer inhalation will be the goal. I’m just going with that and you all too can send your prayers and good energy toward that arrangement! Speaking of prayers and good energy, please keep it coming as it is really helping.

A big shout out to my youngest Cheer Leader Sara Jane Ellison who made the most amazing collection of jokes for me with an adorable drawing and surprised me in the waiting room at TX Oncology. And a huge thank you to to Sara Jane’s Mom Ashley who helped make it all happen and to Ashley’s son Seth who came adorably along for all the fun!

If you could see my zombie face right now you would know I should be horizontal on a soft surface. So I promise to write in the next few days with more of what’s gone on the past 2 months. I am writing from beautiful Palo Alto – out here with Charles and the kids visiting Clia and Scott and family. We flew in this morning. We visited all our old stomping grounds including Crissy Field beach where we got engaged and Crissy Field where we got married. So fun to stand on the ground that bound us together 11 years ago.

Phin snapped some photos on the spot where we became husband and wife. Here are a few and a few shots from my last day of chemo. A huge thank you to all of you that wrote in for Becca’s cheer. My sincere apologies to the people I missed. Bec was completely surprised and overwhelmed. Many tears. It was so fun to watch her experience the total bliss of all that love. Everyone should get to have that experience. It is truly a feeling like no other and I’m so glad Becca got to be on the receiving end this time.

ok – I have got to drag myself to bed.

Nite Nite friends,

xoxo Hilary

Waiting for a slot in the infusion room

Chemo buddies Becca, Hilary, Sarah and Ashley

Inside the infusion room Becca, Hilary and Irma

The amazing Katharine Lord, PA at TX Oncology and one of my biggest cheer leaders and friend and health care providers. Thank you for all you do for me.

Crissy Field Beach where we got engaged

Crissy Field where we got married May 24, 2003