I spent the better part of yesterday’s rest day trying to sort out my upcoming cancer treatment given the coronovirus outbreak. My plan had been to fly back to NY from Austin for the required scans and treatment but it is clear that heading back to New York right now is not a good option for me and, fortunately, my doctors at Sloan Kettering agree. The issue then becomes how to get the treatment I need to stay alive without going back to New York and the answer is not nearly as simple as some might think, particularly given that I’m enrolled in a drug trial. My dilemma is similar to that faced by many cancer patients at the moment—whether to risk their compromised immune system going into a hospital in a high COVID area for treatment v. going without treatment altogether (my cancer, for instance, has been known to progress quickly after just 2-3 days of skipped treatment.) I’m quite fortunate that my doctors at MSK are working with me to sort out how I can get the treatment I need in Austin though this is complicated by a Texas law that requires a Texas licensed doctor to order the CT I need and the fact that many radiology offices are currently closed.
While I haven’t completely found a solution yet, I’m confident that I will have options in Austin. Many cancer patients are not nearly as fortunate as I am and I would ask for your prayers for them that they survive coronovirus without severe disruption to their life saving cancer treatment. At this point, I have sufficient medicine for the next 10 days and just need to get to Austin before I run out. We biked 118 miles today on back roads through beautiful farmland and I crossed the 1000 mile threshold. Just 604 more miles to Austin!
– Isabella