Every day that passes without incident to yourself, a loved one, or a friend is a true blessing. You see, we are all walking this very thin line where, at any moment, one’s health and life trajectory as we know it can be altered entirely. One day you are celebrating family, a birthday, a personal accomplishment. Life is great. The next moment you could be thrown into a seemingly bottomless pit fighting for your life or finding yourself beside a …
Author: Brian Gilley
After my diagnosis of stage IV melanoma in early October 2017, my oncologist and cancer team immediately put me on the immunotherapy combination of Yervoy (Ipilimumab) and Opdivo (Nivolumab). This combo, which would be given in 4 infusions from October 25th to December 27th — and the subsequent 33 Opdivo infusions till April 2019 — have given me life till this day. Before this combo infusion began, the tumors in my body had already metastasized to around 25 locations, including …
October 3rd 2017. This date rattles me to the core. As much as I’d like to forget it or have it brainwashed from existence, it is etched into my mind forever. I hate the thought of this day, as it is a constant reminder of a pain and sorrow like I’ve never felt before. “You have cancer. It has spread to multiple locations.” After those words were spoken by our primary care doctor, everything said thereafter, in those moments, was …
The grim and humbling realities of the past 15 months have significantly changed my life forever. It has taken me this long after my initial cancer diagnosis to even begin to fully reflect on what has transpired. Putting into words the often jolting feelings of sadness, anxiety, and expectations of my daily life, as I knew it, has been difficult till now. My life has been twisted and ultimately veered of course forever. It has been quite the humbling experience. …
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