We have a diagnosis and some idea of what the initial months are going to look like.

The type of cancer that Markus has is Ewing sarcoma (Ewing’s). They don’t measure this cancer in stages (1-4) but it’s either local or metastatic. Markus’ is metastatic which means it has spread. We haven’t seen the PET scan but Dr. Rassekh said the primary tumour is in his shoulder and it’s spread to his liver, lungs and lower spine. The tumours in his lungs and liver aren’t too bad but they are quite concerned about the spot in his spine. The tumour there is on the inside of the spine and pushing against some nerves and it could result in paralysis if not treated soon. For this reason he’s going to be admitted today already so that they can start treatment as early as possible. And, if anything happens with the spine we are here so they can address that quickly.

Dr. Rassekh is confident that this is treatable. He said Ewing’s responds well to chemo drugs and they’ve made good progress in recent years. It also responds well to radiation, especially on the spots to where it’s spread.

The first 12 weeks will be chemo for sure (6 cycles). After that they will run all the scans again and then decide if surgery or radiation is necessary. This will be followed by another 8 weeks. Repeat scans. Then another 8 weeks.

It’s all quite a lot to take in. Yet, we are thankful that they know what it is and how to treat it. God is good. We are not only in His loving hands, but He is also caring for Markus through the gifted hands of the medical professionals here at Children’s.

Thanks as always for your prayers and messages of support!