Treatment Option #1

This whole week has been filled with tests. On Wednesday the 27^th we had a pulmonary function test and an echocardiogram at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney, Nebraska. The pulmonary function test is meant to test the lungs functions. There are multiple stages of laborious breathing tests that take up to an hour and a half to complete. After that we headed over to the Echo test and that is an ultrasound of the heart. These tests were ordered to test the strength of his lungs and heart before deciding on a treatment option. The next day Chase had to do a PET scan of his entire body. This test takes an hour and a half and was extremely uncomfortable for him. He said he was crammed on a small bed for a long time so it could take a scan of his whole body. We went to eat Nick’s Gyros while they burned a disk of the images for us to keep. You’re left in agony waiting when you leave the hospital after the tests because they don’t tell you anything or give you any answers. You have to wait to hear it from the oncologist.

The next day (Friday the 29^th) we went to Good Samaritan again for an appointment with Dr. George Bascom to hear the results of the tests and so he could give you his opinion on the best treatment option for Chase. He gave us a better description on the cancer Chase had as well. He was able to walk through the PET scan with us and show us exactly where the cancer was located.

The exact diagnosis is that he has Stage 4 B classical Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and Bulky Mediastinal disease with an International Prognostic Score of 2. The Bulky Mediastinal disease is they type of disease he has in his chest. It is a 10cm tumor that has grown in his upper chest cavity. It is putting pressure on his lungs and heart and making it difficult for him to breathe. He also has the lymphoma in his bones (femur and spine). He has tumors attaching to the fluid around his heart and throughout his lungs, neck, legs, arms, and med section. The PET scan was overwhelming. It looked like there was cancer everywhere! The reassuring part bout the whole thing is that it is very treatable. The oncologist kept reassuring us that this was a very treatable disease and the goal is cure!

The treatment option he suggested for Chase was ABVD chemotherapy followed by radiation once he was in remission. He was able to prescribe such a harsh yet effective medicine for Chase because the results from the tests showed his heart to be strong. The only thing he seemed cautious about was the toll part of the chemo would take on his lungs. ABVD Chemo is 4 different medicines that they administer throughout the course of each round of treatment. The A stands for Adriamycin. This drug is very hard on the heart, but a necessary step in the treatment of his cancer. It can also have ling term side effects on his heart. This is something they will monitor closely throughout his treatment. The B stands for Bleomycin, which is very hard on the lungs. Since his lungs have been very affected by this cancer, they may have to substitute this part out for a different form of this drug. The V stands for Vinblastine, which takes a toll on the Veins. The D stands for Dacarbazine, which affects the bone marrow. All these drugs have potential short and long-term side effects but may be necessary in the process of getting rid of this cancer. If we choose to go with this treatment, Chase will loose his hair and need to have a port put in for administering the drugs. Dr. Bascom suggests Chase visit with a radiologist because he believes he will need to follow up the chemotherapy with radiation as well to make sure the

Bulky Mediastinal disease in his chest does not come back. For years after the cancer is cured he will still need to be monitored.

         We have not started treatment yet because we are going to visit with Dr. Julie Vose on Monday for her opinion on Chase’s treatment. She is a specialist in lymphoma and Dr. Bascom informed us “she is the President of the American Cancer Association and is a celebrity in the world of oncology”. We are anxious to hear her opinion about Chase’s diagnosis and treatment. We have had all his records and even his biopsy slides sent to her office so she can review his files. She will be testing and giving us a second opinion on his diagnosis and giving us her opinion on a prognosis as well. I’m hoping for a less brutal idea for treatment that has less potential for long-term side effects but I am open to hearing her opinion on treatment options for him. She is a specialist and deals with this type of cancer on a daily basis. We are anxious to meet with her 1:20 on Monday.

          I have felt so comforted lately. I can feel the Lord’s presence in everything I do. This has really opened my eyes to see the Holy Spirit moving in my everyday life. In the midst of this horrible situation I have already seen the Lord’s promises so much.

- Danielle Eilers

         

Answering the Questions, "How can I help?"

I want to take some time to thank everyone! Thank you so much for the encouraging words! Thank you for the prayers and helping to keep our spirits up. We feel so loved! Everyone is so kind offering to help us with whatever they can. People keep asking, “how can I help”. We are blessed with friends that keep saying, “If there is anything you need let me know”. I have been straining to figure out how to utilize all my amazing friends who just want to be a part of our journey.  I want people to feel involved in helping Chase get healthy, but I feel like we have everything we need. I do want people to feel like they can help us. So I have come up with a few ideas of how people can contribute to Chase’s cure.

• Prayer! We can use all the prayers we can get. Please spend time with God asking him to give us peace in this storm. Pray for healing throughout Chase’s body. Pray for the right doctors to be placed in our lives. Pray for a sense of urgency in the doctors. We are in such a waiting period of the process while we are having tests done before we start treatment, so please pray for all the paperwork and insurance to flow through smoothly so that we can get his treatment started. Please pray for patience in myself and enjoying the moment and paying attention to all the things we are grateful for. We would love prayers for whatever else you can think of.
• We would love encouraging letters that I can read to Chase while he is going through treatment. Let him know that you’re thinking about him and praying for him. Remind him of funny memories you have with him and maybe attach an encouraging verse. Any inspirational stories you have, he would love to hear them! I don’t want to put a box around what you write, but any encouraging words would be greatly appreciated.

Details

You can mail your letters to:

           ATTN: Danielle Eilers Personal
           600 East Commerce Road

           Lexington, NE 68850

Or email them to:

            daniellenicoleeilers@gmail.com

We are not putting expectations on anything, these are just things that would be greatly appreciated if you are wondering how you can help us through these next months.

We appreciate having you in our lives!

xoxo, 

Chase and Danielle Eilers

Answers

Today, Friday January 22, we finally got the results! That was the longest most grueling week of my life. We walked in at 9:00 am for our appointment with Dr. George Bascom at Heartland Hematology and Oncology in Kearney, Nebraska. As my mom, sister, mother-in-law, Chase and I sat in the waiting room; we could hardly wait to be seen. They finally took us back to get Chase’s vitals and get him in a room. Within a few minutes Dr. Bascom came in to talk with all five of us.

As he walked in he introduced himself and before he could even sit down he said, “Chase, you have Classical Hodgkin’s Lymphoma”. I knew it was bad but I was ready for details. All I can remember is that he wanted so many details about how Chase was feeling. He kept asking Chase so much about his symptoms. He was really digging into details about his back and his breathing, as well as all the itching he had. This was so hard to get through, all I could think about was, “Forget about all this! Tell me about his diagnosis!!!” After a thorough physical, feeling around on Chase’s body, he stepped out of the room to gather his thoughts before explaining to us the details of his diagnosis.

Finally he came back in the room. He handed me the report of the biopsy. Gary Keeney, M.D. at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, reviewed his case. He explained the medical verbiage to us. Chase has stage 4 B Classical Hodgkin’s disease involving the bone (L1- first lumbar and T9-9^th thoracic vertebral bodies) as well as in his lungs (multiple pulmonary nodes) and multiple lymph node areas on both sides of his diaphragm. So in summary, he has lymphoma in his lymph nodes, bones and lungs. He also explained that it is starting to spread to the pericardial fluid around his heart.

He explained to us that this disease is very treatable. He told us there is a 90% chance Chase could be cancer free come the end of treatment. He said he loves to work with lymphoma patients because he tends to see the best results and the treatment responds quickly; that made us feel very at ease. Speaking of treatment, obviously the goal is a cure. We plan to do chemotherapy. The type and administration of chemo will all depend on how the echocardiogram and pulmonary function test go since chemo takes such a toll on the heart. We need to test to see the strength of his heart before we make a decision on the type of chemo.

Dr. Bascom has been an oncologist for 32 years. He worked with Brian (Chase’s dad) and Marion (Chase’s paternal grandma) when they had cancer. I loved his interaction with us about them. He remembered them and their exact cases even after all these years. I loved that but, for some reason, I still don’t feel at ease. I asked Bascom how often he deals with lymphoma patients and he acted like he rarely did. Since he is a general oncologist, he said he works mainly with breast, prostate and lung cancer. We know we would feel more comfortable with a lymphoma specialist. Dr. Bascom seemed to be very understanding of that and he had all his notes and the results sent over to Dr. Julie Voss at UNMC in Omaha. She is a lymphoma specialist that we have been seeking appointments with and had heavy interest in visiting for treatment options.

Right now things are still up in the air because there are still have so many tests to be done. We need a PET scan, an echocardiogram and a pulmonary function test. We made sure to get flu shots today and Chase also got a Pneumonia shot as well as extensive blood work. They will be calling us Monday with the scheduled scans. Right now the slides from the biopsy are being sent to Dr. Julie Voss at UNMC, as well as all of Chase’s records, for further testing and a second opinion on treatment options.

Currently, our appointment is with Dr. Voss is not until February 18. Although, once they test the biopsy themselves and see how serious his case is, they promised to move Chase’s case up as soon as possible.

             It has been a long day and I am ready to get some sleep. I hope I didn’t forget anything. We appreciate all the love and prayers. Sorry if I haven’t gotten back to your kind messages, I really appreciate all the kind thoughts, I just feel like I haven’t had a free moment to really respond. This has been quite a roller coaster. We love all our family and friends and appreciate the support and care!

Xoxo,

Chase and Danielle Eilers

As we sit and wait

Right now we are waiting. We have finished the biopsy and we are waiting until Friday for results. This week is dragging on. In the midst of this storm I am comforted by God’s word. I feel blessed to know I have an amazing heavenly father and friends and family surrounding us and flooding us with love. My emotions feel like a roller coaster as I am trying to wrap my mind around this whole thing. I am trying my best to keep it together as I dig into the Internet researching doctors and treatments of lymphoma. As I’m waiting I am setting us up with other doctors for second and third opinions. I want to make sure we can get Chase to the best doctors while still keeping him comfortable and not stressing him out. It is a lot to take in all at once but we are plugging away one day at a time. Lord help Friday to get here peacefully.

Below are some verses that I felt I needed right now in my life. I am going to start declaring these out loud at least once a day and holding on to God’s word. It is so hard not to want to blame someone or something for this but I know in my heart this is NOT God!

In the same way; the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.

Romans 8:26-27

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

James 5:16

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.

Proverbs 18:10

Trust in the lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:3-4

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Hebrews 11:1,6

So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

1 Corinthians 10:12-14

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. DO NOT be terrified; DO NOT be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil and heavenly realms.

Ephesians 6:10-12

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are MINE. When you pass through the waters, I WILL BE WITH YOU; and when you pass through the rivers, they WILL NOT sweep you over. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

Isaiah 43:1-2

I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.

Psalms 121:1-2

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

James 1:2-4

“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the son may bring glory to the father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

John 14:13-14

The Lord is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made. The Lord is near to all He has made. The Lord is near to all who call on him in truth.

Psalm 145:17-18

So I say to you: ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Luke 11:9-10

For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.

2 Chronicles 16:9

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petitions, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe you are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

Romans 10:9-10

Jesus said, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”

Luke 18:27

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6

This I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:21-23

You are worthy; our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.

Revelation 4:11

Jesus answered, “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

John 14:6

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5

Our Story

For those of you that don't know our story, I figured I should start at the beginning. Chase and I met on thanksgiving 2012 in Scottsdale, Arizona. I know it sounds cliche, but I knew he was the one when I met him. We spent some time getting to know each other while doing the annual hike camelback mountain. It was quite humorous how our families kept trying to set us up. We would "coincidentally" end up sitting next to each other for meals and we "coincidentally" were left to hike the mountain alone. Chase still jokes about how I was always trying to copy him; from the meals we would eat to the matching Birkenstocks. For the record, I was never purposely copying him we were just meant to be together.

I went back to college after that break and continued thinking about Chase and trying to figure out a non-creepy way to stay in contact with him. By March we were talking every night on the phone and I couldn't imagine not pursuing him. I knew he was my soulmate. 

Long story short, we were in a distance relationship for a a year or so and when I graduated May of 2014 I knew there was no way I could live apart from him any longer. I moved to Nebraska the day I graduated. August 29, 2014 Chase took me to a fancy dinner at the Nebraska club at the top of the US Bank in Lincoln where he proposed to me with the most beautiful ring I had ever seen. The next day I got to go to the Husker football game with my new fiance. 

January 3, 2015 was the best, most exciting day of my life. I married my best friend on the top of Camelback Mountain in Scottsdale, Arizona where we first met. A year has gone by and we have grown so much; individually and as a couple. But nothing in life could have prepared us for the news we were about to receive. 

As long as I have known Chase he has had some type of health issue and lack of energy. Chase has been having chest congestion and difficulty breathing for over 3 years now. recently it has gotten really bad. He gets to the point where he is coughing so hard he starts vomiting. Back in May of 2014 I was very worried about him and had him go in for a complete physical. At this time he had blood tests run to screen for everything. I wanted to rule out cancer because of his family history.  Side note: Chases Dad, Brian, suffered from Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. He fought off the cancer through Chemotherapy to the point where his body was free of cancer. He passed away in September of 2009 from a rare disease called richter's syndrome. It was a sickness caused from his fifth round of Chemo. 

With this history in the back of my mind I have always worried about Chase getting cancer so this full screening was extremely important to me. The results came back completely normal and his breathing issue was ruled Acid Refulx and Allergies. He was sent home with some medication that would 'fix' this problem. Months go by and still no progress. He continues to go back for visits with his family practitioner for the breathing and he was prescribed cough syrup and an inhaler. Nothing worked. Since nothing worked we chalked it up to an unhealthy diet and being out of shape. About 1 year ago Chase started to develop dry patches of skin on his eyelids and around his ears that would flake off and ooze. These patches would heal in one area and spread to another. We thought it was eczema. We went to the doctor and dermatologist for these issues but nothing worked. After about 6 months it just went away. 

Once the patches began to heal he started to develop extremely itchy skin. There wasn't much he could do to relieve the itch. He visited the doctor and they told him it was dry skin, prescribed him another cream and he was out the door. 

A few more months go by and now it seems as though things are getting worse. Chase's Uncle Mark Eilers suggested we try out another doctor for a second opinion. He recommended Dr. Messbarger at Kearney Family Practice Associates. I called over on January 5th to set up an appointment. They said the soonest they could see Chase was January 20th and all the doctors were not taking on new patients so he would need to be seen by someone who was still working on their residency. At this point I was just looking for some answers and any other opinions so I took the appointment. 

The next day, Friday January 8, 2016, Chase found a painful lump on his groin so Mark called and got him a walk in appointment for that same day. We left work immediately, had his records sent over from his old doctors office, and drove out to Kearney. 

We were seen by a doctor on call named Leanne. We sat there and explained every little symptom Chase had. From the difficulty breathing, to the loss of weight and energy, to the lumps on his leg arm and groin. Even the fact that his urine smelled really strong and his body oder started smelling differently.  

She was speechless after we explained all the issues. She asked us to sit tight as she went out to speak with Dr. Messbarger. After about 20 minutes both Messbarger and Leanne came in and told us they were very concerned. Their game plan was to run a blood test and take a urine sample. The blood came back just fine as it did before and the urine sample showed their were red blood cells present. They ordered a CT scan of the groin area to see what that lump was and we were sent home and hour and a half later. 

On Monday morning they called with the scheduled CT scan for later that day. Chase went over to Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney and got the scan done. Within an hour Dr. Messbarger called Chase to let him know he found an abnormal amount of swollen lymph nodes throughout the scan of his lower chest cavity and groin area. He asked us to come in first thing the next day to review the images. 

Tuesday January 12, 2016 we went in to talk with Dr. Messbarger and he informed us the scan looked as though Chase had Lymphoma. He said Chase needed a biopsy as soon as possible to determine what kind of lymphoma he had so that we could get moving on treatment options sooner than later. He expressed his concern and he said if it was him he would be very worried and get moving as soon as possible. He scheduled an appointment for Thursday at 10:30 am with Dr. Connely for a Pre-Op for the biopsy of a lymph node in his neck. The blessing in all of this is that Dr. Rob Messbarger (the doctor we were fighting for from the beginning) just so happened to be the doctor available for Leanne to discuss Chase's symptoms with. He eased our mind by letting us know that even though he wasn't taking on new patients he agreed and insisted that he be Chase's new family practitioner. Such a blessing. 

Wednesday the 13th I took Chase back to the clinic because he had a coughing attack and he felt like he had fluid in his lungs. We saw the doctor on call (Dr. Amy Paysen) and she said she thought he had fluid around his heart. If it was bad enough they could have the cardiologist drain it that day. In order to figure out the extent of it we had a chest CT scan done. Paysen read the results and called us and said there was fluid around his heart but not enough to drain. She also confirmed that he had lymph nodes throughout his lungs and chest cavity. I got a copy of a disk with all the images from both CT scans and we left. Anne Chases mom flew out and arrived the 13th that evening. This seems to put Chase at ease to have his mommy here to help me take care of him. I am grateful for any help I can get. 

Thursday the 14th Dr. Connely scheduled the biopsy for first the next morning. 

Friday the 15th Chase went in for the biopsy and they removed a lymph node in his neck because they said it is less invasive than removing one in the groin and the ones in the neck yield better results. Following the surgery Dr. Connely came out to tell Anne and I that everything went as planned and it could take up to 10 days to get final results. 

The next step was to make an appointment with Dr. George Bascom, the oncologist at Platte Valley Medical Group in Kearney, Heartland Hematology and Oncology. Bascom will be giving us results of the biopsy and his opinion on the next steps for us in the treatment process. Our appointment with him is Friday the 22nd at 9 am. 

We will be seeking 2nd opinions and researching our options as soon as we get the results hopefully on Friday at our appointment with Bascom. If they get the results any sooner they will call us and squeeze us in to discuss the results. I have so many questions and am anxious for some answers. I know the Lord is ultimately in control of this situation and he already knows the answers. I trust he has a plan and, like my dad said, this did not catch the Lord off guard. He had this in his plan for some reason from the beginning. My prayer is that the Lord will give the doctors and myself wisdom. I believe he will put the perfect doctor in front of us and we will have the wisdom to choose the right doctor and treatment for my husband.

I plan to keep our family and loved ones updated via this blog. If you have any questions or comments please leave them below. Your prayers would be greatly appreciated. Our goal in this process is to remain positive and continue to live an active healthy lifestyle. Although the Lord may have allowed this to happen to Chase, this Cancer is not of the Lord. I believe this diagnosis is an attack of the devil. We are ready to kick this cancer in the butt. Chase is a fighter in all aspects of his life; he gets a goal in his mind and nothing can stand in his way! He is an amazing man who loves his family, employees and cares deeply about his wife. He is willing to do whatever it takes to get better. 

We love you and thank you for all your support. I promise to keep you in the loop as we continue this journey to back to health. 

xoxo,

Danielle Eilers

"Be at rest once more, Oh my soul, for The Lord has been good to you. For you, Oh Lord, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living" - Psalm 116:7-9