News Update
September 14, 2009
Join us on Monday, September 21 at the Manufacturers’ Golf and Country Club in Fort Washington for the inaugural golf outing of The Susan Fazio Foundation. The funds raised will benefit programs and services of help and hope against melanoma. www.SusanFazio.org
Update
September 18, 2007
We would like to
thank you for all of your support and prayers that have helped
Jessica over the last three years in her fight against
melanoma.
Our latest news is difficult to share….
Jessica found peace at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia last night, and as Ed says, she shared three smiles in her last minute of life, one for Ed, one for Justine, and one for Eddie. She was in Ed’s arms and was surrounded by her parents and sister. Justine and Eddie were able to spend time with Jessica yesterday, and then were surrounded by other family and friends at the hospital.
Funeral services will be held at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, September 22, 2007 in First Presbyterian Church of Allentown, 3231 Tilghman Street, Allentown, with the Rev. Canon Michael F. Piovane, Ed.D. and the Rev. Judith U. Snyder officiating. Family and friends may call between 6:00 and 9:00 p.m. Friday in the Heintzelman Funeral Home, Inc., 4906 Route 309, Schnecksville. Private interment will take place on Monday at Resurrection Cemetery in Wescosville. Online expressions of sympathy may be recorded at www.heintzelmanfh.com.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St Luke’s Cancer Center (c/o Jessica’s Race Against the Sun) and/or St. Anne’s Episcopal Church both in care of the funeral home, P.O. Box # 196, Schnecksville, PA 18078-0196. Contributions to St. Luke’s Cancer Center also can be made at
www.RaceAgainstTheSun.org.
Tonight Jessica was remembered on WFMZ’s evening news, and tomorrow her obituary will appear in the Morning Call newspaper. A feature article about Jessica and the Race Against the Sun is planned for next week in the same newspaper.
Ed and the rest of Jessica’s family appreciate all of your support throughout Jessica’s fight. He plans tosend a note to all of you when he can.
Best, Teri Coleman, Ed's sister
Our latest news is difficult to share….
Jessica found peace at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia last night, and as Ed says, she shared three smiles in her last minute of life, one for Ed, one for Justine, and one for Eddie. She was in Ed’s arms and was surrounded by her parents and sister. Justine and Eddie were able to spend time with Jessica yesterday, and then were surrounded by other family and friends at the hospital.
Funeral services will be held at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, September 22, 2007 in First Presbyterian Church of Allentown, 3231 Tilghman Street, Allentown, with the Rev. Canon Michael F. Piovane, Ed.D. and the Rev. Judith U. Snyder officiating. Family and friends may call between 6:00 and 9:00 p.m. Friday in the Heintzelman Funeral Home, Inc., 4906 Route 309, Schnecksville. Private interment will take place on Monday at Resurrection Cemetery in Wescosville. Online expressions of sympathy may be recorded at www.heintzelmanfh.com.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St Luke’s Cancer Center (c/o Jessica’s Race Against the Sun) and/or St. Anne’s Episcopal Church both in care of the funeral home, P.O. Box # 196, Schnecksville, PA 18078-0196. Contributions to St. Luke’s Cancer Center also can be made at
www.RaceAgainstTheSun.org.
Tonight Jessica was remembered on WFMZ’s evening news, and tomorrow her obituary will appear in the Morning Call newspaper. A feature article about Jessica and the Race Against the Sun is planned for next week in the same newspaper.
Ed and the rest of Jessica’s family appreciate all of your support throughout Jessica’s fight. He plans tosend a note to all of you when he can.
Best, Teri Coleman, Ed's sister
Update
September 15, 2007
Hope this note
finds you well. It's been more than a week since Ed has sent an
update, and I just wanted to share with you what's happening right
now.
Ed will send a more detailed update when he can.
Jessica learned earlier this week that she has a new growth on her lung and new growths in her liver as well as general progression of the disease. Dr. Haas believes that Jessica's course of treatment this summer is helping only marginally at this point, and that she is in a more critical state than she was in early July.
Dr. Haas suggested that Jess can try to increase the Nexavar, which may prevent the melanoma from progressing further. She had fluid build-up in her abdomen and in her lung/chest, which was drained yesterday. She is not in pain and has been able to sleep, but she is experiencing discomfort in her left leg and fluid build-up in both legs. She is very tired and dehydrated. Again, Ed will be able to send more detail when he is able.
Jessica is staying at Fox Chase this weekend, receiving care. Ed is staying with her. Their spirit is unwavering, and both Jessica and Ed are focused on what is best for her. As Ed has said, they know all of the facts and are prepared, so now they can focus on what needs to be done.
I know that both Ed and Jess enjoy reading notes from friends and Ed is able to receive email at the hospital, but please keep in mind that he may be unable to reply.
If you want to find out more before Ed can send out a note, at this time it would be best to contact Jessica's mom or Ed's mom.
Best,
Teri Coleman, Ed's sister
Ed will send a more detailed update when he can.
Jessica learned earlier this week that she has a new growth on her lung and new growths in her liver as well as general progression of the disease. Dr. Haas believes that Jessica's course of treatment this summer is helping only marginally at this point, and that she is in a more critical state than she was in early July.
Dr. Haas suggested that Jess can try to increase the Nexavar, which may prevent the melanoma from progressing further. She had fluid build-up in her abdomen and in her lung/chest, which was drained yesterday. She is not in pain and has been able to sleep, but she is experiencing discomfort in her left leg and fluid build-up in both legs. She is very tired and dehydrated. Again, Ed will be able to send more detail when he is able.
Jessica is staying at Fox Chase this weekend, receiving care. Ed is staying with her. Their spirit is unwavering, and both Jessica and Ed are focused on what is best for her. As Ed has said, they know all of the facts and are prepared, so now they can focus on what needs to be done.
I know that both Ed and Jess enjoy reading notes from friends and Ed is able to receive email at the hospital, but please keep in mind that he may be unable to reply.
If you want to find out more before Ed can send out a note, at this time it would be best to contact Jessica's mom or Ed's mom.
Best,
Teri Coleman, Ed's sister
Hello All
August 28, 2007
Hello All,
Jessica received her third Taxol chemotherapy infusion at Fox Chase
today. Her blood work was okay with the exception of a low red
blood cell count. She received a shot of Aranesp to help stimulate
the red blood cell count after the chemo.
During the last three week cycle, she again had ups and downs.
Fortunately, she had more good days than bad days and the overall
trend continues to be upward since the beginning of July. The last
week of the cycle seems to be the toughest for her. During the past
week, she lacked energy and vomited four times including this
morning at the start of our drive to Fox Chase. To combat the
nausea during the third week of the next cycle, she will take
Zofran (an anti-nausea drug) in the morning to supplement the
Compazine (another anti-nausea drug) that she takes every evening.
She has experienced some lower back pain but it only occurred each
time her 72 hour Fentanyl pain patch started to run out and this
pain has been manageable with Motrin.
For the next three week cycle, she
will continue to take 400 mg of Nexavar once per day. Jess will not
be taking any of the Decadron (the steroid) unless the rash
appears. After she stopped taking the Decadron during the last
cycle, she did have a rash appear on the midsection of her back. We
contacted Fox Chase and she immediately restarted the Decadron at
2mg and the rash disappeared. After a few days, she was able to
reduce to 1mg. After a few more days, she stopped the Decadron
again and the rash did not reappear.
Jessica continues to have mixed results with those nodules which
can be felt under the surface of her skin - the nodule on her bicep
has decreased significantly; one on her inner left thigh has grown;
and m
ost
of the remaining skin nodules have remained stable in size with
some slightly smaller. Importantly, we have not located any new
lumps over the last three weeks. We are most concerned with the
nodules on the superior vena cava, the liver, and the lung which we
cannot measure without a CT scan. The next CT scan will probably
occur in early October. We originally thought that it would be done
in early September but it was decided that September CT scan
results would not cause us to change treatments even if there had
been some progression of the disease. The doctors feel that we have
clearly slowed down the accelerated progression that occurred
earlier this summer and that we can monitor the surface nodules to
watch out for more rapid progression. The doctors are pleased with
Jessica’s improved status over the last six weeks.
Jessica is faced with a decision
over the next few weeks. Dr. Haas has received a well-deserved
opportunity with the University of Pennsylvania and will start
there in October. Even though her focus will be shifting away from
melanoma, she has assured us that she will continue to treat
Jessica if she chooses to follow her to Penn. It is a tough
decision. We are comfortable with Fox Chase but Dr. Haas has been
so good to Jessica. Let’s move on to
the highlights for the last three weeks: • We did get to the beach
last week. The weather was not kind to us but there were a least a
few days on the beach, the beach house was great, and the kids had
a great time. Jessica and I went out to dinner one night. We were
surprised when we determined that we had not been to dinner alone
for eight months. • Jessica was asked to give a testimonial speech
at the grand opening of the St. Luke’s Cancer Center in Allentown
at the Integrated Health Campus on Cetronia Road. There were about
125 people in attendance and the speakers included Charlie Dent,
our U.S. congressman.
The ribbon cutting was the lead story on Channel 69 News that night. Dr. Riley became choked up when he spoke about Jessica and said that it was the greatest moment of the year for him to be able to introduce her. Jessica was touched and did a spectacular job with her speech. A number of people said that she made the event. • The support for the Race Against the Sun has exceeded all expectations. Jessica is so moved by the support of everyone involved and is grateful for the incredible work of our neighbors especially Rhonda. If you have not had a chance lately, please check out the website (www.RaceAgainstTheSun.org). My sister, Teri, has done an outstanding job of keeping the content organized and up-to-date. Jessica is looking forward to a very successful event. As I said last time, we are clearly not “out of the woods” yet and have a long way to go. At the same time, we are thankful for the progress that we have made so far. Jessica continues to have a positive attitude in fighting this courageous battle. We send our best to you and your family and thank you for the power of your thoughts and prayers. Take care, Ed
The ribbon cutting was the lead story on Channel 69 News that night. Dr. Riley became choked up when he spoke about Jessica and said that it was the greatest moment of the year for him to be able to introduce her. Jessica was touched and did a spectacular job with her speech. A number of people said that she made the event. • The support for the Race Against the Sun has exceeded all expectations. Jessica is so moved by the support of everyone involved and is grateful for the incredible work of our neighbors especially Rhonda. If you have not had a chance lately, please check out the website (www.RaceAgainstTheSun.org). My sister, Teri, has done an outstanding job of keeping the content organized and up-to-date. Jessica is looking forward to a very successful event. As I said last time, we are clearly not “out of the woods” yet and have a long way to go. At the same time, we are thankful for the progress that we have made so far. Jessica continues to have a positive attitude in fighting this courageous battle. We send our best to you and your family and thank you for the power of your thoughts and prayers. Take care, Ed
Greetings
August 08, 2007
Greetings,
Jessica has had ups and downs since my last e-mail. She usually has about two good days for every bad day so we can’t complain.
She had her second Taxol chemo treatment yesterday at Fox Chase. The day went fairly smoothly and she feels great this morning. So good that she has become Super Jess. Before 10 a.m. this morning, she has downloaded pictures from our camera, gotten the garbage together, folded towels, and focused on straightening up the house. She has talked about going to the pool today and visiting a bookstore. (Don’t worry. I’m trying to keep Super Jess in control.) One of the impacts of the chemo is that Jessica needs to deal with the associated hair loss. She will probably shave her head today or tomorrow since the hair loss has increased over the last couple of days.
The treatment plan depends on her tolerance for the Nexavar. Tonight, she will start the Nexavar at 400 mg and this will be taken once per day. This doubles the dose that she took through last week. She is currently taking 2 mg of Decadron (the steroid) twice per day. Provided that she does not get a general rash by Friday, the Decadron will be lowered to 2 mg once per day starting on Saturday. If she still has no rash or a controllable rash, she will stop taking the Decadron on Monday. If the Nexavar works for her, she will continue to take the 400 mg.
Jessica has had some tough times during the last week. Her back pain returned toward the end of last week. It was not as extreme as before and was confined to her lower back. Twice it was bad enough that she had to take Percocet. These were her first Percocet in over two weeks. I am happy to report that her back pain disappeared after the chemo yesterday.
Recently, nights have been the most challenging. She had trouble sleeping Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night. Saturday night was really bad and we got minimal sleep. Sleepless nights normally result from the back pain and general restlessness, but she has also had bad heartburn a couple of nights and some minor constipation issues. Thankfully, she slept fairly well last night after the chemo.
Her next CT scan will be in the beginning of September. So for the time being, our crude assessment of the cancerous nodules is the only information available. (It should be noted that one of us is a little obsessive about measuring the lumps and bumps.) The report on the nodules is a mixed bag. The spots on her upper left leg have clearly grown. Certain spots, such as those on her scalp, clavicle, and right bicep, have gotten smaller. Unfortunately, there are also new pea-sized spots including one on her neck and three on her back. We just hope that the Taxol and Nexavar are first focusing on the major spots – the one pressing on the superior vena cava, the liver nodule, and the small lung spot.
Yesterday, we spoke to a fellow patient who had tried numerous treatments after he was unable to tolerate the AG drug last summer. His situation sounded somewhat similar to Jessica albeit that Jessica’s cancer is more widespread. He received a bad CT scan and was given approximately two months to turn things around. That was in February when he started the combination of Taxol and Nexavar. His next two CT scans showed noticeable reduction and he continues on this treatment six months later. Our conversation helped to raise our hope and did wonders for Jessica’s psyche.
I cannot stress enough that we are clearly not “out of the woods” and she still has a long way to go. To our knowledge, the prognosis has not changed. The statistics would say that it is not likely to get beyond two to three months. However, Jessica is very determined and currently has a great mental state. We are very appreciative of the good days that she has experienced and we are striving for the miracle cure. She did so well at the beach last time that we are going to book another week very soon. No one will complain if the treatment involves Taxol, Nexavar, and Ocean City, New Jersey.
Jessica would love to visit and talk with each of you. She has done a good job of pacing herself to build her strength. Thank you again for your patience. Jessica feels lifted up by your prayers, thoughts, and support. She enjoys all of your cards and e-mails and we are all happy to see her smile more often.
All of our best,
Ed
Jessica has had ups and downs since my last e-mail. She usually has about two good days for every bad day so we can’t complain.
She had her second Taxol chemo treatment yesterday at Fox Chase. The day went fairly smoothly and she feels great this morning. So good that she has become Super Jess. Before 10 a.m. this morning, she has downloaded pictures from our camera, gotten the garbage together, folded towels, and focused on straightening up the house. She has talked about going to the pool today and visiting a bookstore. (Don’t worry. I’m trying to keep Super Jess in control.) One of the impacts of the chemo is that Jessica needs to deal with the associated hair loss. She will probably shave her head today or tomorrow since the hair loss has increased over the last couple of days.
The treatment plan depends on her tolerance for the Nexavar. Tonight, she will start the Nexavar at 400 mg and this will be taken once per day. This doubles the dose that she took through last week. She is currently taking 2 mg of Decadron (the steroid) twice per day. Provided that she does not get a general rash by Friday, the Decadron will be lowered to 2 mg once per day starting on Saturday. If she still has no rash or a controllable rash, she will stop taking the Decadron on Monday. If the Nexavar works for her, she will continue to take the 400 mg.
Jessica has had some tough times during the last week. Her back pain returned toward the end of last week. It was not as extreme as before and was confined to her lower back. Twice it was bad enough that she had to take Percocet. These were her first Percocet in over two weeks. I am happy to report that her back pain disappeared after the chemo yesterday.
Recently, nights have been the most challenging. She had trouble sleeping Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night. Saturday night was really bad and we got minimal sleep. Sleepless nights normally result from the back pain and general restlessness, but she has also had bad heartburn a couple of nights and some minor constipation issues. Thankfully, she slept fairly well last night after the chemo.
Her next CT scan will be in the beginning of September. So for the time being, our crude assessment of the cancerous nodules is the only information available. (It should be noted that one of us is a little obsessive about measuring the lumps and bumps.) The report on the nodules is a mixed bag. The spots on her upper left leg have clearly grown. Certain spots, such as those on her scalp, clavicle, and right bicep, have gotten smaller. Unfortunately, there are also new pea-sized spots including one on her neck and three on her back. We just hope that the Taxol and Nexavar are first focusing on the major spots – the one pressing on the superior vena cava, the liver nodule, and the small lung spot.
Yesterday, we spoke to a fellow patient who had tried numerous treatments after he was unable to tolerate the AG drug last summer. His situation sounded somewhat similar to Jessica albeit that Jessica’s cancer is more widespread. He received a bad CT scan and was given approximately two months to turn things around. That was in February when he started the combination of Taxol and Nexavar. His next two CT scans showed noticeable reduction and he continues on this treatment six months later. Our conversation helped to raise our hope and did wonders for Jessica’s psyche.
I cannot stress enough that we are clearly not “out of the woods” and she still has a long way to go. To our knowledge, the prognosis has not changed. The statistics would say that it is not likely to get beyond two to three months. However, Jessica is very determined and currently has a great mental state. We are very appreciative of the good days that she has experienced and we are striving for the miracle cure. She did so well at the beach last time that we are going to book another week very soon. No one will complain if the treatment involves Taxol, Nexavar, and Ocean City, New Jersey.
Jessica would love to visit and talk with each of you. She has done a good job of pacing herself to build her strength. Thank you again for your patience. Jessica feels lifted up by your prayers, thoughts, and support. She enjoys all of your cards and e-mails and we are all happy to see her smile more often.
All of our best,
Ed