Looking for a Miracle

As many of you know, the cancer is back. The outlook is pretty bleak, but we are hoping for a miracle. We are researching clinical trials, and Byron is far from quitting.

Back to the blog

Wow! No posts since February. I guess I am the definition of "slacker." Nonetheless, I am back! Let's see if I can stick to it for a while!

Byron is doing better every day. The surgery and the rounds of chemo took their toll, for sure, but every day, Byron gets a little bit better. Jean, our lymphedema therapist, has been a godsend. I am happy to report that under the layers of foam, cotton, and bandages, his left leg is almost down to the size of his right!

Byron loves working at Java Lounge. There are three couples in the LLC, trying to keep our beloved Java Lounge alive. We figure if we don't have to pay employees, that will help. Byron loves his shifts - he gets off the couch and out into the world. He has people to chat with and problems to solve. Right now, it's Sunday afternoon. On Sundays, we open and close JL. Right now, it takes both of us, but as his strength returns, Byron will be able to handle the whole shift by himself.

School started for our year-round schools last week. I have the luxury of having only one of my four sites on year-round schedule, so for a couple of weeks anyway, I can focus on just one site and get to know the new group of parents and children. Twilight classes start this week, so I will have two more classes to meet on Tuesday. After last year, I am thrilled to be starting in my coach position as the school year starts. The teachers are pretty glad I'm here right now too. The first days of preschool can be a bit hectic, and of course we have a few cryers right now. New beginnings can be pretty scary, especially when you are four years old!

Art has been put on hold for a while, but I am excited about an upcoming opportunity to paint live for a breast cancer charity called Keep A Breast. I'll be painting a chest cast at the leep Train Amphitheater Aug 21 at the Van's Warped Tour.

Time to see what I can wash ahead of time. I'm hoping to get efficient with closing the coffee shop, but it still takes me an inordinately long time. There is always much to learn!

Getting Better All the Time

Sorry about the long wait for an update. We've been very busy as Byron recovers from surgery. This was a big one and took a lot out of him, but his spirits are high and he gets stronger every day. He's getting around on crutches very well - he even took a little walk down the sidewalk in front of our house today.

The surgeon saw Byron today and was pleased with his progress. There is some question as to what our next steps are. With less than 50% of the tumor being "necrotic," we can't be sure whether or not the cancer responded to the type of chemo drugs already used on Byron. Obviously, we don't want to put Byron through any unnecessary toxicity. On the other hand, we want to do whatever it takes to safeguard him from further recurrence of the cancer. The oncologist and surgeon are doing a bit more research and we will make decisions in the next few weeks.

Meanwhile, Byron continues to heal and grow stronger. He definitely wants to get back into the scene as quickly as possible. So many people have been so supportive throughout this journey, and he is anxious to get back and give back to his community. We have received many gifts and much love. There are so many people to thank for so many things. I must say a special thanks to Byron's loving parents and his wonderful grandmother, Gigi, for the amazing gift of a brand-new refrigerator. Wow! And a BIG hug and congrats to Barb - we are so happy for you! Love to all!

He's Coming Home!

These things are never set ins tone, of course, but they told Byron he could come home tomorrow. That makes a very nice birthday present! He's such a strong guy, and he is doing very well, considering what he's going through. Knowing that he wants this page to be more about his art than his health, I offer the following pictures from last Monday night - his last night out before the surgery (musicians, please forgive any mistakes or omissions, and feel free to correct me!):
The first set: Ross Hammond, Alex Jenkins, Randy
And for the second set, we have Loren Pritchard, Tawnya Mendoza, and Tyler Lammerding
The third set, featuring guest from LA, Ross hammond, Alex Jenkins, Tawnya Mendoza, Randy, Byron Blackburn, and Shawn Hale

He's doing well!

Byron's surgery went well but it was very long - 8.5 hrs. Uggh. They
got all 3 tumors out but one broke open and spilled, which could be
bad. All the more reason for chemo to follow. Hopefully it was all dead tissue - they will do pathology and we
will soon know if the chemo was working. They had to remove a vein
completely and part of an artery, so he will have leg swelling for a
month or so until things repair and reroute. All of his organs are
intact and that is very good news. So all in all, it was a very
successful surgery. They let me see him around 10 PM last night and
he was very out of it - hopefully he'll mostly sleep for the next
couple of days. I'm off to the hospital now - yea!
Thanks for all of your love and support. We had a great weekend and I will be putting up some pictures from his shows this weekend soon.

Plan of Attack

We saw Byron's surgeon, Dr. Canter, today, and we are feeling optimistic. He showed us CT scans from December and compared them to CT scans done in October. You could see that the mass is larger, but you could also see less bright spots on the December scan. Apparently the brighter spots indicate more active tumor growth, so this is a good thing. Dr. Canter said this supports Dr. Christiansen's idea that parts of the tumor are probably responding to the chemo and dying. That makes surgery a better option. The cancer is less likely to just come back somewhere else after surgery if live cells are not left in Byron's body. Also, if they do find that the tumor is largely necrotic, that tells us chemo was working and makes post-surgery chemo more hopeful.
Byron is scheduled to go to surgery at the end of this month. It will be a long surgery and not an easy one, but the doctor seems confident. We expect Byron to be in the hospital for a week or so. Once he's home recovery will take 6 - 8 weeks, and then Byron will probably have to undergo a couple more chemo cycles after that. We are nowhere near the end of this journey, but we are feeling optimistic and hopeful.
Thanks for all the love and concern you have all shown us. We treasure our family and friends and know we are very blessed to have you all on our team.
We had a great weekend and saw lots of great people out and about this Second Saturday. We loved the art at Body Tribe - nice to see the Roto-Zip working for Mark Fox! We also loved Nicole Fox's new venture into painting large scale. Thanks to Deb, Omar, Liz, and Dugan, who made the trek into midtown. Byron loved the opportunity to play with Victor and Tom at the Weatherstone, and it sounded great. Sunday's Java Lounge jam was fabulous as well.


Victor, Tom, and Byron at the Weatherstone Saturday night

Re-evaluating the Plan

So we saw the oncologist today and unfortunately, the mass appears to be bigger despite the 2 rounds of chemo. This could be a sign that the tumor is dying, and that would be good, so they will do a PET scan Friday to get more info about that. We will also chat with the surgeon Monday. After that, it's back to the oncologist on the 20th to finalize the plan. Until then, no chemo for Byron. At least he doesn't have to go right back to the hospital.
This weekend is Second Saturday, and Byron will be playing with Victor at the Weatherstone. Victor is a great guitarist and Byron loves playing with him. I have a few pieces hanging at Vox's new West Sac location, as do Deb & Omar, who I expect will be joining us this weekend. I hear Sideshow has a great ceramics and textiles show, and lots of friends will be showing at the Body Tribe in the bird show. Maybe we'll see you out!