What I have been diagnosed with is a rare and aggressive type of cancer.
Selfie outside the Precision Cancer building at the UCSF Mission Bay campus
It has scared the crap out of me, and I am just starting to call it out by name in order to face it directly.
Cholangiocarcinoma. AKA Biliary Tract carcinoma. Or just bile duct cancer. Its specific location earns another label, a Klatskin tumor.
It’s a nasty cancer. The general prognosis is dismal.
But it looks like I could be among the few who are candidates for “curative” surgery, the only way to beat this thing. Tests done this past week at the University of California San Francisco Precision Cancer Building in San Francisco’s Mission Bay appear to have found no evidence the cancer has spread beyond the original location. That would seem to make a surgical approach in my case more viable.
i’m awaiting the “official” assessment of the surgical oncology option, which I expect to get soon.
Ths is, of course, only a very short version of what has been happening over the past seven weeks as the process of diagnosing and devising a treatment plan has been underway, initially in Hawaii and then in San Francisco.
The selfie was taken early Monday morning, April 13, as I waited for the building at UCSF to open so that I could check in for another CT Scan. I was probably looking more beaten up by the end of the week.
Please keep those positive vibes coming!
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Ian, I have followed you for 26 years of living in Kona. I seldom agree with your politics but love your devotion to family and Hawaii. I too was diagnosed with a very rare and deadly cancer. Merkel cell. 90% die from this diagnosis. Due to excellent care at queens and great follow thru I am cancer free. I had great support from my church family and continued prayers for healing and recovery. Embrace your faith and anticipate your purpose on the other side of this health crisis. People survive cancer for a reason and purpose. I pray you find yours.
Thoughts and Good Vibes! Lots of work to do still Ian, we are all hoping for a speedy recovery.
Sending aloha!
Wow. We’re thinking about you.
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you in person, but your posts are always in my morning routine. Sending you warmest aloha, good vibes, and success with treatment. Be well.