Week #192: Ready To Make Medical History = T-Minus 1 Week to ‘The Big Shot’

June 21, 2021

Well, it’s here! Our clinical trial kick-off is upon us. After nearly 8 months of testing and development, my customized T-Cells from PACT Pharma are ready. In fact, I’m told they are en route right now to UCSF Cancer Center. I will receive them in exactly one week from today by way of a 30-minute infusion which we are referring to as ‘The Big Shot’. And tomorrow morning, I start a 4-day series of prep chemo treatments to ready my system for all the new cancer-fighting cells.

I won’t kid you. This has been a very long, extremely challenging, complicated, and stressful journey to this point. I’ve learned that clinical trial patients like me are really just candidates until you make it through all the evaluation check-points. We continually face PASS-FAIL steps and evaluations on our way toward experimental treatment. Many steps are clearly marked and involve the patient directly while hundreds more happen behind the scenes in labs and medical rooms. At any point, you may fail out of clinical trial consideration based on all these screening processes, changes in trial criteria, or any number of other things that are out of your control. And, there is always the worst case scenario in which you are simply not physically able to continue. Nothing is really guaranteed until the very final clearance steps when you actually get the treatment.

Here’s a really high-level view of my recent path to the The Big Shot (…and note, this is just a small snapshot of the entire timeline):

Arriving successfully at this launch point, combined with the simply stunning nature of my trial treatment*, makes this an incredible moment, milestone, and achievement for all of us associated with Team Crafty, UCSF Cancer Center, PACT Pharma — and, potentially, 5 major segments of the cancer community. That’s no exaggeration. I am one of only two colorectal cancer patients in this ground-breaking trial from UCSF and there is currently just a handful of participants nationwide. Further, should this clinical trial prove effective, it will be a major breakthrough for treatment of colorectal, colon, liver, lung, and head & neck cancers. (*See my recent “Arnold Schwarzenegger Terminator T-Cells” blog post for more details about this amazing trial solution.)

There certainly are risks associated with this trial treatment, but the potential benefits to me and the rest of the cancer community, along with safety measures employed by UCSF and PACT Pharma, make the risks well worth taking. So now, it is all systems GO and we plan to make medical history. I could not be any more thankful or grateful for this opportunity.

Mady, Nat, and I are forever grateful for all your support from near and far.
“Team Crafty” has really come through and carried us wherever we’ve needed it.
We ask you now for a very special blast of all your good mojo, positive vibes, white lights, healing prayers, and ORANGE Power, to help us get over this last hill. Please keep sending it all our way. When we get over this last hurdle, we will keep working to help others on this same difficult trail.

Get educated. Get screened.
Support cancer research.
Keep rollin’,
MC

P.S.
For your health:
Consider me your trusty trail guide on Ass Cancer Mountain. Know that it is not some politician who wants to take away your red meat and cheeseburgers. It’s me, your doctor, and millions of other colorectal and colon cancer survivors all around the world. We all know that a healthy balanced diet, regular exercise, and regular cancer screenings are your best defenses from joining our ranks. Please listen to us! This article details recent medical proof of the connection between red meat consumption and colorectal cancer. Give it a look — and, better yet, cut back significantly on your red meat intake and look to healthier alternatives like fish and poultry. Take it from me — you don’t want to spend any time on cancer mountain and you can take some very simple steps today to keep yourself and your family off it. Start taking them and don’t delay!
Be healthy, stay safe, and keep rollin’,
Crafty

P.P.S.
We’ll be using this blog to post short updates on Mark’s progress in the coming weeks.
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