12225 Round #5 Begins... The final Four!!

December 02, 2025

Today marked a milestone we've both been dreading for weeks now, the final four rounds of chemo began! Willie has surely been thinking he needs to find a way out of it. It's a trip to think why? Why? Why does he have to if the first 4 rounds shrunk the tumor away and the surgery got rid of anything that would even possibly be able to grow back again and all the margins were clear. Why does he have to do 4 MORE ROUNDS OF CHEMO for Heaven's Sake? WHY?

Maybe you've been asking yourself the same question. I'm not sure he or I are satisfied that we have the answer to it. Also, he has already decided that he's only doing 3 of them. LOL So, here's a plethora of reasons he has to do it (4 good ones to choose from because 4 more rounds):

1) It's the required amount for this type of cancer and stage. They base outcomes on 4 rounds prior to surgery and 4 more starting 6 weeks after surgery.

2) More aggressive or advanced cancers may require more cycles. He was stage 2, however esophogeal cancer is very fast spreading and also very agressive.

3) 8 rounds of chemotherapy is not considered a large amount; it falls within the typical range of 4 to 8 cycles for a course of treatment. The total number of cycles depends on factors like the type and stage of cancer, the patient's response to treatment, and the specific chemotherapy drugs being used. Some treatments, especially for advanced cancers, may last longer than a standard 3- to 6-month course.

4) Four or more rounds of chemotherapy after surgery for esophageal cancer is done to kill any remaining cancer cells that could lead to a recurrence. This is called adjuvant chemotherapy, and it helps to eliminate cancer cells that may have spread but are too small to be detected on scans, maximizing the chance of a long-term cure.

And with respect to #4 above, a long-term cure is what we are after here!! Not to be a Debbie Downer but Esophageal cancer is rarely curable, especially when advanced, but it can be treated and, in some early-stage cases, cured. The possibility of a cure depends heavily on the cancer's stage at diagnosis, with early-stage cancers being more likely to be successfully treated and cured through surgery, sometimes combined with other treatments like chemotherapy or radiation. For more advanced or metastatic cancer, treatments focus on managing symptoms and improving quality of life, though prolonged remission is possible in some cases.

Thank our lucky stars that Willie discovered "it" in the early stages (2) and is basically a "model" patient who has done really well all things considered. I'm super sad that more than likely he will lose all his newly grown 1/2 inch long, super soft, beautiful hair again. But, the alternative of not doing it is worse. This is how it has to be. Not looking forward to all the side effects again such as more neuropathy, the shocking feeling of ice/cold to the touch (and in the throat), fingernails and toe nails coming off (dying), loss of appetite and food tasting like "cardboard" or "poop" as he says and we already have issues with eating after the surgery (only very small meals and soft food, no meat etc - thank goodness for the j-tube aka feeding tube), and so many other things that he's had to endure.

For now, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I hope that he can too. Thanks for so much love and support throughout this journey. We appreciate each and every one of you for being there for us both.

Here we go!!!