It is hard to believe that another week has gone by so quickly. Our grandson stayed with us all week while his mom and dad were at a meeting in Barcelona. It was marvelous but exhausting. I had forgotten that sound sleep is a privilege not afforded to the parents of young children. Still, I would not change a thing – and I can’t wait until the kids have another trip and ask us to watch Isaac. Things were particularly interesting on Thursday evening, when we had someone come over to the house for a closing on a refinancing of our house. Despite our best efforts, Isaac fully participated in the event; fortunately the notary was quite accomodating. But, I would not be exaggerating to state that we were grateful when she left and he was finally able to go to sleep!
The week was quite busy, as usual. For me, the highlight was a chance to speak at a Hope Connections for Cancer Support event in Bethesda about new treatments for cancer. I genuinely enjoy sharing my excitement about the future of our field with patients and their loved ones. The turnout was excellent as were the questions. It made for a long day on Monday, since it did not end until 8:30, but it certainly was worth it.
Speaking of patients, my patient I have mentioned in previous blogs will be evaluated by one of our surgeons to see if this would be a good time to take out his primary lesion in the colon. If this is successful, we will be able to add the anti-angiogenesis agent, bevacizumab, to his treatment regimen.
If you have not yet heard, we will be holding a Scientific Retreat on May 21 for faculty and researchers, and I look forward to drilling down on what we believe will some of our best stories when we put in our CCSG renewal in one year.
Another highlight in May is the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, which will be held next weekend, May 5-6. Once again, Jeanne Mandelblatt has done a masterful job of organizing and motivating a large and effective group of walkers. They have great shirts and hats this year, too. Harriet participated in Saturday’s final training walk in Reston, and I plan to cheer on her and the whole team throughout the weekend. I hope you can join in as well. If you are interested in particpating as a cheerleader at any point in the weekend, send an email to lombardicomm@georgetown.edu. There is still time to make a financial donation as well — our team is currently in third place in the whole DC region and a surge in fundraising right now could push us up to second and help the team meet its $100,000 goal! To donate, click here.
Have a wonderful week.