Radical Remission for Randy

09/10/2026

Thank you all for the continued prayers.
Pet scan results showed a mixed blessing. Randy’s spine spot/lymph node spots are smaller: but, his liver spots showed growth.

Switching up the protocol to a targeted radiation for his liver and spine. A chemo 2x daily pill as opposed to infusions.

No more take home pump!! Happy dance for Randy as this was his nemesis. No more at home port removal for me.

Randy will be getting a break from treatment for a couple weeks. His blood pressure and heart will benefit as the former meds caused some havoc.

Randy continues to lead the charge with faith, love, courage, resilience, strength, class….i could go on and on here…our life and relationship continues to change on the daily. Thankful to fall more in love with him every day.

Thank you a million times over for your love, prayers and support. We are stronger because of You all! ✨🙏❤️

09/07/2026

Cancer can make you feel guilty about things you never imagined. It makes you feel guilty for being tired. It makes you feel guilty for not being able to help. It makes you feel guilty for not making plans because you don’t even know what the future holds. It can make you feel guilty for needing help. It makes you feel guilty about not being able to do things that were part of your daily routine.

It brings blessings. You focus on the important things and what really matters in your life. Everything becomes a priority list. Save your energy for what floats to the top. What once carried such importance suddenly doesn't anymore. You wonder why they ever did. That’s because your thoughts become more in tune with what will make you better and that’s the focus. If you don’t get better, nothing really matters so the desire to get better is at the top.

Cancer patients fight battles that many don’t see. It’s not just about physical health; it’s about struggling with mental fatigue. Tired of appointments and treatments, tired of stress for test results, tired from weird aches/pains, tired of your body not being able to do what it used to, tired of feeling guilty for needing to rest, tired of canceling plans. You get it. It can be all consuming.

Cancer patients also have a strength that many don’t see. All those negative things I mentioned above? We deal with them. We have loved ones who understand and help. We know that forging ahead is the only option. The alternative isn’t worth giving any energy. I dearly love my family, friends and all those that pray for us every day. That strength is what gets us through each day. Positivity and prayers matter. Know what you all are doing, we feel and know you are there. Please keep it up.

This is an important week. It’s PET scan week to get a clearer picture of how treatment is working and what’s next.
It’s also a week of worry.

We’ll keep you posted.

07/21/2026

Some random thoughts, with good news at the end…

When you are dealing with Stage IV cancer, having had about 30 rounds of chemo, the thought of mortality is always there. It may be at the back of your mind (in my case), not something to focus on or fret over – but it never really goes away. I’ve come to where I box it into two categories, clinical and spiritual. “Clinical” mortality is treatment based, how you work with the doctors on an ever-evolving therapy plan, study trends, and clinical based decision making. These processes are based on what a typical person in your situation responds to (or doesn’t) and next steps come from what scientifically is the best course of action. As example, I’m on my 3rd different chemo treatment plan. They typically work for a while then become less effective and you have to move on to another ‘cocktail’.

“Spiritual” though is much different and where I choose to live. This is the place where you lean into friends’ prayers, my own prayers and doing all I can to enjoy my life, my family and my otherwise good mental and physical health. It’s where we “do all the right things” – spiritually, mentally, physically – strict diet and exercise and just know there is a higher power ultimately in charge. I have a good friend who sent me a beautiful prayer before treatment one day. Cari and I listen to it before every treatment without fail. One snippet from that prayer goes “Give to his medical providers wisdom, skill, and insight, and by Your Spirit, transcend even what body and medicine at their best might do. Where it is needed, bring the healing of Your own touch to bear in his mortal frame”. And “for he is utterly dependent on you”. How true this is! We choose to believe that God has plans for me and this challenge is a way for me to spend time and visualize what those plans are. I have so much to share and believe God is guiding me.

And now the good news: throughout these posts, we’ve mentioned “CEA” which is a general tumor marker blood test. It’s not an exact science as it can be affected by more than tumor activity but in my case seems to be a good marker. CEA had gotten up to 30 on the last treatment with new growth areas discovered. Now after two treatments on the new plan, it’s down to 17! That is over a 40% decrease, which is awesome. That’s what we want to see!!

You guys have been incredible. We ask that you keep the prayers going up. We always enjoy hearing what's new in your world too, so don't hesitate to say hello if the mood strikes.

Randy and Cari

06/23/2026

From time to time, I'll be sharing some of this ladies posts. She articulates well what it's like to fight this stage IV cancer. 
Thank you to our support group!
-Randy

🛑 If you love someone with cancer, or have a friend going through it, read this. 👇🏼

Please stop assuming they’ll tell you when they need help.

Most of us won’t.

We’ll say we’re fine.

We’ll say we’ve got it handled.

We’ll say, “Don’t worry about me.”

And sometimes we’ll even mean it.

The thing is, cancer has a funny way of making people feel like a burden. You start watching how much support you’ve already received. How many meals people have brought. How many appointments you’ve talked about. How many times you’ve needed understanding, flexibility, or help.

So instead of asking for what we need, many of us get really good at carrying things ourselves.

We don’t want to inconvenience anyone.

We don’t want to feel needy.

We don’t want every conversation to revolve around cancer.

Meanwhile, the people who love us are sitting there waiting for us to speak up.

It’s a terrible system.

Because what often happens is the person with cancer stays quiet, the people who care assume everything must be okay, and everyone walks away feeling disconnected.

So if you’re wondering whether you should check in, offer help, send the text, or make the call…

Do it.

Not because they’re falling apart.

Not because they’re incapable.

Do it because being cared about feels good.

👉🏼 Send the text.

👉🏼 Make the call.

👉🏼 Ask how treatment went.

👉🏼 Offer to bring coffee.

👉🏼 Invite them anyway.

👉🏼 Let them know they’re on your mind.

The people who helped me the most weren’t mind readers. They were the people who kept showing up without waiting for an invitation.

❤️ And if you’re one of those people, thank you. You may never fully understand how much your consistency means to someone trying to navigate life with cancer, but I promise you this:

We remember.

Cancer friends, weigh in.

What’s something you needed during treatment that you never actually asked for?

06/10/2026

PET scan showed some good news; but, it also showed some progression. Randy’s pelvic bone shows no evidence of disease, the re**um has no signs of disease and the lymph nodes are stable.
However, a couple liver spots show growth, new growth in the lymph node next to his liver and a new spot on his sacrum.
We discussed different options with his oncologist and agreed upon Folfox chemo regimen with a take home pump of 5FU every two weeks. We are getting a consult with the oncology radiologist to possibly treat the sacrum spot with radiation. Radiation worked well with two previous back lesions.
The take home pump and shortening the time between treatments back to every two weeks has been a downer: which is an understatement.
Folfox has shown great promise in eliminating liver spots and we are expecting good results.
We are going to plan some travel around his chemo schedule so that is something to look forward to and lift our spirits!!

Below is a picture at one of our neighborhood Friday gatherings- it was a Hoedown and we enjoyed the live music, dancing and time with dear friends!

Thank you for your support, prayers, hugs and love. Keep us in your prayers that this new chemo stops the spread.

We are tired. But, we are determined!

Peace and Love,
Randy and Cari

05/13/2026

Hi everyone. No big news from this week’s chemo treatment. My CEA (tumor marker) continues to rise slowly which indicates activity, but not enough to alter the current chemo treatment plan. I have a full set of scans and genetic testing at the beginning of June which will give a more comprehensive status of where things stand. In the meantime, I continue treatment, stay positive, pray and do what I can to stay active. Cari and I went out of town a couple of times in the last few weeks which was great. We’re going to try and do that more often now that treatment is every 3 weeks instead of 2. It’s rejuvenating to “run away” from all this mess and we’ve not done enough of it over the last year.

I want to again thank you for your thoughts and prayers. I really can’t express what they mean to us and how important prayer really is. The strength I get from knowing I have a great support system is vital to my journey. I literally thank God every day for the support I know I have behind me. Please keep it up! I still do my beach walks, work in the wood shop and go out with my beautiful, supportive bride – who deeply cares and loves me.
If you want to reach out to me… do it anytime. I love to hear from you all.

Take care
Randy

04/12/2026

Hope you all had an amazing Easter. ✨
Randy’s latest scan showed no new spots but progression in one liver spot according to the radiologist. Oncologist is not convinced as comparing cat scan to pet scan can be questionable.
Randy will stay the course on Enhertu with more frequent scans to monitor stabilization or even better shrinkage of tumors.
Last night we went to the St Augustine Amphitheater to see Mt Joy in concert-felt so good to do something normal and we had a wonderful time!!

We appreciate your continued prayers.

Be well and enjoy the moments!
Randy and Cari

03/10/2026

It’s been almost a year since a surgeon told me “you have cancer”. A few weeks later after several tests and scans, the news came back that the disease had metastasized from my re**al area into my liver, lymph nodes and hip - stage IV. OK. Game on. I’ve got this… While I've intentionally not kept count, we are somewhere around 25 rounds of chemotherapy at this point. Since last April when treatment began, it's been every 2 weeks (tho now changed to 3 with the latest change in treatment). I’ve only had one treatment break during that time when my body just couldn’t take another round and needed rest. The latest treatment is still considered chemo and is technically a targeted antibody drug conjugate (ADC). While not as physically intense as what I had been going through(yay), it still knocks me down for 4 or 5 days.

It’s been a foggy year, but I can’t express enough how much I appreciate all the prayers. Prayers matter and create a connection that isn’t otherwise possible. God has blessed me with a loving, caring wife, awesome children, family and friends that I can’t imagine going through this without. Cari has been such a ray of light and love each day.

I love hearing from you all, please don’t hesitate to reach out anytime. I’ve had people say they don’t want to bother me - but trust me when I say your communication is never a bother. Connection to God and others really does matter. I’ve mentioned before how much of this journey is mental - positive attitude, social support, strong reasons for living, taking control of your own health and following your intuition. Drug treatments aren’t the answer, just part of the solution. Please know that we feel your support every day and ask that you don’t let up. The old adage “it takes a village” isn’t just for raising children.

All that said, I am feeling pretty good. I get to work in my wood shop when I can, still go to the beach daily and pace myself (hard for me). Cari and I make it a priority to get out when up to it, either by ourselves or with friends to maintain normalcy. When you all tell me “you look great” that really helps me know I’m doing the right things. I’m blessed beyond measure in so many ways and give thanks each day for the attitude, mental strength and determination that gets me through these challenges. Your prayers and support lift me up.

Take care
Randy

02/01/2026

Something to warm your heart on this cold night: the day we found out that Randy’s liver spots were growing we had to go back to get his port access removed and blood draw for genetic testing of the cancer as the treatment plan would be changing. I felt shell shocked through my numbness which has been status quo as of late. Randy walked up to the ladies at the front desk to confirm his appointment change while I hung back from the desk. Through my daze I heard this beautiful laughter which is so needed in the waiting room of the chemo floor. When I looked up, the ladies at the desk were both laughing. Randy’s joking around gave them a much welcomed comic relief break Ten minutes after we found out about the cancer growing, he is sharing laughter making people’s days brighter.
When called into the room for port removal we were in what we call the Elvis room. The nurse decorated her entire room with Elvis memorabilia. Randy asked her if she had seen the “Priscilla”movie. We were all joking about having an Elvis dance party behind the curtain. People tell me how my positive attitude and spirit are so good for Randy. Well what I witnessed that day was truly remarkable. Randy’s spirit inspires me daily. ✨

01/23/2026

Randy’s treatment plan is changing to Enhertu which is a targeted cancer drug. His last PET Scan showed recent tumor growth in his liver hence the need to pivot

The good news: With Enhertu we should see less side effects. 20 rounds of Folfiri chemo, one of the roughest , was causing arthritis, fatigue, nausea and over all malaise.

The infusion will be every three weeks now with a scan in nine weeks.

We continue walking the beach, staying positive, eating healthy meals and laughing whenever we can. Randy has had a steady flow of Dawgwood orders which has been amazing! Thank you to all who have placed orders.

Thank you for your support, love and prayers. Your love helps us especially through the tough days.

Peace and Love,
Randy and Cari