In June of 2019, Kyle was on a chemo break due to some kidney issues but had been feeling great! His hair had started growing back, he was able to eat, go fishing with Cohen, and he even went back to work for about a month. Everything was looking up and we were so confident he was going to beat cancer.
But cancer doesn’t take a break. And cancer doesn’t care that you are busy planning your life.
During Kyle’s chemo break, the cancer started growing again. What many people don’t realize is that there are rules around participating in a trial therapy and, in Kyle’s case, that included removing him from the trial if the cancer reversed course and started growing again. By the end of July, Kyle was in the ER with a possible obstruction. After eight days in the hospital we learned it was tumor growth and he would no longer be able to eat solid food. We were sent home with liquid nutrition that I would administer every night in hopes it would help keep his strength up and he could resume treatment. We were able to get one more round of chemo in before he ended up back in the hospital. The tumors were causing more and more issues in his intestines, and he was getting weaker and weaker.
After being discharged the second time, we met with Kyle’s oncologist who felt we should stop treatment and start talking about how to keep Kyle as comfortable as possible. It was the only other moment throughout our journey that I was completely knocked off my feet. I was all-in and prepared to keep fighting. I was willing to try anything. I was desperate to try anything. He was my person, how could I just let him go?
