In early February 2018, there was some notable growth of my cancer, so I decided to withdraw from the TAS120 trial. Pat and I traveled to The Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation's Annual Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah via the California Zephyr Amtrak train and route from Effingham, Illinois. We reconnected with many cholangio friends and advocates, and then flew to Las Vegas to spend a few days with Pat's son, Tom. Pat and I returned home for about six days, and then jetted off to the Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa for a week.
After that month of traveling, it was time to get back to needles and doctors' visits. Pat and I returned to Houston. I started the FF10502 trial, a Fujifilm trial, in March. By June, that trial wasn't working either, and I was feeling worse, so I withdrew from that trial.
During the last week of June, Pat and I drove from Houston to Gulf Shores, Alabama to spend a week on the beach with my girls and their families. We drove back to Houston after that and decided to return home to decide what my next steps might be.
I could tell my body was getting tired, mentally and physically. As most cancers do, especially when you live as long as I have, my cancer is becoming less responsive to treatment. Life is getting a little harder, but I am not in a lot of pain. I have been fortunate to not know what serious pain is.
What I look forward to in life is seeing my children, my grandchildren, spending time with my family. My daughter, Jennifer, is a gestational surrogate for some friends, and I am looking forward to the birth of that baby later this week.
At the time of my diagnosis, the doctors told me I had a 5% chance of living six months. Luckily, we decided to get a second opinion at M.D. Anderson. Now, seven years and five months later, I have been able to experience so much. All four of my daughters are married with two children. Life has been a beautiful journey. Though I'm only 53, I feel like I've lived as much as many 100-year-olds, and I've had the time of my life.
I am not accepting visitors, and I rarely return calls or messages. Please respect my family's and my privacy during this time. If you would like to send a card or letter, please send it to me at: Patty Corcoran, 4442 N. Suntone Road, Olney, Illinois 62450.
This journey has been so much easier because of my faith. Even when times have started to get a little dark, I can rest assured my life is in God's hands. I will continue to leave it in God's hands, because he's carried me this far on my journey.
In closing, I want people to realize that this is just a quick update, and that this isn't the end... yet.
