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If you had told us a year ago that we’d be deep in the world of clinical trials, radiation procedures, and medical jargon that sounds like a foreign language, we wouldn’t have believed you. But here we are. And today, we’re talking about Ross’ Choroidal Melanoma Mass along the Superotemporal Margin—because if we have to live it, we might as well break it down in plain English.

What the Heck Does That Mean?

So, here’s the deal: Choroidal Melanoma is a fancy way of saying Ross has a tumor in the part of the eye that supplies blood to the retina (the back of the eye, you know where all that important seeing stuff happens). Superotemporal Margin? That’s just a technical way of saying the tumor is sitting toward the upper outer edge of his eye. Basically, it’s in a place that makes treatment a little trickier, but not impossible.

Four Months into the Darovasertib Clinical Trial

Ross is now in month four of the Darovasertib clinical trial, a study that’s testing a medication designed to shrink these types of tumors. And so far? We’ve got progress.

• The tumor hasn’t grown. Huge win.
• We’ve seen slight reductions in size, which means the medication is doing something—and when you’re fighting cancer, any bit of shrinkage is a step in the right direction.
• No extreme side effects beyond fatigue (which, let’s be honest, comes with parenting four kids anyway).

This trial has given us time. Time to breathe, time to hope, and time to line up the next step: radiation.

Where We’ve Been (and Where We’re Going)

The road to treatment hasn’t been smooth. If you’ve been following along, you know we had a whole saga of not being cleared for anesthesia (thanks to some inconvenient congestion that threw off the original plan). That meant delays, re-evaluations, and a whole lot of frustration. But we pivoted, found options, and pushed forward.

Now, we have a plaque brachytherapy procedure scheduled for June. In simple terms, they’ll implant a small disc (plaque) with radiation directly onto Ross’ eye to zap the tumor from the outside in. What we anticipate will happen is that the plaque goes in at the beginning of the week and comes out at the end of the week. We take a night to recoup and relax, and then we head home by way of the seaside. 

The Summer Plan: Epic Road Trip & Radioactive Eye

Because nothing says “summer vacation” like a little bit of controlled radiation, we’re planning a beach getaway for the kids while Ross and I go into isolation mode post-plaque-procedure. Since he’ll be temporarily radioactive (yes, really), he has to stay away from everyone—including us—for a bit. Legit, one of the most interesting things that we have learned on this journey is that if for some reason I have to drive Ross anywhere during the time he is radioactive, we have to keep a notice in the car for when we get pulled over. Not IF but when. It’s good to know that you can’t just drive down the highway being radioactive in America. He’s gonna get a fun bracelet, I hope he gets to keep it.

So, we’re making the most of it. An epic road trip for the kids. Sand between our toes. Family memories before the hard part begins. Then, while Ross takes on his solo battle with a radioactive eyeball, we’ll hold down the fort, count the days, and keep faith in the process.

This journey has been exhausting, emotional, and at times, overwhelming. But we’re here. We’re moving forward. And with every challenge, we’re reminded: we are not alone.

Thank you for walking this road with us. Your prayers, support, and love keep us going—one step, one appointment, and one battle at a time.

Here’s to the fight. Here’s to hope. And here’s to whatever’s next.

-Megann