thetravelingwithers.com

In our latest visit with Dr. Dalvin and her incredible team, we received news that brings a measure of relief. Lenny, the tumor, has most likely stalled in his growth. While it had previously shrunk during the trial, a milestone we celebrated, Lenny’s now holding steady. In the world of oncology, stalling is a victory. It means the cancer isn’t progressing more. For that, we’re grateful.

Looking ahead, Ross will take Darovasertib until the end of May 2025. This culminates a 7-month journey in this clinical trial. After that, we’re preparing for plaque brachytherapy in June, culminating a 10-month journey with uveal melanoma. We feel calm stepping into this next chapter. We have a strong team. We have support. We have hope. The clinical protocols now have changed to have people take the pill for 12 months instead of 6 which means that the pill is working on the majority of these patients, Ross included.

We’re also still working through the insurance maze. Despite all the progress, we haven’t been able to secure an in-network GAP exception for Ross’s plaque brachytherapy. We are hopeful that this time, we have some solid allies on our side at Mayo Clinic to hustle through the bureaucracy and laborious process of getting things like this approved for us. Our incredible team of health care workers are the real heroes in this story.

Even though we believe our team is the best, we are still very concerned about the cost and coverage of this upcoming procedure. Not to mention the travel. Our incredible connection with the Eye on Grace Foundation has helped TREMENDOUSLY. We could not have done what we have done so far without their help every step of the way. Ashley McCrary is a godsend and we are so grateful for the help in finding just enough light to take the next step.

This stuff is heavy y’all. And, at times, if we’re being really honest with you, insurmountable. But it’s those times we take to rest and build up to the next step. Between the sheer cost of the procedure (he’s having a solid gold plate implanted in his eye for crying out loud!), potentially at an out of network cost, that, travel, and recovery needs, we’re deeply thankful for the donations, grants, and kindness that have helped carry us this far—and any continued support means the world.

We get by with a little help from our friends. There are a couple of ways that you can help us out if you feel so inclined:

You can donate through our paypal or cashapp (comment below and we’ll send you the link), or on our GoFundMePage: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-ross-wither-fight-uveal-melanoma-support-his-family

Also, we’re building a RedBubble Shop where you can buy T-shirts, stickers and pins to support us and the journey! https://www.redbubble.com/people/TravelinWithers/explore

This marathon is far from over. After plaque therapy, we know that Ross stops taking Darovasertib. We know that for the next 3 years, Ross will be making trips to Mayo Clinic regularly for scans and check ups. There’s so much more we don’t know though – and we can’t know. We’re left with a lot of questions:

• Will Ross experience double vision after the plaque?
• Will he be able to drive or will he need some time to recover?
• How will his depth perception be affected?
• Will the cancer stay contained and continue to shrink or could it spread?

These unknowns could easily send us into a tailspin, but instead of spiraling into “what if,” we’re focusing on what is.

We’ve seen that goodness already:

• Ross has more vision than he had before the trial. In fact, as he was coming home, he looked to the left and then back to center and found that instead of having two streams of vision he was adapting to, he now has one like most everyone else.
  
• His bloodwork is healthy, despite the cancer. Ross’ attention to clean eating and being active has allowed his cholesterol to fall within normal levels and he is healthier than he has been in his adult life.
  
• He’s been more active, spending time with the kids. The kids are really enjoying living in the moment with Ross. He’s making sure that they have consistency and routine as much as possible. With summer break coming, they’ll hopefully have a lot more opportunities to bond as well!
  
• And instead of needing two plaques like we were told at the beginning of this journey… he only needs one.

These things matter. They add up. And even when we don’t have all the answers, we’re choosing to believe that progress, no matter how small, is sacred.

Love and light, y’all.
We’ll keep you posted. We’re still figuring this out as we go.

— Megann from The Traveling Withers