Heidi's Cancer Story

Here is all the data from the other site I had been keeping since Heidi was diagnosed with Carcinoid Cancer on Oct17th, 2007.

We have completed the Pan Massachusetts Challenge charity bike ride for 2008 and the three of us together raised over $11,500.00 all to be directly used on Carcinoid Cancer Research.
Additional fundraising will begin in early 2009 completely focused on the Pan Mass Challenge. www.pmc.org
The Story:
On October 17th, 2007 Heidi was diagnosed with metastatic Carcinoid Cancer of the small intestine with spread to the regional lymph nodes and both lobes of the liver. The primary tumor was removed on October 18th, 2007. The remaining (18-20) tumors in the liver will be monitored for growth through MRI every 4-6 months.
As a 45 year old daughter, wife and mother of 3 children ages 11, 10 and 8, Heidi has a lot of living left to do. She is feeling great! Through research funded by Caring for Carcinoid Foundation (CFCF), we believe a cure can be found to make a difference in Heidi's life and the lives of thousands of others living with Carcinoid Cancer. www.caringforcarcinoid.org for more information. For more information on Michael's Dad's battle with cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer) click here: www.joesinformation.blogspot.com
To send a message to Heidi: mhcoburn5@yahoo.com
To reach Michael : michael.coburn7@yahoo.com
Latest Updates:
Friday November 7, 2008: Heidi is feeling well. We had a nice celebration with about 20 people to mark the one year of survivorship. Joe, Michael's dad is not doing well at present.
Monday October 6, 2008: As we approach the one year anniversary of Heidi's diagnosis with Carcinoid Cancer, it is amazing to think about the events of the past year. GOOD NEWS>>> Heidi's latest blood and CT images all came back as stable with no activity or growth on the tumors in the liver. The kids are all back in school and Heidi is knitting like crazy. You just can't have too many scarves you know. Michael's Dad is not doing so great as he is getting very tired from the chemo regimen he is currently on. Other than that we are soldiering onward. Enjoy the journey!
Thursday August 7, 2008: Still buzzing from the incredible weekend in Massachusetts. Heidi has signed us up for a 65 mile ride on August 30th in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park so our training continues. I lost a co-worker in her 50's to liver cancer yesterday Cynthia Eatmon. I only found out the day before that she was sick with cancer. All the more motivation to fight this disease that will touch one in 3 of us. My Dad, nephew, son and I head for Canada this Sunday for 4 days of remote fly in fishing 3 hours north of Toronto. It should be a great time with my dad who continues his battle with cholangiocarcinoma. Heidi is doing well and all my co-works continue to ask about her and I am happy to tell them that all is well.
Tuesday August 5, 2008: We did it! We finished our collective 269 miles of riding in Massachusetts and raised over $10,500 for help eradicate cancer. It was awesome! Go here for a look at the water stop at mile 42 of John and my ride: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYXzVfHglFc . Next year I am doing the whole 192 miles from Sturbridge to Provincetown. Heidi and I are already signed up for 65 mile ride on August 30. This was a lot of fun. Thanks to all of the support from all of you.
Wednesday July 30, 2008: We leave tomorrow for PMC. Our photo shows us as we are ready to celebrate the over $9,000 we have raised for the direct research on Heidi's Carcinoid Cancer. Full report upon our return.
Sunday July 13, 2008: Cycling is at the forefront of our focus now as we count down to the Pan Mass Challenge (www.pmc.org). Heidi and I went out and did 25 miles last weekend and then Heidi and her friend Alaine did 20 on Friday. I have been doing a Sunday group ride each Sunday averaging 35-50 miles. Heidi is feeling well and the latest visit to the doctor showed no changes. We will continue on a cycle of every 6 months for scans to monitor the 18-20 spots in the liver. Thanks for all your support and good wishes.
Saturday June 6, 2008: I guess when things are going well you don't post for a while. I actually had created an update and then got logged off before I saved. We went to a conference in Harrisburg in late April and there are all kinds of things going on in the area of research on Carcinoid. Heidi is doing well as evidenced by the bike photo at top of page. We are training for Pan Mass Challenge and have both nearly hit our fundraising goals (link above). Heidi's brother is the one who needs help and you can search for his profile on the www.pmc.org website to donate. All these cancer diagnosis and the loss of a good friend at work caused me to go out and buy a Honda S2000 convertible as a gift to both my father and Heidi. Dad has an aggressive bile duct cancer and has always wanted a sports car so I just went and did it. Heidi gets it back at the end of the summer...she can't wait. I will try and link the great video that my brother in law Kirk Moore took and edited of this event on this site but if you want you can just load this into your browser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYp9Ni_-rwA
Saturday April 19, 2008 - Yesterday, Heidi and I rode 12 miles on our first outdoor training ride of the year getting ready for the Pan Mass Challenge. We really enjoyed it. Heidi did great. As you can see from the picture, the fitness continues to get stronger. Today Heidi went to a patient survivor group for her specific Carcinoid Cancer. There were 25 other survivors and it was great to see all these other people who understand what Heidi is going through. She even went out to dinner with a few of them. Dr. Menisha Shah from Ohio State University was the speaker and talked of lots of potential treatment developments and ongoing research. The kind of research that our Pan Mass Challenge ride works to fund.
Saturday April 12, 2008: The results are back comparing the recent CT scan of Heidi's liver with one from 6 months age and the doctor can so no visible change in size. This is great news! We are so happy. On April 26, we are driving to a Carcinoid Conference in Harrisburg, PA where Heidi's doctor, Matthew Kulke, will be speaking among others. This will be the first time for Heidi to be among many Carcinoid Survivors and it should be a good trip. The kids will stay with friends locally.
Friday March 28 - We have returned last week from a great week in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. We snow skied every day M-F and had tremendous conditions with 24" of powder falling while we were there. Fresh snow daily. Everyone skied great with difficult terrain dominating the mountain we were all able to improve our courage. The vertical drop is 4,139 ft, the largest in the USA. Heidi is feeling great. Her training for Pan Mass Challenge continues nearly daily. We got good news at our visit with Dr. Pelley this week. The blood tests show no increased activity and the Octreotide scan confirms that the cancer is only in the liver. Dr. Pelley also reported that he had seen patients this week who were diagnosed in 1988 and 1992. We continue to be hopeful that this amount of time gives the doctors time to find a cure or effective treatment for this Carcinoid Cancer.
Another highlight of our trip to Boston was that we went out to dinner with Nancy O'Hagen and Lauren Erb. Nancy is the founder of the CFCF and also a carcinoid cancer survivor. It was great for Heidi to meet such a talented and vibrant person with the same disease as her in Nancy. Both Nancy and Lauren battled a snowstorm to pick us up and make us feel immediately at home in a far away place. We appreciate them and CFCF even more now. We are now getting ready to do the Pan Mass Challenge, Aug 2-3, 2008 on the Caring for Carcinoid Foundation team.

Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think would be interested in a progress update!
This page maintained by Michael Coburn (818) 269-5634