obie66

Hi.  This is Jeff, Shelly's brother.  Yes, Shelly was a warrior against this disease, and I am so amazed at her strength and positivity that she carried through this.  It has been a horrible, gut wrenching loss.  But I do want to tell everyone out there on the board that Shelly's experience with the BRAF clinical trial (Now Zelboraf) is reason for everyone here to fight and hope.  When the melanoma metastisized to her lungs in March of 2010, we were all fearfull of the worst soon – didn't think we'd have a summer with her.  She started the drug in June, and each subsequent 6 or 9 week scan for the rest of 2010, and even this year into 2011 – shrinking tumors in the lungs!  In that time she came home to Washington and Vermont and had a big summer vacation here where we hiked, and played and celebrated her 50th birthday in Washington wine country.  She went to Italy with her family.  She went to concerts with her kids.  In February this year, she flew from Switzerland to Seattle for a surprise birthday visit to my other sister Lisa  – and vacationed for 2 weeks here.  And she made it to see her daughters graduation in May of this year.  None of us believe any of it would be possible without the BRAF trial.  I believe that the right combination of treatment is near – so all, keep fighting and keep hope.  The hard issue with Shelly is that it metastasized into her brain, and no one was scanning the brain – only watching the shrinking in the lungs.  So my completely unmedical, uninformed advice is if you are stage IV, watch the entire body.  If we had caught the brain mets earlier, she might have made the next step to Yervoy.  Who knows what combination is ahead, but both of these drugs are incredible advances forward that haven't been seen with this disease in decades.  Keep hope, keep fighting.  With love.  Jeff

Hi.  This is Jeff, Shelly's brother.  Yes, Shelly was a warrior against this disease, and I am so amazed at her strength and positivity that she carried through this.  It has been a horrible, gut wrenching loss.  But I do want to tell everyone out there on the board that Shelly's experience with the BRAF clinical trial (Now Zelboraf) is reason for everyone here to fight and hope.  When the melanoma metastisized to her lungs in March of 2010, we were all fearfull of the worst soon – didn't think we'd have a summer with her.  She started the drug in June, and each subsequent 6 or 9 week scan for the rest of 2010, and even this year into 2011 – shrinking tumors in the lungs!  In that time she came home to Washington and Vermont and had a big summer vacation here where we hiked, and played and celebrated her 50th birthday in Washington wine country.  She went to Italy with her family.  She went to concerts with her kids.  In February this year, she flew from Switzerland to Seattle for a surprise birthday visit to my other sister Lisa  – and vacationed for 2 weeks here.  And she made it to see her daughters graduation in May of this year.  None of us believe any of it would be possible without the BRAF trial.  I believe that the right combination of treatment is near – so all, keep fighting and keep hope.  The hard issue with Shelly is that it metastasized into her brain, and no one was scanning the brain – only watching the shrinking in the lungs.  So my completely unmedical, uninformed advice is if you are stage IV, watch the entire body.  If we had caught the brain mets earlier, she might have made the next step to Yervoy.  Who knows what combination is ahead, but both of these drugs are incredible advances forward that haven't been seen with this disease in decades.  Keep hope, keep fighting.  With love.  Jeff