Carl Banks Health

Update as of December 30th 2021

Friends, unfortunately Carl’s condition has declined and the very difficult decision to stop Chemo and go into Hospice has been taken. One really nice gesture is a friend of the Banks reserved a movie theater so they could watch the new Spider-Man movie.  

The cancer in his liver causes cognitive issues and he isn't really capable of holding a coherent conversation right now. It's pretty devastating and alarming because each day is markedly worse.

Because of all of this we have increased the amount to raise for the GFM. This will help offset some of the expenses since Laurie is staying home to help Carl as much as possible and not working regularly. In addition the funds will cover the lack of life insurance. Please consider any gift, it will help. 

Hi, we are friends and classmates of Carl Banks from Dwight Morrow High School and we are fundraising to help Carl and his wonderful family during this difficult time. Here is an update from Laurie, Carl’s wife, that will help you understand what they are dealing with.

With the pandemic Carl has not been able to perform. Carl was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in September 2018. After 6 weeks of chemotherapy and 28 rounds of radiation, he had a nine-hour surgery to remove two-thirds of his esophagus and one-third of his stomach. They were able to remove all visual signs of cancer from his body and he had clear margins at the time of surgery in February 2019.

But the surgical pathology - tissue removed from his body during surgery - still contained some live cancer cells which put Carl at higher risk for recurrence. Because of this, he qualified for an immunotherapy clinical trial, which he started around the same time he went back to work in June 2019. The study infusions continued for one year, ending in June 2020. During that time, Carl felt great and was able to work in between the monthly infusions until COVID hit in March 2020. All of his scans, which happen every 12 weeks, continued to show no visible signs of cancer.

In the fall of 2020, the CT found a suspicious spot on Carl's right lung. Sometimes those spots are cancer; sometimes they're not. The only thing to do is wait for the next scan to see how or if it changes. Carl also started feeling worse in general. In early 2021, based on how Carl was feeling and because the lung spot had grown, we did more testing which confirmed the esophageal cancer has metastasized. It not only was in his lung, it went to some of the lymph nodes in his chest, a small spot on his liver, and a few places in his lower spine and pelvic bones.

Although it was known recurrence was a possibility, the reality is difficult. Cancer has been so much a part of the Banks lives for almost three years but now it is at the forefront of everything for them once again.

Carl has an amazing team at OHSU and his treatment plan is aggressive. The molecular testing his oncologist performed led to a treatment plan of a three-week cycle. Day one consists of an infusion of two immunotherapies, IV chemo, and a shot to strengthen his bones. He then takes 14 days of chemo pills and has 7 days off before starting the three-week cycle once again.

Last week, Carl had his first CT scan since he started treatment for the recurrence. It was good news. The lung nodule and liver spot are smaller, and the lymph nodes are too small to even be flagged right now. The bone mets are difficult to gauge on a CT, so they monitor them based on how soft tissue mets are doing and how the patient is feeling. All of Carl's soft tissue mets are showing improvement and he's no longer having low back pain, which are all great signs.

Since Carl's cancer is metastatic, he will be on treatment for the rest of his life. We are hoping he will go back to NED status (no evidence of disease) and that they will be able to keep the cancer controlled and at bay for a long time to come.

Obviously, there is a lot on the plate of the Banks family. None of this has been easy, as you can imagine.

But I think what Carl and I (Laurie) would like you to know is that we are grateful for each other, our kids, and for you. Carl has always been able to find the bright side of every situation and this is no different. We are optimistic about the future despite everything and we love you all!

Thanks to each of you for your donation to help the Banks family.

blessIngs,

Friends of Carl