Help Josh kick cancers butt. Josh has been diagnosed with a rare, but treatable form of cancer- Thymic Carcinoma.

In mid-October, Josh began to have pain in his left shoulder eventually causing his shoulder, neck, and eye on his left side to begin swelling in early December. He went to a doctor in Cedar Park where they found his white blood cells count to be abnormally high and a curvature in his chest was found on the x-ray that had been ordered. Due to the findings, Josh was referred to an ENT (Ears Nose and Throat) specialist who ordered CT scan before Christmas.


 Tuesday, January 3rd – At the ENT’s, we learned Josh has a grapefruit size mass in the left side of his chest causing the swelling and shortness of breath. The ENT referred us to an oncologist.


 January 4th – Josh went to see Dr. Bala at Texas Onocology here in Cedar Park. Due to the location of the mass, everything happened quickly as this is considered an oncology emergency. The week was filled with appointments for another CT scan, ultra-sound, echocardiogram, and a biopsy.

 
January 6th – Biopsy was performed at St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center followed by immediate radiation appointment at Texas Oncology Radiology with Dr. Sheinbein for his 1st bout of radiation to help Josh’s swelling and trouble breathing.

 
January 7th – Second bout of radiation at Dr. Sheinbein’s. His breathing and swelling improved greatly and they decided to stop at 2 bouts of radiation for now.

 
Monday, January 9th – We learned, in addition to the tumor, they found fluid had built up around his heart during his recent echocardiogram. Thereby, Josh would need Pericardial Window surgery to alleviate the fluid and diminish risk to his heart. Still no biopsy results.

 
January 10th – Josh was admitted to St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center for his safety until surgery could be performed.

 
January 11th – Dr. Conner performed Pericardial Window Surgery. All went well. They drained about 2 coke cans worth of fluid from surrounding his heart, which was sent in for biopsy.

 
January 12th- 17th – Josh remained in the hospital until his release. The fluid was found to be non-cancerous! No pathology back yet which cancer. Many pathologists in Austin and in the States were still reviewing his biopsy stains during this time.

 
January 19th – We went in to see his oncologist Dr. Bala. We learned Josh has Thymic Carcinoma, a rare, but treatable cancer of the thymus. He also has a small nodule in the right lung.

A treatment plan of chemotherapy to shrink the mass, then surgery to remove the mass, then radiation is Plan A. The treatment is dependent on how his body responds.

 
Monday, January 23rd – Josh began chemotherapy. The combination was Paclitaxel & Carboplatin to be administered separately on the same day.

Within the first 5 minutes of bumping up his Taxol from his initial flow rate, Josh had an “infusion reaction” essentially an allergic reaction, which caused his blood pressure and oxygen levels to drop dramatically. The oncologist team acted fast, but after about an hour his oxygen levels were not stabilizing without help.

An ambulance was called to take him to Seton Williams Hospital in Round Rock where he stayed overnight and released Tuesday, the 24th. Josh walked out of the hospital like a champ!

 
January 25th – Back to Dr. Bala’s to finish chemo not able to be administered on Monday. Josh did well with the Carboplatin chemo.

 
January 26th – PET scan to determine spreading and get better details of the mass.

 
January 27th – Results of the PET scan per Dr. Bala found the mass has not changed significantly since the initial CT scan on the 5th with the ENT. That is good news! Strangely enough, Dr. Bala reports Josh’s body is reacting unusually to the cancer, in that his body is fighting hard to remove the mass itself.

A new chemo drug, Abraxane ( a cousin of Taxol but less reactive) was administered. He did very well.
 
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Josh is doing well and in good spirits. He is unable to work due to the restrictions caused by the cancer and must take it easy. He is experiencing nausea, fatigue, and aching due to chemo. We are eager to have a more set schedule and for things to even out a bit.


Josh will begin receiving the new chemo drug weekly and the Carboplatin every 3 weeks. They hope to shrink the tumor down to perform surgery. Surgery is likely to be done in Houston at MD Anderson. 


Costs are just beginning to come in and while Josh has excellent insurance, he does have a minimum amount to meet annually and is his disability pay is only 60% of his normal pay. Thank goodness for a good employer and benefits at Costco, but we do expect the amount out of pocket plus his normal bills to be staggering.


We are doing our best to stay ahead of the pileup and appreciate any and all support we receive! Thank you and we’ll be updating as things progress.

-- Gina Wombacher (cute girlfriend) & Katie Blair (cute girlfriend's mama)