July 2, 2016

Last Saturday was the American Fork “Run Against Cancer.”   Many of our family members and friends ran it for Rick.  We were so overwhelmed with the love and support of so many.  Some ran the 5k and some the 10k and others were at the finish line supporting the runners.  Thank you to all of you who ran the race.  There was a lot of money that was donated to the fight against cancer.  We were very inspired by the many family groups that were supporting their loved ones.  This disease has affected so many families.  This run is something that our family plans on doing every year. 

Bill, Whitney, Nina, Elin, Tanner, Marcia, and Maddie

The Shelley family at the finish!

Kelsey, Evan, Rick, Agnes, Emmerich, and Edith

Jana, Rick, and Sherrie (Rick's mom)

Rick and Lisa Robertson from our YSA Ward

Maddie and Kristie

The De Groot Family (Whitney's in-laws)

Maddie and Rick

Kelsey and Rick

Julie (Jana's sister), Ben, and Brig Young

Whitney, Bill, Tanner, and Marcia and the finish

This week we went to Huntsman to sign papers for the new clinical trial that Rick will be participating in.  He also had a lot of lab tests that were taken in preparation for the new trial.  We are excited and also nervous to begin the new chemotherapy drug.  It is a drug that has already been FDA approved for melanoma as well as lung cancer.  The experimental part of the trial is that it is being studied on patients who have pancreatic cancer and it is an immunotherapy drug.  It has shown a lot of promise, which is exciting to us.  Rick will go in every other week for infusion and then wear a pump home, which continues to infuse the chemotherapy for two days.  After forty-eight hours, we go back up and have the pump removed.  For the first two treatments, he won’t have the new drug but will have the standard of care drug.  They want to make sure his body can handle the standard of care drug before they introduce something new. 

We would appreciate your continued thoughts and prayers on Rick’s behalf that his body will respond to the treatment and kill the cancer.  If you would like to join with our family in a fast and prayer for Rick tomorrow, we would be very grateful!  Thank you so much for your continued support!  #stronglikerick #wheadonstrong

Here is our son Jake who lives out of state--He's sockin' it to cancer!