September 2009 Update

For anyone that is still checking in, sorry for such a long delay in updating the blog.

Things have been going great for the last month and a half. The most recent set of scans from head to toe showed no new growths anywhere and all spots that were seen in prior scans were either shrinking or had already healed! It is a great feeling to know that all of the intense treatments that I went through the winter are working! I also truly feel that all the prayers and love sent my way had a big role in getting me through the treatments and making them successful. The next set of scans are scheduled for the end of this month (Sept). I have been feeling great and am expecting to get the same good news!

I have also started back to work and it is awesome! It does a lot for my mental state being able to get back to some sense of normality and be around the great group of people at the Park & Recreation District here in Bend! It has been fun to get back out in the community and have everyone tell me how happy they are for me that the treatments are working and I am getting better! Thanks again to everyone for all of the love, prayers, & support and I will let you know how the next set of scans go.

Jason

June Update from Jason

Hello to those that are still wondering how things have been! Sorry it has been such a long time since I have updated everyone, but life has been busy.

I am officially done with interleukin-2 treatments!! I have had 2 more rounds since the last update and that brings me to the end of treatments that I can receive. I was able to receive 9 treatments with the next to last round and 8 treatments in the last round. The doctors told us that the average patient is only able to receive 4 treatments on average if they are able to make it through all 6 rounds, so 8 was pretty amazing.

On the downside, my body was really thrown for a loop. I am still not fully recovered physically yet, but it is getting better each day. Now, we wait until early July to do another round of scans and see what has been happening. I am obviously hoping for the best and am trying to stay as positive as possible.

Assuming that everything is good, we will hang out and rescan after another 3 months or so, and if it is not good, we will explore other options. Thanks again to everyone sending their prayers and good thoughts our way! Jason

April Good News

GREAT NEWS FROM THE ROSE CITY!!! Sorry it has taken a bit of time to update the blog site, but life seems to be more and more busy everyday. We were in Portland last week to get the results of the latest scans and it basically was all good news!

There were no new growths at all and almost all other spots that were seen on the scan prior to this set were shrinking or have already healed. There is one spot in my tailbone that is not responding so well to the IL-2 treatments, so starting this week, I will receive 13 treatments of radiation to that spot and hope that will start to shrink the melanoma in that area. That will be immediately followed up with another 2 weeks of IL-2 treatment in Portland with 2 weeks off between each treatment.

It is exciting to get the results we got and keep moving forward. The light at the end of the tunnel is getting a bit brighter! Dr. Curti had used a baseball analogy the first time that we met with him saying that people that start IL-2 either strike out or hit a homerun. I asked him where I am in the infield and he said, " between 2nd & 3rd and still running". I plan on running all the way to home!

Thanks to everyone for all of the prayers and good thoughts that have been sent our way. It is all helping!! --Jason

March Post from Jason

Well, it is Monday the 2nd of March (my how time flies when you are in the middle of cancer treatment!) and we just got home from Portland last night after another week of treatment. I did pretty good again for this being the 4th round of treatment. I ended up receiving 10 of the 14 possible doses this time. The doctors and nurses told me that the 4th round is typically the hardest to get through. I believe them. Although I received 10 doses, I was lucky to get that. After about the 3rd or 4th dose, my blood pressure starts to drop and my heart rate starts to rise. When that is the case, they have to monitor you much more closely. That means having a blood pressure cuff on your arm for 24/7 and someone else taking vitals every 11/2 hours to every 2 hours. Basically, no sleep for the rest of the time that you are in there. Between the loss of sleep and having no appetite, it is pretty hard to focus on anything other than what little sleep I can get. So anyway, we made it through and now wait 4 - 6 weeks and do more scans and hope that it is working. If so, we will do 2 more treatments in April and then be done for a bit. If it is not working, then we will go from there. It will probably be a while before we post again, so take care and we will update when we get the next scans! --Jason

Round 4 for Jason

Well Jason headed up this past weekend to start his 4th treatment on Monday. He left a little tired and under the weather but he pushed forward once again. As of today he has received 3 out of 4 of his "cocktails". They skipped the 11pm dosage last night because he was having severe stomach pain but got back on track this am. Jason's sister flew in from Montana on Sunday and is staying at the hospital keeping Jay company. The boys and I will head up early Friday morning and will stay in Portland until we can bring Jason home on Sunday. Thank you all once again for your love and support! --Candy

Latest News from Jason

Sorry for the delayed update for all of you that are still checking in. We had a very successful trip to Portland last week. The best news was that I was able to handle 14 out of 14 doses, which apparently does not happen that often. The only down side is that it has been a bit harder to recover, since I received 3 more doses than the first go around. But, if more doses help, I can deal with the recovery! Now we wait and go back on the 23rd of February for round number 4. Thanks for all of the comments you have been posting on the blog site. It is great to hear from everyone and get all of the positive vibes! Thanks again and we will try to let you know how the next round goes. ---Jason

News from Jason

Hello everyone, It is Monday Feb 2nd and I have just arrived at Providence for my 3rd round of IL-2 treatments. We are all somewhat excited to get the treatments rolling again with the hope of shrinking and eventually eliminating the tumors that are in my bones. As we know from past treatments, it will be a long and tough week. However, the hope of getting healthy again will get me through. Thanks again to everyone that is sending prayers and good vibes my way this week! --Jason

Update from Jason

Hello everyone, Here's a good news/bad news update, with more good than bad. I had a CT scan last Friday and got the results from Portland yesterday. The "good" news is that there were no new growths and the majority of the spots that were found prior to the IL-2 treatments had not changed. Ideally, they would have started to shrink or would have disappeared, but no change is also a good thing.

The "bad" news is that there is a lesion on my right lung that had grown a very small amount. Since the lungs are a fairly important organ, the focus will be on getting rid of that spot soon.
So the latest plan will be a handful of trips to Portland to meet with the radiologist at Providence, do some computer imaging, and then hit the spot on the lung with some radiation. It sounds like it should only be a small amount of radiation, but no fun none the less. Once that is taken care of, I will be back for 2 more cycles of the IL-2 to see if we can tip the scales in our favor and start to get rid of the cancer in my bones.

Both Candy and I are taking the glass is half full approach after getting the latest news. We are happy to hear that the IL-2 is keeping the majority of the spots at bay and that no new spots have appeared. It also sounds like the lesion on the lung can be taken care of with a blast of radiation. Hopefully I will respond to radiation as well as I have in the past. Thanks again for all of your love, support, and prayers as we keep on fighting. --Jason

Saturday Update from Candy

End of Treatment #2 (Update) - Jason and I will be leaving the hospital on Sunday to return to Bend. Jason received 9/14 treatments, which is good. Jason experienced other side affects this round, including a higher heart rate and lower blood pressure that prevented him from receiving more doses. It is generally expected that IL2 patients do not receive as many doses the second time as the first. (Jason was 11/14 for round one). Jason has been a trooper and is eager to get off the monitoring system and back to the comfort of his own home. He is resting now with little nausea but lots of peeling skin. He is much more alert and "with it" than he was at this point during the first treatment. Love to all, Candy & Jason

Update from Portland

Hi folks. Jason and I arrived on Monday to start Jason's second round of treatment. He's just about to receive his 6th dose (out of 7 possible doses) of IL-2. His batting average is great so far. They withheld one dose this morning due to low blood pressure. We've been having an Entourage marathon (thanks for hooking us on the show Renee), which we've now hooked my brother Ethan on. Jason reports that he's fine and dandy - just a little itchy - and is looking forward to getting through the rest of the treatments. Thanks again for everyones' support and hope to see you soon! Off to start season 3 of Entourage! Love, The Freiboths

Thanks for YOUR Support

Thanks to everyone who participated in the basketball fundrasier on December 5. COBO and the Mountain View High School Cougars raised $3,600 with their Free Throw fundraiser. (A special thanks to Craig Reid for organizing this!) The Silent Auction, Best Seat in the House, Hat & Concession sales raised another $1,200.

Also, dining at Round Table Pizza on November 25 resulted in a contribution of $200. And dining at Alpenglow on December 2 resulted in a contribution of $200. Thank you to both restaurants for their support.

Finally, We have a Gift Certificate valued at $70 for two complete Telemark or AT rentals from Pine Mountation Sports still available. If you are interested please contact Sue Boettner at BMPRD (phone 389-7275).

El Rodeo Family Mexican Restaurant - Tuesday, Dec. 16th

Eat lunch or dinner at El Rodeo Family Mexican Restaurant and support Jason at the same time! They are located at 785 SE Third Street (across from the Grocery Outlet) and are open for lunch and dinner. The phone number is 617-5952. Enjoy some great Mexican food with your friends and family and help the Freiboths.

A Note from Jason

Hello to everyone that is checking in on the blog. Both Candy and myself have been overwhelmed by our community's generosity and compassion for our situation. It really makes us feel great knowing that we live in a place where people really care about each other!! So thanks again to all of you that have attended any of the fundraising events, donated money, or have just sent positive thoughts our way.

Candy and myself are gearing up to travel to Portland again for another round of treatments starting this Monday the 8th. From what we understand, the second series is a bit tougher than the 1st due to a short recovery period and some of the previous treatment still being in the system. After this week of treatment we will have approximately 4 weeks off the treatment and then the doctors will do scans to see if the treatments are working. If they are,we will set up more, and if not then we will move on to the next thing. Thanks again for everyone's support and we will try to update you from Portland this next week. --Jason

THANKS on Thanksgiving

Thanks to everyone who participated and contributed at Juniper Swim & Fitness Center on Thanksgiving Day. The fitness event raised $967 for the Freiboths and maybe some of the participants lost a pound or two!

Sprouts Kids Salon - Thursday, Dec. 11th

Bring the kids to Sprouts Kids Salon for a haircut on Thursday, December 11th and HALF of all sales will go to the Freiboth family. Sprouts is located on the Westside of Bend at 1444 NW College Way on the corner of Newport Ave and College Way. Call in advance for an appointment (382-0055) or just come by. Owner Catherine Bueker's son and Jason's son Simon go to daycare together. This is a great way to get your kids spruced up for the hoildays and support Jason at the same time!

Mountain View High School Basketball - Friday, Dec. 5th

Attend the Mountain View High School Basketball Game on Friday, December 5th and help the Freiboths! You can buy a raffle ticket for the "Best Seat in the House", this includes a couch at mid-court and refreshments served to you during the game. Tickets are $2 or 3 for $5. To purchase tickets in advance contact Katie Burns at 480-6087. Also at the game will be a Silent Auction. Items include Golf at Brasada, Golf at Eagle Crest, an autographed Goalie Shirt from the US Men's Soccer Team, Jewelery from Cookie Lee, and Clothing from stores in downtown Bend. In addition, the basketball players will be having a free throw contest at half time and have already gotten sponsors. Come and join the fun!!!!

Update from Todd LaFrenz

Jason got released yesterday, Sunday, and made it home last night around 6pm. He was wiped out and went straight to bed. I will ask Candy if she can relay a message to update the blog this week. His parents left early Sunday am and his cousin from Colorado and his family are coming to see them this week - they plan to provide a Thanksgiving dinner. So the next 2 weeks he is to rest and get ready for round #2 - we will see what type of support is needed. The #1 priority is he gets rest. The good thing is he wasn't in pain- just out of it.

Good Eats from Tony's

Thanks to everyone who ate a Tony's Delicatessen on Thursday, Nov. 20th. Tony's was able to contribute approximately $500 from the proceeds of the day's sales.

Thanksgiving Day Fitness Classes at JSFC

Juniper Swim & Fitness Center will offer a variety of classes on Thanksgiving Day. Only the Sixth Street entrance will be open. Pre-registration is required for classes. A suggested donation of $7 will go directly to the Jason S. Freiboth account at US Bank. Classes include:

Turkey Burner Cycle Class
8:30-10:30 am Endurance Ride
10:40-11:30 am Cycle Cardio

Stuffing Stopper Cardio Class
9:00-10:00 am Zumba

Open Your Heart To Yoga
8:30-9:30 am Sun Salutation Rounds
9:45-11:00 am Vinyasa Flow Yoga

Masters Swim Practice (pre-registration not required)
8:30-10:30 am Deep End of Olympic Pool

The Fitness Center will be open from 8:30-11:00 am
Hope to see you there!

A Note from Candy

Jason and I want to say THANK YOU to everyone for the love, support and understanding you have given to our situation. 12 years ago we moved to Bend knowing no one and now its amazing to see all the people we have befriended over those 12 years all in the same room at the spaghetti feed. Seeing people we havent seen in awhile come together bringing back memories from our Party Days put a smile on our faces. We wish this was a fun occasion that brought everyone together so I'm thinking the next one needs to be an enchilada and margaritas party were we celebrate friendships.

Words cannot express the gratitude we feel for the unexpected response to the spaghetti feed the Bend Metro Parks and Rec put on. Thank you to all the staff and their family members who helped put this on and to the ladies at Ready Set Go who also helped out. Thank you to family, friends, community partners and acquaintances who came out and showed their love and support to our family. We will be forever grateful to be surrounded by wonderful and caring people. We love this community and feel very blessed to pick this place to raise a family.