All done

This morning we met with Dr Kaseb; an oncologist with just about as much experience with Fibrolamellar as anyone in the world. Having heard many good things about him, I wasn’t disappointed. He’s given us a comprehensive chemo plan; the goal being to shrink the tumours, stabilize the disease – to the point that Dr Vauthey can operate.

Tomorrow, we head back to MD Anderson – to pick up all the reports, CD’s and pathology that we sent down for review – and for a write-up from Dr’s Vauthey and Kaseb. Once the 2 courses of intense chemo (involving a week each of hospilization) are complete, we will return to MD Anderson (tentatively in March). WHEN the response is positive, we remain optimistic that Eric will be a good candidate for surgery.

In conclusion, while we are disappointed that surgery won’t happen immediately, we have the utmost faith in the new plan.

Thanks, as always, to everyone who’s supported us along the way.

*Team Eric*

Wednesday’s Update

My apologies for the late update. Quite honestly I’ve been procrastinating.

The good news – the tornado watch issued for Texas did not extend to the downtown Houston area (though we did have a fantastic thunder/lightening storm and a torrential downpour). 6 inches was expected – but it blew over by late afternoon (while we were picking up some groceries at Target).

The bad news – Dr Vauthey did not give us an operation date today. He does not believe that surgery is an option for Eric right now. However, we will be meeting with Dr Kaseb tomorrow at 10:00 am. An oncologist quite familiar with Fibrolamellar, Dr Kaseb will be giving us options on how to ‘debulk’ the tumours (shrinking them to the point that they MAY be operable).

Clearly, it was not the best news we could have received – but we remain optimistic – and are eager to hear what Dr Kaseb has to offer (and better yet, how it might benefit Eric).

Your thoughts and prayers continue to carry us.
We miss you family and friends – but have no doubt that we are where we need to be.
Good night and thank you <3

Hello :-)

Just another quick update.

Today was registration, blood work and an EKG. Eric passed all with flying colours (or colors if you’re in the States).

Because Eric did a CT scan just a few days before leaving, he didn’t have to do the one scheduled for 6:40 this evening. Yay! So – we’re all just relaxing; looking forward to meeting with Dr Vauthey at 9:30 tomorrow morning.

Miss you all. Kids get to bed!
{{hugs}}
Will update tomorrow when we know more.

Howdy from balmy Texas!

Just wanted to post a quick note to let everyone know that we made it to Houston safe and sound. The flight was 3 hours – and the weather is approximately 15 degrees. Not balmy perhaps – but certainly comfortable.

We’re all pretty tired – so expect to be getting a good night’s sleep. In fact, Eric’s already got a head start on that 🙂

We miss you all already. And, as always, are grateful for everyone’s support and generosity!

Will post an update tomorrow.
Good night y’all <3

24 hour countdown

By this time tomorrow, we will be on our way to Texas!!
Thanks to your generous donations, we’ve raised the $32,889 consultation fee in full.
Please keep Eric in your thoughts and prayers – and check this blog often for updates on how things are going at MD Anderson.

Thanks again. Words can’t convey how appreciative and overwhelmed we are by all your love and support during this journey!

*Team Eric*

Happy Thursday!

Online donations are just over $25,000! Including check and cash contributions, we are hovering around the $30,000 mark. Thank you all so much!

Flight and hotel have been booked – and we’re anxious to get this show on the road.

Updates to the site include a German translation of Eric’s Story (provided by his cousin Marco). Eric has much love and support from relatives in Germany,  Ireland (as well as Canada’s West Coast).

Oh yes. Eric himself has just posted a message to everyone (which ironically can be found on the ‘messages’ section of the site).

Thanks for your continued support!!

Wow!!

Thanks to your generosity, online donations have just topped a whopping $20,000!
I’ll update the full amount later (as the above figure does not include donations received in check or cash form)

More great news: Tickets for the Eric Haas Charity Gala are now available for purchase. Please visit the ‘Upcoming Events‘ page for more info – or go directly to the event’s facebook page. Sounds like it’s going to be a great night – for a great cause. Thank you Epic Events!

The Latest

Thanks to your support, we’re half way there! Over $15,000 has been raised through your generous donations. Check the Thank You page for a list of donours. We’re well on our way to meeting our primary goal!

We remain optimistic that more fundraising will be needed to achieve our secondary goal; surgery for Eric.

Please be advised that any fundraisers not posted on this site, are conducted without our knowledge or approval. If you have something in mind, please contact us – and if it fits in with our vision and goals, we’d be more than happy to promote it. We very much appreciate your enthusiasm and look forward to hearing from you.

It’s a go y’all!

Great news! The call we’ve been anxiously awaiting came this afternoon. MD Anderson has scheduled the consultation for January 24th.

Eric, his Aunt Kara and I will be meeting with Dr Vauthey (‘Chief of the Liver Service in the Department of Surgical Oncology’) – and Dr Kaseb (Medical Oncologist). Both are highly regarded in the FHC community – and have considerable experience in successfully treating Fibrolamellar. MD Anderson is arguably one of the top two hospitals involved in treating and researching this disease (the other being Memorial Sloane Kettering in New York). We are very optimistic; knowing that Eric will be in the capable hands of the very best!

Update

Today we’re working on the Thank You page. We’re eager to give a shout out to all the kind and generous people who’ve donated to Eric’s Fight so far. As for Eric himself, he seems quite surprised by all the attention – his thumbs have been rather busy on his phone! He very much appreciates that his family and friends – and friends of family – and family of friends (well, you get the idea) are being so supportive.

Thanks also to everyone who’s spreading the word – and coming to us with great fundraising ideas!

Please check back often for updates.