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Last night was the benefit concert for Iva. Ivana Ristova and Krume Andreevski played really amazing pieces by Ravel, Liszt, and Chopin. That was amazing enough--and then they treated us all to some improvised traditional Macedonian folk songs.

So the turnout wasn't quite the raging success we were hoping for, but given our lack of experience and time in organizing this event, we are counting it as a success. And at least we broke even.

The night before the concert we picked Ivana up at the airport and she spent time with our family.


















This morning Iva, Mimi, and Antonio got up early to head out to the airport. A family friend has sponsored a weekend visit to South Padre Island.

Next week Iva starts chemotherapy again. Which is big news, because the last update I posted was that the tumor had grown, which meant she was not responding to the chemotherapy. We went into MD Anderson last week expecting to discuss other treatment options. That was Wednesday. The day before this appointment, we had Iva get another CT scan of the lungs.

From the very beginning of her illness Iva has been stumping the doctors. When her symptoms first began this past November, Iva was sent for scans of the growth that was forming in her rectum. The doctors did not know what it was, and therefore, did not want to treat her.

She again stumped the doctors in Austria who had never seen a tumor behave as hers did. Even after a full cycle of chemotherapy, her tumor grew so rapidly, that the scans showed daily progression in size.

And now Iva has stumped the doctors here in the U.S. Her lung metastasis was 1 cm in size in the May 2009 scans. Then she had 2 cycles of chemotherapy. When she had her CT scan in July, initially the radiologist at Clear Lake Regional Medical Center read the scans and said the tumor was necrotic (dead) and cystic looking. They weren't even entirely sure that the growth was ever a tumor. So we were happy, of course, to get this great news. We gave the July scans to MD Anderson, expecting they would be equally optimistic. Iva started another cycle of chemo while waiting to hear from the MD Anderson doctors.

Then came the news. Not only was the growth definitely a tumor, it had grown! Since there was progression of the tumor, there was no need for any additional chemotherapy. Iva's PICC line was removed and we went to go talk to MD Anderson about clinical trials, surgical options, etc. We took the new scans with us.

When we first got there, we of course had to deal with the usual money issues. The business office wanted to know what we were going to do about the outstanding balance of $26,000 we still owed them for Iva's hospitalization back in May. Zoran offered them half, which was almost all the money Iva has left from donations in her medical fund. They settled for this amount and let us see the doctor.

So Dr. Ludwig comes in and starts talking to Iva about what has happened since he last saw her in May. We asked him if he had seen the scans from the day before that we brought with us. He hadn't looked at them, so he left to do so. He came back 15 minutes or so later.

He tried to show us the pictures, but his computer wouldn't let him open our disc, so he showed us the ones from May and July. Side by side you could completely see that there was noticeable growth in the lung tumor. No question. It was about 2 cm and dense looking. How Clear Lake Regional's radiologist couldn't tell is a mystery.

So then he tells us the amazing part--the new scans show the tumor has reduced back down to its former size. It was about 1 cm again as it was in May! He told us that he had no medical explanation for this. He had no explanation for why chemo after 2 cycles would not work and then suddenly would work after one more cycle.

Right after Iva found out the chemo wasn't working, she ordered a bunch of herbal remedies online. She had been taking these for only one week when the new scans were taken. Dr. Ludwig said that it was doubtful the reduction in tumor size could be attributed to the herbs, since even the most effective chemotherapies take about 2 weeks to cause any noticeable tumor reduction.

He consulted with his radiologist and on Tuesday, he told us the radiologist agreed the tumor was definitely smaller again. And still he had no medical explanation. "Whatever you are doing is working," he said. So after this weekend, Iva will again get a PICC line and begin chemotherapy. She is to have 3 more cycles, for a total of 6, and then we will have scans taken to reassess things. Depending on what is shown in those scans, she could have surgery, radiation to the spine tumor, or nothing.

So now we just have to figure out how we are going to pay for everything. We still owe MD Anderson about $13,000. We owe Clear Lake Regional approximately $15,ooo. Then there are other smaller bills for another few thousand dollars. Right now we are tapped out and aren't quite sure how we will pay for everything Iva needs next week, but we know that we have already received more than we could have ever expected. Including this latest miracle.

All we can do now is rejoice in the gift of Iva's continued healing. We can be grateful that she is still here with us, that she is getting to lie on the beach right now as I write this. That we have met so many incredible people during this journey, including Ivana and Krume, all of who continue to amaze us with their ability to give of themselves, their talents, and their hearts.