I have been accepted into the clinical trial. I will be starting treatment this Thursday, May 26, 2016, at Johns Hopkins. I completed the screening tests last week and found out yesterday that I have been placed in the standard treatment of care (chemo) arm of the trial. The selection of which arm I was placed was randomized. I knew this was the case when I signed consent. To clarify, I am not receiving the MEK Inhibitor (trial drug) at this point, but will if the chemo does not work as this trial is designed with a “crossover” option. The chemo that I will be receiving is Paclitaxel. I’ll receive it once a week for three weeks, then have a week off. One cycle is four weeks. After three cycles I will have a CT scan. I am looking forward to getting started on a new treatment plan.

In my previous post I mentioned the Johns Hopkins Below the Belt Stride & Thrive 5K. It was a wonderful event and I am honored to have received the 1st Julie Smith Courage Award as I was the first cancer survivor to cross the finish line in a time of 25:55. I am proud of myself and I look forward to getting one more run in tomorrow morning before chemo starts Thursday. I’ve attached a picture of me from race day with two of my cheerleaders. – Stef