We were all thrilled when we learned, about a week ago, that the key had been found to unlock the mutation we’d all been hoping they would find, to treat Nelson’s cancer. This would mean that a targeted immunotherapy was possible—with a good chance to overwhelm cancer cells by teaching his own immune system to attack them.

Today, with Nelson out of the hospital, he and Ann Sophie (and Will) met with an oncologist who answered many of their questions and described what might be ahead.

First of all, Nelson will have to wait a week or more before anything new is started, since they want him to finish the course of antibiotics he began in the hospital a few days ago. After that, they may begin immunotherapy, depending on how he’s doing.

They’ll begin the new treatment slowly with low doses of two medications by mouth, watching to see how he tolerates the side effects. And of course they have to clear everything with their insurance, usually a 10 day process. The doctor assured them that if the side effects became too much, there were several other combinations of drugs they could try.

The BRAF mutation he has is super rare for lung cancer, only 1-2%. Half of all melanoma patients and 100% of all leukemia patients have it. That’s good, because they can try the specific immunotherapy for it, but negative because the prognosis is not as good long term for that mutation.

Two-thirds of patients do respond to these drugs. If Nelson doesn’t respond, he can always go back to chemotherapy, which does seem to be working… though it’s been hard on him. And that’s about all we know for now.

As always, we’re trying not to look too far down the road, because God has already gone there and will show us the way on a need-to-know basis.

“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called… And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” (Hebrews 11:8)