health update

Thank you so much for sharing!

Hi friends! I know it’s been awhile, if you follow me on instagram (melaniekham) you might have seen some exciting news… we bought a new house! We moved in early July and have been working on some bathroom remodels and getting used to a house on 2.5 acres of land – it’s been so fun! Unfortunately, amidst this very exciting time, my health has been quite a struggle.

Back in May you might remember I had a surgery. The goal was to be tumor free and the procedure was a success at the hands of my amazing surgeons. We were very happy with the outcome…. but only 5 weeks after surgery I had new symptoms and after a scan we discovered that the cancer spread and had become very aggressive… again. Robert was in a middle of a work trip and I called him, it was another one of those gut punches, our fight is not over. The next few weeks were a really scary time. The next best option was to try and get things under control, so we immediately started a harsher chemo regimen. So in June, I started a drug combo that made my hair fall out and have some of the “chemo” side effects I had so far been able to avoid. That was a really hard moment for me. Robert shaved my head and we just cried together. We were of course hopeful that this chemo would work but after a few rounds we scanned again and the chemo wasn’t doing a darn thing – all the cancer was still progressing. Another gut punch.

At the end of August we switched chemo drugs, that is the current chemo I am on and receive every 2 weeks. In early September I had some complications and spent a week in the hospital, but thankfully I’m back home and doing much better. We made some adjustments with my dosage and my symptoms have been improving so we will stay on this path and scan again next month to see how things are going. We’re always trying to stay optimistic that this will be the treatment that works, but the truth is there is no clear path on how to battle this, so we’re just gonna keep fighting.

That is a quick summary of what’s been going on with me. When i don’t feel well, I tend to retreat. Sharing, being online and working take more energy than I have. I have been prioritizing rest and being with family in this difficult season and spending 100% of my energy on my healing. I have been working with an integrative doctor as well as my team at Cedars Sinai who have all been doing their best to help me with this battle. I’m so thankful to my health team on all the work they’ve done for me, from the surgeons, to the nurses, to the oncologists. My family has been amazing too. When Robert has to do some traveling for work my parents have been helping in all sorts of ways and Robert’s family has been great too. Robert has been here every step of the way and am so thankful for his love and support. Thank you so much for reading and being with me in spirit 🙏🏼 😊I won’t lie, I sincerely appreciate and need your prayers more than ever. Please keep our kids lifted up as well, they’re very aware of what’s going on and it’s been a difficult time for them as well.

I am feeling better than I was, but I still plan to take some time off. If you’d like to catch little updates here and there, instagram is the best place for that and I will try to post more on fb too.

Thanks for reading my update, that’s all for now. Sending love out to you all.