I know there are so many people wondering, praying, and concerned about Russell. We have had a very difficult few weeks, and things have changed so many times, both for the good and the bad, that we felt we needed to wait to share an update until we had information we knew was accurate. My Russell continues to fight a hard fight, but he is tired, and his body is tired. We are waiting on God’s timing. And although we know His timing is always perfect, this time is coming soon

Dad is going to be at OHSU until they are able to get his medications regulated, so I probably won’t have many updates until we know more. Grammy and Papa are there now helping Mom and Dad, which we are so thankful for. Please don’t take our silence as bad news. We simply don’t have many answers right now, and we are taking things one day at a time. I will continue to be the one communicating and giving updates for Mom and Dad. Dad has asked Mom to turn his phone off so he ca

Wednesday Rusty had his first dose of Daraxonrasib, and unfortunately, he began vomiting within about 40 minutes. The vomiting continued roughly every hour and a half throughout the night. Thursday his oncologist instructed us to go to Mercy’s ER for fluids and IV medications. Thank you Laurie for bringing Greg and George to help uncle Rust down the stairs. We finally made it home around 5:00 p.m., but by 8:00 p.m., I had to drain a liter of fluid from his PleurX. Then, at 2:

Matthew 18:19–20 Jesus says that when two people come together in agreement in prayer, our Father in heaven hears them. And when two or three gather in Jesus’ name, He is there among them. Today, God showed us that He heard our prayers and He answered them. 🙏💜 So many of you have joined us in praying specifically for Rusty to be able to receive the trial drug daraxonrasib. Today, that prayer became a reality. After 19 days at OHSU and another 2 days in a hotel in Portland,

The Rally for Rusty T-shirts are officially in! 💜🚒 I will be contacting you soon to arrange pick up or delivery. Here’s the fun part, Dad has NOT seen the list of everyone who ordered a shirt, and I’d love to keep it that way! Once you get your shirt, please take a picture of yourself wearing it and post it in the comments below so Dad can see just how many people are out there representing him, supporting him, and Rallying for Rusty! 💜 I know seeing all of your faces in t

19 days in the hospital, and Dad is finally out! 🙌 Mom was able to get Dad in to see his oncologist this Wednesday instead of having to wait until next week. They are going to stay up in Portland until then so it’s easier on Dad and he doesn’t have to make the trip back and forth. Please keep praying that he continues to get stronger and that his oncologist deems him well enough to start the trial medication. 🙏 That is what we have all been working and praying toward. One t

Yesterday Dad had a minimally invasive procedure. The doctor was able to place a stent in his duodenum, where there was a partial blockage. They believe this blockage is the reason Dad hasn’t been able to keep food down, but time will tell. The doctor was very pleased with how the procedure went, and we are thankful for that good news. For the next few days, Dad is restricted to a full liquid diet. From here on out, he will need to eat small amounts throughout the day basical

It’s been a tough few days, with a lot of mixed information from the doctors. At this time, Mom is not taking any calls and has asked me to take over the updates so she can focus all of her time and energy on Dad. Dad’s phone is currently off, so please know that all communication is going through Mom. The doctors have a procedure they are hoping to try. Mom has decided to wait until we know for sure that the procedure is possible before sharing all of the details. We will up

Last night we had a setback that unfortunately prevented Rusty from being discharged today. The doctors have increased his pain medications, and we are praying that the changes will help get his pain back under control. He is also back to not eating, and his blood pressure has been pretty low, so they just started a bolus of IV fluids. It’s hard to see him take a step backward after having some really good days, but we know this journey is going to have its ups and downs. God

Pretty rough day with the pain, but he continues to fight. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring , but our goal is still a late discharge and an appointment Tuesday for the new trial med. Please pray hard. As always God knows what is needed and our sweet friend Koah sent me this song. I needed this today, thank you Koah and as you have your own fight you still constantly think and pray for us. ❤️💜 Please Take a Moment to Listen ❤️🙏 “I Will” — Francesca Battistelli Turn the

Rusty continues to improve. 🙏💜 Today he went on a walk and even did stairs with physical therapy. Then later, he went on another walk that was twice as long and did stairs again with Neil, Greg, and George. Both walks were with a walker, but he was definitely in good hands. Seeing him getting stronger and doing a little more each day is such a blessing. Mom and Dad came back up yesterday and are staying until tomorrow. I told the nurse she would know exactly who they were h

Today started off with a headache and his pain was about an 8. Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy came today for an evaluation, and he was able to walk a short distance outside of the room with the assistance of a walker. The doctors are happy with the way things are going, and his blood work continues to trend in the right direction. Rusty was trying to hold out and not push his pain button, but I kept reminding him that the new pain medication can take 3–7 days to fu

Sunday, Mom and Dad surprised us by walking through the hospital door for a visit, which was such a blessing. Then my mom and dad came up Tuesday to surprise us, and last night Mom surprised us again and brought Rosie this time for a few days. I can’t even tell you how much those surprise visits mean to us. Today Mom and Rosie were able to be with us during the doctor visits, listen to everything, and offer their input. We love spending time together, and having family here h

Yesterday was a rough day, so I wasn’t able to post an update. We are still at OHSU. Today we have a new doctor who is working closely with the palliative care team to adjust Rusty’s pain and nausea medications in hopes of giving him better relief. Unfortunately, there still aren’t any easy fixes or definite answers. The oncology team is also asking the new doctor to consult with radiation oncology to see if there is an area of the peritoneal cancer that could be treated with

Dr. C came in today but, unfortunately, she doesn’t have a solution yet for how to get the trapped fluid out. She still has one more GI doctor to consult with before she goes off shift. She’ll also be giving a detailed report to the physician taking over for the next couple of days, so we’re praying they may come up with another option. Dr. C did say there’s a chance the fluid could begin to resolve on its own over the next few days as they get his pain and nausea under bette

Unfortunately, we have to postpone starting the new clinical trial medication that we were all so hopeful about. Wednesday evening, Rusty developed uncontrollable nausea, vomiting, and severe abdominal pain. He hasn’t been able to eat or drink and has become extremely weak. A CT scan showed that he has more ascites (fluid buildup) than his PleurX drain is able to remove. We were discharged around 4:15 a.m. and made it home long enough to get a little sleep before heading to P

This week we received the call we've been praying for. Rusty has been approved to begin treatment with daraxonrasib, one of the most promising new drugs ever developed for pancreatic cancer. We were told the medication will ship on Tuesday to the Knight Cancer Center, and we are incredibly grateful and excited to get this treatment started. The past couple of months have been incredibly hard. Through it all, we've continued to trust God, give Him praise, and pray for healing,