Hunter Pilling’s Journey Updates

29/01/2024

It’s almost completely gone! She wants to continue with what she said last time, 18 months of chemo. He just did round 16, so she wants to do 2 more rounds, do his MRI in Athens, then come back in June to see how it looks after 2 months off chemo. At that visit, she will come up with a plan on how often we have to come back out here, she’s gonna watch it like a hawk for 6 months to a year to make sure it’s tolerating no chemo.

The one picture is Jan 2024 compared to his last visit out here in Sept 2023. The other picture is Jan 2024 to Feb 2023 - almost one year apart! (The brightness in the yellow circle is the dying tumor)

29/01/2024

4 months have come & gone & it’s time for another updated MRI at Duke… getting the MRI now & will get the results tomorrow 🙏🏼 prayers for more good results!

04/12/2023

Hunter had a MRI in Athens on 11/20, we received a call right before Thanksgiving saying it was stable, still small & looking good. But we wanted to see if it was smaller than when we went to Duke last on 9/25 before saying anything, I just got the message & IT IS SMALLER!! 🙌🏼 🙌🏼

26/09/2023

It’s still shrinking! 🙌🏼
Attached are pictures comparing to his May MRI & the last one is compared to his very first MRI 😳. Look at the difference!!! The original plan was to take the chemo for 12 months, but she said since it’s doing so good at shrinking it & he’s tolerating it good, she wants to do it for 18 months & then see what it looks like then. The bright stuff is the contrast that they put through a IV to do the MRI, look at how bright the last one is compared to now.

Now with his speech, they said the same thing Emory did, no Botox. She said if they do Botox it would close his airway completely. She told him stuff to do to help it come out better, but she said “this is the new normal for now”. Since the tumor is shrinking, it could go back to normal 🙏🏼. She said since he has a young healthy brain, it could “heal” it self.

Thank you all so much for praying! Continue praying that, that little bit thats left of the tumor continues to shrink!

25/09/2023

It’s that time again, we are back at Duke for Hunter’s check up MRI. Tomorrow we will get the results of the MRI. Also, we are seeing the speech/voice doctors tomorrow here at Duke. His Athens doctor was not pleased at what Emory said about his voice/speech, so she wanted us to get another opinion. Prayers for Hunter & getting good news! 🙏🏼

28/07/2023

One year ago today Hunter had his biopsy done. Today his doctor at Duke messaged me after reviewing his MRI from Monday & she said it’s about 25% smaller!!! She said for a radiologist to say there is a shrinkage it has to be atleast 50% smaller, but we’re getting there!

31/05/2023

Emory said that the Botox would not help his voice at all, they said it could actually make it worse. They said it would make his slurred speech worse & possibly could choke him. They said that Botox would help, if his voice was a whisper. They said his actual voice is great, but his one side of vocal cords are moving slow but procedure wise nothing would help it. She asked what he does in speech therapy & he showed her the things his speech lady tells him to do & she said he is doing the wrong stuff. She said that he needs to do speech language therapy not voice rehabilitation.

31/05/2023

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23/05/2023

Update from our Duke trip:

The tumor hasn’t grown or shrunk any more, but there is 4 to 5 more dead spots where the chemo & radiation is killing the tumor. She said she doesn’t think the tumor will shrink anymore & by the way it’s reacting to the chemo she doesn’t think it will grow anymore either, but will continue to get more dying spots. He is going to start weaning off the seizure medication since he hasn’t show any signs of that happening. There is still no chance of surgery because it where it’s at. He did a videostroboscopy last week in Athens to look at his vocal cords to see if one of them was pinched to see if maybe that is why his voice is like it is. They are not pinched but there is a consistent laryngeal tremor. Athens & Duke both said that Botox would help the pitch breaks but not necessarily the slurred speech. She said that Botox was originally created for this type of stuff & when singers start having voice problems they get Botox to help with that. He is going to try it & see what it does. We have to see if Emory or Augusta can get us in within 4 months & if not we will do that when we go back to Duke. He only has 4 more cycles left, the next time we go to Duke will be at the end of September & he will be done with the year of chemo then we will see what the next steps are.

14/04/2023

Hunter had a MRI last Thursday in Athens, we went Monday to get the results. We waited to hear what Duke had to say about it before saying anything. The tumor is the exact same as when he went to Duke in February. It hasn’t grew or shrunk any. That’s a good thing of course, but we was hoping to hear that it had shrunk again. This week was his chemo week, so he has been tired. We will head back to Duke on May 21st & 22nd for another MRI.

07/02/2023

More good news!!

We got back home late last night from Duke. Hunter had an MRI Sunday night & the follow up yesterday with the doctor to go over the MRI results. The doctor said the MRI results look great. Here are the tumor sizes:

Original size from the beginning: 31.4mm X 29.7mm
October: 26.5mm X 26.4mm
December: 30.0mm X 27.7mm
February (yesterday): 23.9 X 23.3mm

The one in December, it was swollen that’s why the measurements was bigger. She said yesterday the swelling has gone down a lot. It’s still pressing on the area that makes his speech & swallowing off but it’s not pressing as bad. She put up a side by side of the December one & the one from Sunday to show us the difference & sizes. You can see on the MRI the parts of the tumor that has already died.

His arms/ hands are still shaking but every time we go to Duke they don’t shake. Yesterday they did, thank goodness because now they see what we have been talking about. She prescribed him a medicine that they prescribe to Parkinson’s patients. He doesn’t have Parkinson’s, this is just a medication they use to help with their tremors. She is hoping that this medication will also help with Hunters tremors.

His speech is still off, his speech therapist has recommended a procedure to try. She has recommended a Rigid Videostroboscopy, it’s where they go in through the mouth with a camera & look at his vocal cords. She said one of his vocal cords could be pinched causing his speech to be like it is. I asked his doctor at Duke yesterday about it & she said she agrees to do it just to see & it won’t hurt anything to look. So now we just wait to see if & when Athens can do it.

No change in his treatment plan, still doing the 5 days on, 23 off. He starts his new round next week. Please continue to pray that the tumor continues to shrink & that this new medication with help with his tremors.

The MRI picture on the left is the new one & the one on the right is from December in both pictures. The one where I marked with yellow is showing the pressing on the spots messing with his speech & swallowing, you can see there is starting to be a gap in between them now. Also the part of the tumor that has died, I put a Red area around it, it’s the bright spot in the middle.

25/01/2023

I realized I haven’t posted a update on here since November. There’s really not an update, everything is still the same.

Last week was his chemo pill week, he is still tolerating it well other than making him tired. He hasn’t been sick any so far. He is still doing Speech, OT & PT. His speech is still the same, somedays it’s better than others, you just really have to pay attention to what he is saying. He might be having another “test” to see about his speech, to see if there is something else they can do for that. His arms & hands are still shaking a lot. We are hoping to get to the bottom of the shaking when we go back to Duke. We are set to go back out there February 5th & 6th, he will have another MRI while we are there.

Other than that, that’s it. If y’all could pray that it continues to get smaller, that we can get to the bottom of his shaking & find a solution for that & also to hopefully see if there is something else to help with his speech!

Thank you all so much for continuing to keep up with everything going on & praying for him along the way! Y’all have no idea how much the support means to us!

18/11/2022

Update :

Hunter had a MRI Monday in Athens, this is the one that Duke wanted done to check on the “sunburn” mark from the radiation. Wednesday we had the check up appt in Athens to go over the MRI, It hasn’t grown, got smaller or moved so they are still thinking it’s a sunburn mark. They sent the MRI to his Duke team to look over as well, as of right now we are scheduled to go back to Duke on December 19th to do another MRI.

He started the new round of chemo on November 7th. His next round starts on December 5th. This is double the dosage he was on before, but it’s 5 days on 23 off instead of everyday. He took it late Monday the 7th, he woke up Tuesday morning & he said his right eye the vision was blurry & he was seeing double but only at a distance, up close he was fine. We got in touch with his team of doctors & they all don’t think it’s a side affect of the chemo pill. He went to the eye doctor to make sure it was nothing else but his vision was perfect on their side. Hunter said it only lasted intense like that for 3-4 days. So we’re at a stand still at what caused that. Other than the vision scare & being tired after taking it he is tolerating it well.

His shaking is still pretty bad at times & irritating him a good bit. They are trying to start weaning him off of the steroid again. He got down to .5 mg but when his vision & shaking happening more intense they went back up to 2 mg. They are trying a different way to wean him off this time. He really wants to get off the steroid & every time he gets so close to coming off something happens causing him to go back up.

He also has been doing a good bit of physical & occupational therapy. Speech he hasn’t had as much yet. During physical therapy, he has noticed how weak his body has got compared to what it was before. They are working a good bit on his balance & strengthening his body back up. In occupational, they are working mostly with his hands. They are trying to strengthen his hands back up. When he was picking up small stuff up at his appt Wednesday & his arms starting shaking. His hand writing is still the same, he is trying to write some to help it get better but his hands shake the whole time so you can only imagine how irritating it is for him.

18/10/2022

PRAISE REPORT!! 🙌🏼🙌🏼

We went to Duke yesterday to get another MRI & talk to the doctors. We had no idea what to expect going in. When the doctor walked in, she looked at us & smiled & said it has shrunk a good bit! She showed us the pictures of it - the old MRI tumor size - 31.4 x 29.7 - the new MRI tumor size 26.5 x 26.4, she said it’s smaller & also less solid. It’s also not pressing as much on his vocal, spinal & all that, so that’s why his speech & swallowing is getting better. They were very impressed on how much better he sounded when he talked to them. They haven’t seen him since before we started the treatments so from then till now his speech has gotten much better. She was very pleased how how much it shrunk & how well he tolerated the chemo & radiation.

There is a small spot on the new MRI right in the center of the tumor. She thinks it’s a “sunburn” mark from radiation. She wants to do another MRI in Athens in about a month just to make sure. She said it shows up like more cancer cells but she doesn’t think it is because it’s only that little spot & it has nothing surrounding it like the other tumor did.

She is meeting with a team on Thursday about getting approved for a test drug that is specifically for his tumor type. But as of right now the plan is to take the same chemo pill for a year but a stronger dose. He takes it for 5 days of the month so 1 week. 5 days on 23 off.

Thank you all so much for the prayers! They are working! Now just pray that it continues to shrink!!

05/10/2022

Monday was Hunter’s last radiation treatment & last day of the chemo pills! He has no more doctors appointments till he goes back to Duke on the 17th. When he goes to Duke, they will do a MRI to see what it looks like now.

——Upcoming benefits: (I will put pictures in the comments of the flyers). We are taking up donations for all of these benefits! If you are wanting to get rid of stuff or a business wanting to donate stuff, anything. I will put on each benefit who you get in touch with.

On October 22 - there is going to be a motorcycle ride, along with a silent auction. If you wanting to donate something, get in touch with me or Joe Cheek.

October 8th - Hartwell Speedway has their annual Pause for the Cause every year & this year they have asked if Hunter if he wanted to be the participant. If you wanting to donate something, get in touch with me or Heather Rhoades.

October 14th & 15th - Lavonia Speedway benefit - cake auction & auctioning other stuff - HOF race $2000 to win 602. If you wanting to donate something, get in touch with me or Steve Massey.

Tire Raffle is still going on - $20 tickets for a chance to win a set of 4 tires up to 20”. The drawing for that will 10/5 at 2. Please get with me or Jason Pritchett if you are wanting those. Postponed till Friday!

27/09/2022

I just realized I didn’t post last weeks update!

Everything is still going good. His hair is still slowing coming out but you can’t notice it by looking at it. This is his last full week, next Monday the 3rd is his last radiation treatment!! We go back to Duke on the 17th of October to do the MRI & meet with them to see if the radiation & chemo shrinked the tumor. Some days his speech & swallowing is better & some days it’s the same as it was. Tomorrow he has his first occupational therapy appointment to see if they can help him with his hands. His hands & arms shake really bad especially when he holds something like a pen, you can’t read anything he writes & even eating or drinking he has to hold the drink & food different. Today he is starting to wean him self down on the steroid dosage. Last time he tried to wean down, his head aches started to come back. Pray no headaches when he is weaning down on the steroid & for everything to go smooth on these last 5 days!

——Upcoming benefits: (I will put pictures in the comments of the flyers). We are taking up donations for all of these benefits! If you are wanting to get rid of stuff or a business wanting to donate stuff, anything. I will put on each benefit who you get in touch with.

On October 22 - there is going to be a motorcycle ride, along with a silent auction. If you wanting to donate something, get in touch with me or Joe Cheek.

October 8th - Hartwell Speedway has their annual Pause for the Cause every year & this year they have asked if Hunter if he wanted to be the participant. If you wanting to donate something, get in touch with me or Heather Rhoades.

October 14th & 15th - Lavonia Speedway benefit - cake auction & auctioning other stuff - HOF race $2000 to win 602. If you wanting to donate something, get in touch with me or Steve Massey.

Tire Raffle is still going on - $20 tickets for a chance to win a set of 4 tires up to 20”. The drawing for that will 10/5 at 2. Please get with me or Jason Pritchett if you are wanting those.

16/09/2022

Weekly update - he only has 2 weeks & 1 day left!

He is still feeling good other than being tired in the afternoon. His hair is starting to fall out in the back when he brushes or washes it. It’s not coming out in chunks, it’s just a lot more than what normally comes out when you brush/wash it. His hair is so thick & curly in the back, you probably won’t even notice it right now. Other than that everything is going good so far! Just keep praying it keeps going this smooth!

——Upcoming benefits: (I will put pictures in the comments of the flyers). We are taking up donations for all of these benefits! If you are wanting to get rid of stuff or a business wanting to donate stuff, anything. I will put on each benefit who you get in touch with.

On October 22 - there is going to be a motorcycle ride, along with a silent auction. If you wanting to donate something, get in touch with me or Joe Cheek.

October 8th - Hartwell Speedway has their annual Pause for the Cause every year & this year they have asked if Hunter if he wanted to be the participant. If you wanting to donate something, get in touch with me or Heather Rhoades.

September 24th - yardsale! If you have anything, you are wanting to donate, please get in touch with me, Lexie Woody or Brooklyn Segars!

October 14th & 15th - Lavonia Speedway benefit - cake auction & auctioning other stuff - HOF race $2000 to win 602. If you wanting to donate something, get in touch with me or Steve Massey.

Tire Raffle is still going on - $20 tickets for a chance to win a set of 4 tires up to 20”. The drawing for that will 10/5 at 2. Please get with me or Jason Pritchett if you are wanting those.

09/09/2022

Week 3 is in the books! We are halfway done! He has had another good week, other than being tired in the afternoon after the radiation. They told him that his hair could fall out where they are shooting the radiation but he hasn’t noticed anything yet. They said his hair is so thick & long he might not even notice it. Just continue to pray that every week keeps going smooth!

——Upcoming benefits: (I will put pictures in the comments of the flyers). We are taking up donations for all of these benefits! If you are wanting to get rid of stuff or a business wanting to donate stuff, anything. I will put on each benefit who you get in touch with.

On October 22 - there is going to be a motorcycle ride, along with a silent auction. If you wanting to donate something, get in touch with me or Joe Cheek.

October 8th - Hartwell Speedway has their annual Pause for the Cause every year & this year they have asked if Hunter if he wanted to be the participant. If you wanting to donate something, get in touch with me or Heather Rhoades.

September 24th - yardsale! If you have anything, you are wanting to donate, please get in touch with me, Lexie Woody or Brooklyn Segars!

October 14th & 15th - Lavonia Speedway benefit - cake auction & auctioning other stuff - HOF race $2000 to win 602. If you wanting to donate something, get in touch with me or Steve Massey.

Tire Raffle is still going - $20 tickets for a chance to win a set of 4 tires up to 20”. The drawing for that will 10/5 at 2. Please get with me or Jason Pritchett if you are wanting those.

02/09/2022

Week 2 is in the books, 4 weeks to go! This week has been a lot better than last. His headaches have somewhat stopped. Last week Friday was his rough day, he said he was really tired, I ask him if he feels fine after today & he said yeah I feel fine.

He had his first therapy appointments this week as well. He seen the physical therapist & she said she thinks he needs occupational therapy more than physical, so we are waiting to get that scheduled. The physical therapist just wants to see him atleast 1 or 2 times a month instead of weekly. He also met with the speech therapist about his speech & swallowing. She said there is really not much to do with speech, it’s just waiting for the tumor to shrink. For his swallowing, she told him she wanted to do a X-ray of his throat while he eats/drinks to see what is going on with everything. Everything he tried got stuck about halfway down. This could cause aspirating & go to his lungs which would be really bad. So they told him to be extra careful eating/drinking.

Please just pray that this treatments continues to be good to him & that the tumor is reacting & shrinking!

02/09/2022

Y’all come out & see us tomorrow night at Lavonia! We will have people at the front gate taking up donations, we will have people sitting with the cakes for the cake bidding, we will also have people walking around(hopefully) the whole track selling raffle tickets. The raffle tickets are for the grill($5), the gun($5) & the tire raffle($20), (I will put the pictures of them all in the comments). The grill drawing is actually for tomorrow, so we will be drawing for the grill at the track, so if you win & you’re at the track you actually get to take the grill home with you!

Share, share, share!

02/09/2022

02/09/2022