Greg D and Mad Kyaker Winniswuam update

[Jim B]

I just got back from Winnisquam and the fishing was pretty tough. The leak was still mid 40's when i got out there in the morning and was up to 50 down south by end of day. The smallied were still deep in the morning and when the sun popped in the afternoon they were up on the flats but would not bite anything. My teammate and i managed to get out 4 fish and wound up second but we really had to work for them. I'm guessing the next couple of weekends will be really good up there then the spawn will be on.



Greg, i dont know if you know or not but there is 60 boat northern bass tourney going out of there tomorrow so unless you were planning to fish that i would stay away tomorrow.

 

[Dan J.]

Jim - Not to sidetrack your post, but how's your Dad doing? Was thinking about him and thought I'd ask and tell you we're still pulling for him.

 

[Greg Duggan]

Jim,

not surprised to hear that the lake was still i the 40s. it is still very early and Winni is a good ways north. the warm days are making a lot of people think that we are going to have a n early spawn this year. I am sure it will be early as compared to last year, but not the first week of May.

I fished Northwood again to day and found glass like conditions. the southern part of the lake was 54f and nothing was moving. we found 62f by the end of the day in the northern coves and shallows. we also managed to locate 2 smallies on beds. Very early, but with warm temps in this shallow lake i guess i was not totally surprised.

I managed 5 nice smallies in 8/12' and found the largemouth cruising but not interested in anything we threw at them.

I plan on taking next week off, then spending some long days at Winnisquam then newfound.

Lets all try to pick a day and catch up on either lake.



jim, thanks for the update.



GregD

 

[Jim B]

Dan,

Thanks for checking in. My Dad is doing pretty good right now. He is pretty much fully recovered from the surgery so hes doing well there. So thats the good news



The bad news is his vision is still messed up and from what were told that may be permanant. We also have found out that his tumor is cancerous and the type of tumopr he has is aggressive and there is no known cure for it. People who have this generally dont have a good prognosis past 13-15 months. The type of tumor he has is called a grade IV gleoblastoma and its the same thing that Ted Kennedy died from last year. The standard treatment is surgery followed by chemo and radiation and maybe more surgery depending on the patient. What that means for him nobody knows and the doctor said its a wait and see thing.



My sister and I arent the wait and see type so one of the things we have done is some research on clinical trials that are trying new ways to treat the tumor he has. We discussed these with his radiation doctor who agreed that he needs to be in one and it offers him the best chance long term(im still a little miffed that the neurosurgeon and chemo doc kind of dismissed these when we mentioned it). She said her mother in law has the same type of tumor and has been doing well for two years since going thru a trial of a new type of treatment that is going on at Duke University. With her help we found a trial that is going on at Dana Farber here in Boston that is using the same prococol and drug that Duke is doing. He got into the trial here in Boston(If he had not he got into the Duke one and my sister and i were going to pay for whatever travel expense he needed to be in it) and he has already began treatment. What they are doing is adding a drug called avastin(which is used to treat other forms of cancer) to the standard radiation/chemo treatment in an effort to starve the tumor of blood and stop its growth. The first phase here in Boston has been very successful with 90% of the patients either have thier tumor stop growing or shrink. From what the doctor at Duke said they have seen similar results in thier first two trials using this method. Because they removed so much of the tumor when he had his surgery the doctor thats running the trial here in Boston is optimistic that this will help him. There is no guarantee but its worth a shot since we know the standard treatment doesnt work. He will have to go to Boston once a week for and MRI and bloodwork to track his progress and to watch the tumor itself. The other bonus is he now has a fourth doctor involved in his care and thats never a bad thing to have another set of eyes look at it and another opinion. So we are all hopeing that he is on the positive side of things with the treatment he is getting now.



So thats pretty much it. Sorry for the long windedness, its just a lot of info.



Dan thanks again for checking in. Its nice to know that there are people out there that care.

 

[Dan J.]

I hate the diagnosis, but am very excited with the news!! I agree wholeheartedly about the fresh perspective on the scene. Shame on the previous doc's for not looking for all the additional avenues of pursuit that you and your sister found. The Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Mayo Clinic and so many more through out our country should have been sourced or at least consulted in an effort to win this battle. My journey with my Dad and his prostate cancer had similar Dr. induced hurdles, but with an outlook and effort put forth like yours, he's already heading past the first doc's "due date" and PSA's have been dropping at almost every checkup with no spikes nor increases. You're a good son that searches for answers and healing with his heart, not with your ears listening to any negativity or defeatism. Keep it up and we'll keep praying! God Bless your Dad and your entire family as you all continue on this journey.