I’ll try to post periodic updates on my health and treatment on this page.
Bookmark this page, if you would like to occasionally check on my status.
URL for this page is simply: billonthecamino.com/cancer
Next update expected at the end of April.
April 17, 2026
Lumbar puncture (spinal tap) was performed. Chemotherapy was injected into my spinal fluid as a prophylactic treatment in case there is lymphoma in the spinal fluid.
Text about how I feel.
April 14, 2026
I had an MRI of my brain to check to see if there are any signs of lymphoma there.
The results came back the same day. Good news. I have a totally normal brain (no snarky comments). No indicators of any disease.
April 13, 2026
Met with my oncologist and he went over the treatment plan. He started our meeting by saying “our plan is to cure this.” I like the sound of that.
Since my lymphoma returned in my testicle that increases the possibility of it appearing in my brain, spinal cord and other testicle. Therefore, he is proposing a multi-faceted response to ensure we attack the lymphoma in all of these places (as well as the rest of my body):
- Do an MRI of brain to make sure lymphoma is not there.
- Do a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) to make sure lymphoma is not in the spinal fluid.
- While they’re in the spinal cord, inject some chemotherapy into the spinal fluid. This way, if there is lymphoma, we avoid having to do another spinal tap right away.
- Use radiation on my remaining testicle. This will be 3-4 weeks of daily appointments. This would kill any lymphoma that may be there.
- Go through 2-3 cycles of chemotherapy (High Dosage Methotrexate). This would help ensure there are no lingering lymphoma cells in the brain, spinal cord or testicle. I will probably have to be in the hospital 2-3 days for each cycle.
- Go through CAR T-Cell therapy. This treatment takes a few months. First they take my T-Cells from my blood. Then it takes a month or more to genetically modify the cells. Then the cells are re-injected into my body. They new modified cells are designed to attack the cancer cells (but they kill some good cells as well).
- Reaction to the re-injection of the modified T-Cells can be fairly severe, so for the first 30 days, they will monitor me very closely. For the first 7-10 days, I will need to be an inpatient. For the next few weeks, I will likely have to visit the hospital daily to be checked.
- My immune system will be highly compromised so I will be isolated for much of this treatment. 3-4 months after the CAR-T treatment, I should be able to live a pretty normal life, although my immune system will be weak for quite a while.
Yes, this is a lot. We’re still getting our heads around it, but we’re willing to do whatever it takes to put this cancer behind us.
April 10, 2026
The biopsy results of my testicle are complete. As expected, they show the return of Large B Cell Lymphoma. I will meet with my oncologist in a few days to go over the treatment plan.
April 7, 2026
Had an orchiectomy (testicle removal) at Michigan Medicine. The procedure went very smoothly and only took about 30 minutes.
The doctor did a visual inspection of the testicle that was removed, and indicated that it looked like lymphoma. We will still wait for the lab results for the final diagnosis.
April 1, 2026
The first available PET Scan appointment at Michigan Medicine was over a month away.
My daughter works at UNC Rex hospital in Raleigh, North Carolina. She was able to get me a PET Scan appointment for April 1. So, I flew down to Raleigh to visit her for a few days, and got a PET Scan while I was down there.
Results came back the same day. Good news, the results showed no cancerous growth except for in my left testicle.
March 27, 2026
Met with doctor of Urologic Oncology to go over results of ultrasound.
Results of ultrasound showed several lumps. Could be lymphoma (likely), testicular cancer, or a benign tumor.
He indicated that we will need to schedule orchiectomy (removal of testicle). The biopsy of the testicle will tell us definitely what we are dealing with.
I also need a PET Scan. The PET Scan will let us know if the lymphoma is anywhere else in my body.
March 23, 2026
Had an ultrasound of my left testicle. I had noticed something unusual on the testicle, so the ultrasound will give us a better idea of what that is.
Bill on the Camino 