June 16, 2025 – Not the Outcome We Hoped For

I’ve been trying to find the words all day, and truthfully, I still don’t know if what I’m about to say is good news or bad news.

This afternoon, Dr. Hunter called to let me know that Ardent wasn’t able to create Dior’s cancer vaccine.

That means no immunotherapy.

They needed around 30,000 viable cancer cells from the tumor tissue to create the vaccine. They were only able to extract 3,000. At first, I felt this huge wave of disappointment—like we’d lost a piece of the plan we had fought so hard to make happen. But Dr. Hunter quickly reminded me: that also means the tumor wasn’t as aggressive or advanced as they usually are. So, maybe it’s not the worst news. Maybe it’s even a good sign. Only time will tell.

During surgery, they removed both the distal and inguinal lymph nodes with his limb. Texas A&M had previously aspirated the inguinal one, and those results showed normal lymph cells—which is another small but mighty win. Something to keep us hopeful.

Without the vaccine, our treatment plan pivots. Instead of vaccine + chemo, it’s just chemo now. The first dose of carboplatin (6 doses total) could begin as early as this week, and thankfully, the cost of the unused immunotherapy was credited to our account—covering Dior’s first three chemo treatments. So… yay?

I’m trying not to feel discouraged, but I’ve also barely slept since the night before surgery.

The guest bed we’ve moved downstairs is a queen, and with me, Brandon, two cats, and one extra-large emotional support animal named Dolce who whines when she can’t get on too—it’s been crowded, to say the least. Every time I roll over, I crash into the blinds or squish one of the cats. When I do get comfortable, I can hear Dior licking or Dolce whining to jump up, and that’s it. Sleep: ruined.

Still, even with my brain running on fumes, Dior keeps showing me he’s healing. He’s getting stronger every day. He followed me to the bathroom at 3AM the other night just to make sure I was okay. That’s who he is… that’s who he’s always been.

I have been keeping Dr. Ford updated over the weekend and he’s happy with his progress, and so am I. He told me that the incision looked so good we could discontinue his antibiotics to help his tummy get back to normal. Here’s a link for those of you keeping up with his Incision Journal.

Chemotherapy is next. We’re just waiting on a call back to find out when the Carboplatin will be in stock and when we can get started.

Financially, I won’t lie—we’re in deep. The surgery wiped us out, and I’m not sure when or if we’ll recover. But if you’re looking for ways to help, I’m still making jammies and other dog apparel on my shop, and the 4th of July tees are still available (and shipping in time for the holiday). Every purchase makes a real difference.

And hey—Brandon had a second interview today for a new job. Fingers crossed. 🤞

We’ll spend this next chapter doing everything we can to recover—mentally, emotionally, and financially—before his fourth round of chemo.

Until then, we keep going.

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend and Happy Pawther’s Day to all you dads out there! 🐾🩵

With love,
Haley, Dior & Family 🐾