Dear friends,  it is with the heaviest of hearts that I share with you the news of the passing of my dear brother Bruce.

Bruce fought the most courageous battle against cholangiocarcinoma over the past 3.5 years, after being originally told that he would only have 4-6 months.  He was a beacon for many fighting this terrible disease.  Bruce's cancer was diagnosed after a routine physical in 2009. He did not shy away from the battle and used the setback to help raise a half-million dollars for the Raizman-Haney Endowed Fund to finance liver cancer research. This fund will be used to teach and train surgeons to work with bile duct cancer.

Bruce went peacefully January 17th, 2013, not in pain and at home. Bruce was a brilliant meteor blazing across the sky - flashing with beautiful and amazing light, but gone too soon. Our hearts are heavy with grief...but filled also with gratitude that he is home and safe.

Since our last update in mid-May, Bruce has been working with Dr. Marks to schedule chemo therapy treatments to address the two small lesions on Bruce’s spine, as well as for general therapeutic purposes.  The treatments were scheduled for three-week cycles (e.g. Monday, Monday, Monday off; Monday, Monday, Monday off; scan), but low blood platelet levels on certain treatment days resulted in cancellation of the scheduled treatment for that week.  Consequently, because Bruce has not received the full complement of chemo treatments over the last sixty days, he has not experienced the normal adverse side effects of the chemo therapy, and has generally felt better than he would otherwise during the prolonged chemo schedule.  Some unexpected but very welcome news:  blood work consistently indicates the tumor markers to be reducing, which is fantastic.  Although no one has been able to fully explain the biologic reasons for the tumor marker reduction (since chemo treatments have been sporadic), we are all grateful for the results.  Undoubtedly, Bruce’s diet and most importantly, your prayers have played an important role in this daily battle. 

In the meantime, Bruce and his family are putting the finishing touches on the final Raizman-Haney Fund Golf Tournament to be held at Longue Vue on Friday, August 10th.  It is going to be a splendid event; morning and afternoon golf, great lunch and fantastic cocktails and dining in the evening will make for a memorable day.  We appreciate and thank all of you who have signed up to play golf and/or to attend the evening program.  We have room for about thirty (30) more golfers in the morning golf shotgun, so if you can play and haven’t registered, please do so.  If your schedule prohibits you from playing golf, but you can make the evening program, please register on our website (https://www.brucehaney.org).   If you can’t make the event, take a moment to review the many raffle and silent auction items on the website; you can participate in the raffle and silent auction remotely.  Your generous contributions are critically important, and we will be forever grateful for your support.

Thank you for your continued prayers; we hope to see you on August 10th! 

Regards, 

John

To Bruce’s Family, Friends and Colleagues: 

 

It has been several months since our last update; we hope this finds you in good health and ready to enjoy the summer. 

Since our last report to you, and except for a few minor adjustments for the holidays, Bruce maintained his chemotherapy regimen through December and January. The periodic blood work and scans during that period showed good results.  By January, the lungs and spine were clear and the 2 tumors remaining in his liver were very small.   In February, Bruce was removed from the chemo treatments in order to prepare for a PET scan at the end of that month.  The PET scan at the end of February indicated that Bruce was tumor-free, and he was feeling great, had high energy levels and looked forward to spending most of March in Florida at Orchid Island.  Dr. Marks recommended a continued break (60 to 90 days) from the chemo therapy treatments, and feeling better than he had in a long while, Bruce headed to Orchid.  March was arguably the best  health month Bruce has experienced since he was diagnosed in November, 2009.  His work schedule and “to-do” lists returned to normal hectic levels, family and friends enjoyed the Haney’s hospitality and, after a long overdue intervention instigated by Jim Berquist and Frank Sam, Bruce started using a belly putter and began a stretch of 60 days where he played the best golf of his life.   The high energy, good health, intense work and great golf continued after returning to Pittsburgh through April and early May, and Bruce and the Haney Foundation Golf Tournament committee began planning for the August 10th final tournament in earnest.  Blood tests confirmed that cancer cells remained in Bruce’s system, but the relevant indicators from the blood work indicated that everything was under control, and Bruce’s medical team recommended a continued hiatus from chemotherapy treatments.   

As you can imagine, Bruce was cautiously optimistic, but didn’t forget about his experiences after a similar break from chemo treatments at the same time last year.  Last summer was tough.   Last Sunday night, Bruce experienced severe chest pains and thinking there might be cardiac involvement, Andrea took Bruce to Passavant Hospital.  Thankfully, the ER team confirmed there had been no heart damage/attack (although there is some fluid surrounding his heart), but ordered a scan for Tuesday.  The scan seemed to identify new lesions near the old tumor in Bruce’s neck; after consultation with his medical team, a bone scan was scheduled for Thursday, May 17.  We await the results of the scan to determine the next course of treatment. 

So the roller coaster ride continues; your continued prayers and support are critically important to this battle; Bruce relies on each and every one of you, and is forever grateful to you.   

Mark your calendars for Friday, August 10, 2012 for the second, and final, Raizman-Haney Foundation Golf Tournament; it will be a special event.  Invitations are in the mail; we hope to see you there. 

We will provide frequent updates as we learn more definitive facts; until then, keep the prayers and good thoughts coming. 

Regards, 

John