Red Shoes, White Snow

Another milestone in Kelly’s treatment passed this week: the start of her radiation and chemo therapies.  This part of her journey will last for six weeks - thirty sessions of the radiation therapy and forty-two doses of the prescribed chemo drug.

The preparations and procedures that Kelly undergoes in her radiation therapy are quite simple and very precise.

Upon entry into the radiation room, Kelly is not required to change into ward garb, but remains in her street clothes; she simply removes any earrings and any other head gear or accessories.  Once prepped, she lies flat on a table-like platform without cushion or cover.  After she has been carefully positioned on the table, an assistant places the head brace on Kelly and its proper fit is confirmed.  The brace itself is then fastened to the table, ensuring that Kelly’s head is in the exact pre-programmed position and ready for radiation.

The apparatus that emits the radiation moves about her head, first directly in front of her head, then to the left side and finally to the right side.  The machine emits a quiet clik-clik-clik sound when emitting its radiation. Otherwise, the procedure is completely non-intrusive.  The total time under radiation is about 10 minutes.  After completion of the radiation cycle, the procedures to release Kelly from the brace and table are reversed and she’s finished for the day!  In total, perhaps 30 minutes pass between entering the radiation room to walking out of the clinic.  Kelly reports no discomfort during therapy or afterwards, though this may change over time as the effects of the radiation accumulate.

The only change in this weekly routine occurs on Tuesdays: a weekly consultation with Dr. Chan’s chief nurse to discuss Kelly’s experiences and the radiation program for the following week.  Kelly has been allowed to pick her appointment times, preferring mid-day appointments for those days that she commutes by train from Mountainville and early morning sessions on those days when she is living in Manhattan.

The day that radiation therapy began Kelly also started chemotherapy.  Thankfully, this therapy is contained in capsule form.  A temozolomide drug, the Temodar capsule is prescribed in 140 mg strength for Kelly.  After dinner and prior to retiring to bed, an anti-nausea pill is taken about ½ hour prior to taking the Temodar capsule.  Kelly has experienced only minor side effects at the start of this routine but those have diminished now.  Whereas the radiation treatments are given 5 days a week, Monday through Friday, the chemotherapy capsule is taken every night.

The scar on Kelly’s head continues to heal very well.  The hair around the long wound is beginning to re-grow – standing straight up like a diagonal mini-Mohawk. Soon she will be able to comb this right back into her natural style.  But not to fall out of current fashion, her radiation treatments will probably result in hair loss at the various points where the radiation is directed; she’ll still retain that “punk” look she has recently acquired.

Mountainville was covered by a thick blanket of snow on the 26^th and we continue to enjoy the traditional winter wonderland vistas like those we marveled at in storybooks of yore.  The snow fell light and dry, covering the broken landscape under smooth white drifts that are easily blown about by the wind, reshaping and softening the terrain.  The leafless forest trees and sparse underbrush barely intrude on the white-scape. Making snowballs, snow angels and sledding down the slopes are pleasures of the season; and shoveling snow and scraping ice off windshields are the type of chores that result from the season. Temperatures have remained low enough to preserve most of the snowfall, at least through New Year’s weekend.

Ian and Mary spent Christmas with Mary's extended family in Annapolis and Norfolk.  They joined us on Wednesday and will stay for a few days before returning to their new home in Panama.

Santa and our family and friends were quite thoughtful when choosing gifts to share this year.  Among the gifts to Kelly was a pair of red shoes like those worn by Dorothy to travel to the Land of Oz.  And just like Dorothy, Kelly was advised that she only need to put them on and knock her heels together three time to transport herself off to any land she wishes to visit.  And that land, as you may imagine, lies on the tiny isthmus connecting continents more than a thousand miles to our south.  Home is where the heart is; home is Panama.

The countdown is on...if all goes as planned, this magical journey home will take place in just over 6 weeks!  Indeed, that is music to our ears.

We think of you as we cuddle close to the fireplace, sharing memories of past New Year days and ringing in a New Year as bright and shining as the winter snow that now surrounds us.  And we send you a hearty New Year message: throughout the year, may you enjoy the love and warmth of home, family and friends.

Clan Dillon

A Christmas Prayer

As a university freshman, Mari was an enthusiastic member of her college choir.  Most memorable for her was participating in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in a campus Christmas celebration at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.  She has often related the soaring hope and confirmation of faith that evolved from the rising thunder of the music and the adapted lyrics of the finale.  The memory of the Ode to Joy forever warms her heart and soothes a restless soul.  Lyrics sung so long ago still provide strength to this very day:

Be embraced, millions!

This kiss for the whole world!

Brothers, above the starry canopy

Must a loving Father dwell.

Do you bow down, millions?

Do you sense the Creator, world?

Seek Him beyond the starry canopy!

Beyond the stars must He dwell.

Some forty years later and in mountain foothills on the other side of the continent, another clear and icy Christmas eve brings renewed hope and faith.  Tio Pat, Tia Zoila and their children, Lucia Patricia and Wilson, arrived from Panama on Wednesday to spend their holiday in the boundless hospitality of Kurt and Bea.  We will join together this evening for an expanded family dinner in the Stone House, reminiscing on the past and ruminating about our futures.

Our temporary home is decorated with tree and trimmings and festive lights, a constant log fire warming us.  What brings us most cheer and warmth are the innumerable gifts of love and friendship offered over these past months; they float about in this Glass House and comfort Kelly and her family at every moment.

The five of us witnessed the lunar eclipse earlier this week; a beautiful moon colored the red of the Sedona cliffs crossed quietly under a great clear canopy of stars.  On this Christmas eve, we announce again our faith in God and his mercy and our love for family and friends.  God bless each of you and keep you healthy and hardy.

The Dillons


Christmas Eve

Our Angel.
A gift to Kelly from Sister Barbara and Sister Dina from MUCEC
Colon, Republica de Panama

 One of Kelly's many ornaments she has collected from our time in NY.

A beautiful arrangement of tulips sent to Kelly from her friend Stevie Bowman.

Mom and Pops hard at work preparing for our family feast!

The Nutcracker

Hello All,

Many folks have been emailing and texting, wondering what has been going on in Kelly’s world since Thanksgiving.  She has been busily traveling to and from NY City for the last 10 days, going from one doctor to another and submitting to more exams and tests to monitor her progress.  We met with doctors, doctors met with other doctors, plans were agreed upon, appointments were set up, etc.  And in a parallel universe, we’ve been joined at the hip with the insurance company, lining up the endless bureaucratic paperwork required by a major medical event (a future blog entry will deal with health insurance, sharing critical information that we have learned along the way).

If I had to compare our life these last several weeks to something familiar, I would suggest the end of the first act of the famous musical, The Nutcracker.  And right at that point of the ballet when things are very, very wound up and crazy; when gingerbread and tin soldiers are twirling and spinning and running because the Mouse King and his minions are attacking!  We can relate to that because it feels as if we have been spinning around in a frenzy, scurrying from office to office, meeting and missing appointments, dashing for an unscheduled exam, gulping down meals at odd hours, fretting in waiting rooms, etc., etc.  With each day, the momentum increases and everyone is saying, “Hurry, hurry!  Why is the insurance company taking so long?  Why has the hospital not responded yet?  Where are these papers?  Take this here; take that there; call so-and-so!”  Inevitably, you start feeling  like you are one of the dancers in The Nutcracker, running, rushing, not having any idea what’s coming next.  Momentum builds up to a frenzy, just like in the musical!  We are hoping that once the treatment begins, the tempest will break and - bang! - all the madness will come tumbling down….. a deep peace falling over the land.  And we will return to a more normal, sane life.  The mice will have been destroyed and happiness will reign again over the Land of Sweets!  Yes, that’s what these weeks have been like. Crazy!

We’ve now interviewed Dr. Posner (chief neuro oncologist) and received his frank and insightful analysis.  We had a lengthy consultation with Dr. Mellinghoff (medical oncologist), who explained the planned chemo therapy (and confirmed that he will direct Kelly’s case over the long term).  This past week we visited Dr. Chan (radiation oncologist) and his team, who did a good job of explaining all the ins and outs of the radiation regimen.  All of these doctors are MSKCC staff and all treatment will be performed at the primary facility in NYC.  The therapies are very much the same as we explained in an earlier blog, i.e., 6 weeks of concurrent radiation and chemo therapies, 4 weeks of rest,  followed by 6 monthly cycles of chemo.  None of that has changed.

Starting Monday, the 13th, Kelly will be fitted for a head mask, used to keep her head immobile and precisely located during radiation.  A plaster mesh is placed over her face and head to make a mold that will then be used to make the mask.  A CT scan of her head will be taken and used to map the precise positions and angles where the beams of radiation will be directed into the head.  The radiation oncologist and a team of physicists (!) use the imagery to develop this very precise plan of attack.  This is called the "setup" phase and it takes nearly 2 weeks to complete.  

These radiation treatments are scheduled for five days each week, Monday-Friday, and will only take a few minutes each session.  It’s a matter of arriving at your scheduled time, fitting and adjusting the mask, sitting alone in a treatment room while being bombarded intermittently with radiation for a few minutes (this is IMRT therapy) and then removing the apparatus.  The photon beams enter the head along several different paths; all of the beams intersecting at the location of the tumor.  Hopefully, the radiation will cauterize the surrounding tissue and cut off the blood flow that keeps the astrocytoma cells alive and metastasizing (multiplying), thus killing them.  She was told to bring along a CD with the music of her choice and they would play that for her while she was being treated.  The staff allows the patients to choose the scheduled time for this daily regimen.

Concurrent with the radiation, chemo therapy is used, but for seven days a week.  The chemotherapy drug is temozolomide, and is available in pill form.  Called Temodar, it does not cause the terrible discomfort common with other forms of chemo.  We have been told by all the specialists that most people have no side effects from the chemo other than fatigue, which sets in after the 4^th week or so.  Temodar is recommended in Kelly's case because it works best against astrocytoma cells.  Temodar "interferes with cell division, thus slowing tumor growth.  Because the basic building blocks of temozolomide are small molecules, the drug is able to cross the blood-brain barrier and reach tissues other chemotherapeutic agents cannot. Temozolomide has been shown to prolong survival and improve patients' quality of life."  Kelly will experience some nausea, but that will be minimized by taking anti-nausea medicine each night an hour before she takes the Temodar, so by the time she wakes in the morning, she should be feeling fine.

Radiation and chemo therapies will begin as soon as they complete Kelly's mask, probably just before Christmas.   The task of providing radiation to the brain is very tricky and must be done by radiologists that specialize in brain tumors.  The path that is mapped out in the brain for the radiation to enter the tumor site(s) must be very precise as there is the risk of causing damage to other areas of the brain.  So, it has been very important that experts be in charge of the radiation and chemo therapies.  Dr. Mellinghoff and Dr. Chan are the experts in their specialties at MSKCC and they will have the continuous support and counsel of Dr. Posner; we are absolutely confident that Kelly's care is in the very best hands.

When the 6 weeks of radiation and chemo therapies are completed, Kelly will then rest for 4 weeks.  She will remain in NY for observation during those 4 weeks and if her team of doctors determine that the brain swelling diminishes in a normal fashion during this time, she will be allowed to return home to Panama.  The following 6 months of chemo can be done while in Panama and any MRI’s that are required during these 6 months also can be taken in Panama and sent to MSKCC.  Kelly will return to Sloan Kettering every 6 months for a checkup and, based on the final MRI scan at the end of this period, the doctors would decide upon further treatment, if any.  Once she returns home, she can resume her normal way of life (of course, within limitations… extreme sports are on the “No Way” list for life!).

We are tired…. it’s been a long 6 weeks!  But, we are most grateful that everything has turned out in such a successful manner.  Every doctor or nurse that examines Kelly shakes his/her head in disbelief that she had undergone a supremely delicate operation and recovery ordeal and yet continues to maintain high spirits and excellent health.  Her family looks at her in wonder.  She’s very strong of heart and we are confident that she will take on the next phase of her journey with the same optimism and deep faith that God is watching over her.

A wonderful family friend gifted Kelly the keys to a cozy furnished apartment only two blocks from the medical center on the Upper East side of Manhattan.  Kelly and Hector have found the center of the universe!  She is currently undergoing treatment at the nearby NYU fertility clinic (a precautionary measure - for her future), anticipating the start of radiation/chemo therapies at mid-month.  And during these tumultuous days we made another move - to the Glass House, a wonderful Modern wood/glass home set on a rocky ledge in the woods bordering Pea Hill.  With full-height glass walls on all sides, she offers sweeping views across the valley and past Schunnemunk Mountain.  We will probably reside there for the duration, winter weather permitting, and Kelly will switch between the two homes as needed.  Annie flew down to Atlanta this past weekend and will drive the Explorer back to NY the end of this week (with her beau, Thomson, as co-pilot); we've been forewarned that the little Mazda we brought North may not be capable of navigating the country roads to and from our winter hideout.  4x4 and tire chains!  Panameños shudder just thinking about it.

We are all very homesick!  Your notes and messages of comfort, enthusiasm, insight and support are the wind in our sails.  Stay connected, especially with Kelly and Ani.  We know that we have been deeply blessed - with your care, your friendship and your love.

Much love and saludos to all,

Mari and Mark

*Happy Faces in NY*

(1)Eskimo kisses are about all you can muster when the temperature drops into the 20's! (2)Hector at FAO Schwartz...Kelly says he lost his mind when he saw this much chocolate! (3)Watch out New Yorker's, there is a Panamena driving through traffic today...and it's her first time driving in the city! (4)"The best smooch is by my Pops!"~Kelly (5)Mom and I indulging on a Frozen Hot Chocolate from Serendipity! (6)Kelly and Hector take a stroll through Central Park on the last warm(er)day of the season.

A Note from Home

Now that we have completed recent consultations for Kelly's on-going therapies (more details to come soon) and adding some order to the confusion and uncertainties of our options in NYC and elsewhere, Dad returned to Panama last Thursday.  Ian and Mary collected Dad and baggage at Tocumen airport and quickly brought him up to date on local happenings both at home and office.   Upon arriving home, Dad found that Pauline and the (too) numerous household pets were in good health and anxious to relate all manner of recent disasters and triumphs since his last exit.

Well after Ian and Mary had left for home, Pauline appeared at the doorway to Dad's den.

"Mr. Mark, I leave you a note on the table."

"You left a note on the table?"  Now what manner of catastrophe would require that she write a note?

She disappeared from the doorway, quickly returning with the note.  

"'ere is it."  Then, taking up her beloved Scotty, Abigail, she retired to her little house in back.

After serving Dad a late-night supper and with quiet returning to the house, Pauline had sat down at the kitchen table and, writing neatly on a large index card, she composed this heart-felt poem for her sister, Kelly, and her family:

Sorrow

Our sunshine days are soon forgotten

when God sends the rain.

And when it rains on our parade

how quickly we complain.

But no one walks the road of life

in sunshine all the time.

There are pitfalls along the way

and mountains we must climb.

Sorrow dwells in the broken heart

where doubts and fear reside,

and thrives there in the shadows of tears

that we try to hide.

Where sorrow dwells, there is no joy,

no sunshine in our soul.

For dark and dreary are the days

when sorrow takes its toll.

God is with you

whenever there is pain.

There could be no rose

without a little rain.

A little faith, a little hope, abide.

And take heart;

Sorrow will soon depart.

November rains in Panama have again been heavy and ever threatening, causing widespread suffering and damage in the countryside.  But dry season will "soon come" and sunshine and dry weather will return.  As Pauline declared at the end of her note, we must "Keep the faith".

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Guess what?!?!?!  IT"S SNOWING!!! We are so excited...especially because we are now living inside of our Tia Bea's family's glass house (guest house)...we can spin in circles inside the house and feel like we are outside experiencing the snow flurry even hough it is nice and warm in here! The fire place is blazing and we are soon headed off to a Thanksgiving feast inside of a big ol'barn! Early this morning I made a batch of cookies to add to the feast...the house smells yummy! What a speacial day!

THANK YOU friends and family for all the love and support...we love you and couldn't fight this battle with out you.  Gracias!

XOXO Ani

Paciencia y Fe

Knowledge is light; it removes fear. 

  Hope is life; believing in the impossible.   

    Faith is trust; knowing He’s always there to carry you on His back.

      Patience is love; supporting one another, holding hands.

        Courage is determination, the will to walk a course.

Dearest All,

We were up and at it before the crack of dawn yesterday morning; we had been advised not to be late!   And Kelly was right on schedule for her cross-town consultation with Dr. Jerome Posner, Chief of Neuro-Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC).  The initial phase of the consultation included only Kelly and Dr. Posner; Kelly related her story of the events leading up to the discovery of the tumor and answered a few questions about her medical history.  Dr. Posner had Kelly perform several tests to check her neurological responses (e.g., finger touching, eye movement, sensory responses, walking, balance, etc.), all of which she performed well.  After this initial phase, la familia (including Tia Bea, and Dad – who returned from Panama Thursday night) was able to join them for a question and answer session.  Dr. Posner opened the session: “Kelly, what do you know about what’s been going on and what questions would you like to ask me?”  And in the ensuing discourse, of about one hour, we gleaned critical facts about her cancer, her recommended treatment and her future.

In short, Dr. Posner informed us that Kelly has an unusual variant of a common type of brain tumor (anaplastic astrocytoma) that occurs in about 25% of brain cancer patients.   It’s unusual for someone her age to have this kind of tumor (commonly found in adults over the age of 60) and the variant that she carries is quite unique. 

Dr. Posner further explained that her operation and the post-surgery treatment will never cure Kelly of the cancer, as there are no cures for her type of brain tumor; anaplastic astrocytomas always return.  The recommended post-surgery therapies are meant to shrink the tumor and impede re-growth, but they will not cure her of the cancer.  There is a 99% probability that the cancer will return within 2-5 years, requiring that she again undergo surgery and/or additional therapies (as decided at that time by her medical team).

The treatment protocol recommended by Dr. Posner is the same one that was identified by the neuro-oncologist at NY Presbyterian Hospital, Dr. Pannullo:  six (6) consecutive weeks of chemo and radiation therapies, followed by a rest period of four (4) weeks and then a resumption of (minimized) chemotherapy for at least one year, and perhaps for the rest of her life.

The actual radiation therapy requires but a few minutes each day, Monday through Friday, in the area where the tumor was removed and spreading (she will lose the hair in those areas during the radiation treatment).  The radiation will probably be administered via IMRT (intensity-modulated radiation therapy) and/or IGRT (image-guided radiation therapy).  The proposed chemotherapy agent for her type of cancer is temozolomide (Temodar), a “targeted agent” that is in capsule form.  Kelly will take one capsule every day concurrent with the 6 weeks of radiation treatment.  After completion of the radiation therapy and another four weeks of rest, she’ll start the long-term treatment: five days of Temodar and 26 days without.  Annual MRI’s would be taken to monitor the tumor cells and Dr. Posner indicated that she could have these MRI’s taken in Panama, as the set taken at Hospital Punta Pacifica was excellent (that’s very good to know!).

Most patients are fatigued by the radiation, but each individual responds differently.  More than likely, Kelly will be minimally affected by the radiation.  The chemo pill makes you feel mildly nauseous, so it would be taken at night with another pill meant to reduce the nausea.  Again, each body responds differently, but this treatment is less intrusive compared to other chemo therapies (usually given intravenously).

Other than these therapies, Kelly can live a normal life with no restrictions.  Dr. Posner recommended that she stop all the nutritional supplements, as there is no scientific evidence that nutritional supplements are helpful in arresting the growth of tumor cells or that they do not harm the patient.  Whether she decides to take supplements or not, she must be careful not to take anything during the 6 week period of treatment that builds up cell immunity; the whole idea of the therapies is to break down cell immunity in order for them to destroy cancer cells.

Kelly also asked Dr. Posner about the availability and advantages of proton beam radiation, a new alternative to photon radiology (used in both IMRT and IGRT).   The doctor said that medical science still did not have evidence that proton radiation is any more effective than traditional photon technology.  Dr. Posner will verify whether Kelly might be a candidate to participate in any on-going clinical trials at MSKCC (these are studies used to develop new treatments, including new chemotherapy agents, multimodal treatments and biological therapies).  When asked if she would have to continue to take seizure medicine, he said only for 1 or 2 years, at which point they could taper it off if she did not suffer continued seizures.  

The good news: Kelly will be able to return home at the end of the 6 weeks of radiation/chemo therapies, returning only for six-month checkups after that!  She will need further radiation only if and when the next tumor makes its appearance.  And she can get Temodar in Panama, so she doesn’t need to be in NY for that!  Yahoo, we should be home by the end of January!  The bad news: we forgot to take a group photo of La Familia, the Doctor and the Rabbi.

And so we have reached another crossroads – do we stay this recommended course, or do we seek other advice?  We will decide within a week and we trust that God will continue to illuminate our path.

Last night we took the advice of Isa Juliao and enjoyed In the Heights, a Latino musical showing on Broadway.  What great fun – the staging, the salsa, the dancing, the colors!  Ani’s college-friend, Katrina Franzen, came into the city from Connecticut and joined in the merriment, which included an after-show dinner at Breeze, a French-Thai eatery nearby the theatre.

In the show’s most poignant number, Abuelita Claudia sings of “combing the stars in the sky for some sort of sign”, much as we do each day.  And it is Abuelita Claudia’s mother that counsels her to have “Paciencia y Fe” (Patience and Faith).

We too will comb the stars in the sky, and pray for another miracle!

Mari and Mark

Big Apple - Big Smiles

Yesterday, Nov.18, Kelly registered at Sloan Kettering and as we made our way back to the hotel to find a restaurant for lunch, Mom insisted we take a picture with the NYC Taxi's behind us...the only problem was that they move too fast!

About two hours later...Kelly, Mom and I finished eating at this DELICIOUS organic pizza bar on 3rd Ave between 73rd and 74th St. called Slice, The Perfect Food! We left that place so happy, we couldn't help but take a picture of our beaming smiles!!

The Nutritional Challenge

And God said, Behold I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the Earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

–Genesis 1:29

Dear Family and Friends,

What would we do without Internet and Amazon.com to help give us answers!  As soon as we got settled into Mountainville and could set up our laptops, we ordered a ton of reading material to help us get quickly educated on brain cancer, chemo, radiation, nutrition and herbal medicine and healing of cancer.  We settled down with Bea’s dogs at our feet and started reading aloud and discussing what we were reading.  Having no background in the subject, the beginning days were frustrating trying to make sense of everything.  Now, slowly, some of it is starting to make sense.  At least we don’t feel so helpless, and now we can start doing something to move forward positively (in the nutritional sense of the term). 

A week ago the words in Genesis 1:29 didn’t have much meaning; now after much reading in search of how to fight Kelly’s brain cancer, we can read the words and understand.  The nutritional material we have been reading repeatedly claims we don’t have to go far to find the miracle healer, right outside of our door is our green world of nature and it provides all the nutrients needed to sustain life.  Eat a diet rich in GREENS and HERBS, and you will feed your body properly and help it have a strong immune system to protect you from disease and also fight disease.  Our plant world has all the secrets to curing and sustaining life.  The challenge is eating the right foods.  This does not mean that chemo and radiation aren’t needed to combat Kelly’s cancer, it just means that eating healthy and staying away from foods that tumor cells thrive on can help greatly.

A  new diet regime is now our immediate focus.  It means

·  We toss the chips and dips, candy, pastries, can food, etc. 

·  We bring aboard a juicer and all organic veggies, herbs, fruits, grains, nuts and natural goat milk yogurt.

·  We learn which veggies and greens should be cooked and which are best eaten raw. 

·  Some fruit are heavy in sugar, we need to substitute these for others that have higher nutritional value and are ranked lower on the glycemic index.

·  We need to eat less meat and get our protein from other more nurturing sources like nuts and beans, dark legumes, organic fruits, fish, and free range organic eggs, etc. 

·  We need to read the labels on foods so we make educated decisions about our food intake.

·  We need to eat organic foods and foods that are not heavily pumped with hormones and pesticides. 

·  And we must be careful to stay away from eating chicken, unless we know that they are “gallina de patio” and have had a lot of sunshine.  Chickens raised in coops are given growth hormones and it’s believed that cancer feeds off of hormones.  But for now, we are staying away from chicken altogether

One of Ani and Thomson’s friends, Andrew Brodhead, visited in Panama with us for 3 months.  You may have met him, he’s a photographer.  Andrew’s parents own an organic food store in Savannah, Georgia called Brighter Day (http://www.brighterdayfoods.com/).  Andrew’s father is a Certified Nutritionist who specializes in natural foods and medicines.  For the past week we have been in close contact with him, as he has guided us in selecting some naturopathic medicines to complement Kelly’s new diet; these medicines will begin to act as natural cancer fighting agents as well as immune system boosters.  Also, Kelly talked with Alan Furmanski on the phone (thanks to a phone call that Rochelle Harrari made…thank you so much Rochelle!!!).  Alan is a close friend of her brother.  He sent Kelly some information on the juices that he drank when he was fighting brain cancer.  Kelly has already started her regime of herbal supplements and natural organic juices to help boost her immune system before she begins radiation and chemo.  Once we know more about the plan of action for her chemo and radiation, her natural nutritionsits will work with the oncology and radiation departments to coordinate a balance between the two medical worlds.

We now await the visit this Friday with Dr. Posner at Sloan Kettering.

Bueno, saludos a todos.!  Take care and keep connected.  And yes, please, keep those prayers rolling!

Big hug,

Mari 

Searching...

   We are currently reading Donald R. Yance's book, Herbal Medicine, Healing, and Cancer; A Comprehensive Program for Prevention and Treatment and there are many live testimonies that point out that herbs, vitamins, and other micro-nutrients, proper diet and other health-enhancing modalities can be used with conventional therapies in the healing process. We are moving toward this two-fold approach. Here is an excerpt from Yance's book that summarizes some of his thoughts that seem to make a lot of sense to us.


" I am frequently asked what really heals cancer. Frankly, I don't know whether it is the herbs, the nutritional supplements, changes in diet or lifestyle, changes in mind and spirit, or even some conventional protocols. Perhaps it's a combination of all these things. I do know, however, that just as each herb is a complex entity, so too is each individual. Thus, healing with herbs brings us into a realm where physical explanations are not always as clear and scientific as we would like. This synergy that takes place between the body's own innate tendency to heal and the herbs that aid in that process is, in some ways, a mystery even though the healing itself is indisputably real." -Donald R. Yance


Miriam Butterman sent us this article...Has anyone heard about this? Or know of anybody who has gone through this treatment.
-Ani 

Vivir| 16 Jun 2009 - 10:54 pm

El elíxir para el cáncer

Por: Mariana Suárez Rueda

El jueves se presenta en Bogotá un documental sobre este tratamiento.

Foto: Juan Camilo Giraldo

Alan Furmanski fue diagnosticado con cáncer cuando tenía apenas 27 años. Empeñado en ganarle la batalla a la muerte puso todas sus fuerzas en un tratamiento tradicional, pero no dio resultado. Desesperado empezó a investigar sobre otras alternativas para combatir la enfermedad y encontró que en Estados Unidos y México se había vuelto popular un novedoso procedimiento que en dos años promete curar el cáncer sin métodos invasivos ni perjudiciales para el organismo, simplemente tomando jugos de frutas y de verduras.

Sin dudarlo dos veces viajó a uno de estos centros médicos para aprender cómo preparar estas bebidas y comprobar que se trataba de un tratamiento serio. Allí se enteró de que entre los años 30 y 50 el médico alemán Max Gerson había descubierto los beneficios de la comida vegetariana y no procesada para curar ciertas enfermedades como la tuberculosis. Durante varios meses aprendió a mezclar lechugas, zanahorias, escarolas, acelgas, berros, repollos y manzanas, entre otros ingredientes, en una máquina especial en la que se baten sin perder ninguna de sus propiedades.

Todos los días, por dos años, tuvo que tomarse 12 vasos de estos jugos, realizarse varias veces al día un enema de café y sacar de su dieta la carne, las grasas, el alcohol y la comida chatarra para que el tratamiento diera resultado. “Se necesita mucha disciplina, hay que ser muy estricto”, cuenta Alan. “A veces tu familia te dice que no exageres, que por un día no pasa nada. Pero no es así”, recuerda.

Después de 24 meses el cáncer abandonó su organismo. Fue un milagro, dijeron algunos. Sin embargo, este joven bogotano estaba convencido del poder curativo de estos jugos y decidió dedicarse a ayudar a quienes quisieran realizar este tratamiento en Colombia. Además de suministrarles las frutas y las verduras con las que deben preparar las bebidas, Alan se ha convertido en un testimonio de su eficacia, en un símbolo para no perder la esperanza.

Al igual que le sucedió a Alan, se han registrado varios casos de pacientes en diferentes países del mundo que logran curarse con estos jugos. Aunque el tratamiento es cuestionado por los médicos tradicionales, quienes defienden la necesidad de utilizar la quimioterapia o la radioterapia para combatir el cáncer, cada vez es mayor el número de personas que se anima a probarlo.

Este jueves a las 10 de la mañana en los cines del centro comercial Andino, en Bogotá, se proyectará un documental de 92 minutos sobre el tratamiento y las clínicas en donde se practica. En la cinta se hace una fuerte crítica a la industria farmacéutica y se habla del cáncer, especialmente de cómo puede prevenirse si las personas adquieren hábitos de vida saludables. Alan confía en que esta película pueda dar respuestas a quienes sufren la enfermedad o se convierta en una esperanza para los pacientes que quieren a toda costa recuperar su salud.

http://www.elespectador.com/impreso/articuloimpreso146168-el-elixir-el-cancer

Kelly in Wonderland

“The time has come," the Walrus said, "to talk of many things; of shoes -and strings- and sealing wax- of cabbages and kings- and why the sea is boiling hot and whether pigs have wings."  "But wait a bit," the oysters said, "before we have our chat, for some of us are out of breath and all of us are fat."... (poem from Alice in Wonderland)

Dear All,

If you believe in magic, then you’d know that one should never have the staples removed from their scalp while on an empty stomach and certainly not without celebrating the event with a tea party!   So, at 10:30 am yesterday, the Dillon family made a very special stop at Alice’s Tea Cup to munch on pumpkin scones, drink aromatic teas and enjoy the enchanting ambiance from Alice in Wonderland!  Once done and with our bellies full and tongues still wagging, we sauntered happily over to the hospital to get Kelly “unzipped“  (for the long row of staples looked just like a zipper across her head).

We entered the doctor’s office en masse to witness the event (even Rabbi Goldwasser squeezed into the room).   Nurse Amanda used this neat little tool that looks like a scissors but it has 3 fingers and acts like a staple remover.  It bends the center of the staple at the same time that it pulls the staple out of the skin.  Kelly just sat on the examination table, bent her head over and… clip, clip, clip…out they came, all 43 of them.  It took all of 10 minutes (Ani filmed it).  Kelly assured us (as we all looked on and grimaced in anguish) that she didn’t feel anything other than a little pinch…..until the doctor got to the last three staples...the one's in front of her ear.  Ouch, those three little buggers hurt (the face being a more tender area than the scalp)!  EVERYONE checked out the wound and "ooohed" and "aaahed" at how beautifully it had healed:

“Let me see!” says Mama Bear.

“Move over!” says Papa Bear.

“Hey, I can’t see…Get out of the way, I’m filming!” says Little Sister Bear.

“It’s amazing! Thank the Lord!” says the Rabbi.

“Did it hurt?” says Hector.

“Not really, only here.” says Kelly Bear as she pointed to her ear.

“Back away everyone, let me finish!” says Nurse Amanda.

“Keep the staples! “ excitedly piped up Little Sister Bear, “I want them!”

“OH, DISGUSTING!” groaned Mama Bear! 

“Go for it, Baby Bear! Make us something beautiful!”  smiled Papa Bear.

“Here they are!" laughed Nurse Amanda.  “I put them in a test tube, just for you, Little Sister Bear.”

Then Nurse Amanda asked Kelly Bear, “Do you have any questions to ask me before you leave?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I have several.” replied Kelly Bear as she pulled her list out of her cuadernito (notebook):    

#1.  Can I have a massage….my neck has been killing me?

#2.  Can I wax my eyebrows….I’ve got a forest growing?

#3.  Can I use my new Easy Tone Reeboks?

And the list went on...

Nurse Amanda, took a deep breath and signed, “Yes, live your normal life and do the things that make you happy, Kelly Bear!  And, by the way, your question about waxing the eyebrows, is a first, I never heard that one before!”

And so the staples are now gone, and Kelly Bear won’t have to worry ever again about them freezing and popping out in the cold, cold NY weather!  (Wonder what interesting art piece Ani will design from them?...)

We are so glad to have the operation behind us.  Alleluyah!  One down, two to go…..

Yesterday, we also went to pathology for the update.  We were informed that the additional pathology studies confirmed that Kelly’s tumor is not an oligodendroglioma (low grade tumor), but rather is a glioneuronal tumor that is equivalent to a high grade astrocytoma (ana plastic astro/ WHO grade III). [WHO= World Health Organization]  Astro cells have tentacles that travel and this type of tumor can return.  It will have to be treated with radiation and chemo therapies, so treatment will probably begin after Thanksgiving.

Our task now is to find the best place for Kelly to receive the treatment; a place that specializes in her type of tumor.  It may be here in NY or it may be elsewhere.  Since tumors respond to different kinds of treatment, and hospitals are known to specialize in certain types of tumors, we have to find the right place for Kelly.   Friday, November 19, we have a meeting scheduled with Dr. Jerome Posner, chief of neuro-oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (across the street from NY-Presbyterian Hospital/ Weill-Cornell .)  We await Dr. Posner’s recommendation to know how to proceed.

Mark and Hector head home to Panama today.  They will return next week to be here for Dr. Posner’s meeting on Friday.  In the meantime, Kelly is to lead a normal life while her wound continues to mend.  We will remain in Mountainville.  Kelly will start learning how to use the new school administration program called Admin Plus, Ani will begin work on our school yearbook, and I will be working on school business.  We have much to keep us busy.  And between it all, we are planning a bang-up Thanksgiving with family and friends from around the globe.

Now that things will calm down a bit and we’ll be home more, Ani will be able to post some of the many great photos the girls and Hector have taken.  Please keep us posted about the life in your worlds.  We miss Panama terribly and think about everyone all the time.  Your messages help keep us going (hits to Kelly’s blog now number above 12,419!).  And don’t forget, please continue with your prayers.  We want nothing less than a miracle, and lots of PMA will get us there!  We believe and feel that in our heart.

Big hug and kiss,

Mama Bear