Geoff

Anna Shearing, 62: woman of faith, actress, loving wife, mother, sister, aunt, and friend. Anna Yvonne (Carparelli) Shearing, a woman of remarkable talent, beauty, love, and faith, went on to be with the Lord on October 6, 2004 at Calvary (Hospice) Hospital in New York after a courageous battle with lung cancer. She was 62. Anna was born and raised in Bangor, Maine. She graduated from John Bapst High School, in Bangor, in 1961 and the University of Maine in 1965. While in college, Anna, who had always displayed a remarkable talent for the arts, began a promising acting career. She participated in summer stock companies and completed graduate work at the University of Michigan that, in turn, led to an acting fellowship at The Hillsbury Classic Theatre at Wayne State University. After graduation she was selected to join the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. and preformed there until her marriage. Anna married John A. Shearing in 1968. They had two sons, Geoffrey M. and James G. Shearing. Anna also raised Anne, Laura, and John, Jack’s children from a previous marriage. Anna devoted herself to her new family with great love and gave all she could to help them. Anna was especially interested in painting, interior design, and travel to Italy and Israel. However, she always seemed happiest when she was helping someone else. Anna was raised as a Roman Catholic and became a born-again Christian in 1983. Anna truly loved the Lord. Her Christian faith and spirituality were translated into action. She worked tirelessly for the Crisis Pregnancy Center philanthropy and contributed to many Christian groups. She was deeply involved with community Christian church groups wherever she resided. Her faith was a source of immeasurable strength and comfort to her and those around her. Anna’s legacy is the love and faith that she left her family and friends. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her. Anna has left firm friends in Hale’s Location, Plymouth, and North Conway, NH; New York City and Suffern, NY; and Port Murray, NJ. Her friends and relatives in Bangor, ME will miss her exceptional kindness, generosity and graciousness. She is survived by her husband, Jack; her children, Geoff, Jim, Anne, Laura, and John; eight grandchildren; her sister, Carmella, and her brother, Nick; and many nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations in Anna’s memory be made to any of the following organizations: Lung Cancer Support Community (www.lchelp.com), 112 Hollywood Boulevard, Euless, TX, 76040; Calvary Hospital Fund (www.calvaryhospital.org), 1740 Eastchester Road, Bronx, NY, 10461; or the LUNGevity Foundation (www.lungevity.org), 4541 N. Ravenswood Avenue, Suite 303, Chicago, IL, 60640.

Here is a good site for info: http://www.dendritic.info/ Check the trials section for trials

Hey Gang, I wanted to give everyone an update. Mom is resting fairly comfortably in the hospital. They are trying to straiten out her pain meds so that she is pain free but not wonked out. She has begun having lower back pain probably from the cancer so they will more than likely give her radiation for that. We are fortunate to have a big family so someone is with her 24/7. I’m still investigating treatment options and will probably get her on TM and phenylbutyrate. I’m also investigating the possibility getting her some Avastin. I think most of the Docs are not willing to give her interthecal chemo because she is so weak. Also she has already had WBR recently so they cant give her much more of that either. The Docs at Sloan have given her a prognosis of weeks and I and the family are waying quality of life issues. Prayer is my major source strength and hope. On the drive to the hospital yesterday I was praying as I usually do, and I noticed that the car in front of me had the license plate AMIRICL. God is good. All the best and prayers for all, Geoff Here is an abstract on the phenylbutyrate: Sodium 4-phenylbutyrate induces apoptosis of human lung carcinoma cells through activating JNK pathway. Zhang X, Wei L, Yang Y, Yu Q. Pulmonary Center, Department of Medicine, and Department of Biochemistry, Boston University Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02118. Sodium 4-phenylbutyrate (PB) has been used in the therapy of urea cycle defects for many years. Recently, it has been shown to cause cellular differentiation, growth arrest, and apoptosis in certain malignancies. We have analyzed the effects of PB on human lung carcinoma cells. PB has distinct patterns of effects on different lung carcinoma cells, inducing apoptosis in NCI-H460 and NCI-H1792 cells, causing G1 arrest in A549 and SK-LU-1 cells, but having no effect on a non-transformed bronchial epithelial cell line HBE4-E6/E7. We investigated the role of MAP kinase family members, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), JNK, and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), as well as other important cell survival signaling molecules in PB-induced apoptosis. We observed activation of JNK and ERK by PB in the lung cancer cells. JNK was activated only in the two apoptotic cells, whereas ERK was activated in both the apoptotic and the growth-arrested cells, demonstrating a correlation between apoptosis and activation of JNK in response to PB. Both JNK inhibitor and JNK RNA interference (RNAi) inhibited PB-induced apoptosis, whereas MEK inhibitor did not, supporting that apoptosis induced by PB is through activation of JNK. De novo protein synthesis is required for the PB-induced JNK activation and induction of apoptosis. However, the production of known upstream activators of JNK, namely Fas/Fas ligand, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, TNF-beta, and TRAIL, are not altered by PB treatment. Therefore, PB activates JNK through an unidentified and cell type-specific mechanism. Understanding of this mechanism is of therapeutic value in treating cancer patients with PB. Copyright 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Hello all, Mom is currently in Calvary Hospice Hospital because of her weakness due to the mets to her brain lining. We are starting Iressa tomorrow please pray that it does it’s job. All of our spirits are as good as can be expected. Calvary is an excellent place and the Docs and staff are some of the nicest I’ve met. I am also trying to line up immune system therapy if we get some success from the Iressa. As always thank you for the prayers, Geoff

Congratulations Peggy! God bless you and your husband both. Best, Geoff and Melinda

Hi all, Mom has started having trouble with her balance and memory. She is on neurontin so I hope that she is having side effects from that. I would appreciate it if you say a prayer so we can get this sorted out. Thanks and God bless, Geoff PS Melinda is on the mend and doing well.

All, I just found out that mom’s spinal MRI checked out clean. No evidence of cancer in the spinal column. This means that her brain is probably OK too. Obviously we are thrilled. She is still having problems swallowing but we have a prescription for a medication to treat thrush so hopefully that’s what it is. Thanks everybody for the prayers and support! Geoff

Thinking and praying for you Ray. Geoff

Thats great Cheryl, Melinda and I are praying for a good scan, and Happy Birthday! Geoff

Dear friends, Mom is out of the hospital and home. In a nutshell the Docs still aren’t really sure what’s going on. According to the MRI there may be a thickening of the brain lining near the back of mom’s brain. I have not actually read the report yet but our radiation onc (who I really respect) said that it was inconclusive. He ordered a MRI of mom’s spine (we’ll get the results next week) because apparently this type of met usually is associated with cancerous cells in the spinal fluid and there would be evidence of cancer in the spinal column as well. He is not anxious to rush into more brain radiation before more facts are in so we are in a wait and see mode, which is fine with me. We are also going to do some tests to see if the trouble mom is having with keeping food down is a form of thrush (yeast infection). I’d be really happy if it was because we need to get to the bottom of that issue. The good news is that the 4 brain mets that are left in mom’s brain are continuing to shrink! Thanks again for the prayers. They are really lifting us up. We are all in very good spirits and I am grateful to God and all here. My very best and prayers for all, Geoff

Angie, My heart goes out to you. I know that even though your dad is frustrated by this illness he knows that you love him, and that you did what you did out of love and concern. Hang in there, your doing the best you can. Prayers for you, your dad and the family, Geoff

Congratulations on finishing treatments Fay! Prayers for you as always, Geoff

Melinda and I are praying for your situation Betty. God bless, Geoff

Melinda and I are praying for your situation Betty. God bless, Geoff

Great news Ray! God bless you are certainly in my prayers. Best, Geoff