InCalifornia

GOD BLESS YOU! I'LL KEEP YOU ALL IN MY PRAYERS! STAY STRONG! ESTRELLA

YOU ARE AN AMAZING GROUP OF PEOPLE! I WILL BE FOREVER GRATEFUL TO THIS BOARD! YOU ARE ALL IN MY PRAYERS! LOVE U ALL ESTRELLA IN CALIFORNIA

Hello everyone I don't post here very often but I do visit the forum on a daily basis. I wanted to tell you all that my brother lost the battle with NSCLC (which had metastasized to the brain almost a year ago) Last august 2005' we were told that he wouldn't live longer than 3 months due to the multiple brain tumors he had... Well *the doctors were wrong*.... he almost lived a year since the brain metastasis finding... He was on Tarceva for almost a year and he never knew that the cancer had metastasized to the brain... He was such a fighter and he truly believed that he would eventually win this battle...I personally feel grateful that GOD gave us all those extra months with him... We were able to enjoy him for all those months and he was able to do so many things he wanted to do...I was holding his hand when he took his last breath... The tumors took his vision, paralized him, and also made him unable to talk but he never lost his hearing, and we were there for him 24/7 giving him all the care, love and support he needed... A week ago he told me that he was ready to see GOD's face and that he was ready to go, so I knew that he was not afraid... Our brother was a devoted christian, a wonderful husband, a loving father, a terrfic brother, uncle, etc and most of all "The best friend you could ever have"... I will miss him so much, (he was only 55 years old, way too young) but I do get comfort knowing taht he is in a much better place, that he is not longer in pain and that I will eventually see him again... He told me that we are just passengers in this journey called earth but that sooner or later we would arrive to our destination... I'm so happy to know that he is already there, with the LORD! I'll keep you all in my prayers and DON'Tt ever give up!!!

I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT I WILL BE PRAYING EXTRA HARD FOR YOU... AND PLEASE KEEP A POSITIVE ATTITUDE, I HAVE TALKED TO A COUPLE OF PEOPLE THAT HAD BRAIN METS AND ARE DOING WELL NOW, SO PLEASE BE READY TO FIGHT THIS AND DON'T LET THE "NEW FINDING" GET YOU DOWN! OUR BROTHER HAS BRAIN METS (OVER 15) AND HE IS STILL HERE WITH US, (HE IS TAKING DECADRON, DILANTIN AND FOUND OUT THIS MORNING THAT THEY WILL CONTINUE GIVING HIM TARCEVA, (BECAUSE HE IS DOING WELL WHILE HE'S BEEN ON IT)... WE HAVE SO MANY PEOPLE PRAYING FOR HIM AND I KNOW THAT GOD ANSWERS PRAYERS!... AND NOW I WILL BE PRAYING SO MUCH FOR YOU TOO! GOD BLESS YOU!

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE OF YOU THAT HAS KEPT OUR DEAR BROTHER IN YOUR PRAYERS. I DON'T POST HERE THAT OFTEN BUT I WANTED TO TELL YOU ALL, THAT OUR BROTHER IS DOING SURPRINSINGLY WELL, CONSIDERING THAT THE DOCTORS HAVE TOLD HIM THAT HE HAD ONLY 3 MONTHS TO LIVE... AS YOU ALL KNOW HE HAD MULTIPLE BRAIN TUMORS (METS FROM LUNG CANCER)... IT'S BEEN 4 MONTHS ALREADY AND HE IS STILL HERE WITH US, HE IS STILL TAKING DECADRON... AND NOW THEY HAVE ADDED DILANTIN TO CONTROL THE SEIZURES HE WAS HAVING... TODAY, AFTER HIS CHECKUP HIS DOCTOR SAID THAT HE WOULD CONTINUE GIVING HIM TARCEVA, BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN WORKING FOR HIM... LIVER IS WORKING OKAY... HE CAN WALK AGAIN, HAS MORE ENERGY, BRAIN ACTIVITY SEEMS NORMAL... HE HASN'T HAD ANT PROBLEMS WITH SPEECH, OR MOTOR SKILLS, BALANCE, MEMORY... HE SEEMS TO BE GETTING BETTER!....EVEN HIS DOCTOR CANNOT BELIEVE HOW WELL HE IS DOING!... IT'S A MIRACLE! GOD DOES ANSWER PRAYERS! PLEASE CONTINUE PRAYING FOR HIM!... THIS IS A MIRACLE! PS: ALL OF YOU HERE BATTLING THIS DISEASE ARE IN MY PRAYERS AS WELL.... GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

Thank you for all the prayers!!! You are an AMAZING group of people, GOD BLESS YOU ALL! Answering some of the questions. They told us that his primary tumor (on the right lung) has shrank but is still there, and the MRI taken back in March showed 3 new nodules inside the "left lung". The oncologist said that he has multiple brain lesions on both hemispheres of the brain, also back of the head and front (forehead) and they already have given him everything available (chemos) and there hasn't been much difference...He ahs 2 new huge lumps under the arms (axilla area), the doctor is surprised that he is functioning well, because according to the amount of tumors he has, he should have been blind, paralized, and probably dead by now. He has been taking Decadron daily (for over 3 months) and just Tarceva... He is a walking miracle... He is extremmelly swollen, especially from the steroids and his head is Huge (like a pumpkin) but I believe is from the swelling that the tumors are causing... He has a lot of rash (pimple like) on his face, and body but those are side effects from Tarceva... Lately he has been showing signs of neurological problems such as shaking a lot... When he sleeps, one side of his body will tremble a lot (right side) and then stops and again it will continue with the left side... I don't want him to suffer and he doesn't know that many of those symptoms are from the brain tumors, his wife decided not to tell him! PS: The doctors have said that there's nothing else they can do for him at this time... He has tried almost everything! and his cancer is too agressive! Please keep him in your prayers and thank you so much for all the replies!

He was given only weeks to live (over 3 months ago) He is taking Tarceva (he has multiple brain tumors) side efefcts are minimal (just skin rash and diarrhea at times) I believe that Tarceva has kept him stable!!! God Bless!

Hello Everyone:-) I believe the last time I posted here was around the first week of August 2005, when our brother was told that he had a few weeks to 3 months to live. He was diagnosed with NSCLC in September 2004... The primary tumor was huge (right lung) inoperable and was compressing the heart. He was treated with radiation first to shrink the tumor and a combination of Cyplastin and something else (can't recall the name).... Unfortunately the chemo was cancelled due to low blood counts... When he was feeling better they started him on taxotere... He was only able to do 3 treatments (out of 6) and developed pneumonia... He was in the hospital for almost 3 weeks with pneumonia.... and finally was given blood transfusions in order to get rid of it since he was not responding to any of the antibiotics... When he got healthier they started him om Alimta... He was bale to complete the Alimta treatment but unfortunately right after he was finished with the treatment he ended up in the hospital due to neurological problems.... At the time we didn't know if "what he was experiencing" were side effects of ALIMTA or maybe it was something else... I had my own suspicions that the cancer might have spread to the brain. His legs were numb, he was nauseated a lot, started losing his balance, would become disoriented, he was trembling/shaking and eventually starting having seizures, also a lot of pressure and pain on the forehead and right eye was painful to the touch... also he had blurry vision from that eye! At the ER they confirmed that the ct scan showed lesions to the brain. He tehn was admitted to the hospital and the next morning an MRI wa done to the head... The doctor called us that evenning in his office and told us that our brother had multiple braim tumors and that there was nothing they could do at this time and that he had less than 3 months to live. We were devastated... In total shock! (This happend on August 1st 2005) He doesn't know he has those brain tumors, his doctor gave him radiation to the brain also started him on Decadron for the brain edemas, and decided to give him a chemo on a pill form called TARCEVA... Up to this date our brother is still alive, still walking, still functioning, his brain activity is normal, he is still takinfg decadron daily and he is on he is bout to complete his second month of tarceva... Everyday is a gift.... He has a lot of sypmtoms now such as muscle pain, his walking has slowed down quite a bit, he has shaking periods, he feels llots of pressure on his forehead and right eye..,, But he still alive,it's been over 3 months and I still BELIEVE with all my heart that GOD can change all of this in the blink of an eye.... PLEASE KEEP HIM IN YOUR PRAYERS!!!! EVERYDAY IS A GIFT AND I WANT HIM TO ENJOY MANY MORE DAYS WITH ALL OF US THAT LOVE HIM!!! GOD BLESS YOU ALL!!!

HELLO EVERYONE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE RESPONSES AND PRAYERS!!! OUR BROTHER IS FEELING A LITTLE BIT BETTER... THEY HAVE DECIDED TO GIVE HIM 12 RADIATION TREATMENTS TO ALLEVIATE SOME OF THE PAIN CAUSED BY THE TUMORS... HE HASN'T HAD ANY SEIZURES SINCE HE GOT OUT OF THE HOSPITAL...AND THE PAIN BEHIND THE RIGHT EYE HAS DIMINISHED QUITE A BIT! HE IS ALSO RECEIVING DECADRON FOR THE EDEMAS INSIDE THE BRAIN CAUSED BY THE TUMORS AND IT SEEMS TO BE DOING ITS JOB! HE ACTUALLY LOOKS GOOD AND HAS BEEN ABLE TO WALK WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF A WALKER.... I KEEP ASKING THE LORD FOR A MIRACLE... AS YOU ALL KNOW HIS LUNG CANCER WAS ALREADY ON STAGE IV (PRIMARY TUMOR OF THE RIGHT LUNG/INOPERABLE)WHEN IT WAS DISCOVERED AND HE HASN'T RESPOND TO ANY TREATMENT... HE HAS NEW NODULES ON THE LEFT LUNG AND METASTASIS TO THE BRAIN...SO WE WERE TOLD THAT THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NOTHING THEY CAN DO RIGHT NOW... WE ARE JUST HOPING FOR A MIRACLE FROM OUR GOD!!! THANK YOU FOR THE PRAYERS AND I TRULY BELIVE THAT GOD CAN CURE EVERY CANCEROUS CELL IF IS THAT HIS WILL!!! PLEASE CONTINUE PRAYING FOR HIM AS I WILL CONTINUE PRAYING FOR YOU ALL!!! GOD BLESS! STAR

I hope some of you remember me, since I haven't had the time to post lately... Our brother has NSCLC diagoned last August. He reeceived Radiation- Cyplastin- Taxotere- and this last chemo was Alimta!!! Lastnight I found out that Alex has multiple tumors in his brain... Too many to count!!! He's been given anywhere from one week to 3 months at the most to live. My eyes are swollen from so much crying... I feel shaky, restless, so confused and the pain is so much more intense than I have ever imagined!... than I have ever anticipated! All along I knew that his cancer didn't have a good prognosis cause it was found too late, the tumor on his lung was already the size of a lemon and on stage IV when they found it, but I kept thinking that the radiation and the chemo would somehow decrease the size of it... and would become operable... Since his diagnosis, I have been searching in the internet for the best treatments for him, I have also been praying and asking the LORD to heal him... Lastnight Dr. Sapras came to see him (I was in the room with him).... I kept looking at the doctor's face while he was examining Alex... (he had this look of compassion on his face, like he wanted to say a lot but couldn't)... Alex arms were shaking from the seizures, his entire face has a tremor, his legs make this unvoluntary movement and is so obvious to me... that the final days are arriving quick... How can this monster *CANCER* can progress so quickly?... How can this horrible disease take over his entire body at this speed?... I saw him preach at our church JUST a week ago and now he is lying down in a hospital bed, losing little by little every body function! The doctor left the room after throughly examining Alex.... Soon after there was a ring... I went to answer the phone and it was the doctor... He wanted to see the family in his office... He had the MRI's results.... Isabel (Alex wife) and I went in there... Dr. Sapras said that he had the worst news ever... He said that Alex MRI showed multiple tumors on his brain, too many to count... that there was absolutely NOTHING they could do now... I was shaking... I somehow always knew that these new syptoms he had been experiencing were the result of a possible brain tumor... but NOTHING COMPARES to that the CRUEL REALITY, especially when it has been confirmed by his doctor. Isabel and I broke down... The doctor kept saying how very sorry he was! My brother in law is one of the "best human being" I have ever met, he has been "instrumental" in my life... He is my husband's best friend, my kids favorite uncle.... Alex is a man of GOD... He has been a devoted christian most of his entire life... He has taught me so much about humanity, love and faith... He is without a doubt one of the kindest man I have had the pleasure to know and I just cannot bear the thought that this cancer will take his life.., The doctor said that they were going to start giving him shots to relieve the pressure from the brain, and also shots for the pain and seizures... He can lose any range of things at any given time now... And he already has.... His mobility is deteriorating every passing hour and the uncontrollable trembling of his extremeties are not being controlled efficiently with the shots given...motor skills, sight, hearing, memory, will be going slowly ever passing day.... He has no way of telling what will go first... I am so extremelly SAD... I'm so extremelly DEVASTATED.... I stayed lastnight till close to 11:00 pm in his room at the hospital, my husband was there too... I hadn't had any sleep since last saturday... So after massaging his aching body, I left the place only to drive for almost an hour in total desbelief and despair... When I came home my son was waiting for me, he came to lie down with me, gave me water, held my hand, hugged me while I was praying aloud to GOD for Alex... I opened the bible page ramdonly and pointed at a scripture... He read it for me... held me while I was crying... and I passed out from exhaustion!!! Today is another day... Another prayer... I will be cooking something that Alex enjoys... and bring it to him later... I'm glad that his diet is not restricted.... Alex doesn't know the latests results... and his wife decided not to tell him... What for?.... We have decided to enjoy every minute with him... Wait for the LORD to do his will, share time with him as much as we can.... He doesn't need to know... His spiritual life and faith is something that he always has on the right track... telling him now will only make his last days even more unbearable... so we are just living day by day and cherish him as much as we possible can before he is too sick to even recognize us! I STILL BELIEVE MORE THAN EVER THAT "HE IS IN GOD'S HANDS" AND IF GOD'S WILL IS TO HEAL EVERY BAD CANCER CELL, HE DEFINITELY WILL!!!.... GOD IS THE SAME GOD THAT RAISE THE DEATH, CURE THE SICK AND GAVE HIS LIFE FOR US....AND THAT GOD... IS THE ONE WE BELIEVE IN... MY SAVIOUR IS THE SAME ONE THAT WALKED ON THIS EARTH MANY-MANY YEARS AGO... HE IS STILL WITH US NOW... AND HE WILL BE FOR ETERNITY!!! WE NEED LOTS OF PRAYERS!!! THANK YOU

God Bless You all! InCalifornia >(VALERIE)

Some info on my email I have everything necessary *Thank God* to proceed with City of Hope here in Cal. We will be taking my brother there assoon as we're done with all teh paperwork! THANK GOD FOR THE INTERNET!

DEAR PEOPLE FROM THIS BOARD, IN MY PREVIOUS POSTS I HAVE STATED THE CONDITION OF MY BROTHER...AFTER ALL OF YOUR ADVICE, WE HAVE DECIDED TO TAKE HIM TO A DIFFERENT CANCER CENTER AND SEEK OTHER OPINIONS, I CANNOT BEAR LOSING HIM TO THIS DISEASE...HE WAS DIAGNOSED LAST AUGUST AND THEY ARE ALREADY SAYING THAT AFTER ALMITA NOTHING ELSE CAN BE DONE...THEY HAVEN'T DONE ANY MRI'S OR CT SCANS FOR A WHILE NOW...THESE PEOPLE HAVE FAILED TO GIVE HIM TEH BEST TREATMENT..EVEN IF WE HAVE TO PAY CASH, WE ARE WILLING TO TAKE HIM SOMEWHERE ELSE... HE IS BEING TREATED IN A CANCER CENTER IN FOUNTAIN VALLEY...NOT THE BEST TREATMENT! FOR THE ONES THAT LIVE IN CALIFORNIA... WHERE IS THE BEST LUNG CANCER CENTER WHERE WE CAN TAKE HIM? HOW DO WE GO FROM HERE? CAN YOU PROVIDE SOME NAMES AND PHONE NUMBERS? I'M LOSING SLEEP OVER THIS, CANNOT EAT, I'M STRESSED OUT TO THE MAX... BUT I WON'T STOP FIGHTING FOR HIM! THERE IS A GOD THAT I BELIEVE IN AND I KNOW HE WILL OPEN DOORS FOR US! THANK YOU AHEAD OF TIME...YOU CAN EMAIL ME PRIVATELY IF YOU WANT! YTMO2002@YAHOO.COM GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

I WILL START MAKING PHONE CALLS RIGHT NOW AND SEE IF ANOTHER DOCTOR CAN SEE HIM! I'M PRAYING FOR ALL OF YOU NICE PEOPLE! GOD BLESS YOU ALL<3

You are in my prayers now and always!...I hope you continue cancer free for teh rest of your life God Bless you:-)