I am back...

...was just taking a "vacation" from the blog. But I realize there are may people following it and wondering about it... and I wanted to THANK everyone for the support...

Last I spoke about new options perhaps or things that may help dad live a better everyday life.
We met with Karen, the nurse practitioner on Thursday August 19th. (we came to find out this past weekend, she attends our church as well- Saint Michael's- I thought it was neat to see her, she just had a surgery herself to remove skin cancer from her lip.) At the appointment we asked all the questions we had planned to ask. One was for physical therapist, and -guess what?- dad decides while I am asking her that he doesn't want physical therapy... GREAT!!! gr.. stubborn- he makes me angry sometimes... but OK... I will let it slide this time... lol
The other question was about 'Quadramet'- the radio active material to reduce pain in his bones- she said she will investigate on that and let us know next time we see the doctor, which is coming up Sept 9th. (I just can't believe it is September already!!)
Last question was pertaining to his red blood counts and bone marrow stimulants. I am so glad I asked- the same day he received a shot of it. This helped him for a couple days to feel more energy.

Their decision on treatment: Same, one more cycle of Velcade, Doxil, and Dexamethasone.

He started by doing velcade on the 19th. Last week he had doxil and velcade and this past Monday one more velcade. END of this cycle- THANK GOD!!

Dad is very weak right now. He was in bed 80% of the time last week- and this past weekend. He's been very nauseous, and very tired. He went two days without barely eating anything. Muscle atrophy is something we are very familiar with at this point. Dad's legs are skinnier then mine and he's lost more weight. Right now his weight is 62 Kilos or 136.5 pounds. His ideal weight should be at no less then 154 pounds. So we must work on adding those 20 pounds soon.

Although he is weak, and at times emotionally sensitive, he is sooooo incredibly strong- his faith, his strength is really something out of this WORLD. I thank God everyday for that.

I know this is taking a toll on all of us at home. If you never had anyone with a disease or disability at home you may not understand, but it takes a toll. WE are living with cancer, not just him- it is hard for some people to grasp that, unless they were going through the same thing. I know I would not be able to understand otherwise. We have our moments of great weaknesses. I try to live my life as normally as I can, but sometimes all of this hits me, and hits me hard inside.It is a feeling that I cannot describe- pure sadness- emptiness... It rips you inside. I carry this problem with me in my heart everywhere I go. I go to bed with it, I wake up with it, I exercise, eat, breath, drink, smile, party, work, live with it. But I let it out by crying, by praying- So I consider myself one of the luckiest persons alive.

I am so lucky because I have friends, family, love, support, faith... I am so lucky to be able to be next to my parents thru this. I am sooo lucky to be able to help as much as I can... I am so lucky to have people all around me that understand and want to help! I am lucky because during this journey I have met new friends- nurses, cancer patients, doctors, friends of friends, coworkers, people I wouldn't otherwise be blessed to know.... People that really make a difference in others lives. I have found inspiration, and motivation... So if you ask me how lucky I am, I would say I am so incredibly blessed! I think sometimes we are too busy with our everyday lives to count our blessings and thank God. But if we take a moment and think of our lives- do we recognize all of the blessings? They are all around us, as a matter of fact, WE are blessings...


Dad will draw blood next Tuesday to find out if the chemo has been effective or not, then Thursday we will find out from the doc what is next... He will have at least a 10 day break from the chemotherapy- time to renew, eat, exercise and get strong again!!!

KEEP praying!! - I will be going to Florida for the long weekend with Mike. But I will try and make a few more posts by the end of the week.
I just spoke with dad and he is feeling better then yesterday- See!!!! - Another blessing!!

Family visit...

**If that 'ain't' love, then I dont know what love is...**


*****Cheers!!!!******



***Goofball!!- Clive***

We had the pleasure of having Uncle Clive(dad's brother) and cousin Dudo in town for the weekend, they came to the US for business and stopped by Richmond for three days to spend time with us. Clive is funny, so we had our share of laughter this past weekend! :D
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DAD:
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Dad had an Ok weekend. Had moments of weakeness- he is very anemic. He wants to just lay down and sleep... But he was able to walk around the house, get on his office, and even left the house- on sunday we went to Williamsburg for a bit- he had to leave early, in pain! It was worth going, we had a great lunch together and spent time with family. It is good to see my dad out of the house!! He had pain, he was a bit nauseas,and he had a blister in his mouth and nose- this is taking quite a long time to heal, because his immune system is so impaired!
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THIS is the situation- dad is very anemic and he is weak. So I have spoken with Gamal, Minerva and my mom and discovered that there might be things he could be doing to help him raise his red blood counts. If dad's kidneys are working perfectly- which they seem to be, he can get an injection known as bone marrow stimulant- This helps the production of red blood counts. He can also get injectable B-12, which also helps in production of red blood counts and will boost his energy. So thursday when we go for the doctors appointment we will discuss such things.
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For the pain there is something called 'Quadramet'- radio active material- that can help decrease bone pain tremendously. Which is GREAT news- however this causes immune suppression, therefore his blood counts have to be at least close to 'normal'. MCV has a nuclear medicine department and we will also ask the doctor about Quadramet.
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Another point we will bring up will be for my dad to be more closely monitored. This is very important in his situation. We want to request a physical terrapist to come over the house three times a week and work with him, building his muscles and doing exercises that are sensitive enough yet provide him with more strenght. EXERCISE is essential to fight cancer!!

Until Thursday we will have no answer if any of these things can or will be done. But I sure know I won't be giving up on the ideas that quickly. I will gather facts and information and do the best I can to help him.

DANIEL:
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Daniel's ultimte decision is to keep his leg! :D I am so happy for that!

He is however in great amounts of pain. :( We will keep praying and thinking about him! He is strong and him and Vanessa make a wonderful couple!!!

Believe and continue the fight...

Dad

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Tuesday: Dad received chemotherapy today, even though he was very weak. We got results back from blood test and everything seems OK with his kidneys and pancreas, however the Protein count (cancerous cells) went up again from 3,900 to 4,700. He was at 7,000 when he was diagnosed and he's been down to 1,000 at the beginning of this year. This means chemotherapy he is currently taking is not doing the trick. His body is not responding to the chemo. What does that mean? We will be visiting the doctor on August 19Th to find out what the next approach is. Dad went back home from hospital and went straight to bed... He did not eat or drank anything and was nearly unresponsive. he slept all afternoon... We were thinking the next day we must take him to the hospital, he's in bad shape.
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So me and my mom decided to light up a candle and pray to Mother Mary- Our Lady of Fatima. With great faith we prayed and asked for her to bless and help dad...
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Wednesday: Miracles do happen! Thank you Mother Mary!!! Dad woke up another person, had a big breakfast, was walking around, talking to friends and family on skype and he sounded absolutely normal. He even watched part of Evan Almighty- funny movie- and was laughing...so good to see him like that!! If you were to see him Tuesday night and then on weds you would not believe that this was the same person... I hope more people BELIEVE, because it is just so pure, so amazing and so beautiful... I witnessed a miracle so from now on we will keep praying to Our Lady of Fatima by the use of the Rosary

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One of the three children who reported the Our Lady of Fátima messages stated that she was told by the Virgin Mary: "There is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary."

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Daniel

Daniel has received his Purple Heart and is in stable condition. His hand grafting went well and it will take approx. a month to heal and they have put artificial skin on his leg to cover the wounds... he is still in alot of pain, but it is being controlled with pain killers. He still has many procedures ahead of him, so we keep on praying and thinking about him constantly.

Its been a while....

...since I last updated the blog- sorry everyone- I needed a break- I needed to re-energize myself- was having moments of weakness...

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Dad-

Friday: He went to the hospital to have chemotherapy, he was still having pain, however the new approach to controlling his pain is working better for him.

Saturday: We all had dinner together and hung out at home together- I fell asleep on couch at 10:00 pm, so I am not sure about the rest of the night- but how great it was to finally get some rest!!!

Sunday: Dad woke up with good spirits, a little "drugged up", sometimes he makes no sense, but it is funny- you have to have fun with your situation- at least try to. Jonathan, Sarah, Me, Mike, Nessa, mom and dad all went to Lake Anna to spend a couple hours on dad's new boat!! It was scary at first to take him out there, since he is a bit weak and fragile, but with great care we were able to be out on the boat for a good hour and half. We stopped by Lake Anna Cabana Restaurant for some fish and chips- dad's fave!! and it was delicious, aside from the hour wait to be seated and me almost passing out from heat exhaustion- that was really scary. I have low blood pressure and sometimes I cannot take heat for long periods of time. But a little bit of salt and lots of water later I was feeling like new!! Mom and dad left right after lunch around 3:00, it was already a long day for dad, but he had a good time. I will post some pictures here soon of our adventure.

The boat failed on us right after they left- isn't it amazing how things happen at the right time? We called Bass Pro Shop, where the boat was purchased at and they said there is a recall on the part that failed on the engine. We had to leave- oops no water tubing this time- maybe next weekend...

We all were exhausted by the end of the night and got some rest.

Monday: Dad woke up with just a little bit of pain, but he was shaking, his urine was dark, and he was feeling light headed- We arranged to take him to the doctor at noon- He went and they did an extensive blood test and gave him lots of IV fluids- I was suspecting he was very dehydrated. They say the pain near his stomach and chest may be a pancreas inflammation- a side effect from the new chemotherapy (Doxil). We are waiting for blood test results which will come today- Tuesday- when dad goes in for more chemotherapy. Until then we keep on praying and staying positive!!

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Staying positive is the way to go. I have been having a really hard time the past few weeks with everything that is going on. I had several break downs (away from dad), but I was able to lift my head again- thanks to the AMAZING support of friends and family. I think that aside from praying one must stay positive and try their best to see the positive in every situation as hard as that may be.

If my Dad can go everyday being positive, I think any of us can do the same. His strength, his belief and his positive spirit is something out of this world. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! So thank you Dad for teaching us something everyday, and for sharing this with so many. We all look up to you and I just pray that I will one day be as incredible as you are. I love you!!

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Daniel-

Last week they found a blood clot in his right leg(the good leg) and also found fluid pockets. They took care of it and gave him blood thinner for a couple days. This past weekend he was coughing a lot and having a hard time breathing, they suspect the blood clot went to one of his lungs. However he is now stable and able to breath normally.

Daniel was in the OR (operating room) for nearly 12 hours yesterday. They did his hand grafting and worked on his left leg some. We still do not know what the decision is for his leg. But I will keep everyone posted. I will try to update blog everyday.

Today- Tuesday, Vanessa went back to Maryland to see him, he will be receiving his 'Purple Heart' today. The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military.

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Purple heart:

Type: Medal

Eligibility: Military Personnel

Awarded for: "Being wounded or killed in any action against an enemy of the United States or as a result of an act of any such enemy or opposing armed forces"

Thanks to all of the Heroes! Stay strong Daniel. We love you!

Difficult days...

DAD- He's been on chronic pain, and yesterday it was extra painful. He woke up with so much pain, he couldn't move. Breakfast in bed it was... After a little while he was able to get up and go to the hospital for his Chemotherapy. While in the hospital they had to inject him twice with morphine to control his severe pain, which is now located on his chest and legs. He had an OK evening. The nurse asked him to take Advil as well, because it "may" be an inflammation. You see, I am not OK with the "MAY BE this" "May be that" analogy anymore... I want answers- "Maybe" they should take a closer look? run exams? As much as I am terrified of hospitals I think my dad could benefit being hospitalized, so they can see for themselves the pain he goes through everyday and "maybe" they will run more tests on him to help control his pain...

Gamal (Mike's dad) suggested a PET scan.--Positron emission tomography (PET) is a nuclear medicine imaging technique which produces a three-dimensional image or picture of functional processes in the body. (he is a nuclear medicine doctor and works with PET scans on many cancer patients.) He said my dad may benefit from this, since we do not know the cause of his pain, this may give some answers.

They made an appointment for him finally with a Pain Management Team this coming Thursday. Alleluia! Let's just hope they may have some answers... we wait anxiously...

DANIEL- Is making a decision about his leg today. To salvage or to amputate? This has got to be one of the hardest decisions one has to make... I couldn't even begin imagining. I ask God to give him guidance during this difficult time and that he may make the right decision...

Daniel, no matter what the decision is, we will be here to fully support you... we continue to think about you everyday and I can't wait to see you. Stay strong and soon you will be good again! Sending much love and positive energy your way!!

Good weekend... good old friends....

DAD- Started his new cycle of chemotherapy this past Friday. He questioned the doctor about his pain in the legs, so he decided to take a look at X-rays from two weeks ago and said they do not see any fractures, and that they don't even see any spots- no spread of disease- GOOD news!!! We will hopefully do more tests to find out why he has so much pain in his legs. The nurse said it may be a side effect of Doxil- the new chemotherapy he just started with. He is still monitoring his pain on daily basis with Methadone and Morphine.
He has been taking Decadron- steroid - as part of his treatment- I call it the "talkative pill"- ha ha, if you were around him when he is on it you would understand why I call it that...

Unfortunately mom and dad were unable to attend Karina's wedding this past Saturday(which was absolutely beautiful!!), and speaking on the behalf of everyone, they were greatly missed. However they had the visit of Cristina & Gerson Assman, Jacque & Roberto Seibel, and Tina & Jorge Jorge for lunch on Sunday. It is so amazing to have friends you know will be there no matter what life brings you... WE are blessed to have them and it was just like old times. Friends you may not speak to everyday or even every month or year, but you can just sit down with them and pick it up where you left off last time...

I was very pleased to know that we have friends from all over the world following this blog and praying and cheering for my father. Thank you Gerson for forwarding this to so many!! And thank you everyone for the amazing support!

We will all be missing the ones who left us behind in good OLE' RICHMOND... ;) So hurry and come back soon!!

DANIEL- Is out of ICU. It seems like there might be hope for him to salvage his leg. Doctors are meeting up to chat and make a decision, which hopefully will take place this week. He will be doing skin grafting on his left hand and his face is looking good, no major scars. We are all praying for Daniel's full recovery! Stay strong Daniel we love you!!!