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Results so far
By Margot | March 14, 2008
Dr. Willert called this morning and gave us results so far: Sam’s bone marrow is positive. Barely positive, but barely positive with neuroblastoma is like being barely pregnant. His HVA is 11.6 (down) and VMA is 6.3 (up). The MRI showed no abnormalities – a good thing but she doesn’t know how far it went up the femur. The MIBG is next Friday and we’ll learn a lot more then. Neil expected that it might be positive because as he says “with relapsed kids you always have to assume there is some sort of disease there.” I want to be the ostrich with her head in the sand and assume there is no disease there. But now there is no need for assumptions because we have concrete results. I guess if I stretch my ability to be Pollyana to it’s limits, I can say that at least Dr. Sholler will be able to grow Sam’s cells and we can get characteristics from Dr. Brown at MD Andersen. As much as it will be useful, I so didn’t want success on this one.
Sam’s copper levels are back up – a good thing for his bones.
We are leaving for Arizona in a few hours to go see spring training and I have to get to packing and then meet Sam and his class up at the park for an Easter egg hunt. Â I’ll post more next week when we get back.
 Margot
Topics: Progress Reports | 9 Comments »
March 14th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
I was so hoping for negative, negative, negative. Still, we are glad to hear of lifting copper and a trip to spring training. have fun.
VB
March 14th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
Crap…. Crap…Crap…..
thinking about you all…
March 14th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
DARN IT!!!!!!!!! Thinking of you all.
March 14th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
Hi,
Despite this news I believe Sam will beat this. Stay positive. I will help in any way I can. All my love, prayers and hope for Sam and your family.
John
March 15th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Ahh. Theres that Damn “Stomach flip flop.” Were pullin’ for all of you and esp. Little Sam. He has had such a great smile on his face the past few days. Have a great spring break. Go Giants!!
Rebecca Storch
March 16th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Sending you love and prayers!
Angela
March 17th, 2008 at 11:39 pm
Dear Margot, Neil and Gang,
We will be praying for you with the MIBG! I know how stressful it can be. I love the pictures of the boys with skateboards! Brian has really gotten into that since we finished chemo in January.
Wishing you the best,
Elena Briscoe and Briscoe Gang
March 20th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Hope & Prayers for Sam and all of you.
March 26th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
We are a Canadian family that moved to Israel 1.5 years ago. After 1 year, our youngest daughter (almost 3 years old) was diagnosed with neuroblastoma Stage 4 and given no chance for survival. She had tumours all through the bones, in her head and a large growth in her lower jaw (nothing in the stomach). Everything about her condition was rare and difficult to treat.
Yesterday, we got the results of her MIBG following the bone marrow transplant. She appears clear of cancer and is on the road to recovery. Also yesterday, we were handed your article in the Wall Street Journal by a neighbour who had been ‘saving’ it for us.
In brief, I’d like to share with you how we saved our daughter’s life and how we continue to treat her daily in the hopes that we can possibly help you, as well.
My husband is a physician of 30 years and had been treating cancer a little in his practice in Toronto. Over the years, he has become an orthomolecular physician, joining the ranks of those treating illnesses and disease with vitamins and supplements, minerals and natural hormones.
When the doctors in Israel and throughout North america offered no hope, we took matters into our own hands. (in addition to traditional treatment)
My husband has been coming at it from different angles using combinations of supplements that work together and enhance the effectiveness. We work at improving her immune system, for example. We try to get the cancer cells to change into normal cells.
We have been using intravenous Vitamin C throughout (in the privacy of our home) and adding K3 to her cocktails, to enhance the effectiveness.
My main reason for writing is to emphasize the following: My husband has researched extensively and is fully confident in our daughter’s treatment plan. We have no fear whatsoever that her taking vitamins, etc. could in any way interfere with the drug treatment. He has todate not come across any studies demonstrating that to be the case. Of course, he is a physician and knows what he’s doing. He is very careful to work together with chemotherapy etc. and to avoid anything that he feels could potentially pose a problem. He kept her treatment safe but very aggressive. It was her only hope for survival. That was clear.
They didn’t expect her to live through the initial 10 rounds of chemo.
We stopped our lives and devoted the past 7 months only to her healing.
Again, in the event that you have not heard from others who put all their faith (and knowledge) into vitamins and supplements (by the way, all medically, scientifically proven, nothing we do is alternative medicine) I felt the need to share our story.
Our daughter receives between 30-40 items in her cocktail daily. And the more we research, the more we keep adding, and the better she seems to do.
I hope this has been some help to you.
Good luck and have faith.
Maya Litman
Meitar, Israel