June 30th Update

June 30, 2014 Update

Hello everyone, This is Joy writing. I thought I would write an update on my Dad to keep you all in the loop. 

But first here is a picture of him with his newest granddaughter Shay! :) AWWWW! 

Okay.....

So, my Dad hasn't been able to go to work for a few weeks now because of his blood levels. One week his immunity will be great but his platelets (that help to clot your blood) will be too low to risk getting cut or hurt at work. Or his immunity will drop. This fluctuation isn't normal in most patients that go with the medical route of chemo, pills, etc. This has his cancer doctors baffled because they expected his blood to go so crazy with Leukemic cells that a bone marrow transplant would be the only answer. However, since Dad has chosen to go the alternative route of taking enzymes, vitamins, and bloodroot his blood levels are getting better! It's going to take time for them to stabilize (at least two months) but he is making small improvements that we were told were impossible from the cancer doctors! 

God is so good! 

My Dad has another blood test tomorrow (the 1st). Please pray that his levels will be good enough for him to return to work. The stress of this process has really gotten to my parents. My Dad really wants to get back to work and my Mom is trying to make sure Dad takes all his enzymes, eats when he should, rests when he needs it, keep the budget, and so much more. I think Mom needs prayer and support just as much as Dad does. 

Along the lines of how you can help, please keep praying. We know that "where two or three come together in HIS name, HE is there!" God can do anything and without Him we are nothing. So pray, pray, pray!! You can also repost this blog and the fundraising site on your Facebook pages, twitter, or email it. We want to gain more awareness within the Christian body. And finally if you haven't already, you could help by giving financially. No one dreads asking for money as much as my Dad does. But we truly need help. His pills that he takes every day, multiple times a day, and increases in amount every day, cost my parents OVER $1,000 A MONTH! That is a lot of extra money to pay. Please visit the How You Can Help page for a link to his fundraising site and other ideas. 

Matthew 18:20New International Version (NIV)

20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

The shortened story thus far...

Steve's diagnosis came in January of 2011 after months of not feeling well. He had been struggling with learning new concepts, a shorter attention span, and pains in his arm and eventually his chest. Also, his joints began to hurt more and more and even had bruising on his body.

He was rushed to the hospital near the end of January because of chest pains. After hours of putting him through heart testing the blood test came back with extreme amounts of immature white blood cells. It was then he was diagnosed with CML Leukemia. CML stands for "Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia".

His doctor started him on a drug that would attack the rogue chromosome and inhibit the "BCR-Able" malfunction. The drug lasted just over 2 years.

April/May of 2012, Steve fell out of remission and the doctor started the second drug. After a few weeks of complications, Steve reacted well with the second drug. Unfortunately, this inhibitor only lasted 1 year.

NOW, Steve is out of remission again with his bone marrow even weaker. His immune system has been too low to go to work or be around crowds. He has been advised by his oncologist to switch to another drug, plus visit a Bone Marrow Transplant Hospital. He had the appointment and the information was very disheartening.  The transplant would consist of a year off of work, only receiving 60% of his pay. He would be in one room for 4-6 weeks because of the high chance of infection. They would flush his marrow out completely with chemo and radiation, and then put the donors marrow into his blood to begin producing new marrow in his bones. He would then have to take anti-rejection drugs and anti-biotics to keep him alive and have around the clock care for months. Little by little he would be weaned off of the anti-rejection drugs. Every year of survival would be cause for celebration as CML patients only have a 20% chance of surviving the bone marrow transplant process.

Finding a donor is another hurdle. Steve's siblings had the highest chance of being a match, and even that chance was only 25%. All 3 of his siblings were tested and none of them are enough of a match. The next step would be to open up the search to the National Blood Bank of willing donors.

On the other hand, Steve has started nutritional and alternative measures to help kill the cancerous cells and give his body life. He has ceased the conventional protocol (some of that due to a delay in the new drug arriving). He has another blood test this week and if he has optimistic results then he will continue to naturally kill his cancer and will not take the new drug. Each time Steve's body rejects one of the drugs and starts another one, his cells and his bone marrow weakens and if his cells and marrow continue to weaken then he'll have an even lower chance to beat this disease.

Where Steve is now is very scary. His life is on the line. We're asking for PRAYER, WISDOM, and HEALING. There is more out there than the traditional way. More than we ever knew! There are many doctors taking an alternative approach toward body alkalinity and nutrition instead of chemo, radiation, and surgery as the way to fight cancer.

We are under a lot of stress, emotions, and concerns. We need God's guidance and answers. THANK YOU all for your love, friendship, prayers, help, and resources. We know you care!

For ways to help us through this you can click on the tab "Ways to Help."