Beating Cancer

“OK. Thanks.”

“Itching is bad. CT scan showed abnormal growth in the Bone Marrow. Doctor said she's pretty sure its my BM Cells still regenerating from chemo but the itching bugs her. They drew 2 extra tubes of blood and are scheduling a PET Scan ASAP.

I'm gonna meet MarkO now. Too bad he's in a bar.

Peace.
last edited: 8/25/06 12:05:28 PM”

“I hope she's right about the regeneration and it turns out to be nothing. Maybe the itching is from all that barium?”

“Last time my dad had the barium he was itchy all over for a week.”

“Dang, bear!!!!
Barium from both ends!
Get well!!!!!!!!!”

“Thanks stovie. The itching may be from the barium but the Dr. never mentioned it as a possibility. Maybe because "diffuse" itching is so indicitive of Hodgkins. And she could not hide her concern.

Cancer sucks.”

“BE HEALTHY! That is all Tango has spoken!”

“My step father died of gastro-esophogeal cancer. My father-in-law survived spleen cancer. I hate cancer. Not quite as evil as HIV, but close. My uncle died of AIDS. Suck ass deaths run in my family. I guess I'm doomed. I'll do my best to fall off a cliff if I can.”

“Live Strong BearMagnet.

I can't think of a better thing to say.”

“I can't do one of the LIVESTRONG Rides this year, so no fundraising but this is a great way to give to the same cause.

Chris Brewer is a reporter for the Discovery Channel fan site, thepaceline.com. Chris has been working with Lance and the team since 1998. A cancer survivor and avid cyclist, he was a member of the 2003 Tour of Hope National Team. His brother died of stomach cancer just last Friday.
Read more and help send cancer survivors to the Ride For the Roses Weekend in Austin. Having been twice, it is a very moving and inspiring experience. Chris describes his effort below.

I was also diagnosed with advanced testicular cancer just two weeks after Lance was back in October 1996. As Lance and I celebrate our 10 year anniversaries later this year, I want to do something big in recognition of this significant survivorship milestone - and I need your help.

Ironically (destiny?) the big Ride for the Roses weekend will be held on my cancer diagnosis anniversary date, October 15. So as a way of celebrating and in conjunction with the Philadelphia LIVESTRONG Challenge (Sep8-9), we've created "Cb's Challenge: 10 for 10!"

It's a really cool idea: We have over 225,000 members registered here at ThePaceline.com. I'd like each one of you to consider donating just $10 (but more is good) to a central LIVESTRONG Challenge Account. Then - hoping that we'll get a good response - we'll try raise enough money to bring at least 10 deserving cancer survivors that you will nominate
to the Ride for the Roses weekend with Lance Armstrong.

In order to qualify for this amazing weekend we have to raise a minimum of $15,000 for the LAF for each person. So the target is to raise at least $150,000 and then divide that number up and bring these fine folks to Austin for an amazing weekend!

* Rest assured I will in no way, shape or form benefit from these donations (other than a huge feeling of appreciation) - it's all about celebrating survivorship in a very unique way and of course raising money for a great cause�

So here's the request I have for you: I'd like you to donate at least $10 so we can bring 10 great cancer survivors and give them the weekend of a lifetime. To do this, all you have to do is:

Donate here, or print form to mail

Chris Brewer
last edited: 8/26/06 9:17:00 AM”

“PET Scan Negative! Still some increased uptake but Bone Marrow almost normal again. Jesus #&%!$ing christ that sucked monkey butt! the abnormal CT scan, the itching, spiking a #&%!$ing fever or two. Survival odds suck ass if they didn't get all of it the first time. I'm thinking this gets easier, no?

Now if I could get rid of this infection I've been fighting since last Saturday all would be well.......fever, headache, nausea.......

Anyway, thanks for all your support, I think I might go vommit now.”

“Hang in there, bro.”

“Good deal (the results, not the vomiting!)”

“That's awesome BM!”

“awesome BM : perfectly round and four inches in diameter”

“whew...there's nothing like waiting for PET scan results, is there? I have a pretty good idea where you were at...the whole thing is made even tougher if you've got something else, like an infection...when the body is sick it is unbelievably hard to keep a positive attitude...at least for me it was...so, that's one more test down...now what?”

“My thoughts go out to you BM. stay strong bro.”

“Glad that the petscan came out well. I cant imagine going through what so many folks have.”

“Thanks for posting the good news.”

“Bear, good news and now hopefully your infection and fever will clear up.”

“We'll say a prayer for you BM :)”

“Good news!

We must get together some of the local clan and say hello!”

“Good Morning. Just woke up. Thanks everyone. I haven't had a drink in almost a week and am sooooooo tempted.

HOI - you paint such a pretty picture. :D”

“That's very good news, bearmagnet...you go boy! I bet that's a huuuge relief.

And hope you had a nice vomit.
;-)”

“Got my CT scan results last week. Turns out they were looking at stuff around my heart. CT confirmed an unusually large amount of fatty deposits around it. Some fatty deposits are normal, but even the amount I have "still doesn't explain your symptoms", according to the doc. Sigh. Back to square one again.

Glad to hear about your results, BM.”

“God rest ye all that suffer.
My stepmom and a niece are survivors.
We feel helpless, yet we can all do something to combat this disease.

I've taken up arms; my chosen battle is against the aftermath of chemo. I donated a lovely tail of blond hair on Tuesday that will make it's way to Locks of Love. I will do so again... and again.”

“Hang in their, bear.”

“You Kick all kinds of butt Bear! My thoughts are with you.

Darn Tech, but I have faith they'll find it (whatever it is) and You'll kick it's butt!!!”

“Thanks Tango.”

“You can sign up now to be informed of the 2007 Livestrong Challenges now. I just did. Location and dates to be determined.

My goals
$15,000
Form a Livestrong Cycling Team
5:45 Century
Qualify for the Ride for the Roses


http://www.livestrongchallenge.org/site/c.gfIMKVOEJsG/b.1421623/k.BD80/Home.htm

About the team, what do you think? A Spokane team or a cyber team?

names for a Spokane team.
LIVESTRONG Inland Empire
Spokane a Palouse Livestrong
Spoke-Can-A Palooza

or a TT team. ;-D

Recruiting Video, 2006:

http://www.unikron.com/play/play_display.cgi?speed=hi&id=events360
last edited: 9/11/06 11:05:48 PM”

“Mason's Ride for the Roses! Thursday, October 19, 2006

by Mason Swimmer / photos by Scott Swimmer
This past weekend I got to hang out with Lance!

Ever since I was diagnosed with cancer 2 1/2 years ago, my Dad’s been trying to hook me up with him. I didn’t really think it would happen and Dad did say, “Don’t hold your breath”, but dreams do come true! I got to ride with the man, and he’s totally cool.

Full Story, thepaceline.com”

“I saw on TV that Farah Fawcett is battling rectal cancer. They didn't say what stage it's at, but she's supposed to have chemo and maybe radiation.”

“Yeah, I love the stories of people who fight back.”

“I read this article in the Sunday paper yesterday that drinking alcohol "grows" cancer.

"New research at the University of Mississippi Medical Center showed that drinking alcohol spurred the growth of existing cancer in mice.

In the study, mice were given either water or water and alcohol for a month; in a week or two researchers injected them with melanoma. Mice that drank the human equivalent of two to four alcoholic drinks a day for a month had tumors twice as large as those in the water only mice.

Researchers explain that the alcohol spurred the development of new blood vessels needed to feed cancer---a process that's known as angiogenesis.

"Our message is simple" researcher Jian-Wei Gu told Science News. For someone with genetic signs of vulerability to any kind of cancer, No drinking."
last edited: 10/23/06 7:30:36 AM”

“:{”

“Bah Humbug! I gave up smoking, you can't take away my alcohol!

Besides how many peeps, as a percentage, don't have a predisposition to some type of cancer at some point?

They tested for melenoma only. That's a big leap, IMO.

IMO, the idea that you shouldn't consume sugar when you have cancer comes from that same thinking - it feeds cancer in that cancer cells intake sugars more than normal cells. It's incorrect thinking, IMO.”

“a doc once told my grandmother that if a person lives long enought, they'll eventually get cancer of some sort.”

“Also, 2-4 per day, that's alot of drinking. I probably average 2-3 per week.”

“They probably used melanoma since it's usually an aggressive cancer. Who knows what to make of a study like this since they are talking about mice not people. Although for some cancers alcohol is a risk factor just like tobacco, but that's for causing cancer to begin with, not accelerating its growth once it's present.”

“Also, 2-4 per day, that's alot of drinking. I probably average 2-3 per week.”
dayhiker
12:15:33 PM
10/23/06

I don't think that's too much....”

“I'm not sure this has been discussed here but last night I was thinking about it so I started to investigate. Leukemia/Lymphoma patients can never donate blood again under any circumstances. But I wasn't sure about Organ & Tissue donations. Especially, in my particular case, because my solid organs became "involved". There's a ton of confusing info on the internet regarding all cancers and donations, and I wasn't sure which source I could trust. So before I eliminated my Organ Donor status I decided to write the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society last night. Their reply:

The following information is from the website of Donate Life http://www.shareyourlife.org/ “Regardless of any pre-existing medical circumstances or conditions, determination of suitability to donate organs or tissue may be based on a combination of factors that take into account the donor's general health and the urgency of need of the recipient. This determination is usually done by the medical staff that recovers the organs or by the transplant team that reviews all of the data about the organ(s) or tissue that have been recovered from the donor.

We recommend that all individuals consider themselves potential organ and tissue donors, indicate their intent to donate by signing a donor card, and discuss their decision with family members. Transplant professionals will evaluate potential donors and determine suitability for donation of particular organs or tissue when the time for donation arises.”



According to UNOS http://www.unos.org/resources/donorManagement.asp?index=4 “Transmission of donor malignancies is rare with 18 cases from 34,933 cadaver donors and 3 cases from 32,052 living donors being reported to UNOS from 1994-2001 (1,2). Donors with past histories of certain types of cancers may be considered as donors (3) including certain types of primary CNS tumors (4). Tumors that pose a high transmission risk include choriocarcinoma, melanoma, lymphoma, and carcinoma of the lung, colon, breast, kidney and thyroid. High risk donors include glioblastoma multiforme, high grade astrocytomas, medulloblastomas, and any brain tumor donor who has undergone ventriculo-peritoneal shunting.”
last edited: 11/01/06 11:01:19 AM”

“Glad to see that info. I cring everytime I see this thread active. Hope everyone is doing well.”

“My guess is that the need for donor organs is so great, that it outweighs the risk of the recipient getting cancer from the organ itself. Most people waiting around for a liver, heart or kidney probably need one as fast as they can get it.”

“Yes, RichB. That brings up a potentially very hairy moral issue: Do I want to take the risk that my donated organs might give someone Cancer?

I wonder what the mortality rate is? I wonder if transplanted Cancer might be more lethal, kind of like Graft Vs Host Disease?”

“The recipient of the organ that came from a cancer patient is the one at risk, but the bottom line is they are already at risk of dying of organ failure from their orginal diseased organ. Even after they get the new organ, they have to take anti-rejection drugs for the rest of their lives, except for a bone marrow transplant, usually cyclosporine. That drug itself has a cancer risk associated with it and it says so right on the box. With a bone marrow transplant you only take it for a few months if you don't get graft Vs. host disease. I took it for a year because I did get graft Vs. host disease and because it weakens your immunity, it caused existing cancer to spread like wildfire right into my neck. It's a wicked drug, made from a mold spore and very expensive. It causes terrible side effects which can be anything from hand tremors to sore joints. I had all the side effects so I know what they are from experience and that drug sucks, but you need it so your stuck.

There's probably stats somewhere on mortality rates, but I don't get hung up on that stuff too much since everyone is an individual.”

“You're absolutely right. I won't sweat being an Organ Donor. Thanks.”

“BM...you know, I would take the chance of cancer if it bought me more time.”

“I agree with Rich and XL. Let the recipient and the doctor decide if its worth the risk. If you carry a donor card, you might want to include the information - but chances are someone would be able to inform the docs is the situation arose.”

“1 Year ago today Dani & I were laying in my hospital bed. I had just been given a preliminary/probable diagnosis of "Lymphoma" and I/we were wondering if I had maybe a few months to live

1 year ago today I gave up cigarettes

6 Months and 1 week since I've been in remission.

My wife and I had a wonderful day today. Hope yours was well. A toast to all. Cheers.”