The news today is that Jeffrey's cancer is inoperable, Stage IV lung cancer.
He begins a chemotherapy regimen tomorrow morning and radiation a few days from now. His doctor was non-specific about his chances of survival, and did not specifically call the treatment "palliative" but everything I've read about Stage IV indicates that "the aim [of treatment] is to control symptoms and maintain a good quality of life for as long as possible."
Continue to pray, and include my parents, if you will. They are strong, faithful Christians and are trusting the Lord, but they are - as you might imagine - devastated. Mom has always called Jeffrey the apple of her eye...he holds a uniquely special place in both their hearts.
14 comments:
So sorry to hear this, Lori. I'll continue to pray for Jeffrey and your family.
Your entire family will remain in our prayers.
I'm so sorry, Lori. I'll keep praying for all of you.
I thank God for you, my sisters in the Lord, and thank you for your prayers on my family's behalf.
Lori I'm sorry for this news. I have been praying for you guys and will continue to pray.
Much love,
Laura
Lori, we've been praying for your family every night. I am so sorry for your that you are all having to face such difficult circumstances. We will continue our prayers!
Oh, Lori! This is tough news indeed! Thanks for letting us know so that we can pray!
We're praying for you, your brother, and the rest of your family. May God give you all His peace.
Thank you all for your love and prayers.
Continuing to pray for all. Joanie
Lori, Chris & I will pray. We are sorry for all of you.
In Him, Chris & Marilyn B.
Not to be insensitive but when I hear of cases like this I can't help thinking about just how much money the medical industry makes off of cancer therapy. Is enough being done to find a cure for lung cancer? I don't know. I am also not trying to be faithless by suggesting this. We are all mortal and only have our faith to give us ultimate hope, that's for sure.
But I can't help offering alternative information since this is an area that I have gotten interested in in the past few years. Here's another document that could be of use to your brother:
Does Vitamin D Treat Cancer?
Well, Bobber, this is how I see it:
I am as skeptical of the vitamin industry as I am of the medical/pharmaceutical industry. Neither has a monopoly on greed, nor is either exempt from making what some would deem obscene amounts of profit on the backs of sick people.
The hearts of men are the same everywhere. I suspect that both industries have folks who are motivated by love for their fellow man and whose sole aim is to help. I also suspect that both have folks who could care about nothing more than gold-lined pockets.
Under other circumstances (such as early detection) I think it makes sense to pursue alternative options. I've seen them work in one case, and I've seen them fail in several others, but all options are worth consideration.
However, in Jeffrey's case, the cancer is so advanced and so incredibly aggressive, that there's not even time to look into alternatives. It's all about making him as comfortable as possible for as long as possible. Without immediate shrinkage of his tumors, he would likely not live more than a few weeks, if that.
So, thanks for caring, and I'll check out your link anyway (I looked at the others you sent previously). Take care.
Lori,
I'm very sorry to hear about your brother. We will be praying for him.
A couple of quick facts:
The combined profits of the Pharmaceutical industry is around 400 to 500 _Billion_!
Combined profits of the supplement industry is about 15 billion.
Quite a big difference there and as a result, the amount of influence exerted on doctors and the medical industry is drastically different. Just look around your doctors office the next time you visit and see if there are any ads for supplements. Also, look at research efforts and organizations and see how many supplement companies are involved compared to Pharmaceutical.
The links that I have shared with you are not by people who make individual supplements or work for supplement companies. They are people who are interested in digging and finding treatments that show promise and have discovered related reports of success in treating cancer. In particular, Dr. Cannell of the Vitamin D Council is a Psychiatrist who got interested in vitamin D during the course of his research with this vitamin in the area of mental illness. There is a tremendous amount of research into vitamin D that has occurred in the past few years. This information needs to get out to the general public and that's why Cannell started this organization.
Vitamins cannot be patented, that's the big difference. And that's why big companies do not pursue them. Profit margins are low. Scientists who work for the FDA and the NIH are frequently paid by the pharmaceutical industry and pay little attention to alternatives. It is unfortunate but thanks to the internet, information is available for people who are willing to look for it.
Post a Comment