Hope

"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13
 I am holding onto hope because I am holding onto the God of Hope.

I wanted to update you about my condition and the search for the next step in treatment. If you ever have questions don't hesitate to ask. The two main things I have been dealing with lately are breathing problems due to a collapsed lung and all sorts of severe digestion problems due to a combination of cancer and the drugs they gave me. In case you are wondering, cancer causes inflammation in the body and that in turn causes a build up of fluid around the organs. They (Fox Chase) have not inserted a pleural catheter (a tube placed in my chest so draining fluid from around the lung is safer) yet because not enough fluid has accumulated since they last drained it but we will try again on February 8th. They are only treating the digestive symptoms and keep saying once  I get into cancer treatment again, those problems will stop. I find this hard to believe since the last cancer treatment made the problem so much worse. I am having so much trouble eating and I continue to lose weight but diet and nutrition is not addressed. This troubles me.

We have looked into into clinical trials but we are finding out they come with their own set of difficulties, not the least of which is you don't even know if you are getting a drug or a placebo. My oncologist just keeps offering me different types of toxic chemo and insisting it is not toxic. The last one he offered was derived from mustard gas.  I am done with chemo for several reasons. The side effects and toxicity are part of it but there is also the possibility that the drugs kill off some cancer cells leaving the more resistant kinds that don't respond to treatment and thus making the situation worse.

We have looked at and talked to people at five different alternative clinics. Three are in Mexico. One is in Texas and one in California. They all seem to have a more individual approach. They employ much of the same therapy but each seems to have a unique treatment they have developed. Through several cancer blogs I follow, I found the Cancer Center for Healing in Irvine, CA and was most impressed with them. After talking to the doctor there, I began to have hope instead of confusion. She is currently helping five other patients with very similar situations to mine and they are all doing well. She feels confident she can help me with a combination of nutrition coaching, simple therapy such as oxygenating cells, and non toxic medicine.  

Problem is that since these treatments are not traditional, insurance will not pay for most of them. Although they are much less expensive than the usual treatment plans, the cost is a little overwhelming. So far we have been able to keep up with co pays and costs but now we are beginning to need help. I do not easily ask for help so that is one of the things God is teaching me on this journey and I have had to swallow my pride on many occasions in the last year. With some urging I decided to go ahead and set up a GoFundMe site to make it convenient for people who are interested to help. I set a goal but it will most likely cost more that that to be in California for three weeks to receive the treatment and then continue it at home. Consider donating, sharing the link to help us raise the funds, and praying God will provide this financial need.  I know there are a lot of needs out there so I do not ask lightly.      

www.cancercenterforhealing.com
www.gofundme.com/cheryls-hope-for-healing          

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