Support resources for families dealing with cancer and other serious illnesses

Grace Fowler said:Hey everyone!!!

Blaise, honey, I am so incredibly sorry for your loss.

I’ve been off the grid for a while. After those massive complications—hospital stays, debating whether or not to go through with surgery—I decided to just head to the coast for a bit to recharge my batteries and give this body a fighting chance. The ocean, timing, everything just aligned perfectly (if I had actually tried to force it, maybe it wouldn't have worked out so well). I made it back to New York City feeling energized, full of good vibes, and naturally, I went straight to get my tests done. What can I say? The results were bad. My tumor marker jumped 2.5 times higher than last time, and after talking to my oncologist, she confirmed the disease is active again. It isn't a massive crisis right now, but it’s depressing because I can't do chemo anymore due to kidney obstruction, and radiation is out of the question since I've reached my lifetime limit. Honestly, I'm not even that shaken up; strangely, the more time passes, the less stress I feel about it all. Like slyseal28 says, it isn't the fear of dying that gets you; it's the heavy sadness and regret regarding the thought of leaving my loved ones behind. I've got a whole gauntlet of tests ahead, and potentially heading back to Germany for immunotherapy... I'll keep you posted...
Sending love to you all
Maybe feeling a little sentimental, your Grace

Mila, don't take this as a final verdict. Life is nothing but constant fluctuations, and this might just be one of those dips. Immunotherapy worked once before, and I truly believe it will work again. The most important thing is that you stay mentally strong, determined, and ready for whatever comes next.
Hang in there and keep being your incredible self. I'm right here with you 🙂

I was reading through the back pages of The New York Times today and came across a truly remarkable feature about some miraculous drops that ended up saving the life of Bernard Bilić, who lives over in Austria. It’s quite a story—the drops reportedly shrank his lung tumor from a massive 12x12 cm down to just a tiny 3 mm, even though it had already started metastasizing to his liver. These drops are called Kancist, and they're produced by Marko Rukavina, located over at 19 Diljska in Pittsburgh. If anyone is looking into them, they go for about $110 per bottle.

brightgardener8 said:quietpilot87, did things really go south that fast? 😢

Well, looks like it...

Donna Chase said:Today in the back pages of The New York Times, there was an article about some miracle drops that supposedly saved the life of Bernard Bilić from Austria. Apparently, these drops shrank his lung tumor from 12x12 cm down to just 3 mm, even though it had already metastasized to his liver. The drops are called Kancist, produced by Marko Rukavina at Diljska 19 in Pittsburgh. They cost about $110 per bottle.

Well, if they’re $110, I'm sure they work wonders. 🙄

I am dying to know what kind of credentials this supposed "miracle worker" actually holds, what his references look like, and under what conditions he’s even manufacturing these drops—especially since the production costs would have to be astronomical to justify that price tag. He must be some kind of saintly altruist who only charges for raw materials and refuses to take a dime for his own labor because he "just wants to help" the sick.

Come on, people, let's get real and use some common sense instead of falling for these blatant scams🙄. Stop chasing shadows, and especially stop falling for this kind of direct advertising☕.

- 41k - Here is the article I was mentioning. Please don't take this as me trying to push some kind of advertisement; my only intention is to share this in case it might be of use to someone out there. I am well aware that many people have likely already exhausted every possible avenue and tried just about everything under the sun, but you can never truly know if one more lead might finally make a difference.

Greetings, everyone. I haven't had the chance to read through everything previously posted—there is simply too much volume here—so I hope you will forgive my sudden "intrusion" into this discussion.

I am deeply concerned and am reaching out for advice, shared experiences, or perhaps some perspective.
For four months now, my boyfriend has been struggling with intense headaches located at the base of his skull, right above the neck. He refuses to take any medication because he wants to avoid being "poisoned" by drugs, so he just endures the pain.
Perhaps I am being slightly paranoid—given that several members of my family have dealt with cancer (on my mother's side, specifically, but still...)—but everything clicked when I saw a news segment on CNN. They showed a woman who identified an eye tumor in a child just by noticing something looked off in her photos. Looking closely at my boyfriend’s pictures, I realized his right eye looks strangely blurred in most of them.
He wears glasses, and in photos where they are visible, they don't seem to obscure anything; it is only in many shots taken with a flash that his eyes turn out looking like that.
I haven't mentioned this to him yet—he would likely call me crazy—and besides, he is completely resistant to seeing a doctor.

What should my next move be? How can I personally find some peace of mind, and more importantly, how can I get him to understand the necessity of medical attention?
Does anyone have any experience with similar situations? Please, tell me anything you can. 😢

Ashley Reyes87 said:Hey everyone, I haven't caught up on everything you guys said because there’s way too much to read, so I hope you don't mind me just jumping in here.

I'm honestly freaking out a bit and could really use some advice or if anyone has gone through something similar.
My boyfriend has been dealing with these brutal headaches at the back of his head, right above the neck, for about four months now. He refuses to take any meds because he doesn't want to get hooked on them, so he's basically just white-knuckling the pain.
Maybe I'm being a little paranoid since quite a few people on my mom's side have dealt with cancer (on her side, specifically, but still...), but then I saw this segment on 24 Hours News where a woman pointed out an eye tumor just by looking at a photo—how the eye looked "off" in every shot—and suddenly I realized that in most photos, my boyfriend's right eye looks kind of blurry like that too.
He wears glasses, so when he's wearing them, you can't see anything, but in a lot of shots taken with a flash, his eyes come out looking exactly like that.
I haven't even mentioned it to him yet; he'd probably think I'm losing my mind, and besides, he's being stubborn about seeing a doctor.

What should I do? How do I stay calm without spiraling, and how do I actually get him to listen?
Has anyone dealt with this before? Please, tell me anything. 😢

Look, your guy seriously needs to get some tests done. Don't go straight to the worst-case scenario, though. It could easily be something like his cervical spine or maybe some blood vessel issues.

Ashley Reyes87 said:Hey everyone, I haven't caught up on everything you guys have been saying because there’s just way too much to read, so please don't mind me jumping into this thread like this.

I'm honestly freaking out here and I really need some advice or if anyone has gone through something similar.
My boyfriend has been struggling with these intense headaches at the back of his head, right above the neck, for about four months now. He refuses to take any painkillers because he doesn't want to deal with the side effects, so he's just white-knuckling it through the pain.
Maybe I'm being overly paranoid because several people on my mom's side of the family have dealt with cancer (on her side, specifically, but still...), but ever since I saw that segment on 24 News where a woman spotted a tumor in a girl's eye just by looking at photos—noticing how the eye looked weird in every shot—I realized that in most of my boyfriend's photos, his right eye looks just as blurry.
He wears glasses, so in most pictures you can't tell, but when photos are taken with a flash, his eye ends up looking like that.
I haven't even mentioned it to him yet; he'd probably think I'm losing my mind, and besides, he's totally resistant to seeing a doctor.

What should I do? How can I calm myself down, and more importantly, how can I get him to understand?
Has anyone dealt with anything like this? Please, tell me anything. 😢

If we were talking about a tumor, you would have likely seen some neurological symptoms by now. That said, it doesn't mean the situation isn't serious. Intense headaches can be caused by an aneurysm. On a slightly less dire note, it could be a cervical spine issue where a vertebra is pressing on a nerve, causing that specific type of head pain.
Try sitting him down and just being honest about your fears. If he won't go to the doctor for himself, tell him to do it for you—for the sake of your peace of mind. There isn't much else you can do.

Donna Chase said:The Los Angeles Times ran this story on the back page today about some miracle drops that supposedly saved Bill Belichick from Austria. Apparently, these drops shrank his lung tumor from a massive 12x12 cm down to just 3 mm, even though it had already spread to his liver. They call the drops Kant, and they're made by Mark Wahlberg over at Dil Mar 19 in Pittsburgh. They're charging about 100 bucks a bottle.

I'm not buying this "miracle drop" nonsense. Seriously, who actually has a cure for cancer? If someone actually held the key to curing carcinoma, they’d be the most famous, wealthiest person on the planet. They wouldn't be out here preying on sick people, forcing them to rack up debt or sell off their houses just to get a bottle.
Where is the decency?
If someone actually finds a way to help people deal with an illness—like, you know, making the suffering manageable—shouldn't they be doing it to help, not just to make a massive profit off of it?

Thanks for all the feedback. I’m going to have a sit-down with him—we'll see how it goes from there. My hope is that he actually provides some help and that I can finally get through to him. Thanks to everyone for the input.

Melissa Stewart said:Dina, I’m so sorry about everything you're going through, but please, just hang in there.
I know, easy to say, right? But we have to stay strong for our parents. We can't give up as long as there's even a shred of hope.
Could you tell me a bit more about immunotherapy and where you went? How does it actually work—is it for all types of cancer?
I have a cousin over in Dortmund, and she mentioned hearing about Dr. Nicholas Cage, though I think she said he works in Austria.
Sorry, maybe you already explained this, but my brain is just fried from everything I've been reading.
Thanks

anita, just go back and read my old posts and the ones from Dandelion regarding immunotherapy. It's all there.

My mom and I actually went to Duderstadt, www.immuntherapie.org, and for her second vaccine dose, I arranged for her to get it right here in NYC so she doesn't have to fly all the way back to Germany.

Melissa Kim45, please accept my sincere condolences 😢!

Hello everyone.
I was wondering if anyone here might have some experience or perhaps heard anything regarding the following situation...
My boyfriend's mother was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer two years ago. At that time, she only underwent radiation and chemotherapy, though the doctors essentially gave up on her, predicting she wouldn't make it more than two months...
Now, a few days ago, brain metastases appeared. They are apparently too large to be treated with radiation, so they have sent her home again. I guess I am reaching out to see if anyone has any insight into what we might do to potentially reduce these metastases—perhaps certain medications or alternative healers, anything at all... because we aren't getting much guidance from the doctors.

Nicole Edwards22 said:Hey everyone!
I’m reaching out to see if anyone here has any experience or has heard anything about this specific situation...
My boyfriend's mom was diagnosed with lung cancer two years ago. It was inoperable, so she just went through radiation and chemo, but the doctors basically wrote her off, saying she wouldn't make it more than two months...
Then, just a few days ago, brain metastases appeared. They're too large for radiation now, so they sent her home again. Does anyone have any insight on what we can do to try and destroy those metastases—medications, alternative healers, anything at all? Because from the doctors, we're getting absolutely nothing...

😢 Honey, if it isn't operable...😢
It’s likely small cell lung carcinoma, which almost always spreads to the brain; people often call it "the 100-day cancer."
Focus everything you can on managing her pain, because once metastases start spreading like that, they are nearly impossible to stop. Honestly, I think the biggest reason so many cancers remain incurable is that modern medicine simply doesn't focus enough on treating metastasis itself.
Just be there for him, give him all the comfort you can, and be his rock.

Melissa Kim45 said:My mom fought such a long, hard battle. She was a winner in her own way, and a massive one at that.

Melissa Kim45, sending you a huge hug. May your mom rest in peace. 🙂

Angela Wright said:😢 dear, if surgery isn't an option...😢
It’s likely small cell lung cancer, which frequently spreads to the brain; some people call it the 100-day cancer...
Please do everything possible to ensure she isn't in pain, because once metastasis begins, it is almost impossible to stop. I suppose the reason many types of cancer remain incurable is that medicine doesn't focus enough on treating metastasis.
Just give him all the comfort you can and be his support.

Two years ago, they told her she only had two months left, but she managed to hold on for two full years. Now, it has spread to her brain, even though her lungs look like nothing ever happened. They weren't right then, so I'm hoping there might be some alternative treatment now—maybe not long-term, but something to give her more time... She is doing okay mentally, as much as anyone could given the circumstances, but since it involves the brain...
They told her today they might try some mild radiation... I'm not really sure what that entails...

Melissa Kim45 said:My mother fought a long, hard battle. She was a winner in her own right, and a truly great one at that.

Melissa Kim45, please accept my sincerest condolences.

Nicole Edwards22 said:Two years ago, they told her she only had two months left. She beat those odds and lasted two whole years, but now the cancer has metastasized to her brain. Her lungs look like they haven't even been touched, so clearly the initial prognosis was way off. I’m just praying there’s some kind of alternative out there—even if it isn't a permanent fix, anything to buy her more time... especially since she’s holding up mentally as well as can be expected, given that we're talking about the brain...
They told her today they might try some mild radiation... I honestly have no idea what that entails...

It sounds like they're looking at a palliative procedure designed to slow down the growth of the metastases.
She belongs to that incredibly small percentage of people who actually survive this long with that diagnosis. This disease is absolutely vicious and sneaky. I truly wish I could sit here and offer you some glowing, hopeful news, but I simply can't. I lost a very dear friend to this exact same thing. Nothing seemed to touch it—we tried everything from various supplements to bioenergetic therapies, you name it. He ended up falling right into those horrific "100 days left" prognoses.
There are plenty of people in such desperate situations who decided to try the Breusov fasting method. Over here, beauty wrote about his experience and how it worked for him. He’s really the only person I know where it actually made a difference. Everyone else either succumbed to sheer exhaustion or the disease just swept them away.

I am so incredibly sorry.😢

Angela Wright said:It’s likely a palliative procedure intended to slow down the spread of metastases.
She belongs to a very small percentage of people who live that long with this diagnosis. It is a terrible, insidious disease. I truly wish I could tell you something positive or something that offers hope, but I really can't. I lost a very dear friend to this same illness. Nothing seemed to help, regardless of the various supplements, energy healers, or whatever else we tried. He ended up facing those awful 100-day prognoses.
There are many people in such desperate situations who have decided to try the Breusov fasting method. Here beauty wrote about it and how he succeeded. He is the only person I know for whom it actually worked. Others passed away either from exhaustion or because the disease simply took them.

I am so incredibly sorry.😢

Thank you for the advice....
We aren't giving up, and most importantly, she isn't giving up either, which is what she's doing... she beat it once, so we're hoping she can do it again as many times as necessary. The worst part is when someone gives up, and she really isn't that type of person.
Thank you once again.

I wanted to take a moment to introduce you all to the Relay For Life, a global humanitarian movement held annually to honor the legacy of Terry Fox, a young man who faced sarcoma with incredible courage. In an attempt to raise enough funds to combat this relentless disease, he embarked on a grueling trek across Canada that became known as the Marathon of Hope. While he managed to traverse half of the country, his journey was tragically cut short when the illness returned. He passed away at just 22 years old. To honor his memory, his family chose to turn his struggle into a lasting tradition, launching a fundraising movement that has since become a staple of Canadian culture. Today, the Relay For Life takes place every September across Canada and in 55 other nations worldwide.

The Relay For Life 2008 is scheduled for September 28, 2008, at Lake Tahoe, starting with arrivals at 2:00 PM and the race itself kicking off at 4:00 PM. This year’s event is being organized by MPG LLC, the Embassy of Canada, the American Cancer Society, Chicago Holding, and The Plaza Hotel. With the support of our local advocacy group, "For a New Day"—comprised of patients, families, and friends—we are calling on businesses and citizens alike to get involved. You can show your support by running, walking, cycling, skating, making a donation before the event, or simply volunteering your time on the day of the action.

The fundamental goal here is to raise money for cancer research right here in America. All donations from this year will be directed to the MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Medils Research Center.
Last year, we saw a record-breaking amount of $300 raised, which was used to purchase essential medical equipment for children battling cancer at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in Shalat.

If I may be so bold, I want to emphasize that this is a truly exceptional humanitarian project. We are trying to bring much-needed awareness to the struggles oncological patients face every day, and I sincerely hope you will consider answering our call.

Our association will have a booth on-site where we'll be selling treats from Hershey's and Studena. Additionally, we are continuing our petition drive to ensure patients can access the highest quality treatment for chronic, malignant, and rare diseases as recommended by specialists, covered by Medicare. This time, we are conducting this initiative in partnership with the Coalition of Health Associations.
Furthermore, on Saturday, September 20, we will be hosting a booth on Bogovićeva from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM, where we’ll be selling Terry Fox t-shirts.

What we truly need now are volunteers. If you have any desire to help us out on either September 20 or September 28, we would be incredibly grateful if you could join us.

If anyone is interested, please reach out via email. My thanks to everyone.