A great reminder

Saw this at the cancer center today when we went in for the chemo training.  The message is a wonderful reminder on how we should face cancer.

Coughing increases

A quick update about Gwohann.  He is coughing more and feel chest congested.  It is alarming that in the past week he could only hike 2/3 of the distance what he used to do with the same amount of time.  He felt fatigue after the hike.  

We will have chemo training on 6/22 Monday afternoon and chemo on Tuesday from 9 am to 2 pm.  

Please pray that the chemo drugs will work magic.

New Chemo, New Hope

In a battle of war, if the enemy decoded our secret weapons, what do we do?  We use newer and more powerful weapons to destroy the enemy!  The June PET scan result shows that Gwohann's cancer is growing resistance to the targeted medicine, Tarceva.  Therefore, it is time to take out new weapons from our armory. Gwohann will start a new chemo treatment on Tuesday, June 23, using a cocktail of three drugs, one of which Cyramza was only recently approved by the FDA and has promising effects on NSCLC.  The chemo will be administered every two weeks, and our oncologist expects that Gwohann will tolerate the side effects well and he can continue to work to maintain a sense of normalcy.

The initial disappointment and apprehension that we experienced when we first knew about the setback has passed, and we are ready to engage in the new battle with hew hope and determination.  We feel very fortunate that we live in a country where we have access to the newest medicine and technology.  Special thanks to those of you who work in biotech and research.  Your work saves lives!

Battling cancer takes a community, and we thank you for being our community.  We are greatly encouraged by your cards, phone calls, emails, meal support, visits, company for dining out or outings.  As we step into the new war zone, your support is even more important.  We thank you in advance for the care and love that you give us.

Cheers to our warrior, Gwohann!

-- Jacqueline 李佳芬

Natto and hard cheese to kill lung cancer cells

Here is a surprising weapon that can reduce the risk of cancer.

"Eating certain types of hard cheeses, including Gouda, Edam, Emmenthal, and Jarlsburg, can lower your risk of developing cancer. Why? Because these cheeses contain a form of Vitamin K called Vitamin K2 (the scientific name is menaquinone) that is both antiangiogenic and also kills cancer cells directly. The studies indicate that eating as few as two slices of these hard cheeses a day can lower your overall risk for cancer, including lung cancer and prostate cancer."

If you don't like cheese, natto, which is fermented soybean, is also a great source of Vitamin K2.  Yes, it is slimy and an acquired taste, but it is good for you.

Read more details here:

https://www.eattobeat.org/frontlines/3/the-surprising-truth-about-cancer-and-an-arsenal-of-weapons-to-fight-it.html

Can we eat to starve cancer?

Everyone has cancerous cells in his/her body, but what makes cancer cells grow?  Dr. William Li, a renowned cancer researcher, explains the role of angiogenesis in cancer, and how food can be the key to prevent cancer from growing.

If we include anti-angiogenic food in our diet, "what we eat is equivalent to chemos three times a day.", Dr. William Li

I highly recommend this video.  It is very interesting and educational.

Beat it!

Gwohann is now Michael Jackson, all day.  Not because he can moon walk or sing Billie Jean, rather because of the white gloves that he wears 24/7, every day.  The cancer fighting medicine, Tarceva, that he is taking has changed his skin structure. His fingers and toes are extremely sensitive to water, heat, cold and touching.  What used to bring him pleasure, now gives him pain.  Gloves helps to reduce the discomfort.  However, typing on the keyboard in gloves is cumbersome, just like holding chopsticks in gloves, making the task twice as long.  And washing his face in waterproof Polyethylene gloves is like rubbing a piece of plastic on the rashes that cover his face.  

Similar changes are also taking place in his GI lining.  He gets diarrhea more often and is prone to infection and inflammation.  As his taste buds change, food no longer tastes the same.  The silver lining is, he can eat as much ice cream as he wants, because our goal now is to keep his weight up.  But most importantly, his cancer is suppressed, showing only minor activity!

Despite the challenges,  he continues to live life to the fullest.  He still works full time and travels for work, in a black suit and white gloves.  He still loves doing Sudoku every night, and no one in our house can beat his speed.  And most of all, he is thankful for his family and friends more than ever.  We know our fight can not be won without you.

So next time you see Gwohann, please give him a high five and sing 'Beat it' with him.  

Just beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it
No one wants to be defeated
Showin' how funky strong is your fight
Let's win together, beat it outright

Just beat it, beat it

Beat it, beat it, beat it

We will beat the cancer!

Jacqueline

p.s. Feel free to email him at ghjain@yahoo.com. He will be happy to hear from you. 

《病後人生》一路上有我陪你～如何幫助病人面對疾病

Taking care of cancer patients take commitment, skills, tremendous love, and patience.  Here is a good article in Chinese about how caregiver can help the cancer survivors.

http://afterthatday.blogspot.com/2013/03/psychology-12-2.html?spref=bl