Help Support Andrew Green in his Crazy Cancer Journey

Fifteen months ago, Andy started this journey with what we can only describe as “Way Too Many Tumors.” It really started in January of 2023, when Andy first felt like he wasn’t getting enough oxygen when we were out walking the dog. Our hour-long walk kept getting shorter and shorter as Andy was feeling worse. He was initially treated for pneumonia, but there was no improvement, which ultimately led us to the doctor that asked for the CT scans that showed the tumors in early May of 2023. We rushed to an excellent hospital in Mexico City and discovered that what apparently had started as lung cancer had metastasized to a few tumors in the belly and 8 tumors in the brain. The oncologist said that, untreated, he probably had about 3 months to live as he was. Luckily the tumors have responded well to the various treatments that Andy has undergone. The treatments included first a surgery to drain some cysts in 2 brain tumors, then Gamma Knife radiation surgery on all 8 brain tumors, then chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Not long after that, he felt improvement in the lungs, but he was so weakened from being in a hospital bed for two weeks, it took a long time to get his energy and strength back. A few weeks later he had his first seizure, which was scary at first, but was mostly just a lack of control of the muscles in the right arm and right leg, which were spasming. He was talking through the entire episode. He was immediately put on anti-seizure meds, and that seemed to help.

In September he started 4 weeks of radiotherapy on a new tumor near the sternum. That is when the real decline in his ability to walk became noticeable. The edema (swelling) in his brain was affecting the right-hand side of his body. In October he had a “booster” Gamma Knife treatment, but by November, he was unable to drive a car, couldn’t type or use the mouse, and couldn’t walk the distance to his office in the backyard. We rushed to the hospital, and he was given high doses of steroids, which helped reduce some of the swelling in the brain. But the steroids potentially conflict with the way the immunotherapy treatment works, so the doctors are always rushing to get him off them. In December, Andy tried a treatment in a hyperbaric chamber, but the next day had one of the most severe seizures up to that point, and had another one the following day, so we halted the hyperbaric treatments.

All the while, Andy continued to receive chemotherapy and immunotherapy treatment every 3 weeks. He also continued to have the occasional seizure, generally lasting only a minute, but one day in mid-January, Andy texted our group chat to indicate that he felt a seizure coming on. Although it took less than 30 seconds to get to his office, Miley and I arrived to find him face down on the tile, unable to speak, and spasming. That was his first (and so far, only) grand mal seizure. The neurologists put him on additional seizure medication, and since then, his seizures have not been as bad. Later in January, Andy went on his own for chemotherapy and an MRI. The doctors saw that the edema had continued in his brain, so they admitted him to the hospital. He had brain surgery to remove two of the tumors that were causing the swelling. Since then, he has not had a grand mal seizure, and he started electro-stimulation to re-build the neurological connections that controlled his right leg and foot.

He started off with what was explained to us as a first-level chemotherapy, and he endured 11 of those treatments very well. By the 12th treatment, Andy had unfortunately developed an allergy to carboplatin, which caused his lungs to fill with fluid, shut down his brain, and then stopped his heart. After 15 compressions by a gorgeous young doctor, Andy’s heart was going again and they kept him in the hospital for observation for a few days. In April, he resumed chemo without the carboplatin, and when that cycle of 6 treatments finished, they decided to move on to the next level of chemotherapy medications. Andy has had two infusions of the new drugs, and there are no signs of allergic reaction.

This has been an arduous process. The swelling continues to cause trouble with his ability to walk, but he is slowly improving. He can walk to his office, but he needs to use a cane and needs to touch solid furniture nearby to maintain his balance. Also, he’s using a knee brace to control the extension, because his leg apparently wants to hyper extend backwards, and he uses an ankle brace to provide support because he has no control over the direction his foot will move. Also, given that he is still having the occasional seizure, he cannot drive, even if he had the strength in his right leg and foot to manage it.

Those of you who know Andy know that he has multiple aspects to his personality. He’s very intense and passionate about his work, and often is most happy holed up in his office trying to figure out a programming problem. He is confident, and not shy about letting a person know if he thinks they are wrong, but he will humbly admit his own mistakes as well. He is also that kind-hearted animal lover, who would frequently leave his meal at a restaurant to take whatever stray animal presented itself to him at that moment to an animal shelter or vet with a donation to help it. Although I admit I have a problem with my love of cats, he is why we have 9 of them (he didn’t say “no” when they came to us). He is also why we have adopted and saved the several dogs that we have cared for. Of course, he turned into an amazingly patient and caring father for our two girls, Trinity (19) and Miley (15). Now that Trinity has gone off to study Medicine in Mexico City, Andy is in frequent contact with her almost as much as I am.

Not surprisingly, this has been financially challenging. At first Andy continued to work through his chemo treatments, but his client ran out of funding in July 2023 and failed to advise us until September. By the time Andy realized he needed to look for different clients, the swelling in his brain was making it difficult to think straight. After the brain surgery in January to remove the problematic tumors, his brain function returned, and he started job hunting again. Luckily, in March he found an excellent project to work on and his brain is working well now. In the meantime, I have had to dust off the very old resume and start looking for more paying work to supplement the administration, property management and consulting I was already doing.

Although our insurance plan has a very high deductible ($7,500) and co-pay (out of pocket max $5,000), the plan is excellent and covers all the treatments that the oncologist and neurologist have recommended. Travel and accommodation in Mexico City every three weeks for treatment are not covered. Also, our annual insurance cycle starts on September 1. Consequently, we paid the deductible and co-pay in May of 2023 when we started our journey, and then had to pay it again in September 2023 when the new contract cycle started. Now we have to pay the deductible and co-pay for the third time in 15 months. Last year we had much appreciated help from our parents (and our credit cards), but this year those options are no longer available to us. My mom unfortunately passed away at the end of February, and Andy’s parents have both ended up in care homes in the last few months. Goodness, when it rains it pours!

Andy has been stoic through this roller coaster. It helps that the oncologist and neurologist are optimistic and see the treatment as keeping the tumors under control. We have also been very lucky to have been referred to a top hospital with some of the best doctors in their fields. Andy keeps up a good attitude and has recently said that his motto is “Be here for the cure” so he plans to just keep plugging away with the treatments as long as possible. Whereas he started off with a near immediate death-sentence, he seems to be entering the chronic patient phase. It is like playing whack-a-mole, but the oncologist and the neurologist both seem to expect we can keep treating the tumors as they arise.

For those of you who feel so inclined, a GoFundMe has been set up to help Andy and the Lobo-Verde family through this trying time.