Jonnel Kekauoha Rodrigues' Cancer Fight

Aloha,

We are the Ohana of Jonnel Kekauoha Rodrigues and we would like to share her story with you. Jonnel is more than just another family member to us, she is a perfect daughter, a strong sister, a supportive wife and a loving mother of 5. She shines bright even when moments of darkness seem so near.

Jonnel's medical battle started back on September 10, 2020, when she was just 33 years young, with the initial diagnosis of Invasive ductal carcinoma of the left breast (Estrogen progesterone Negative, Her 2+). Simple words, breast cancer, but not a simple diagnosis. Of course, Jonnel agreed and the family supported the treatment plan given by the medical professionals: Chemotherapy started in 2020, mastectomy w/sentinel lymph node dissection in 2021, followed by radiotherapy from July 2021 through August 2021. During the entire treatment, we watched as her body slowly weakened, but her smile and positive attitude remained. She was determined to beat cancer and on April 22, 2022, she rang the bell and took her first steps to what we all believed to be the road to recovery.

The road was short though. Three months later, she was informed that the cancer metastasized into other parts of her body, specifically the brain. A new treatment plan was introduced and she underwent 3 rounds of radiosurgery with the Gamma Knife to treat the tumors. Each treatment Jonnel received was painful to go through and heartbreaking to watch. The initial tumor count went from 5 and after the treatment to shrink them, an MRI showed that they had increased in size and 6 more appeared. From that time, she has been rushed numerous times to the ER, each visit produced more devastating and torturous news: Shifting of the brain from swelling, blood clots in her lungs, and now an uncal herniation. Each new symptom was more life-threatening than the last symptom and her cancer soon became secondary. She was admitted and we were advised to "make her comfortable and enjoy what time we have left."

We decided to bring her home and regroup as a family. We prayed for an answer, some type of direction and then we prayed again. A week later a family member shared a YouTube video with us on Dr. Burzynski. The Burzynski Clinic has grown to be a nationally and internationally recognized cancer center that provides cutting-edge cancer treatments. We did some research on the clinic, watched the video and found hope in the testimony of each patient.

What we found out after receiving the welcome packet from the Burzynski Clinic is that all of their primary medications generally work by destroying cancer cells without killing normal cells. Their therapies are cutting-edge targeted therapies that shut cancer down at the genetic level, and it works throughout the entire body. Personalized therapies can be used at any stage of a patient's cancer, from the early stages to the most advanced stages where cancer has metastasized to other organs.

The treatment plan would require Jonnel to travel from her home in Hawaii to Houston, Texas for 1 to 3 weeks, on an outpatient basis.

Financial Requirements: The patient must be able to pay (PER THE BURZYNSKI CLINIC):

a. $1,250.00 - Consultation fee

b. $7,000.00 - Medical & Laboratory deposit

c. $15,000.00 - $35, 000 - Medication costs (in some cases cost may exceed this range)

d. $7,000 - Monthly Case Management Fee (Estimated to take 12 months - $84,000)

e. Airfare and ground transportation

f. Housing

THE CLINIC DOES NOT ACCEPT INSURANCE FOR ANY PORTION OF THE TREATMENT

Jonnel is currently on a 90-day Supportive Care through Bristol Hospice - Hawaii. She is alert and aware, but her body doesn't always do what she wants it to do, so she requires assistance with her daily basic needs, from getting out of bed to taking a shower.

Jonnel's Message:

"Cancer. Such a simple word but oh so life-changing. I am a 35-year-old mama of 5 and unfortunately got diagnosed with breast cancer 3 years ago. My first thought after hearing this was “How will my family get through this?” I have always considered myself to be a positive person and wasn’t about to let a negative situation change this. So we began our journey. Needless to say, it has been a rollercoaster! I have hit the lowest of lows but my faith has always picked me up and gotten me through each trial with a smile. I have been through 6 rounds of chemotherapy, a mastectomy, 5 weeks of radiation, and 1 year of immunotherapy. These are medical terms that may not mean much to the average person but when you go through this process and see the person in the mirror changing every single day, these medical terms mean so much more. Despite all the physical, mental and emotional changes that I went through, the hardest part of all of this has been watching my family watch me suffer and wanting to take my pain away knowing that they couldn’t. So when April 2022 came and I rang the bell to celebrate my last treatment, we were all on cloud nine and excited to move on to the next chapter of life. However, the excitement of being cancer free didn’t last long. Three months later we found out that the breast cancer had metastasized to my brain. Once again, simple words would prove to be life-changing. I always want to be a great example to my kids that no matter what trials we face, we can overcome them with our faith, family and a positive attitude. So once again, we started treatments. So far I’ve had 3 rounds of radiation treatments to my brain. At this point I have 11 tumors in my brain, a pulmonary embolism and the swelling in my brain is so bad that my brain has shifted to the left side of my head and most recently caused a herniation on my brainstem. I am not able to walk very far on my own because my brain doesn’t send signals to my body and I fall. The symptoms that I deal with daily are too much to list but it has taken over my body and changed it in such a short amount of time that I don’t recognize the girl in the mirror anymore. At this point, my doctors have basically given up and said to enjoy the time I have left while it’s here. I have always been a fighter and don’t plan on stopping now. It breaks my heart to imagine my kids without their mom, my husband without his wife, my mom without her daughter and my siblings without their sister. It breaks my heart that I may not be able to watch my kids graduate high school or get married or have children of their own. I have so much to live for. From the beginning of this process, I have always felt like I was just another patient to my doctors. At this point, the only option they are giving me is to have a craniotomy. My family has been working tirelessly to find answers to give us a little more time from the beginning of all of this. So as a last resort, we are trying to raise funds to get to Texas for treatments."

Jonnel has not received a treatment plan from the Burzynski Clinic to date, but we are hopeful that once we make it to Houston, Texas we will not just receive a treatment plan but that after everything is said and done, Jonnel will live beyond the high school dates of graduation for each of her children and one day enjoy the laughter and joy of many grandchildren to come.

Much Mahalo for visiting our page, and reading Jonnel's story. Know that any amount will help and we appreciate it all.