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Please help Paul Antenucci as he battles cancer
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***Please support Paul Antenucci as he fiercely battles cancer***
One of the most generous and amazing people on this planet has been recently diagnosed with cancer - my Uncle Paul.
26 years ago, Paul lost his older sister (my mom) to cancer. She was diagnosed at 35 and passed away at age 37 after a grueling battle with chronic myeloid leukemia and then subsequently, metastatic breast cancer. She had been the only member of our extended family to have been diagnosed with cancer at a young age and we were told that it was caused by a combination of "bad lifestyle choices" and a "high stress existence".
Those causes never sat right with me.
Early in 2018, after years of testing, we found out that his sister carried a mutation in a gene called CHEK2, which predisposes carriers to several different cancers. It is a "moderate risk" gene mutation that has not been widely studied. Paul has recently been tested for the CHEK2 gene mutation (there is a 50/50 chance of inheriting it), but doctors are confident that he, too, has been dealt this unfortunate hand which has led to his cancer diagnosis at the early age of 49.
In April of 2018, Paul started having acute pain in his left hip and saw his family doctor in May. He had a history of arthritis and problems with his knees, but this pain was significantly worse. His family doctor sent him for a hip x-ray in June and nothing had been found at that time. As Paul's pain continued, his family doctor referred him to a sports medicine clinic for an assessment (this was last July 2018). He had been dismissed as having "muscle pain" and was given a series of exercises to work on at home. Paul was frustrated with this referral as his ability to walk was diminishing rapidly. In his mind, something just wasn't adding up - his pain continued to get worse and he was getting to the point where he couldn't move independently. Paul went back to his family doctor in the fall of 2018 and was sent back to the sports medicine clinic for follow up. The sports med doc (after seeing Paul's inability to walk) admitted that this was not likely a "muscle" related issue and ordered extensive additional x-rays and bloodwork. The new x-ray images showed the presence of a lesion on Paul's hip/pelvis and the new bloodwork noted an increase in his white cell count and his inflammation markers. A subsequent bone scan confirmed that there was something sinister going on in Paul's hip. The bone scan gave the docs reason to believe that this lesion was either a bone sarcoma or a metastatic lesion from a primary cancer elsewhere in his body. Shortly thereafter, a CT scan confirmed the presence of a large tumor on his hip as well as some inflamed lymph nodes around his pelvis. A biopsy on Paul’s hip was completed to confirm their initial findings, but the results of the biopsy were a surprise to all. On January 21st, 2019, the bone biopsy confirmed that Paul had “High Grade, B Cell Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma” - a blood cancer closely related to the same cancer that his sister had. Findings from the biopsy, and further imaging from a PET scan allowed the doctors to identify what sub-type of Lymphoma he had, which turned out to be “High Grade ‘Diffuse’ Large B Cell Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma” (DLBCL). The staging for Lymphoma is determined by category and is not the same scaling as other cancers. In Paul’s case he presented with Lymphoma in 2 of his lower lymph nodes and had spread to the left iliac wing of his pelvis/hip. This is an unusual and rare presentation of lymphoma. With this information, his lymphoma was determined to be Stage 2e. Paul's prognosis is uncertain and will be determined from future bloodwork and another CT Scan within the next couple of months.
On January 30th, Paul started his first of 6 rounds of chemotherapy, which includes a targeted therapy specific (R-CHOP) to his type of Lymphoma. Further testing will be done at the end of the 6 rounds to see whether radiation and/or further rounds of chemotherapy will be required. In addition to this treatment plan, we were hoping that he would have been selected to participate in a clinical trial adding a new and very promising drug called Avadomide (CC-122). He did not make it into the first clinical trial, as it had started right before his first round of chemotherapy. We are praying that he will be selected for their next round of the trial, as Avadomide is not yet available for purchase/use in Canada.
Family and friends have been asking what they can do to show their support and help during this difficult time. We are hoping to raise funds for costly immunotherapy and alternative therapies that can be used in conjunction with the standard chemotherapy/radiation regimens, so that we have the best chance of beating this cancer! In addition, Paul has been off work for over a year and his amazing wife, Kari, has been off to function as his primary care giver. We are hoping to take some of the financial burden off them so they can focus on healing. Thank-you so much in advance for your love and support!
Dawna-Rose
One of the most generous and amazing people on this planet has been recently diagnosed with cancer - my Uncle Paul.
26 years ago, Paul lost his older sister (my mom) to cancer. She was diagnosed at 35 and passed away at age 37 after a grueling battle with chronic myeloid leukemia and then subsequently, metastatic breast cancer. She had been the only member of our extended family to have been diagnosed with cancer at a young age and we were told that it was caused by a combination of "bad lifestyle choices" and a "high stress existence".
Those causes never sat right with me.
Early in 2018, after years of testing, we found out that his sister carried a mutation in a gene called CHEK2, which predisposes carriers to several different cancers. It is a "moderate risk" gene mutation that has not been widely studied. Paul has recently been tested for the CHEK2 gene mutation (there is a 50/50 chance of inheriting it), but doctors are confident that he, too, has been dealt this unfortunate hand which has led to his cancer diagnosis at the early age of 49.
In April of 2018, Paul started having acute pain in his left hip and saw his family doctor in May. He had a history of arthritis and problems with his knees, but this pain was significantly worse. His family doctor sent him for a hip x-ray in June and nothing had been found at that time. As Paul's pain continued, his family doctor referred him to a sports medicine clinic for an assessment (this was last July 2018). He had been dismissed as having "muscle pain" and was given a series of exercises to work on at home. Paul was frustrated with this referral as his ability to walk was diminishing rapidly. In his mind, something just wasn't adding up - his pain continued to get worse and he was getting to the point where he couldn't move independently. Paul went back to his family doctor in the fall of 2018 and was sent back to the sports medicine clinic for follow up. The sports med doc (after seeing Paul's inability to walk) admitted that this was not likely a "muscle" related issue and ordered extensive additional x-rays and bloodwork. The new x-ray images showed the presence of a lesion on Paul's hip/pelvis and the new bloodwork noted an increase in his white cell count and his inflammation markers. A subsequent bone scan confirmed that there was something sinister going on in Paul's hip. The bone scan gave the docs reason to believe that this lesion was either a bone sarcoma or a metastatic lesion from a primary cancer elsewhere in his body. Shortly thereafter, a CT scan confirmed the presence of a large tumor on his hip as well as some inflamed lymph nodes around his pelvis. A biopsy on Paul’s hip was completed to confirm their initial findings, but the results of the biopsy were a surprise to all. On January 21st, 2019, the bone biopsy confirmed that Paul had “High Grade, B Cell Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma” - a blood cancer closely related to the same cancer that his sister had. Findings from the biopsy, and further imaging from a PET scan allowed the doctors to identify what sub-type of Lymphoma he had, which turned out to be “High Grade ‘Diffuse’ Large B Cell Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma” (DLBCL). The staging for Lymphoma is determined by category and is not the same scaling as other cancers. In Paul’s case he presented with Lymphoma in 2 of his lower lymph nodes and had spread to the left iliac wing of his pelvis/hip. This is an unusual and rare presentation of lymphoma. With this information, his lymphoma was determined to be Stage 2e. Paul's prognosis is uncertain and will be determined from future bloodwork and another CT Scan within the next couple of months.
On January 30th, Paul started his first of 6 rounds of chemotherapy, which includes a targeted therapy specific (R-CHOP) to his type of Lymphoma. Further testing will be done at the end of the 6 rounds to see whether radiation and/or further rounds of chemotherapy will be required. In addition to this treatment plan, we were hoping that he would have been selected to participate in a clinical trial adding a new and very promising drug called Avadomide (CC-122). He did not make it into the first clinical trial, as it had started right before his first round of chemotherapy. We are praying that he will be selected for their next round of the trial, as Avadomide is not yet available for purchase/use in Canada.
Family and friends have been asking what they can do to show their support and help during this difficult time. We are hoping to raise funds for costly immunotherapy and alternative therapies that can be used in conjunction with the standard chemotherapy/radiation regimens, so that we have the best chance of beating this cancer! In addition, Paul has been off work for over a year and his amazing wife, Kari, has been off to function as his primary care giver. We are hoping to take some of the financial burden off them so they can focus on healing. Thank-you so much in advance for your love and support!
Dawna-Rose
Donations
Organizer and beneficiary
Dawna Rose
Organizer
Calgary, AB
Paul Antenucci
Beneficiary