Shane against DIPG

Hello family and friends. I am asking for monetary donations to help support my ANP treatment at The Burzynski Clinic in Houston. ANP stands for antineoplastons. It’s an alternative cancer treatment used to eliminate cancer cells from the body. It has shown proven results with brain cancer and my cancer specifically.

First and foremost I want to be up front and transparent about this. The treatment is not covered by insurance which is why we’re asking for help. The doctors at the clinic recommend I try it for 8 months. The treatment cost $17,000 per month. I have to receive an IV port for the treatment to be administered to me. That alone cost $4,000. So right now we’re looking at a total of $140,000.

Allow me to back track a little and give a look into things. All this started about 5 years ago when I started showing symptoms. Pains in my head. November 2018 I was diagnosed with DIPG. A diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma. We researched and were told by numerous doctors that this was rare and usually found in small children. Typically someone who gets diagnosed with this tumor doesn’t live past 3 years. The doctors have all confirmed that this would most likely be my case. The best course of action would be to attack it right away with radiation and chemotherapy. Back in 2018-2019 it was a huge shock to us as it would be anyone. We just had our first child and life seemed good. The fact that I probably wouldn’t make it to 31 years old, raise my son, or grow old with my wife was heart wrenching.

We proceeded with radiation and chemotherapy in 2019. After 30 rounds of radiation and a year of chemotherapy I was done with treatment at the time. My pain had subsided and I was back to living a “normal” type of life for 2 years. Right after God blessed us with our second child I started to have symptoms again. In 2022 my doctors had placed me back on chemotherapy and I’ve been on it for 16 months or so now.

We realize how blessed we truly are. Even through all these trials God has still held us in his arms. He’s answered prayers. And He even surprised us with our first and second children. Throughout all of this He’s always been there answering all our prayers and listening to our cries.

The past year has been a whirlwind for us. I started having major pressure pain in my head that has led to some symptoms that have stuck. Such as difficulty speaking, balancing and breathing to name a few. We couldn’t figure out why I was having such bad pains considering the tumor was stable per the images. We finally found out after about 9 months that I had hydrocephalus and would need a shunt placed in my head. All within about 3 days we were in surgery on August 1st having that procedure done. The next 4 months would be trial some trying to dial in how much the shunt would drain and not drain. Then comes the week of Christmas and I’m not feeling good at all. I’m having intense pressure pain and can’t seem to get it to calm down. December 23rd I collapsed and was rushed to neuro icu. The doctors had found that the shunt had malfunctioned and all the fluid sprayed back into my brain. I was then given a new shunt and have been living with that one since. So far the fluid levels are good, but I still have pain. My doctors have me on steroids to help with the pain and it’s helping so far.

Around September of 2021 we were researching and Burzynski came up again in my research. I had found him years ago, but never punched the ticket because of the unknown that I had at the time. Fast forward to today I have my first appointment and treatment scheduled with him on March 27th. After reviewing my files and discussing with him he has given me a 50/50 shot that this treatment will work. That may not seem like much of a shot, but coming from a 0% chance that I’m going to live is much higher and in my opinion worth the shot. I feel like it’s time to be proactive with this diagnosis. God has blessed me with 5 years that I never thought would have turned out the way they did. He’s blessed us with 3 kids. (Yeah, one on the way). He’s given us more years than we thought we had. Everyday is a true blessing from Him. I don’t want to waste any time he has given me. So that’s why I’m choosing to pursue The Burzynski Clinic. I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for any help you provide. I thank all of you for all the prayers you send to God for me. Ultimately I believe He is the healer and He can use this treatment to heal me. He has heard your prayers thus far, thank you. I love you all.