Kicking Cancer's Ass (Again!)
Donation protected
Well my dear friends not the update I wanted to provide but life is like that: unexpected. The cancer has spread. Because I have such an aggressive and fast growing tumor... the doctors say that I only have a two month window to fight this hard or my chances of winning decrease significantly (but you know me, I’ll never give up!)
***First again thank you to everyone who's helped me--through prayer, time, money, thoughts whatever it is and was I THANK YOU! ***
It's not that the cancer has spread that has me the most angry and troubled it's that I’m a 44 year old black woman who has never smoked a day in her life--never a heavy drinker and yet I have lung cancer!
It’s imperative that I throw everything at this disease including the kitchen sink. I've started a new clinical trial BPT. BPT works in 1 out of 5 people and I'm determined to be that 1! !! There are three holistic clinics renowned for their alternative healing methods that I want to try along with my clinical trial. The Rythmia Clinic in Costa Rica https://www.rythmia.com and The Optimum Health Institute http://www.optimumhealth.org in San Diego and Greenbridge Medical https://www.greenbridgemed.com in Santa Monica.
Insurance (again thank you Stacy) won't cover it, some meds it won't cover and there is day to day life i must attend to. I haven't been able to work during this time and just as I was getting close to taking on a couple of clients a week I was hit in the face with this new diagnosis. I'm fighting another round and I can't work. I was initially denied disability but we're applying again in light of this new battle but not sure I'll get it. Now how are we here...
Many of you know in October of 2017 I went in with what we thought was a canker sore on my tongue. One biopsy later and it was a squamous sarcoma: Cancer. A 24 hour surgery (where my jaw was split open, tumor removed, tongue rebuilt by creating a flap using skin, tissue and nerves from my left forearm) later and I was on the path to healing. I did 2 1/2 months of Radiation and Chemo. Cancer! Fuck you!!!!! We were hopeful that we got it all and stopped it
in its tracks…we did not. My follow up scans in late April (protocol dictates 3 months from the time of your last radiation/chemo) found the cancer had spread to my lungs. Oh at first we thought, we hoped (oh how hope springs eternal) it was an infection and we ran tests and tests an tests. I was poked and prodded and stitched up and after two procedures to biopsy the nodules in my lungs the final results came mid June. Yep! It's Cancer. Fuck you!!!!!
After some conversations with my oncologist, the wonderful Dr. Mita, that sounded an awfully lot like Charlie Brown talking to any adult (whaa, whaa, whaa) we settled on a new treatment ASAP. Guys it was hard to hear that I had to start a new battle and I had yet to heal from the last--I'm just starting to chew and God bless TASTE food. I was on the precipice of healing and these fucking tentacles wrap round me and snatch me back. But I digress, Dr. Mita and I spoke about my treatment options. I decided to go with a new clinical trial BPT. It started Thursday, June 21st. My treatment is on Thursdays--two weeks on then one week off and so on and so on. The treatment consists of two chemo meds and is all IV meds and since my first fight my veins are for shit I had a port implanted in my right bicep so they don't have to try to find a good vein. I come in and they just access that port and they can draw blood (so much lab work) and give me the meds no problem. Each session is about 8-6 hours so I sit with my girl (Jess, my love) and/or friends and family. I love having the company to chat, laugh, cry and eat (june brings the best snacks). Look folks I’m coming to this forum to ask for help in this battle because I cannot do this alone.
Trying to get a family portrait: I should just pull my teeth out.
***First again thank you to everyone who's helped me--through prayer, time, money, thoughts whatever it is and was I THANK YOU! ***
It's not that the cancer has spread that has me the most angry and troubled it's that I’m a 44 year old black woman who has never smoked a day in her life--never a heavy drinker and yet I have lung cancer!
It’s imperative that I throw everything at this disease including the kitchen sink. I've started a new clinical trial BPT. BPT works in 1 out of 5 people and I'm determined to be that 1! !! There are three holistic clinics renowned for their alternative healing methods that I want to try along with my clinical trial. The Rythmia Clinic in Costa Rica https://www.rythmia.com and The Optimum Health Institute http://www.optimumhealth.org in San Diego and Greenbridge Medical https://www.greenbridgemed.com in Santa Monica.
Insurance (again thank you Stacy) won't cover it, some meds it won't cover and there is day to day life i must attend to. I haven't been able to work during this time and just as I was getting close to taking on a couple of clients a week I was hit in the face with this new diagnosis. I'm fighting another round and I can't work. I was initially denied disability but we're applying again in light of this new battle but not sure I'll get it. Now how are we here...
Many of you know in October of 2017 I went in with what we thought was a canker sore on my tongue. One biopsy later and it was a squamous sarcoma: Cancer. A 24 hour surgery (where my jaw was split open, tumor removed, tongue rebuilt by creating a flap using skin, tissue and nerves from my left forearm) later and I was on the path to healing. I did 2 1/2 months of Radiation and Chemo. Cancer! Fuck you!!!!! We were hopeful that we got it all and stopped it
in its tracks…we did not. My follow up scans in late April (protocol dictates 3 months from the time of your last radiation/chemo) found the cancer had spread to my lungs. Oh at first we thought, we hoped (oh how hope springs eternal) it was an infection and we ran tests and tests an tests. I was poked and prodded and stitched up and after two procedures to biopsy the nodules in my lungs the final results came mid June. Yep! It's Cancer. Fuck you!!!!!
After some conversations with my oncologist, the wonderful Dr. Mita, that sounded an awfully lot like Charlie Brown talking to any adult (whaa, whaa, whaa) we settled on a new treatment ASAP. Guys it was hard to hear that I had to start a new battle and I had yet to heal from the last--I'm just starting to chew and God bless TASTE food. I was on the precipice of healing and these fucking tentacles wrap round me and snatch me back. But I digress, Dr. Mita and I spoke about my treatment options. I decided to go with a new clinical trial BPT. It started Thursday, June 21st. My treatment is on Thursdays--two weeks on then one week off and so on and so on. The treatment consists of two chemo meds and is all IV meds and since my first fight my veins are for shit I had a port implanted in my right bicep so they don't have to try to find a good vein. I come in and they just access that port and they can draw blood (so much lab work) and give me the meds no problem. Each session is about 8-6 hours so I sit with my girl (Jess, my love) and/or friends and family. I love having the company to chat, laugh, cry and eat (june brings the best snacks). Look folks I’m coming to this forum to ask for help in this battle because I cannot do this alone.
Trying to get a family portrait: I should just pull my teeth out.Organizer
Keisha Knowles
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA
