Dan On The Dave Congalton Radio Show

Listen to Dan and his brother Jack talk about Jake and Cytotron
Click either link:
http://www.cytotronforcancer.com/cytotron/congalton.mp4 (Faster)

http://www.cytotronforcancer.com/cytotron/congalton.mp3 (For Older computers)

A Real Thanksgiving

I have been reluctant to post any new news about Jake until I heard back from the doctors in India concerning the MRI results taken here in the U.S. Jake has experienced significant difficulties since we returned to the U.S. Particullarly extreeme fatigue and weakness after the 40 hour return trip. After 2 trips to the hospital, we have started him on Steroids to reduce swelling in his brain. His symptoms are improving very slowly. The 40 hour trip alone was exhausting.
To watch his difficulties increased our worry and emotions about whether Jake was winning or losing this battle. The growth comparison was taken by Rady Childrens Hospital by comparing the August 20th MRI with the November 19th MRI when we returned. The problem was there were 17 days from August 20th till Sept 6th when we started the first treatment. During this time, no treatment whatsoever was given. So the question became:
How much growth might have happened during the 17 day no treatment phase? I was more interested in how much growth there may have been in the 2.5 month time we were in India and doing the Cytotron treatment. I sent the Rady Childrens MRI to Dr. Kumar for analysis. Below is his reply:

Dear Dan,

I received the CD of Jake’s resent MRI yesterday Afternoon. We sat on it immediately. This is what we have got to say;

The study of November 20, 2008 shows:

Multiple focal lesions within pons, midbrain, left cerebellar hemisphere, right thalamus, lentiform nucleus, corona radiata, centrum semiovale, internal capsule, frontal and parietal periventricular white matter. Hemorrhages are noted within right thalamic and periventricular white matter lesions.

Altered signal changes are also noted within left frontal and parietal periventricular white matter.

Edema is noted adjacent and around the lesions.
Mild midline shift of 2.8mms to the left is noted.

We compared this with the MRI scans of September 6, 2008, October 30, 2008 and November 20, 2008. Dr. Sibia sent all these CDs on different occasions. We don’t have MRI scans taken before this. The resent study though shows very mild increase in the size of all lesions, but not significant for a GBM considering the period involved between September and November (GBM has a 3 month tumor doubling period). All the lesions existed in the first MRI and the last, and there are no new lesion(s) after Cytotron treatment was started. There is perilesional edema, mass effect in the form of effacement of adjacent sulci and a mild compression of right lateral ventricle thus a mild midline shift. The Edema is around the lesions and not global.

I think we gave too much of RF and too fast, though there are no problems with such exposures but causes perilesional edema as a reaction depending on how differentiated the tumor cells (undifferentiated – more edema). This is why we give a break between exposures and I was reluctant for the third exposure.

Jake has to be immediately put on anti-edema measures. He should be fine with this and give it enough time to settle down, atleast 2 to3 weeks. When he is fit to travel he can come to Bangalore, where we will target each of the lesions.

If his edema is controlled, Jake will be as he was when he was taking Cytotron in India as he has more of pressure effects on his brain than tumor effects. A little more fight and we will make it.

We have won the battle, now we need to win the war.

Thanks and Regards
Kumar

So after an exhaustive emotional day wondering if this would be Jakes last Thanksgiving we have been given good news and renewed hope.
Additionally, after Jake has recovered from the edema and is strong again we will travel to Bangalore and we will actually get to meet and talk with Dr. Kumar. I am excited that he will be heading the treatment and look forward to many hours learning more about Cytotron. Information we can bring back to the states to help others.
On February 22nd 2007 Jake was officially diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme Grade IV. Coincidentally this was also the day of my 50th birthday. My goal will be this:
Get to Bangalore, finish treatment and return in time for "Dan's Fabulous 52 Birthday Party" where my gift will be a healthy son.

Jake Feeling Poorly

Jake is on his way soon back to Childrens Hospital. Hopefully just as an outpatient to get him more IV fluids and started on steroids to help with swelling. He has started to have problems again keeping things down. We are hoping against hope that it is swelling from the treatments and not more growth. We have not heard back yet from the Doctors in India but I suspect we will at any time. As I mentioned there is a descrepancy as to the results. There appears to be more growth since the August 20th MRI, not with the main tumor but in other areas. The question in my mind is how much of that occurred in the 16 days of no treatment while we were traveling to India. Given the agressiveness of the disease and that MRI's are done every 28 days it is possible that the growth occured before we started treatment. There are also other obviously frightening possibilities. I would have liked to have had the first day of treatment in India which has a accompanying MRI used as the reference but at Rady apparently they are not able to read the MRI format. So a copy of the new MRI has been sent to India for analysis.
Either way I suspect the treatment will be the same, that of Steroids and fluids.
One thing that seems the consistent is that Frank SR. which was the main target of the therapy appears to have been stopped and reducing in size. In a worst case scenario, I will hope that if there are new problems that we will have an option to go directly to the research center in Bangalore for more treatment but we will not know anything until the MRI is analysed by Dr. Kumar.
I should note that I remain absolutely confident in the effectiveness of the Cytotron. There simply remains question as to whether we need more treatment and if it would be effective in this case. Even though this technology is in it's infancy I bet all I know on it as a therapy and eventual cure for many. It is difficult when anything trying to treat this disease is so new and cutting edge. Time and experience will show that I am correct about this. Cytotron will continue to help others I hope it can continue to help Jacob.

On The Radio Today At 4pm Pacific Time

Listen to Dan talk about India, Cytotron and Jake today via the internet at 4pm

http://www.920kvec.com/

Jake at home at last!

Jake checked out of the hospital Friday evening at 9:30pm and we got him home and to sleep. Each day he wakes he seems to get a little more coherent and stronger for longer periods of time. I believe he will be recovering from the 40 hour trip and the jet lag brought on by the 13.5 hour time difference within about 1.5 weeks. He still has had no headaches but a small fever from time to time. His legs are getting stronger slowly. We are hoping to hear from Dr. Kumar and his team of radiologists soon

Walking The Halls Again

Jake is still at Childrens Hospital but will most likely be discharged tomorrow. He came in because he had a fever and was having difficulty keeping things down. He was also very lethargic.
His fever broke today and he has been doing better. An MRI was done yesterday and there are some concerns by the radiologists here at the hospital. I have forwarded the MRI and the radiologist report to Dr. Kumar in India to get His opinion.
Apparently radiologists not trained in reading MRI's taken after Cytotron might interpret the MRI differently . Therfore we will wait for a response from Dr. Kumar and his team and then decide what seems the most accurate and decide what we would next if something else needs to be done. So it is 8:44 pm and I am walking down the hospital corridor in my stocking feet, passing other parents who are doing the same thing. Strange to be walking the same halls I walked just about 2 years ago when Jake was first diagnosed

Jet Lag, Fever and Chocolate

Judging by the fact that it is 3am at the time of this post, I have still not gotten caught up on the jet lag from the return trip.
Jake has been feeling pretty low since we got home. On the trip from LA to San Diego he started feeling bad and ended up having some type of virus or flu. He has had a rough couple of days. His fever seems to be gone now but I think we will take him to Childrens Hospital in the morning for IV fluids to get him charged back up. Not really the return I was picturing when I thought of us walking through the airport like a couple of suave world travelers in sun glasses but that is life, throwing curves. Guess you have to catch them and throw them back. We received tons of chocolate when we got back along with greetings from many friends. Yesterday we received a special package from Dr. Kumar and Dr. Sibia. It was a chocolate cake for Jakes birthday with a nice note attached. Those guys continually impress me. I finally got out to get a cel charger and returned phone calls so we are slowly getting back in step. I am hoping that the IV fluids will be just what Jake needs to kick start him back in business and we can start to work on his physical therapy. The trip did have some negative effects on his overall strength but time and physical therapy will solve that.

Answers From Dr. Kumar Inventor of Cytotron

This blog will continue to follow Jakes progress through physical therapy and rehabilitation while also following the successes of other patients and trying to give more information about this new promising treatment. Below is a FAQ written by Dr. RV Kumar inventor of the Cytotron. It is quite informative and explains Cytotron technology as it is being used regeneratively to promote cartilage growth in knees as an alternative to knee replacement and degeneratively to stop cancer.

Click on the link:

http://www.intelligentsolutions.tv/cytotron/answersfromdrkumar.pdf

First Day Back

Jake slept from yesterday at 1pm till 7am the following morning. He woke up, showered, ate and went back to sleep. In the afternoon we had a birthday/welcome back party. He was much more aware then he was in India. As Dr. Kumar had suspected, some of his tiredness was due to home sickness. He is asleep again now. I am noticing some automatic movement in his left foot when I try to stretch his ankle. It seems to try and fight back causing the ankle to shake and give. This was not happening a week ago. It all seems like good signs. Additionally another patient has started Cytotron after having heard about Jake in the paper and after just a few treatments is feeling better. My cel phone charger broke and I have been unable to get a charger yet but should be back in action tomorrow. Till then, I have had no cel phone in case people have called. We will be going back to San Diego tomorrow afternoon if Jake is ready.

The Jones Boys Are Back In Town!

Jake and I arrived at about 11:30 am today on Jakes Birthday! We were up a total of about 40 hours so Jake is sleeping. We are safe, no problems, and I saw a car use a turn signal for the first time in 2.5 months! My Father picked me up and as we strolled with the bags and the crosswalk light turned green, I instinctively stopped and wanted to grab him and say "Be careful! You can't just walk into the street like that! More updates after I sleep. Good night

Jake & Dan In The News

Click on the link:
http://www.intelligentsolutions.tv/india/penbook.pdf

The Doctors Credo

As I have seen the continued success of Jake and the other two patients that were receiving treatment at the same time for other cancers. It became even clearer how much this technology can change the world. Being that it will probably take some time for it to come to the U.S. I suspect that we will see an increasing amount of people coming to India for treatment. I mentioned to Dr. Sibia that he will probably have no lack of business and that I would not be surprised if he soon needs a second Cytotron machine to handle all of the work. He indicated to me once again that he is only happy that he will be able to help others. My comment of increased business was meant as an statement of him being able to help more people and not from a financial standpoint. After we talked about this, Mrs. Sibia brought in a plaque and translated it for me. It is their credo, their way of life and mission statement. Below is the translation:

O God, in reality it is the strangest of circumstances that my livelihood is dependent on the ailments of others. Still it is my good luck that you have provided me the golden opportunity to relieve them of their sorrows and you have also provided me the capability to fulfill this responsibility.

O God give me grant me such strength that I can carry out this responsibility with honesty and love.

Actually you are the one who removes the sorrows of all and you are the true treasure of happiness. I am just the means.

O God keep you hand of blessing and sympathy on the heads of my patients.

Graduation Day

We had Jakes last day of treatment yesterday. I woke up at 4am this morning and went over to check my email on the computer. As I started to work on the computer, I realized that I was too tired. What usually woke me up was the stress of the things going on in my life. This morning a lot of the stress was gone. I went back to bed and watched Jake fast asleep, but this time I had an overall calmness like I had when Jake was a baby sleeping instead of worry about his health and survival. Last night after his last treatment, Dr. Sibia and his staff threw a small going away party for Jake and I to celebrate his success and his upcoming birthday. They ordered Chinese food and pizza and we sat in Dr. Sibia's office and partied. We took pictures of the staff and pictures of Jake and I with Dr. Sibia and his wife Harpreet. At the end of the party, Dr. Sibia went over to Jake, hugged him and said "It has been a pleasure having you as a patient. You are a new man now and I will look forward to you coming back to visit India and playing your guitar for me."
I said goodbye to the Dr. and his wife realizing that I have made new life long friends and that this really is not goodbye. Still when it came to the time where I wanted to say thanks, the man who has written blogs and emails for nearly 2 years was speechless. How do I put into words or a sentence a thank you for saving my sons life? Words simply cannot express, so I will try to use the knowlege and experience I have gained in India to try and help others in the world. In the end I believe this is my intended mission in life. As I struggled to find answers over the last two years as to why murderers and rapists are healthy while a good child like Jake with a promising future becomes ill I truly believe that it is Jakes kind nature and positive outlook that will be a driving force in promoting a therapy to help bring an end to suffering and death caused by Cancer. I believe we were chosen for this and although I want nothing more than for Jake to lead a normal life and be a happy young man doing the things young people do, we both have a warm feeling that already Jake has helped two people that have started treatment specifically because of his story and success. Jake has accomplished what his mission was when his psycologist asked him "Why are you going to India" and he replied "Because if it works I can perhaps help save others"

Looking Back...Yet again

The last day of treatment is today at 4pm. Then we say goodbye to our friends at the Sibia Medical Centre and take one day to rest and pack, and then begin the journey home on Friday. Jake and I should arrive in Los Angeles at 9:35 at LAX.

As this week has progressed I have each day sat in the office of my friends the Sibia's. I have said hello to all of the people at the clinic from the technicians, to the nurses to the guards. I have many more friends than I did before I arrived. I have a second family. This week has reminded me of the final week of "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson (didn't see that coming did you?) Each day closer to Johnny's last appearance on the show. As would be expected, both myself and the Sibia's have been reminicing about the chain of events that brought Jake and I here, and the times and talks we have had in the last 2.5 months. What has come up more than once is the decision to take a chance and come here and the way both Jake and I were strong enough to be away from all family because that is what we needed to do. Invariably the name William Shatner has come up more than once as kind of a motivating factor perhaps for me even more than Jake. During the course of this adventure, from the begining, Jake would quote lines from movies such as "Star Trek Generations" "I take it situation is grim and the odds are against us...Sounds Like Fun!" as one example. Almost each day in India, at about 3pm, after Jake had a nap, we would have "The Bingo Hour" This consisted of eating a bag of "Bingo" potato chips while laying on the bed together watching an episode of "Star Trek" Jake and I would say, "Boy, we think we have it rough, look at what he has do deal with at his job!" The episodes were new to both of us as we mostly had experience with the films only.
This blog began and will continue, eventually under a different title, as we add success stories from Jake and others. During the first 1.5 years of Jakes treatment I made all of my correspondences in the form of group emails. I did not know what a blog was (apparently according to Dr. Kim it is a "Web Log"). Because of this, our complete story is known more to just our immediate friends and family until the blog began on Sept 2nd. There have been magic moments even during that time that were recorded on email. I would like to post 2 email entries here that were turning points for me. They came at a time when I was unsure of what to do next and Jakes future appeared very grim. The second is how an email picked me up emotionally nd kept me on track. The third was written directly to someone else yesterday by Dr. Sibia.

Letter 1
In a message dated 8/22/2008 9:51:58 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time, dan@intelligentsolutions.tv writes:
I have not lost my mind. I just like movies and they have been a huge inspiration all my life. My kids seemed to have followed in my suit enjoying movies instead of sports. Didn't seem to affect them negatively let's face it Alex was crowned Homecoming King this year in a school known for football. In that vein, movies, and movie quotes help drive my life and I am certain they help drive and teach Jake. During the course of the last 1.5 years Jake and I have jokingly used actors and characters from movies to help cope with the type of attitude we need to maintain. Key in this role has been Captain James T. Kirk aka William Shatner and Jake has said on more than one ocasion how cool it would be to meet him. Although I realize this is a near impossible request, this email goes out to so many who know so many that I thought I would put it out there that if anyone has any connection with Mr. Shatner, we would love to arrange even a phone call from him to Jake. I think it would be a fantastic memory and motivator. I have not told Jake about this idea as it would be a wonderful surprise and I don't even expect that there is a possibility that it could happen but people know people who know other people so you never know. Therefore, I am putting it officially out there. Get me a call with the Shatner man. I really am not losing it. I just believe in the power of many. Thanks, Dan

Letter 2
On Aug 26, 2008, at 1:11 AM, Daniel, L. Pastel wrote:
Sunday was a pretty rough day for me. I began to question everything I
was doing and felt myself going into a panic. I kept thinking, "I can't
believe I am actually going out of the country for up to 2.5 months."
How could I be in this situation? I felt at the end emotionally and wondered how I
could pick myself up and continue the fight. Jake was complaining of a
small headache and feeling kind of out of it and the panic started to
wash over me like a wave from the top of my head to my toes making the
lower half of my body tingle like it was asleep. The same thing happened
when Jake was first diagnosed and again last week when our doctor caught
me in the hall to let me know the MRI results were in and things had
changed for the worse. I felt like Dr. McCoy in the Star Trek episode "Spocks Brain"
where he performs reverse brain surgery to put Spocks brain back in his
head after it had been stolen by aliens. Suddenly Dr. McCoy begins to
panic and says "How could I ever think that I could do this? I was
starting to question the validity of everything I was doing and finding
no answers or choices to choose from.

The next day, we went for our vaccinations. We were sitting in the
office after the shots, waiting for possible side effects when I got a call from
my brother Dale (Angel Tay) informing me that my sister Pam, had been
successful in contacting William Shatner and he would be talking to Jake
within the hour. I was ecstatic! My depression left and I found myself
excited and hopeful again. I knew that Mr. Shatner would have good words
to say which would help motivate all of us to do the things we needed to
do. Mr. Shatner called and spoke to Jake. We listened on the
speakerphone as Mr. Shatner told Jake that he was going to leave the
states to get better and he would "WILL" himself better. He said "Jacob
do you hear me, you will WILL youself better!" He continued: "And when
you are better and you get back, I will take you to a horse show. Just
you and me, what do you think?"

The road ahead is dark, winding, and unclear. It is difficult to know
whether we will drive ourselves directly in to a wall or find an
opening, where the sun shines and life is reborn.

As Captain Kirk quotes in The Wrath Of Khan, "There are always
possibilities"

Today confirmed what I already knew. People can get things done! Just a
few days ago, I sent out the "Wacky Email" hoping for a moment to
contact William Shatner to launch Jake and I on our way. Within a few
days, the power of people and the internet made that happen. People make
things happen! People like the doctors, nurses, social workers and
pschyologists at Rady Childrens Hospital. People like my brother "Angel
Tay" whose only concern is for our well being. People like my sister Pam
who set up the Jake Pastel Cancer Fund and got the meeting with Mr.
Shatner. People like my parents who help out financially, with a joke or
chocolate. Nieces like Kaitlin that setup websites to sell products for
Jakes benefit. Benefit poker tournaments in Los Angeles put on by my
nephew. All my close friends, and people I have never met who have
brought food, caring, a hug, anything they could because they want to
help. People are so much better than we realize. It is a shame and a
blessing that sometimes realize this only after the going gets rough. There are
hundreds of hands holding my family up while we walk across this fire,
this hell which is a brain tumor. I travel with Jake Sept 3rd, one week
from Wednesday to another country on a hope. We are never alone. The
helping hands of all my friends and family reach out like the web that
is the internet and help hold me and Jake up. We are never really ever
alone.

A long while ago, Jake had given a name to his tumor....Frank. Now Frank
must die.

Finally, Letter 3 from Dr. Sibia
Subject: Captain who steered the ship towards health and recovery in the book "Saving Jake - Hope for Cancer"
Dear William Shatner,
Jake is here for treatment of his brain tumor with Cytotron and we are satisfied with the follow up MRI result. The will power of Jake and the determination of Daniel his father are exceptional specially when it comes to cancer – even the word spells doom and defeat.
Your encouraging words to Jake have inspired him and Daniel beyond whatever you may imagine. Will power, optimism and the right attitude go a long way in any treatment and I must appreciate and thank you for what you have done for Jake. The credit of his improvement at least partially goes to you or he may never have been here.
Cytotron treatment for cancer and arthritis is still in its infancy and it holds promise for millions suffering from the ailments. When future generations read the history of Cytotron your contribution cannot be ignored. You will also be the Captain who steered the ship towards health and recovery in Daniel’s forthcoming book “Saving Jake – Hope for Cancer”
I take this opportunity to invite you to Sibia Medical Centre in Ludhiana that is located in north India as my personal guest. I know you are busy but then if you "WILL" it to happen – as you said to Jake before he left you will be here one day.
Regards.
Dr.Sibia

Cytotron 3.... Cancer 0!!!

I am just beside myself! We received the news of Angies MRI today.... NO GROWTH! Let's really examine what this means:
Angie had an MRI August 8th before she decided to come to the Sibia Medical clinic. At that time the colon tumor was the size of an egg and she had 5 tumors the size of peas in her liver. She was having to drain off up to 9 litres of ascites fluid which is a by-product of the cancer out of her abdomen regularly. By the time she got to Sibia Medical Centre on Oct 15th and had an MRI, the tumor had spread to 1/3 of her abdomen! Now 28 days later no growth whatsoever and the amount of fluid being drained has significantly decreased, another good sign. We must remember that the Cytotron causes out of control cancer cells to revert to normal cells and die off as normal cells or become stagnant. It is not the type of treatment that shows initial reduction in size. This happens over time. If you do the math and look at the growth from August 8th to October 5th which is essentially 2 months, one would at least expect half that growth from October 15th to today 28 days later however, no growth whatsoever!
I have been holding back but these continued amazing results against cancers that are so agressive demands the following editorial comment:
I must be state my conclusions..
In my opinion and with what I have seen happen now in Jacob and two other patients, plus my 30 years of experience in electronics and a understanding of this technology, Cytotron should be considered as the FIRST line of defense in any cancer in which the professionals who offer this therapy feel it would apply. Cytotron is not effective in some types of tumors but I will say that if I had any form of cancer, threat of possible cancer either malignant or benign, I would be on the phone to one of the centers (in my case the Sibia Medical Centre as I have had such a good experience) faster than you can say Cytotron and on a plane the next day if required. Of course that is just my opinion based on my experience and facts.

Captains Log supplemental Part 2

I must really be in contact with my feminine side. I am certainly not outwardly the most macho man I know. (That distinction is left to my good friend George Foote)
I find myself constantly being moved emotionally by my experience of visiting here.
Today it was in the form of a comment by Dr. Harpreet Sibia, the wife of Dr. Sibia

Words form Vedas - "Fear fearful things till no fearful things do appear, when dangers must be met - fight and forget your fears."

Visiting with the Sibia's for coffee each day has been a highlight of my time spent here. I have learned things I cannot easily explain. They have a way of putting things that instantly make sense.

Captains Log...supplemental

Had breakfast this morning with Angie and Norman her cousin. Angie as you may recall is the patient from Scotland who is here attempting to stop the cancer that started in her colon and spread to her liver. For whatever reason, they were not able to get the drug Avastin for her colon cancer, a drug which has shown significant help for that disease. Jake sat with us for the first time in a few days. Apparently the 17 hours of sleep was just what he needed and although still tired, I was able to convince him that we should try for breakfast. We sat at the table with Angie. Angie will finish her first 28 day treatment tomorrow followed by the MRI which will determine if she will stay for the second 28 days or go on to try and find another treatment. Sitting across from Angie I can almost feel the worry, hope, and fear that she is going through the day before the big day. It is something that you have to experience first or in my case second hand to understand. When so many have told me that they cannot begin to understand what we are going through, they are correct. You have to live it and I feel sad for anyone that does. There was nothing I could say, I would have liked to say that everything would be alright but that is such an unknown. No treatment is foolproof and usually more difficult the longer the cancer has been around. I said "Don't worry till you have something to worry about" Another useless comment, an attempt to try and make everything well when the situation is out of your hands and only time will give the answer. I told her that you will all help me by saying prayers tonight for good results for Angie, Mother and Wife.

Anti-Angiogenesis Treatment Day 4

It is Sunday night about 10:48 pm and Jake is in the shower feeling better. The last two nights were fairly rough. Apparently it was really a lot to try and do 2 treatments one hour each per day and Jake was getting much too tired. So Dr. Kumar modified his treatment to 1 per day for 1.5 hours which should yield the same results. Today Jake slept for 17 hours! Now he appears to be more himself. We have 3 more days of treatment, then one day of rest before the trip back home begins. On another note, you may have read in an earlier blog entry ("A Nice Story"), about the man and his wife who came over to do the Cytotron treatment specifically because they read about Jake in the paper. The woman who is paralyzed from the waist down and unable to move her arm. Yesterday, after 16 days of Cytotron therapy she started moving her arm again! Today, she has begun to get feeling back in her legs. When her husband told us this I was overcome with the nicest feeling I have ever had. That of helping change someones life for the better. It re-confirms my mission which is to help bring news of this technology to the world.
I have been organizing the emails over the past two years that I have sent out concerning Jakes care. I am using them as a reference while I write my book "Saving Jake". I have to admit, it has been a pretty intense 2 years! Looking at the emails now, it seems difficult to believe we have gone through all of that, I hope not to have to do that again. Only time will tell. I would expect that Jake will sleep almost constantly for about 2 weeks when he gets home to his own bed and his dog. I think we will really start to see the Jake, off chemo that we have not seen since almost two years ago when he walked into my office one afternoon and said "Dad, I think I have Carpal Tunnel" At the time I said "Shut up Jake, you don't have Carpal Tunnel". What a hard way to be right!

Understanding Cytotron

I was fortunate to have a backround in electronics. This enabled me to recognize the viability of this type of technology. I was thinking however that when one was pressed with the problem of making a decision about a new treatment especially when standard treatments are not viable, it might be helpful if one could understand more about the technology and the procedure itself. For this reason, I created this short video that details a portion of the Cytotron treatment process.
Click on the link:
http://www.intelligentsolutions.tv/video/cytotronpart1.wmv

Fire Full Phasers Mr. Sulu! ... Oh, And How About Another Video!

Jake finished his second day of the new treatment designed specifically to destroy the remaining attempts by Frank Jr to Klingon... I mean cling-on by concentrating all Cytotron guns into a narrow field with the software set towards anti-angiogenesis. I have changed our plane reservations for Nov 15th, the last time I believe I will have to change them, and Jake and I should arrive in Los Angeles at 9:30 am the day of his 20th birthday. This birthday as the previous one, a celebration of beating the odds and not believing in a "No win scenario"
(James T. Kirk from "Wrath of Khan")
I have been told by some that I refuse to see reality while still others have said that I refuse to take no for an answer. I believe I am somewhere in between.
In the realm of cancer, success must be measured one day at a time. It is a waste to dwell on anything but today and hope and believe there will be many tomorrows. Tomorrows that in time bring more advances that help guarantee destruction of cancer from our lives. As a parent of a child that has had cancer we must take each day one day at a time and be happy for good results. It is not feasable to do daily MRI's, therefore we will go through our every 6 week stress that is the scheduled time between each MRI. As the day of the test comes nearer, we will find ourselves more nervous than normal always hoping for the best.
HOWEVER, physical improvement is always a good sign of recovery and success especially with a brain tumor. Therefore, I give you today's video taken about 2 weeks since the last video showing Jakes walking improvement.
Click on the link:
http://www.intelligentsolutions.tv/video/jakerecovery3.wmv

Detailed MRI Results

The following is the text sent to me from Dr. Sibia after talking to Dr. Kumar. Dr. Kumar's team of radiologists viewed and discussed Jakes tumors at length:
Dear Daniel,
As I informed you late last night the details of my discussion with Dr.Kumar are as below:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After downloading the MRI from your site the CD was taken to the radiologists. Four eminent radiologists discussed all the possibilities for about four hours and concluded as follows:
Frank Sr (I am using your terms to make things easier) seems to have no activity.
Frank Jr is trying to extent its tentacles by angiogenesis but an equal amount of destruction of the angiogenesis is seen. The signals indicated by the contrast uptake are not of an aggressive tumor.
Both Frank Sr and Frank Jr have no appreciable change in size. There is some enhanced signal around Frank Jr with suspected angiogenesis but both Frank Sr and Frank Jr seem to be stable (as if stunned).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Suggested action (keeping in mind the distance between USA and India) :
Cytotron therapy to be done twice a day with a gap of not less than 3 hours, each session being of one hour to be done for 7 days. The target will be the angiogenesis with the aim of denting the tumor further and starve the Frank Jr from nutrition by cutting off the nutrition channels to the tumor.
I am emailing a copy of this to Dr.Kumar – so that he can add, correct or comment if required.
Regards.
Dr.Sibia
It is good for me to know that these last 7 days of treatment are being done as a fail safe considering that we live so far away and that we are already here. The doctors realize that it is best to play it extra safe since we cannot just come back that easily in the event more treatment was needed. I believe that they feel good enough about the success of the therapy that if I was a resident of India they would stop now but are being extra careful because of he distance.
Now, another video:
This video was taken on October 25th 2008 after we all began to notice that Jake was walking better. We decided it would be a good idea to have an assessment. We noticed improved walking, and sensitivity in his foot and legs. We believe that now the leg and foot are starting to work again. There is still a lack of feeling in them but there is some intermittent itching. His gait is improvedt. It is apparent that his left leg has significant weakness from not being used and a tightness in the muscles. These are affecting his gait but we still see a improvement. Since this video was taken 10 days ago, his gait continues to improve.
Click on the link:
http://www.intelligentsolutions.tv/video/jakerecovery.wmv

We Came, We Saw, We KICKED FRANKS A@#!!!

Here is the blog we have been waiting for! The results of the 2nd MRI show that Frank Sr. is dying and will be evacuating from Hotel Jake. Frank Jr. still barely trying to hang on is losing the battle. The main Thalmic tumor (Frank SR.) has again had no growth and according to the radiologists in Bangalore has been handled. Frank Jr. has a small amount of angiogenesis (blood vessel formation) along with Hemmoraging. Dr. Kumar has indicated that if we lived in India we would not continue on any more treatment because it is not really a concern but since we live so far away we will do 7 more days of treatment focused specifically on Frank Jr. twice a day for one hour, no more than 3 hours apart. That should anihilate any chance of re-growth.
I will go into details with specific answers to some questions I have sent Dr. Kumar as soon as I receive an email I have sent him. Till then perhaps the most important thing to know is that we have found a no side effect treatment against one of the worst types of cancers that is showing to be very effective. Even if in the future there was re-growth somewhere else, we could go back and do more treatment.
I have gone into more detail in the following video...
Click on the link...
http://www.intelligentsolutions.tv/video/secondmricommentary.wmv

Jake Feeling Better

Jake is feeling much better today. His temperature is down, his short term memory is almost completely returned if not completely returned. He no longer asks questions over and over again. He has intermittent itching on his left leg, foot, arm and hand. His headaches are gone. His color is good. He is still tired but after sleeping for almost an entire day, he is alert and making jokes, speaking up rather than being so quiet. I think he will need 1 or two more days of rest, then we may see the Jake we have not seen in a couple of years. Illness seems to affect him more than normal, making him more listless than I feel is normal but every day he seems to get better so we will see what the MRI says. We will hope to know the information in the next couple of days and find out if we are staying longer or coming home.



I on the other hand am now fighting getting Jakes cold, but even with tons of
vitamin C am starting to feel like this:

My Hat's Off To Jake

" Little boy blue, come blow your horn
The sheep's in the meadow, the cow's in the... well in this case the cows are in the street!
Where is that boy who looks after the sheep?
In the Hotel Fortune Klassik fast asleep"
I have to take my hat off to Jake. He deserves a big round of applause. When he was little and taking a nap neither him nor anyone had any idea he would be here in India trying to save his own life. Since November of 2006 when his hand started hurting and we thought it was just sore. Through a needle biopsy where a hole was drilled into his skull and a needle inserted into his brain. To radiation where all his hair fell out, 35 pound weight gain on steroids, blood clots in his leg, rashes on his feet, from constipation to nausea. To finishing his senior year with a private tutor at home and missing most of the senior activities while he was in a wheel chair. To 20 or more drugs daily. To chemotherapy every 2 weeks and sickness from the chemotherapy 10 days out of those 2 weeks. To journeying away from his home, family and dog now for 2 months and after 2 months of treatment sick as a dog with a cold one day after getting over a fever. Jake, unstoppable, fell asleep today while on his laptop learning about music on the internet. Not once has he lost his temper or his stride. Not once has he complained about his situation in anymore than a passing comment usually in the form of a joke. Not once has he ever even thought about giving up. And now, while we await new information as to whether we go home or continue treatment. Even now, feeling as sick as he is with this cold, he is still making jokes in between sleeping. Jake is a testimony of what a human can do when you decide not to say no and fight against the odds. I hope that to all who know him and have known him he is a positive influence to all. I hope he shows you as he has shown me that this is how you get through problems. You make your future regardless of your past and against any and all odds. If he has shown you that then maybe we find some small reasoning behind why bad things happen to good people.

The following message was brought to you by a very proud father.

Some Results, Some To Come

The MRI has been analyzed by Dr. Bakshi at the hospital and we have the following information at this time:

As you may or may not know Jake has more than one tumor. The main Thalmic tumor named Frank Sr. and a newer tumor called Frank Jr.

Frank still shows no growth after no chemo or any treatment besides Cytotron since August 20th. The two previous MRI's done in the US had some growth so the Cytotron appears to have halted Frank Sr. Jake has had improved walking and some itching in his left leg. In my opinion, his walking is significantly improved. He is also getting some itching on his left arm. Again, as Frank Sr. The Thalmic tumor affects these areas we all feel very good that we have stopped it and that hopefully Frank Sr. will check out of the Jake hotel slowly and steadily.

We do not have final results for Frank Jr. which is a tumor located in the occipital lobe near the back of his Jakes head. There is a question as to whether we are seeing some hemmoraging or growth of new blood vessels. The MRI will be reviewed by Dr. Kumar and his team and we should have results in the next couple of days. On a positive note, Jakes headaches are still gone as is the "knotty' feeling in the Frank Jr. location. From a symptom standpoint it would appear that the results for Frank Jr. will be encouraging but we really will not contemplate yet. He still has a loss of peripheral vision on his left eye. Otherwise Jake got over his fever and had one nice day and now is down again with a cold. This poor kid. We finished our last treatment today at least for the time being unless the MRI changes our plans so Jake will be able to spend the next couple of days doing nothing but sleeping if he likes. Also a positive note he has more energy and his memory seems to be getting better every day. Perhaps we just need to get through all the problems so the return trip will be pleasant.