Friday, February 8, 2008

Treatment Plans

The treatment Children's Hospital wants to give Kevin involves him going back in the hospital 5 days a week for 6 weeks after being home to heal from all the operations for 3 weeks. Then after that he will be in the hospital for a week once a month for treatments. It is considered a clinical trail. The actual name of the clinical trail is Comparison of Radiation Therapy Regimens in Combination With Chemotherapy in Treating Young Patients With Newly Diagnosed Standard-Risk Medulloblastoma. I found a hospital in Toledo that is participating in a clinical trail which uses stem cell treatment. I am going to look into that because it sounds like it uses less radaiation. The name of that treatment is Combination Chemotherapy With or Without Etoposide Followed By an Autologous Stem Cell Transplant in Treating Young Patients With Previously Untreated Malignant Brain Tumors.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi Rachel,

My daughter Alyssa is in Kevin's class. I have a lady I work with whose grandson was diagnosed with this same cancer at the age of 10. He has surgery and did chemo with radiation and did well. He is now 18 and will be graduating from high school in June. I know that this is a scary time for you and your family. My family wishes you and yours all the best. We will keep you all in our prayers!!
Tell Kevin Alyssa said Hello!

Ginny Sutcliffe

Unknown said...

Hi Mike and Rachel,

First I am quite sorry to hear the news from Dominic. I just read all your blog entries and I can't help but understand some of what you are going through. My wife Leah (who Mike met skiing in Banff) was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor (glioblastoma multiforme - GBM) almost 1 year ago and she is looking good and surviving. I just read a short primer on medullabastomas and I am familiar with clinical trials, etc. Please contact me ANYTIME day or night if you ever need help or want some questions answered. Keep in mind I really only know GBM but a lot will be similar for these malignant brain tumors.

God bless and we pray for you and Kevin. Give him a smile for me.

- Mike DeGuire
hm 313 792-8340
cl 248 935-3068
emdigg@gmail.com

p.s. I would like to visit sometime to help in any way I can if that was possible. Just let me know when and where. But, I fully understand the importance of giving the family some time alone and also keeping sicknesses away from Kevin.