I believed that my cancer had completely disappeared. I had the conviction to stop with the chemothereapy treatment in August of 2008 and I did.
It's been two months now since it was discovered that my cancer returned in my liver with various lesions. A biopsy of my liver was done and it was confirmed that it was the same cancer returning. You can imagine that this was not easy for me to accept, realizing that I would have to start with the same chemotherapy. Five weeks ago I started with the same chemotherapy regimine that they used before. I have recieved two infusions so far and am taking chemotherapy pills everyday morning and night. It has been very hard on me with many side effects. This thursday I will have another infusion and appt. with my Oncologist. We will also discuss doing an MRI to see if the chemotherapy is working.
My oncologist is trying to help me understand that cancer is chronic and that there is no cure for stage 4 cancer. Anyways, I have my faith that anything is possible and I will continue to believe that there is always a chance. I never stopped believing in alternative medicine and I continue to use alternative medicine as complementary along with the conventional.
Everyday I continue to investigate and learn more about the benefits of alternative medicine. I will try next time to give some more information that I have learned that is beneficial for everyone's health and that is helping me overcome a lot of side effects of chemotherapy.
My faith in God through Jesus is helping me and supporting me and my family with all that we are experiencing again.
Thanks so much to all that are helping and supporting me with what my family and I are going trough. Federico
SPANISH
Creía que mi cancer había desaparecido completamente. Sentí la convicción de dejar la quimioterapia en Agosto del 2008 y lo hice.
Hace casi dos meses me descubrieron que el cancer había vuelto en el hígado con varios tumores.
Una biopsia en el hígado confirmo que esos tumores eran el mismo cancer que había tenido antes, dos años atrás.
Se imaginaran que no fue fácil aceptar esto otra vez sabiendo que tenia que volver a la misma quimioterapia.
Cinco semanas atrás comencé con las mismas drogas que había utilizado antes.
Hasta ahora ya me dieron dos infiltraciones muy fuertes con muchos efectos secundarios que me hacen sentir muy mal especialmente la primer semana después de cada una. El Jueves que viene me van a hacer otra y después una resonancia magnética para ver como esta respondiendo todo.
Esto me esta haciendo comprender mejor mi enfermedad que los médicos me hacen entender que es crónica. Igualmente me tengo fe que esto de crónico puede llegar a revertirse a no crónico, al menos lo voy a creer mientras viva.
Nunca deje de creer en la medicina alternativa, algo que nunca deje de hacer y continuare haciendo como complemento de la medicina convencional.
Día a día continuo investigando y aprendiendo sobre sus beneficios. Tratare en la próxima nota de hacerlo mas detalladamente para beneficio e información para todos los que me siguen y me apoyan en lo que estoy pasando.
Mi fe en Dios a través de Jesucristo sigue siendo mi medicina principal. Gracias a El puedo sentir esta paz interior.
Gracias a todos los que nos están ayudando y apoyando con esto que estamos viviendo.
Federico
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Monday, January 5, 2009
Arranca el 2009. Starting a new year
Han pasado varios meses desde la ultima vez que escribí. En estos últimos meses me han hecho mas estudios y una endoscopia hace casi un mes atrás y todo salio bien, no encontraron nada de mi cancer. Harán unos 5 meses que decidí parar con la quimioterapia y ahora solo continuo con medicina alternativa. No fue una decisión muy fácil de tomar pues los médicos insistían que continuara con la quimioterapia por tiempo indeterminado.
Les pido disculpas a los que venían siguiendo mi blog por no haber escrito mas desde Julio creo.
He tomado la decisión de usar mi blog de contacto o información para personas que estén pasando por un cancer como el que tuve yo y también para cualquiera que este pasando por otro tipo de cancer y necesiten saber que es lo que hice y sigo haciendo en cuanto a medicina alternativa y lo que sea que quieran saber de como lleve mi tratamiento en general.
Si tienen algún pariente o amigo o conocen a alguien que tenga el mismo cancer que tuve yo, de esófago, o cualquier otro cancer también, no duden en decirles que se pueden comunicar conmigo si quieren. Yo iré escribiendo cada tanto sobre informacion que tenga que le sea útil a cualquier persona que este enfrentando cualquier tipo de cancer.
Para comunicarse conmigo lo pueden hacer a fedepecora@gmail.com
Un muy Feliz Anio Nuevo para todos.
Dios existe. No pierdan nunca la esperanza.
Federico
ENGLISH
It has been a while since I last updated the blog. Life has been busy with my kids and wife. In the last few months I have had more scans done and an endoscopy and everything came out clear! I had clear scans all year for 2008. It had been 5 months since I decided to stop with the chemotherapy and now I am just continuing with alternative medicine. It wasn't an easy decision to take especially since my doctors wanted me to continue for an undetermined amount of time. There is no real protocol for stage 4 esophageal cancer and my doctor admitted that there are no studies that show staying on chemotherapy while there is no cancer present would necessarily help me. He said as a doctor he would just feel more comfortable that I continue. But I had to weigh the benefits with the risks. So for now, I am just taking good care of my body, eating healthy,exercising and taking my supplements.
Forgive me for not updating my blog more often. I've decided to use my blog as a contact or for information for people who are going through cancer like mine and for anybody else with cancer or friend or family member to know what I have done that has helped me during and after treatment.
If you have a family member or friend with the same type of cancer or any other type, please don't hesitate in communicating with me for information. I will try to continue to update this blog with information that is useful for anyone going through cancer.
You can communicate with me through fedepecora@gmail.com
I wish you all a happy new year!
God exists. Never lose hope.
Federico
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
El dia que cambio mi vida para siempre. The day that change my life for ever.
ENGLISH
Monday 25th of June of 2007. I remember perfectly how beautiful was that morning, clear blue sky and fresh air with the sweet Maui smells of plants.
I woke up around 6 with my wife and my kids. We had breakfast all together and played a while with Lucia and Mateo and then went to work. I drove peacefully down from my little town to the City of the island, listening to music and looking at the ocean as I always did every time I drove down. And I was thinking while driving that as soon as I got to work I had to call my doctor who was in charge of my endoscopy last week to know the results.
I was feeling optimistic about the results I was about to hear. I thought that I didn't have anything bad but at the same I had to be prepared to hear that I could have something serious.
I kept driving and started to pray. I believed in Jesus for a long time and I prayed to him that morning while I was driving thanking him for my wife, for my children and asking him to protect them and to keep them in good health. And thanking him for this and then I asked him to have good results from my endoscopy and to take it good without getting desperate in case if I had to listen to something bad.
I arrived to work and later I called the clinic and they asked if I could go there as fast as I could because the doctor wanted to see me.
When I got there they made me go right away into this room and the doctor showed up pretty soon and made me sit and she sat in front of me and without waisting any time she gave me the bad news that I had cancer in the stomach and the esophagus.
In the next seconds I felt very confused. I looked at her and asked her if it was true and how could it be that I got this cancer being young and she said that it was a rare case, that normally older people get it. Right after she said this my kids and my wife came to my mind and I started crying and took from one of my pockets my wallet. I opened it and showed the doctor the pictures of my kids, Lucia and Mateo and a picture of my wife Marcia and asked her how I was going to tell this to my wife, that I was going to brake her heart. I few minutes went by and I got stronger, I dried my tears and asked the doctor what was next, what I have to do to cure this and she explained to me the steps to follow. First of all I had to see an oncologist soon. Then I asked her what were the chances to cure this cancer and she said that they were very low. She told me she had to make a phone call and left me alone in the room and I started to cry. At the same time I prayed and asked God how I was going to tell my wife this. To please help me to go along the best way with all this with my family, that I was not mad with him for having this, that it was not fair to be upset with you after all the blessings I got already in my life and asked him to at least please give me the possibility to raise my kids with my wife, to please don't let me go. I felt a good relief after praying.
The doctor came back to the room and she told me they just called the only oncologist in the island. He was going to call to my house anytime to get us an appointment. When she told me this I got desperate, I didn't want anyone else but me to tell my wife first what were the results. I didn't like at all this negligence of my gastroenterologist. I asked her to let me make a phone call to my wife now. She let me call her from her office. You can imagine it wasn't easy at all to tell my wife this bad news. I told my wife I was going home once I left the clinic.
When I left the entrance door of the clinic I rose my sight to the sky, the sun felt warm in my face, it was a beautiful day, no clouds, an ocean breeze and I started to thank God for that day, for being alive, for my family and I didn't stop thanking him until I got to my car. I got in, started driving and kept thanking him and I drove home thanking him for a lot of things, but mainly for being alive and for my family. Before getting home I started thinking what I was going to tell my wife. I was going to try to bite my tears y show her that everything was fine but I didn't know what I was going to tell her as soon as I saw her.
I arrived home and my wife was waiting for me in the yard with my son in her arms. Lucia was inside playing with my brother. My wife had called my brother right after I spoke with her and he came right over.
I got out of my car and walked towards the gate of my yard looking at my wife. She was so sad, and when I got closer to her these words just came out from inside of me " this is nothing compared to what Jesus suffered on the cross for us". I hugged her and we didn't say anything, we just stayed in our embrace with Mateo in between us, both of us crying.
I then went inside the house and there was Lucia playing with my brother. And for her it was like any other day, happy that I was there. I started playing with her on the floor and I said to by brother " Can you believe this?" I think that my brother was in shock and couldn't realize what was happening. It was the kind of news that was so hard to accept especially for someone from my family.
Two weeks later we left our home in Maui headed for California, where I decided to get treated at a hospital that dedicates itself exclusively to the treatment of all types of cancer, The City of HOPE. Our new life was about to begin.
The next day after I arrived, I had an endoscopic ultrasound to begin staging my cancer. This test was very important and if I had stayed in Hawaii, there was only 1 clinic on Oahu offering this test and the wait was very long. After a PET scan, CAT scan and endoscopy my cancer was staged at stage 4, metastasis. It was already advanced with metastasis to the liver and lungs. I needed to start treatment as soon as possible. The doctors told me that the possibility to cure this was 1%.I believe they said this so they didn't have to tell me that it was incurable.
From the beginning I decided to use both conventional medicine and holistic medicine and very soon after all the cancer started to shrink.I never lost my faith that was my main strength. I always believed that there was a possibility to cure. I transformed that 1% chance of survival to 100% from the first day and I never doubted. I had faith and still have faith that God can give me this opportunity that I asked him to continue raising my children with my wife Marcia and I believe he is giving this to me.
In December of last year many people from my church here in California were fasting and praying for me. Each day of the month was covered in prayer by faithful friends, some that didn't even know me personally. On the evening of December 14th I experienced something that never happened to me in my life. While I was sleeping I felt a presence of something and felt two hand touching me. They were wrapping my body, coming from underneath, very softly. I slowly woke up, and realized what was happening. It happened around 12 midnight. When I felt the hand move away, I was given a kiss on my left ear and was told something like " it is finished." With my faith, I believe God sent me and angel that night to finish curing me. Seven days later I had my scans again that showed the tumor in the esophagus was gone. It did not appear in the scan. All of the lymph nodes that previously showed cancer came back clear with no evidence of cancer.The spot in my liver also disappeared and there was only 3 very small spots in my lungs that had shrunk a lot since the last scan and one was completely gone. The end of February I had scans again and the 3 spots left in my lungs were gone and there was not evidence of cancer in my body. Three weeks ago I had scans once more and there was still no sign of cancer in my body.
Since I was diagnosed with this cancer, my wife and I have grown so much closer in our relationship with God. Our faith in Jesus grew and grew as the cancer shrunk. Never before have we thanked God SO much for our lives. We are so full of thanks for all the blessing that he has given to us during this experience. Without Jesus, my wife and I would not have been able to go through this trial with so much peace, hope and love. Thanks be to him, his mercies endure forever. And to everyone who has helped us throughout this experience, we THANK YOU from our hearts.
As of now, I have to continue with chemotherapy in a pill form. I have not had an infusion since January 17th. Everyday I take the chemo pills, the same ones that I have been on since the beginning. So instead of three drugs, I am only on one and this is considered preventative for now. Every 3 months I will have the scans to see how I am doing. Thanks for reading and thanks for all of your support!!!
Federico
SPANISH
Lunes 25 de Junio del 2007. Me acuerdo perfectamente lo hermosisima que estaba esa maniana, el cielo despejado y el aire fresco con aroma a plantas. Me desperte a eso de las 6 de la maniana con mi esposa y mis hijos. Desayunamos todos juntos, jugue un rato con Lucia y Mateo y luego me despedi para ir a trabajar. Maneje tranquilo bajando desde mi pueblo hacia la ciudad de la isla, escuchando musica y mirando el mar como lo solia hacer siempre y pensaba que a penas llegara al trabajo tenia que llamar a la doctora que habia estado a cargo de la endoscopia el viernes pasado. Estaba muy optimista acerca de los resultados que me iban a dar, pensaba que no tenia nada malo pero me acuerdo muy bien que a la vez pense de estar preparado a escuchar que podia tener algo serio. Seguia manejando y me puse a rezar. Yo creo en Jesucristo desde hace ya mucho tiempo y a El le rece esa maniana mientras manejaba diciendole primero lo que le decia todas las manianas y lo sigo haciendo, agradeciendole por mi esposa y mis hijos, y pidiendole que me los proteja y que les de buena salud y despues le pedi de no fuera nada malo cuando me dieran los resultados de la endoscopia, pero que si llegara a ser algo malo que me ayudara a tomarlo bien y no desesperarme.
Llegue al trabajo y al rato hice el llamado a la clinica y me dicen que fuera ahora mismo que la doctora me queria ver. Cuando llego me hacen pasar de inmediato a un cuarto y enseguida se presento la doctora, me hizo sentar, ella se sento en frente mio y asi sin perder tiempo me dio la mala noticia de que tenia cancer de esofago y estomago justo en la union del esofago con el estomago y me dice que lo sentia muchisimo. En los segundos siguientes me senti confundidisimo, la miraba y le preguntaba que si era cierto, que como podia ser que yo me hubiese agarrado cancer, y me dice que es un caso rarisimo, que yo era muy joven para agarrarme este tipo de cancer, que normalmente se da en gente mayor. Y ahi nomas me paso por la cabeza mis hijos y mi esposa y me puse a llorar y saque mi billetera del bolsillo, la abri y le mostre a la doctora las fotos de mis hijos y de mi esposa y le decia como le iba a decir esto a mi esposa, que le iba a romper el corazon. Pasaron un par de minutos mas, me puse fuerte, me seque las lagrimas y le pregunte que tenia que hacer a partir de ahora, que tenia que hacer para curarlo y me explico brevemente los pasos a seguir, lo primero de todo, tenia que ver urgente a un oncologo y le pregunte si se podia curar este cancer y me dijo que que las posibilidades de curar este cancer eran muy bajas. Me dijo que volvia enseguida a la habitacion y me quede solo por unos minutos y me largue a llorar y al mismo tiempo le rece a Dios y le pregunte como le iba a decir esto a mi esposa, que por favor me ayudara a llevar todo esto de la mejor manera con mi familia, que yo no estaba enojado con El por esto, que era injusto enojarme con El despues de todas las bendiciones que me habia dado en mi vida, y le pedi que por favor me ayudara y me diera al menos la posibilidad de poder criar a mis hijos junto con mi esposa.
La doctora volvio al cuarto y me dice que ya habia pedido turno con el oncologo y que iban a llamar a mi casa y ahi le pregunto que si iban a llamar ahora y me dice que si y me desespere cuando me dijo eso porque yo no queria que otra persona le dijera a mi esposa lo que tenia antes de que yo se lo dijera, no me gusto para nada esta negligencia de la doctora y le pedi un telefono que tenia que llamar a mi esposa ya. La doctora me hizo pasar a su oficina y llame a mi casa y se imaginaran que no fue nada facil tener que darle esta noticia a mi esposa y le dije que ya iba para casa. Ni bien sali de la Clinica alce mi mirada al cielo, el sol estaba radiante, era un dia hermosisimo, y le empece a agrader a Dios por ese dia, por estar vivo, por mi familia y no pare de decirle gracias hasta que llegue a mi coche, me subi y segui diciendole gracias, parecia un disco rallado, no paraba de decir gracias y asi maneje hasta mi casa sin parar de agradecerle por muchas cosas, pero principalmente por estar vivo y por mi familia. Ya cuando estaba por llegar a mi casa empece a pensar como iba a ser el encuentro con mi esposa, iba a hacer lo imposible por morderme las lagrimas y demostrarle que estaba todo bien pero no sabia que le iba a decir ni bien la viera. Llegue y ahi estaba esperandome en el jardin con mi hijo Mateo en sus brazos y Lucia estaba adentro jugando con mi hermano Mariano que mi esposa lo habia llamado despues de hablar conmigo en el telefono y se fue enseguida para mi casa. Baje de mi coche, camine hacia la puerta de mi jardin mirandola a mi esposa, ella estaba triste y cuando me acerque a ella me salio de adentro "esto no es nada al lado de lo que sufrio Jesus por nosotros en la cruz". La abrace y no nos dijimos nada mas, solo nos quedamos abrazados con Mateo entre los dos y los dos llorabamos. Despues me fui adentro de la casa y ahi estaba Lucia jugando con mi hermano y ella estaba como cualquier otro dia, contenta que estaba ahi y me puse a jugar con ella y mi hermano, y le dije a mi hermano "podes creer esto ?" Creo que mi hermano no cayo en ese dia de lo que realmente pasaba, era una noticia que costaba asimilar, especialmente para alguien de mi familia.
En dos semanas nos estabamos llendo de la isla mi esposa, mis hijos y yo rumbo a California donde iba a ser tratado en un Hospital dedicado exclusivamente a todo tipo de cancer, City of Hope. Una nueva vida comenzaba.
En este Hospital me detectaron bien en que grado estaba mi cancer. Era del grado mas alto, 4 con metastasis. Ya estaba muy avanzado y por eso habia que empezar lo antes posible con quimioterapia. La posibilidad de curarlo eran de 1 por ciento me dijeron los medicos (para no decirme 0 ).
Mi tratamiento desde el comienzo lo hice con medicina alternativa y medicina convencional y muy pronto se empezo a achicar todo el cancer.
Nunca perdi la fe que fue mi fuerza principal y siempre pense en que tenia una oportunidad de curarme, ese 1 por ciento lo transforme desde el primer dia en 100 por ciento y nunca dude. Tenia fe y la sigo teniendo de que Dios me podia dar esa oportunidad que le pedi de poder criar a mis hijos con mi esposa Marcia y creo que me la esta dando.
En Diciembre del anio pasado muchas personas de mi Iglesia aca en California estuvieron ayunando por mi. El 14 de Diciembre mientras dormia experimente algo que nunca me habia pasado antes en mi vida, fui tocado por dos manos mientras dormia boca arriba. Me entraban por debajo de mi espalda muy suavemente, de apoco me fui despertando y empece a darme cuenta de lo que estaba pasando. Paso alrededor de las 12 de la noche. Las manos las senti con los dos brazos y eran grandes. Cuando se retiraron las manos recibi un beso en mi oreja izquierda y me dijo algo como que ya esta. Con fe creo que Dios me mando un angel esa noche para terminar de curarme. Siete dias despues me hicieron los estudios que revelaron que el tumor en el esofago y estomago habia desaparecido, todo los ganglios linfaticos que tenia tomados volvieron a la normalidad, lo que tenia en el higado desaparecio y solo quedaban 3 nodulos en un pulmon que se habian achicado muchisimo y uno habia desaparecido. A fines de Febrero me volvieron a hacer los estudios y los nodulos en el pulmon habian desaparecido y el resultado fue que no habia evidencia de cancer y hace unas 3 semanas atras me volvieron a hacer los estudios nuevamente y el resultado fue otra vez que no hay evidencia de cancer.
Desde que fui diagnosticado con este cancer mi esposa y yo nos hemos acercado muchisimo mas a Dios, nuestra fe en Jesucristo crecio mucho mas. Nunca antes le agradeci a Dios tanto por la vida y por tantas bendiciones que me ha dado durante esta nueva experiencia de mi vida. Sin El mi esposa y yo no hubiesemos sido capaces de llevar toda esto con tanta paz, tanta esperanza, con tanto amor. Gracias Dios.
Y a todos los que nos han ayudado y a los que estan ahi siempre dandome aliento, a todos los abrazo juntos y les digo gracias !
Y como sigue esto ahora, tengo que seguir haciendo quimioterapia pero mas leve, seria preventiva. Todos los dias estoy tomando pastillas de quimioterapia que son las mismas que vengo tomando desde el principio que junto a dos drogas mas formaban antes el "coctail" de mi quimioterapia. Y cada 3 meses me van a ir haciendo los estudios.
Hasta la proxima.
Fede
Monday 25th of June of 2007. I remember perfectly how beautiful was that morning, clear blue sky and fresh air with the sweet Maui smells of plants.
I woke up around 6 with my wife and my kids. We had breakfast all together and played a while with Lucia and Mateo and then went to work. I drove peacefully down from my little town to the City of the island, listening to music and looking at the ocean as I always did every time I drove down. And I was thinking while driving that as soon as I got to work I had to call my doctor who was in charge of my endoscopy last week to know the results.
I was feeling optimistic about the results I was about to hear. I thought that I didn't have anything bad but at the same I had to be prepared to hear that I could have something serious.
I kept driving and started to pray. I believed in Jesus for a long time and I prayed to him that morning while I was driving thanking him for my wife, for my children and asking him to protect them and to keep them in good health. And thanking him for this and then I asked him to have good results from my endoscopy and to take it good without getting desperate in case if I had to listen to something bad.
I arrived to work and later I called the clinic and they asked if I could go there as fast as I could because the doctor wanted to see me.
When I got there they made me go right away into this room and the doctor showed up pretty soon and made me sit and she sat in front of me and without waisting any time she gave me the bad news that I had cancer in the stomach and the esophagus.
In the next seconds I felt very confused. I looked at her and asked her if it was true and how could it be that I got this cancer being young and she said that it was a rare case, that normally older people get it. Right after she said this my kids and my wife came to my mind and I started crying and took from one of my pockets my wallet. I opened it and showed the doctor the pictures of my kids, Lucia and Mateo and a picture of my wife Marcia and asked her how I was going to tell this to my wife, that I was going to brake her heart. I few minutes went by and I got stronger, I dried my tears and asked the doctor what was next, what I have to do to cure this and she explained to me the steps to follow. First of all I had to see an oncologist soon. Then I asked her what were the chances to cure this cancer and she said that they were very low. She told me she had to make a phone call and left me alone in the room and I started to cry. At the same time I prayed and asked God how I was going to tell my wife this. To please help me to go along the best way with all this with my family, that I was not mad with him for having this, that it was not fair to be upset with you after all the blessings I got already in my life and asked him to at least please give me the possibility to raise my kids with my wife, to please don't let me go. I felt a good relief after praying.
The doctor came back to the room and she told me they just called the only oncologist in the island. He was going to call to my house anytime to get us an appointment. When she told me this I got desperate, I didn't want anyone else but me to tell my wife first what were the results. I didn't like at all this negligence of my gastroenterologist. I asked her to let me make a phone call to my wife now. She let me call her from her office. You can imagine it wasn't easy at all to tell my wife this bad news. I told my wife I was going home once I left the clinic.
When I left the entrance door of the clinic I rose my sight to the sky, the sun felt warm in my face, it was a beautiful day, no clouds, an ocean breeze and I started to thank God for that day, for being alive, for my family and I didn't stop thanking him until I got to my car. I got in, started driving and kept thanking him and I drove home thanking him for a lot of things, but mainly for being alive and for my family. Before getting home I started thinking what I was going to tell my wife. I was going to try to bite my tears y show her that everything was fine but I didn't know what I was going to tell her as soon as I saw her.
I arrived home and my wife was waiting for me in the yard with my son in her arms. Lucia was inside playing with my brother. My wife had called my brother right after I spoke with her and he came right over.
I got out of my car and walked towards the gate of my yard looking at my wife. She was so sad, and when I got closer to her these words just came out from inside of me " this is nothing compared to what Jesus suffered on the cross for us". I hugged her and we didn't say anything, we just stayed in our embrace with Mateo in between us, both of us crying.
I then went inside the house and there was Lucia playing with my brother. And for her it was like any other day, happy that I was there. I started playing with her on the floor and I said to by brother " Can you believe this?" I think that my brother was in shock and couldn't realize what was happening. It was the kind of news that was so hard to accept especially for someone from my family.
Two weeks later we left our home in Maui headed for California, where I decided to get treated at a hospital that dedicates itself exclusively to the treatment of all types of cancer, The City of HOPE. Our new life was about to begin.
The next day after I arrived, I had an endoscopic ultrasound to begin staging my cancer. This test was very important and if I had stayed in Hawaii, there was only 1 clinic on Oahu offering this test and the wait was very long. After a PET scan, CAT scan and endoscopy my cancer was staged at stage 4, metastasis. It was already advanced with metastasis to the liver and lungs. I needed to start treatment as soon as possible. The doctors told me that the possibility to cure this was 1%.I believe they said this so they didn't have to tell me that it was incurable.
From the beginning I decided to use both conventional medicine and holistic medicine and very soon after all the cancer started to shrink.I never lost my faith that was my main strength. I always believed that there was a possibility to cure. I transformed that 1% chance of survival to 100% from the first day and I never doubted. I had faith and still have faith that God can give me this opportunity that I asked him to continue raising my children with my wife Marcia and I believe he is giving this to me.
In December of last year many people from my church here in California were fasting and praying for me. Each day of the month was covered in prayer by faithful friends, some that didn't even know me personally. On the evening of December 14th I experienced something that never happened to me in my life. While I was sleeping I felt a presence of something and felt two hand touching me. They were wrapping my body, coming from underneath, very softly. I slowly woke up, and realized what was happening. It happened around 12 midnight. When I felt the hand move away, I was given a kiss on my left ear and was told something like " it is finished." With my faith, I believe God sent me and angel that night to finish curing me. Seven days later I had my scans again that showed the tumor in the esophagus was gone. It did not appear in the scan. All of the lymph nodes that previously showed cancer came back clear with no evidence of cancer.The spot in my liver also disappeared and there was only 3 very small spots in my lungs that had shrunk a lot since the last scan and one was completely gone. The end of February I had scans again and the 3 spots left in my lungs were gone and there was not evidence of cancer in my body. Three weeks ago I had scans once more and there was still no sign of cancer in my body.
Since I was diagnosed with this cancer, my wife and I have grown so much closer in our relationship with God. Our faith in Jesus grew and grew as the cancer shrunk. Never before have we thanked God SO much for our lives. We are so full of thanks for all the blessing that he has given to us during this experience. Without Jesus, my wife and I would not have been able to go through this trial with so much peace, hope and love. Thanks be to him, his mercies endure forever. And to everyone who has helped us throughout this experience, we THANK YOU from our hearts.
As of now, I have to continue with chemotherapy in a pill form. I have not had an infusion since January 17th. Everyday I take the chemo pills, the same ones that I have been on since the beginning. So instead of three drugs, I am only on one and this is considered preventative for now. Every 3 months I will have the scans to see how I am doing. Thanks for reading and thanks for all of your support!!!
Federico
SPANISH
Lunes 25 de Junio del 2007. Me acuerdo perfectamente lo hermosisima que estaba esa maniana, el cielo despejado y el aire fresco con aroma a plantas. Me desperte a eso de las 6 de la maniana con mi esposa y mis hijos. Desayunamos todos juntos, jugue un rato con Lucia y Mateo y luego me despedi para ir a trabajar. Maneje tranquilo bajando desde mi pueblo hacia la ciudad de la isla, escuchando musica y mirando el mar como lo solia hacer siempre y pensaba que a penas llegara al trabajo tenia que llamar a la doctora que habia estado a cargo de la endoscopia el viernes pasado. Estaba muy optimista acerca de los resultados que me iban a dar, pensaba que no tenia nada malo pero me acuerdo muy bien que a la vez pense de estar preparado a escuchar que podia tener algo serio. Seguia manejando y me puse a rezar. Yo creo en Jesucristo desde hace ya mucho tiempo y a El le rece esa maniana mientras manejaba diciendole primero lo que le decia todas las manianas y lo sigo haciendo, agradeciendole por mi esposa y mis hijos, y pidiendole que me los proteja y que les de buena salud y despues le pedi de no fuera nada malo cuando me dieran los resultados de la endoscopia, pero que si llegara a ser algo malo que me ayudara a tomarlo bien y no desesperarme.
Llegue al trabajo y al rato hice el llamado a la clinica y me dicen que fuera ahora mismo que la doctora me queria ver. Cuando llego me hacen pasar de inmediato a un cuarto y enseguida se presento la doctora, me hizo sentar, ella se sento en frente mio y asi sin perder tiempo me dio la mala noticia de que tenia cancer de esofago y estomago justo en la union del esofago con el estomago y me dice que lo sentia muchisimo. En los segundos siguientes me senti confundidisimo, la miraba y le preguntaba que si era cierto, que como podia ser que yo me hubiese agarrado cancer, y me dice que es un caso rarisimo, que yo era muy joven para agarrarme este tipo de cancer, que normalmente se da en gente mayor. Y ahi nomas me paso por la cabeza mis hijos y mi esposa y me puse a llorar y saque mi billetera del bolsillo, la abri y le mostre a la doctora las fotos de mis hijos y de mi esposa y le decia como le iba a decir esto a mi esposa, que le iba a romper el corazon. Pasaron un par de minutos mas, me puse fuerte, me seque las lagrimas y le pregunte que tenia que hacer a partir de ahora, que tenia que hacer para curarlo y me explico brevemente los pasos a seguir, lo primero de todo, tenia que ver urgente a un oncologo y le pregunte si se podia curar este cancer y me dijo que que las posibilidades de curar este cancer eran muy bajas. Me dijo que volvia enseguida a la habitacion y me quede solo por unos minutos y me largue a llorar y al mismo tiempo le rece a Dios y le pregunte como le iba a decir esto a mi esposa, que por favor me ayudara a llevar todo esto de la mejor manera con mi familia, que yo no estaba enojado con El por esto, que era injusto enojarme con El despues de todas las bendiciones que me habia dado en mi vida, y le pedi que por favor me ayudara y me diera al menos la posibilidad de poder criar a mis hijos junto con mi esposa.
La doctora volvio al cuarto y me dice que ya habia pedido turno con el oncologo y que iban a llamar a mi casa y ahi le pregunto que si iban a llamar ahora y me dice que si y me desespere cuando me dijo eso porque yo no queria que otra persona le dijera a mi esposa lo que tenia antes de que yo se lo dijera, no me gusto para nada esta negligencia de la doctora y le pedi un telefono que tenia que llamar a mi esposa ya. La doctora me hizo pasar a su oficina y llame a mi casa y se imaginaran que no fue nada facil tener que darle esta noticia a mi esposa y le dije que ya iba para casa. Ni bien sali de la Clinica alce mi mirada al cielo, el sol estaba radiante, era un dia hermosisimo, y le empece a agrader a Dios por ese dia, por estar vivo, por mi familia y no pare de decirle gracias hasta que llegue a mi coche, me subi y segui diciendole gracias, parecia un disco rallado, no paraba de decir gracias y asi maneje hasta mi casa sin parar de agradecerle por muchas cosas, pero principalmente por estar vivo y por mi familia. Ya cuando estaba por llegar a mi casa empece a pensar como iba a ser el encuentro con mi esposa, iba a hacer lo imposible por morderme las lagrimas y demostrarle que estaba todo bien pero no sabia que le iba a decir ni bien la viera. Llegue y ahi estaba esperandome en el jardin con mi hijo Mateo en sus brazos y Lucia estaba adentro jugando con mi hermano Mariano que mi esposa lo habia llamado despues de hablar conmigo en el telefono y se fue enseguida para mi casa. Baje de mi coche, camine hacia la puerta de mi jardin mirandola a mi esposa, ella estaba triste y cuando me acerque a ella me salio de adentro "esto no es nada al lado de lo que sufrio Jesus por nosotros en la cruz". La abrace y no nos dijimos nada mas, solo nos quedamos abrazados con Mateo entre los dos y los dos llorabamos. Despues me fui adentro de la casa y ahi estaba Lucia jugando con mi hermano y ella estaba como cualquier otro dia, contenta que estaba ahi y me puse a jugar con ella y mi hermano, y le dije a mi hermano "podes creer esto ?" Creo que mi hermano no cayo en ese dia de lo que realmente pasaba, era una noticia que costaba asimilar, especialmente para alguien de mi familia.
En dos semanas nos estabamos llendo de la isla mi esposa, mis hijos y yo rumbo a California donde iba a ser tratado en un Hospital dedicado exclusivamente a todo tipo de cancer, City of Hope. Una nueva vida comenzaba.
En este Hospital me detectaron bien en que grado estaba mi cancer. Era del grado mas alto, 4 con metastasis. Ya estaba muy avanzado y por eso habia que empezar lo antes posible con quimioterapia. La posibilidad de curarlo eran de 1 por ciento me dijeron los medicos (para no decirme 0 ).
Mi tratamiento desde el comienzo lo hice con medicina alternativa y medicina convencional y muy pronto se empezo a achicar todo el cancer.
Nunca perdi la fe que fue mi fuerza principal y siempre pense en que tenia una oportunidad de curarme, ese 1 por ciento lo transforme desde el primer dia en 100 por ciento y nunca dude. Tenia fe y la sigo teniendo de que Dios me podia dar esa oportunidad que le pedi de poder criar a mis hijos con mi esposa Marcia y creo que me la esta dando.
En Diciembre del anio pasado muchas personas de mi Iglesia aca en California estuvieron ayunando por mi. El 14 de Diciembre mientras dormia experimente algo que nunca me habia pasado antes en mi vida, fui tocado por dos manos mientras dormia boca arriba. Me entraban por debajo de mi espalda muy suavemente, de apoco me fui despertando y empece a darme cuenta de lo que estaba pasando. Paso alrededor de las 12 de la noche. Las manos las senti con los dos brazos y eran grandes. Cuando se retiraron las manos recibi un beso en mi oreja izquierda y me dijo algo como que ya esta. Con fe creo que Dios me mando un angel esa noche para terminar de curarme. Siete dias despues me hicieron los estudios que revelaron que el tumor en el esofago y estomago habia desaparecido, todo los ganglios linfaticos que tenia tomados volvieron a la normalidad, lo que tenia en el higado desaparecio y solo quedaban 3 nodulos en un pulmon que se habian achicado muchisimo y uno habia desaparecido. A fines de Febrero me volvieron a hacer los estudios y los nodulos en el pulmon habian desaparecido y el resultado fue que no habia evidencia de cancer y hace unas 3 semanas atras me volvieron a hacer los estudios nuevamente y el resultado fue otra vez que no hay evidencia de cancer.
Desde que fui diagnosticado con este cancer mi esposa y yo nos hemos acercado muchisimo mas a Dios, nuestra fe en Jesucristo crecio mucho mas. Nunca antes le agradeci a Dios tanto por la vida y por tantas bendiciones que me ha dado durante esta nueva experiencia de mi vida. Sin El mi esposa y yo no hubiesemos sido capaces de llevar toda esto con tanta paz, tanta esperanza, con tanto amor. Gracias Dios.
Y a todos los que nos han ayudado y a los que estan ahi siempre dandome aliento, a todos los abrazo juntos y les digo gracias !
Y como sigue esto ahora, tengo que seguir haciendo quimioterapia pero mas leve, seria preventiva. Todos los dias estoy tomando pastillas de quimioterapia que son las mismas que vengo tomando desde el principio que junto a dos drogas mas formaban antes el "coctail" de mi quimioterapia. Y cada 3 meses me van a ir haciendo los estudios.
Hasta la proxima.
Fede
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Estudios otra vez con muy buenos resultados. Good results again.
Hola a todos, escribo corto para contarles que el Jueves me hicieron otra vez los estudios despues de casi 3 meses y salio otra vez que no hay evidencia de cancer.
Esta es la segunda vez que los estudios salen con los mismos resultados.
Gracias a todos los que me bancaron y me siguen bancando en el transcurso de mi curacion y recuperacion. Un abrazo grande a ustedes. Federico
ENGLISH
Hello everybody, I write shortly to tell you that I just got done the scans on Thursday after 3 months since the last scans and they are clear, there is no evidence of cancer again.
THanks so much to everyone that have supported me and keep on supporting me troughout this long time of curing and recovering from this disease.
Big hug to you. Federico
Esta es la segunda vez que los estudios salen con los mismos resultados.
Gracias a todos los que me bancaron y me siguen bancando en el transcurso de mi curacion y recuperacion. Un abrazo grande a ustedes. Federico
ENGLISH
Hello everybody, I write shortly to tell you that I just got done the scans on Thursday after 3 months since the last scans and they are clear, there is no evidence of cancer again.
THanks so much to everyone that have supported me and keep on supporting me troughout this long time of curing and recovering from this disease.
Big hug to you. Federico
Monday, April 21, 2008
6 DE MAYO. MAY 6th
Hello, I am here in California. We've been having a beautiful Spring, sunny everyday. I've seen my doctor more than a month ago and I didn't get an infusion. He told me that it is not necessary to have an infusion now, but I have to keep taking the chemotheraphy pills everyday and they are strong enough.
I am still having side effects from the chemotheraphy but not as strong as they were when I was getting the infusions together with the pill.
This time I noticed my doctor was more open with me than last month,when he gave me the great results from the last scans. He expressed his excitement about the good results from one month ago and he said the results were really excellent and that there was no sign of disease. I asked him for how long I need to continue with the chemotheraphy and he said that he is going to determine that after the next scans in 3 more weeks. He said if nothing appeared again we could go for 6 more months or less with the treatment and then find a stopping point.
This month I had the opportunity to go windsurfing, there was good wind and waves. It was my first time windsurfing with waves in California since I started with the treatment.
In one of the pictures I am with my oncologist from City of Hope Dr. Shibata from my last appointment. The City of Hope interviewed me and wrote and article about me and my progress for their fall publication. I hope to encourage patients to have a positive attitude, eat healthy, take supplements that strengthen the immune system and exercise as often as possible.
In the other pictures I am with my son Mateo and with my brother Mariano and my daughter Lucia.
Thank you to all who had been praying for my recovery and are supporting me to keep going on with my journey of recovery with a lot of strength as I did from the first day I started with all this.
SPANISH
Hola, aca estoy en California, venimos teniendo un clima primaveral buenisimo, sol todos los dias. Vi a mi doctor hace un mes atras y no me hicieron ninguna infiltracion. Me dijo que no es necesario ahora, que eso si, tengo que continuar tomando mis pastillas todos los dias como parte de la quimioterapia que ya son bastante fuertes. Sigo efectos secundarios de la quimioterapia pero nada que ver a los que tenia cuando me daban tambien las infiltraciones. A mi doctor lo note mucho mas abierto conmigo esta vez que hace un mes cuando me dio los resultados de los ultimos estudios. Me dijo que los resultados de los ultimos estudios habian sido excelentes y que no se veian seniales de esta enfermedad. Le pregunte por cuanto mas tiempo tenia que seguir con la quimioterapia y me dijo que se iba a determinar eso despues de los proximos estudios dentro de unas 3 semanas mas y que si no aparecia nada mas que iba a seguir por 6 o menos meses y despues parariamos con todo.
Este mes tuve la oportunidad de hacer windsurf en el mar ya que hubieron unos dias de buen viento y olas. Fue mi primera vez haciendo windsurf aca en California desde el comienzo de mi tratamiento. Sigo manteniendo mi rutina de actividad fisica y comiendo lo mas sano posible y no aflojo nunca con mi medicina alternativa que voy a continuar aunque corte con la quimioterapia algun dia que es lo que me aconsejan hacer para mantener mi sistema inmunologico fuerte.
En una de las fotos estoy con mi medico oncologo, el Doctor Shibata, en mi ultima consulta de hace un mes atras. Ese dia nos sacaron tambien una foto para hacerme un nota para la revista del Hospital que va a salir alrededor de Septiembre.
En esta nota me preguntaron sobre mi vida en general, sobre mi caso, mi recuperacion, mi fe, mi alimentacion junto con suplementos vitaminicos y mi actividad fisica. Espero que a travez de esta nota pueda ayudar a otros pacientes a tener muchas esperanzas y no rendirse nunca y que sepan que se pueden curar tambien.
En las otras estoy con mi hijo Mateo y en las otras con mi hermano Mariano y mi hija Lucia.
Gracias a todos los que estuvieron y siguen orando por mi recuperacion y me apoyan para seguir tirando para adelante como desde el primer dia.
Hasta la proxima. Federico
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
GREAT NEWS. BUENISIMAS NOTICIAS
Hace mas de una semana que me dieron los resultados de mis ultimos estudios y dieron que no se ve nada de cancer en ninguna de las partes donde lo tenia. Lo del pulmon desaparecio, lo mismo lo del higado ya no se ve, el tumor en el esofago y estomago ya no esta y todos los ganglios linfaticos se ven bien.
Igualmente mis medicos toman esto con mucha cautela y decidieron seguir dandome quimioterapia y en dos semanas mas vuelvo a ver a mi oncologo y en un mes y medio mas me vuelven a hacer los mismos estudios. La quimioterapia que estoy haciendo ahora es mucho mas leve que antes, hace ya dos meses que no me hacen ninguna infiltracion, lo unico que estoy haciendo ahora es tomar pastillas todos los dias que son parte de la quimioterapia.
En unos dias mas vuelvo a escribir mas para contar como vengo viviendo todo esto desde que recibi estos increibles resultados.
Federico
ENGLISH
I got great news last week when I heard the results from my last tests, it came out that nothing was seen. In my lungs the 4 nodules disappeared, there is nothing in the liver, there is no evidence of the main tumor in my esophagaus and stomach and nothing in the lymph nodes. Anyways I have to get more chemotheraphy and I'll see my doctor in 3 more weeks and in 2 more months I am goning to have all the tests again.
The chemotherapy I'm getting is lighter now, I haven't had an infusion in 2 months.
I am only taking pills everyday for chemotherapy.
In a few days I am going to write more about how I'm living these days since I got these incredible results.
Federico
Igualmente mis medicos toman esto con mucha cautela y decidieron seguir dandome quimioterapia y en dos semanas mas vuelvo a ver a mi oncologo y en un mes y medio mas me vuelven a hacer los mismos estudios. La quimioterapia que estoy haciendo ahora es mucho mas leve que antes, hace ya dos meses que no me hacen ninguna infiltracion, lo unico que estoy haciendo ahora es tomar pastillas todos los dias que son parte de la quimioterapia.
En unos dias mas vuelvo a escribir mas para contar como vengo viviendo todo esto desde que recibi estos increibles resultados.
Federico
ENGLISH
I got great news last week when I heard the results from my last tests, it came out that nothing was seen. In my lungs the 4 nodules disappeared, there is nothing in the liver, there is no evidence of the main tumor in my esophagaus and stomach and nothing in the lymph nodes. Anyways I have to get more chemotheraphy and I'll see my doctor in 3 more weeks and in 2 more months I am goning to have all the tests again.
The chemotherapy I'm getting is lighter now, I haven't had an infusion in 2 months.
I am only taking pills everyday for chemotherapy.
In a few days I am going to write more about how I'm living these days since I got these incredible results.
Federico
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