Shira's Battle with Cancer
Shira Shaiman has been in a fight with rectal cancer for the past 18 months. She
has completed a first round of Chemotherapy treatment and has had surgery to remove
the malignant tumor. Then after a long recovery process, she received word from her
doctors that her cancer was back, and had spread quite extensively into her lungs
and liver. Recent PET scans have revealed that Shira's cancer is now in Stage IV:
metastatic disease (metastatic rectal cancer). Her doctors did not give her a prognosis
that she was comfortable with so she has researched exciting new treatments options.
Obviously, this news has been devastating for both Shira and her husband David,
who have two young boys, Toby (4yrs) and Leo (18mos), and for all of us who have
been hoping and praying that her scans would come back clean.
Treatment
Sono-Photodynamic Therapy, called SPDT uses a chlorophyll- based
sensitizer in combination with infrared light, ultrasound, ozone therapy, and low-dose
chemotherapy to systemically eliminate cancer cells. It is being studied and practiced
in other parts of the world, including here in the United States, but it has not
been through extensive clinical trials or FDA approvals. As it turns out, the best
place in the world for this novel, and advanced new treatment is in China, where
they are having very promising results with many Stage IV cancer patients. With
that said, Shira's treatment happens to be extremely expensive, costing upwards
of $100,000 for the 3 months of treatments, including the daycare help that David
will need to take care of the 2 boys while he is at work. This is an overwhelming
financial burden for this family, and they are in need of help from our friends
at TASC.
Growing Old!
Shira wants nothing else in life but to grow old, and to have a
chance to be with all of us -her family and friends. In Shira's own words:
"I know this treatment is far from easy, convenient, or cheap,
but it is my best chance at a long, healthy, disease-free life. After searching
through my 20s and 30s to find what I want to be when I grow up, I think at age
40 I've finally figured it out: old. I want to be old. With all my love and great
joy and the absolute faith in miracles." - Shira
In case you are interested in following Shira's
progress, she plans to continue her blog while in China, (http://shirashaiman.wordpress.com/) so that she can stay in touch with everyone and report on her progress.
Please keep Shira and her family in your thoughts and prayers of
hope, as she seeks a cure.
About Sono Photodynamic Therapy
Sono photodynamic therapy (SPDT) is an advanced, non-toxic cancer
treatment that systemically targets and eliminates tumors and cancer cells through
two techniques: photodynamic therapy and sonodynamic therapy. Clinical results have
been very promising, even for stage iv cancer patients, and especially when SPDT
is combined with low-dose chemotherapy and other modalities.
With SPDT, a patient ingests oral, chlorophyll-based sensitizers
that are selectively absorbed and bound by cancer cells. Exposure to high-frequency
light and ultrasound activate the sensitizers, which then trigger the production
of a powerful oxidant called singlet oxygen, which in turn attacks and kills cancer
cells without damaging healthy cells.
Photodynamic therapy was developed over a century ago, and has
been in use for a range of medical conditions including cancer since the 1970s.
Sonodynamic therapy is an emerging treatment developed by Dr. Wang of Renkang Hospital,
China, and has been in clinical use for the last decade. The exciting breakthrough
of this therapy lies in the ability of sound waves, as transmitted through ultrasound,
to penetrate the body more deeply than light waves, making sonodynamic therapy highly
effective at attacking deeper tumors and micro-metastases throughout the body.
SPDT has gained wide acceptance around the world as a safe and
effective cancer treatment void of harmful side effects. SPDT is now available in
the United States, but only on a limited basis for select localized cancers. Under
the guidance of Dr. Wang and his oncology team, China remains the leader in SPDT
treatment.
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