Getting Organised!

Well, the Amigos of Dave are gearing up for their first Amigos of Dave Focus session this coming Sunday. The idea for the focus session is discuss Dave’s journey, treatments and possible future. Most of all, we will be discussing what support Dave and his family might need, such as respite care, fundraising, and just a good old phone call to keep Dave’s determination powering.

If you have ventured out and read other cancer patient’s blogs and stories their survival goes down to the power of the mind. So, in saying this think positive for Dave and join the Amigos of Dave campaign trail to get their best mate back to good health and good times!

If you are interested in helping Dave’s Amigos campaign, contact Naomi on naomiedwards09@me.com.

Love Dave’s Amigos and Amigas

xox

Amigos of Dave
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Support a Friend

Dear Friend,
Things have been rough these last few weeks. It appears as though we've hit rock bottom and now we're trying to swim to the surface. For David, the treatment has caused some swelling. The effects of which we have been treating and dealing with. However, two weeks ago, it all culminated to Dave's hospitalization. And three days before an early scheduled flight home too. But better something like this happen here than during travel. We have since re-scheduled our return flights according to the healing progress. In all it is a set back which was quite serious and dangerous.

Dave has been in hospital these last two weeks and has been making a steady recovery. The team at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital in Houston Texas are taking extremely good care of him and are doing everything in their power to help us get home. Ultimately, Dave is faced with a lot of hard work. Among the challenges, is building up the strength to endure the journey home, as well as continuing to fight for his life.

At the moment, with your support, I'm doing my best to ensure Dave maintain a healthy state of mind; encouragement, humor, love, and as much support as humanly and spiritually possible.

Everyday we are faced with challenges and everyday we decide to approach these with the light of our enduring love... a love for life and a determination to overcome adversity. It's at these breaking points that we have got to be at our strongest. Here we find ourselves coming closer together, and growing stronger together. Here we seek strength within and seek support without. In saying this, we continue to find the courage to be hopeful in times of despair, and we find this hope in the beauty of the people we love and in love itself.
Thank you for your words and efforts of encouragement and support and I hope you find these words reciprocal in nature.

Love your Friend and Brother,
Daniel

Another Amigos of Dave Clip
by Noami Edwards


Amigos of Dave
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Hello Friend

Dave the ice fiend

Hello friend,
Second visit to the 'land of opportunity', where we continue to seek long term healing and a a chance of a healthy cancer free life. This time we've traveled to Houston, Texas where David has been accepted and is now enrolled in Phase III clinical trials for Antineoplastons at the Burzynski Clinic. Dr. Burzynski is known for his work in targeted Gene Therapy a.k.a Antineoplastons, to which he has and continues to have great success on patients with brain tumors.

We've been here four weeks and our adventures have been limited as the treatment is more taxing than previously thought. Otherwise I'd say... hey, maybe expect a visit from us if you're near by! We could be here for a few months but that all depends on scans and of course money.

Currently we live in the house of a kind man and his dog in west Houston.

I feel that giving you a heads up might be a good idea as it is not like last time. Our days involve making sure David gets his iv treatments at the right hours- every four hours he gets a dose (around the clock 24-7) making this treatment more involved than others. Changing iv bags 3 times a day, taking blood for regular blood tests 3 times a week, and also to make sure he gets his oral medication at the right times.

The side effects of Antineoplaston treatment is that it is symptomatic. In other words, it's as if he was doing not so well. Keeping that in mind, we're hoping that just means that something good is going on and the treatment is working.

If you're curious but hesitant in asking, Dave has his ups and downs. Side effects/symptoms include: his speech/speaking slurred and slow at times, eyes and vision sometimes blurred and doubled. Mobility wise, since the seizure day, his left arm has been quite stiff and weak and not as responsive and his balance is inconsistent, and generally he feels fatigued, but he has his good days and we remain hopeful for good results. For the most part his mobility is what's most visible. To help with that we are trying to incorporate some relaxing-stretching movement type exercises and of course the daily 20km walk.

Aside from David appearing worse for wear, he says he's feeling okay. He's keeps himself preoccupied with drinking between six to eight liters of water per day! This is because the treatment is sodium (salt) based and makes him extremely thirsty- imagine ten dry pretzels thirsty! So he's constantly peeing, every 30-40 minutes constant. So again, quite involved.

These are trying times and Dave is needing a little more of a helping hand than usual. Other than the above mentioned... we -especially Dave, look forward to hearing from you. As a friend I'm sure you'll make even a little effort to pop him an email/msg/text with some words of encouragement.

Being considerate of someones privacy is usually of the up-most importance with us, but we would still like you to know how things are going, so I've included as much info without too much detail so as not to bore or offend you. I hope I've accomplished this. Please let me know if I've missed or if you want me to expand on anything and I will gladly do my darnedest to include it next time I write to you.

Thank you.

Love
Daniel xo

I like what you see : )

Hello friends,

As it has been many many months since we blog, I'd like to still share with everyone how things went for Dave and of course how things are going...

Towards the end of our stay at VCI in L.A; due to some incorrect weening of an anti-inflammatory drug, it made Dave more susceptible to seizures. And he had his first seizure one week before our flight. Fortunately we were able to narrow down the cause of the seizure by process of elimination. Then the seizure at LAX was an extremely scary and exhausting moment. Dave pulled through and we managed to board just before take off. It was a case of re assuring the airline and the paramedics that we had an understanding of cause and nature of the situation.

In the height of the moment we forgot about Dave's increased risk of blood clots. And after a few days home, Dave began to get a familiar chest pain. We made a trip to the hospital to discover that he had a blood clot. Possibly as a result of the flight and the unforeseeable circumstances.

On the upside and looking at Dave's progress has been steady and ongoing. He has done some more rehab and physio sessions and is now walking a whole lot more. He was picked up by the State Community Health system which provided him with a twelve week rehab program; specifically for young people with brain injuries and neurological problems. The team where very supportive of Dave in all aspects of life, and prioritized at helping him reach his short and long term goals. Going as far as and has helping him get into university. Dave was recently accepted into university for Graphic Design.

Congratulation Dave!!!

A recent scan showed a continuation of previous months results, which show slow but steady improvement. Mainly due to the work of the low-dose radiation which continues to work months after application, as well as the intravenous DMSO cancer combination.

David has progressed slowly. He had an MRI scan done recently; and there was mixed and uncertain views from the doctors here, but that is expected because they usually focus on the worst case scenario. We understand that the tumor and the build up of fluid have decreased in size. So at the moment they want to do a detailed type of MRI to find out what the other circular mass/fluid is. When we left VCI, the doctors there said it was fluid build related to the break down of the tumor. Which is great news to us. But on the other the doctors here thinks it's blood but want to confirm so as to know what step to take next in the conventional system. In the meantime we will continue to search for other means of making the tumor smaller.

Now almost six months home and we await the results of the latest scan. Until then we'll continue to search and save for the next phase of the treatment plan. Which we see as an ongoing process, dedicated to the total remission or calcification/cell death of this not so cool disease.

With love and hope

Daniel