My Key Cancer Treatment--gcMAF

In an earlier article I listed some of the treatments available here at Hope 4 Cancer, but I wasn't sure at the time which one would be my top treatment.  Now that I have started it, I would like to explain it to you.  The program is called Sunivera, but the treatment itself is something called gcMAF.

The human body produces gcMAF on its own; it stands for "gc Macrophage Activating Factor." Macrophages are defense cells that gobble up cancer cells--or bacteria, pathogens, etc.--and eliminate them.  Macrophages look like a rounded Pac Man...they have a "mouth" aand go around swallowing or absorbing enemy cells.  However, macrophages do not go into action on their own; they must first be given the order to attack--they must be activated.

Before I can explain the activation process, I need to share some additional information.  First, "gc" is a protein that binds vitamin D molecules together.  When the body's lymphocytes interact with the gc from Vitamin D, they produce gcMAF, and gcMAF signals or activates the macrophages to go to work and start seekimg and destroying the enemy.  Problems occur because those evil cancer cells emit a substance called "nagalase" which blocks the formation of gcMAF.  The more cancer present, the more nagalase is produced.  It is now easy to see that although a person could have plenty of lymphocytes and plenty of vitamin D available and plenty of macrophages, nagalase allows cancer to short circuit the body's defense process by preventing the macrophages from ever receiving the signal to attack.

Dr. Tony Jimenez, founder of Hope 4 Cancer, has been following the research on gcMAF, communicating with the developing scientists, and has been able to obtain quality sources for it and start implementing the program at his clinic.  The gcMAF used by Hope 4 Cancer is sourced in Japan and obtained from healthy human blood.  By directly giving cancer patients gcMAF, the signal-interrupting nagalase is foiled, and the macrophages are activated.   This treatment is one way in which cancer can be outsmarted, and it is exciting stuff!

The gcMAF is administered via daily injections from a small syringe...comparable to those used by diabetics to inject insulin.  The Sunivera program combines the gcMAF injections with four other supplements that simply enhance the natural body process but aren't necessary for the gcMAF to work.  I began the program one week into my stay at Hope 4 Cancer, and will continue it for 3 months at home.

Mexico!

Tuesday morning, February 13, we headed to the airport in Milwaukee.  My brother and sister-in-law, Steve & Rebecca, drove, and our three kids still at home, Heidi, Ben, and Rose, came along as well.  Blessing #1 was having Steve & Becca see us off and then making a day of it with our kids by doing some shopping and taking them out to lunch.  It was a quick, tearful good bye at the curb, and then suddenly my Love and I were in Mitchell International checking our bags and our flight status.  We were excited, yet it was kind of surreal to finally be on our way after about six weeks of preparation.

We flew to St. Louis first, where we caught a connecting flight to San Diego.  Blessing #2 was the first God-thing on this trip.  While I was using the restroom near our gate, I spotted my kids' piano teacher, Sue Zuberbier.  No way!  She didn't hear me call her name, and she was ahead of me in the line, so I thought I missed my chance to catch her.  But God.  When I came out of the bathroom stall, who was right in front of me washing her hands?  Yes, it was Sue, and she was just as surprised to see me!  It turned out that Sue and her husband, Ted, were catching a flight back to Milwaukee after having been visiting some grandchildren.  When Sue and I exited the restroom, we found Ted very near the gate where Bob was waiting for me, and we enjoyed just a few joyful minutes together.  Of course we took a selfie, and Bob prayed before we parted ways.  What a cool start to our journey!

Shortly after that, we boarded our plane and arrived in San Diego about four hours later.  Both flights went smoothly with no problems, and I had no issues with leg pain on the journey, either.  An airport shuttle took us to our hotel, and we were soon settled in.  It was so nice to feel the balmy air and see lots of palm trees.  

< We enjoyed flying over the mountains in California.


> The welcoming outdoor terrace at our hotel.

The front desk staff recommended we visit Old Town in San Diego for dinner, so we did.  A driver from the hotel dropped us off at Old Town, and we found a great open-air restaurant named Café Coyote, where we enjoyed a fantastic authentic Mexican meal on the patio.  It was a fun and relaxing way to spend the evening after the long day traveling.  After dinner, we walked through a large shop nearby, then called the hotel for a driver to pick us up.

We headed to bed soon after returning to the hotel, since we knew a driver from Hope 4 Cancer would be arriving bright and early the next morning to take us across the border to Tijuana where the clinic is located.  The hotel bed was very comfortable, and we both had a restful night before the next step in this adventure.

Our driver, Uriel, picked us up promptly at 7:00 a.m. the next morning, Valentine's Day, and we headed south to the Hope 4 Cancer clinic.  Uriel was friendly and knowledgeable, so we weren't lacking for conversation during the drive.  We had a brief stop at the Mexican border offices in order to obtain temporary visitor visas, then before we knew it, we were across into Mexico.  Apparently it's quite easy to go into Mexico, but not so easy to cross back into the U.S. from Mexico.  It was fascinating to see the border fences between the U.S. and Mexico.  Mexico has its own fence made of several different materials for different stretches, and all of it is old and rundown, and much of it covered with graffiti or murals.  Some stretches are old brick wall about ten feet high...with trees planted all along it, allowing people to easily climb a tree to the top and jump over.  Some of it is rusty corrugated metal, and the stretch beginning in the ocean is very high metal louvres--with open space between the metal slats, but not enough space for a human to squeeze through.  The U.S. also has its own fence, and although it is not nearly as colorful as Mexico's, it is well maintained and uniform--a high chain link fence with plenty of barbed wire looped along the top.  The space between the two fences is like no-man's-land, and U.S. border patrol SUVs can be seen regularly.  The Hope 4 Cancer clinic is right across the street from the ocean, and the border wall is only about a quarter mile away.

       

The clinic is a pretty nondescript brick and stucco building along the street, and the only signage is on the glass of the main entrance door.  The clinic started in one building, but as time went on, Dr. Tony expanded by purchasing neighboring buildings and connecting them.  This resulted in the clinic being somewhat of a maze on the inside, and it took me several days to figure out to learn the layout.  Patient rooms are mixed in with all the different treatment rooms on both floors; there is a nurse's station on each floor; the dining room and terrace are on the second floor, and there are three different ways to get to the dining room!

               

Dr. Tony during a Q&A session.

Good Gifts

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.  Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?  If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!"
                                                                                                                  Matthew 7:7-11

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."                           James 1:17

Our Father loves His children and delights in doing good for us, and He has demonstrated that in many concrete ways in our lives.  I would like to list some of them, so you can praise and thank Him with us!

* This morning, Ben & I got haircuts.  I have always cut Ben's hair up to this point, but he's about a month overdue, and since he wants a "style" now, it takes longer than a buzz with the clippers.  I just didn't have time before we leave next week.  The woman who cuts my hair is the owner of the salon and is familiar with my story; the woman who cut Ben's hair is a patient at the chiropractic office where I work, so she knows me, too.  When I went up to pay, they said today's haircuts were on them and wished me well on my journey to Mexico--what an unexpected blessing!

* Yesterday in the mail we received insurance checks reimbursing us for about 90% of the cost of all the hyperbaric oxygen treatments I received last year.  The total was about $3700!  I really thought the chance of our insurance covering them was slim to none, since they were ordered by a doctor who owns an alternative clinic and since the diagnosis was cancer, but my God has no trouble accomplishing the nearly impossible! 

* My boss came up with a super fundraising idea for me.  He is an avid ultra-marathon trail runner, and lots of our patients follow his races and accomplishments.  He has a 50 mile trail race coming up in May, and he decided to seek sponsorships for each mile of that race.  There are posters all over the office, and he explained it in our monthly office newsletter this past week.  His goal is to get $50 sponsored for each of the 50 miles which would equal $2500 raised for "Kim's Cause."  It has been exciting to see the response so far in such a short time!  (I guess I can't make fun of his "crazy running habit" anymore.  :)  )

*My sister, brother-in-law, and one niece drove over from Michigan last weekend just to see us before we leave for Mexico, and it was a really good, though short, visit.  My sister took me shopping to get some Valentine's Day gifts for Heidi, Ben, and Rose that we can leave for them to open, since Valentine's Day is the day after we leave.  She also bought me some lounge pants and capris that actually fit.  :)  Another thoughtful gift!

* A couple weekends ago, the group "Butch's Army" held another brat fry fundraiser for me which raised several more hundred dollars despite the cold winter weather.  This group has been a tremendous blessing to us as they seek to assist cancer patients, and their troops are full of special people! (How do you know you live in Wisconsin?  You have a brat fry in January!)

* As always, the steady stream of donations, meals, gift cards, etc., has continued as well as cards, encouraging words, and promises of prayer.  I can't even put into words how overwhelming it all is.  I know people do this kind of thing all the time, but to be the recipient of it is just unspeakably amazing!

As incredible as all the support is, there is something just a bit more special and touching when it comes from children.  Their notes induce laughter and tears together.  Our daughter, Rose, left me a note one day with all of the $6 she had to her name.  Three of my nephews each wrote a card with some of their money--the youngest one gave me all of his $4 which he had won at New Year's Eve Bingo at a family gathering.  We all know how important a few dollars is to a kid, so the fact that they have such tender, giving hearts is tear-jerking.  My boss's two children just sent me a colored picture and hand-written card this week, and again they were very sweet.  I will put photos of them below, so you can enjoy just how sweet and special and heart-melting they are!



















    

                       
 

 

* Two different times in the past couple weeks, I have had fellow believers stop and pray over me when we met...it is indescribable to feel God's presence when "two or three are gathered in [His] name."  One was a fellow patient at the clinic in Fond du Lac...I ran into him and his wife as we were checking out one day, and they prayed with me right there in the reception area.  Yesterday, my friend Tammy was my chauffer for the day (we have a blast road-tripping together to treatments, and we almost always spend time in prayer as she's driving me around the tri-county area), and we ran into one of her friends in a health food store where we stopped in between appointments.  After chatting for several minutes, her friend also prayed over me right in the store aisle.  Mutual fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ is sweet, and all of the beleivers God has put in my path have truly been a gift from God!

* Tears...tears are one of God's good gifts.  Tears of gratitude, tears of joy, and even tears of pain.  I used to be called the "ice queen" for good reason, but not anymore!  Tears come regularly now, and that's a good thing.  Tears of pain can be cleansing, and I've learned not to try to stop them all the time.  Sometimes having a good cry for several minutes offers a release that allows me to cope with the pain better afterward.

* Pain can be a gift, too.  It develops empathy for others in pain and helps put things in perspective.  It can help you find levels of strength you didn't know you had, or it can drive you to your knees and demand dependency on God's strength when you have none left of your own.

I have been doing really well the past week or so, since I got better pain meds, and several people have remarked on how good I look, so I know it's not just me.  ;)  The difference made in physical appearance and wellness, and in mental outlook is significant between struggling with pain and having relief from pain.  And since pain is virtually the only outward symptom I experience, when it is absent, there is really no indication that I am a stage IV cancer patient.

I have been alternating two Aleve with one hydrocodone every six hours--so I am only taking each medication every 12 hours--and it has been working really well.  Many times I will find myself noticing that it has been longer than six hours since I last took meds, because I wasn't having any pain.  But I don't wait until I have pain to take more medicine...I stay in front of it.

I have discovered one weird quirk with my leg pain.  There is something about lying down in bed that triggers the pain to flare up briefly.  Every. Single. Time.  When I go to bed my leg will start hurting 30-45 minutes after I lie down.  This also explains why a couple of the treatments I've had (lying flat on the PEMF mat and lying down for the lymphatic massage treatment) caused my leg pain to flare up a bit.  It hasn't been the worst severe pain but bad enough that I can't ignore it and fall asleep, so I get back up and go out to the living room and watch TV for an hour to hour and a half before it subsides on its own without having to take more meds.  This past week I figured out that I can "trick" my body by lying down earlier in the afternoon/evening, waiting for the inevitable pain, getting up and going about my business, and then, when I really want to go to bed for the night, it won't bother me again, and I can fall asleep and sleep all night.  I don't know why or how it works, but it does, so I've been doing it all week with great success.

I have definitely lost more weight than I wanted.  I weigh about 115 pounds which is 10-15 pounds less than the minimum where I'm comfortable...and I am wearing the same size pant as Rose, who is 12 years old--not cool!  I know I've lost muscle, too, because I have basically been unable to even walk for exercise since last June.  For awhile I lost weight because my stomach was "off," and food didn't always sound good.  Although my appetite has been normal for the past couple months, I'm still just maintaining that weight.  I believe at this point it is due to my busy schedule.  I'm driving between appointments a lot, and the places I go are 30 minutes, 45 minutes, or an hour away.  Plus, sometimes there are eating restrictions with treatments--for instance I can't eat for two hours before a colonics appointment, and I can't eat for 30-45 minutes after taking some of my supplements.  Anyway, I am counting on gaining some weight back while I'm in Mexico, because all my treatments will be in one place and a chef will be preparing all my organic meals for me.

The kids seem to be pretty excited about me going to Mexico, because they know this is what I need to do to get better.  Bob has been very upbeat the past week or so as our departure date draws nearer for much the same reason.  He has independently made some surprising plans for the trip, too.  He had read on the Mexico clinic's website that we could bring pictures and things to make our room more homey, and it was suggested that we consider leaving something in the room to encourage the next patient who occupies it.  So he took care of it by talking to our pastor's wife, who hand paints beautiful barn wood custom pieces, and she made two signs for us to take.  He also printed out a family photo and had Heidi print out the words to "Jesus, Draw Me Ever Nearer" and put them in frames.



         





Being apart from our kids for three weeks straight is not something we have ever done before, so it will be a new experience for all of us, and we can't be exactly sure how it will affect us.  We can, however, count on God's loving hand to uphold us all through the experience.

Our second oldest daughter, Holly, is home from Iowa this weekend to spend time with us before we leave next week, and we're all very happy about that!  We haven't seen Holly as much as we've seen our oldest, Emily, who was home for a whole week at Thanksgiving and for another week in early January.

We have several little things to do this weekend before our trip besides packing. so we will be busy.  I am not working or having any treatments on Monday, since I will most likely need that day to finish making preparations, but I will stop in at work to say good-bye before I leave.  I said good-byes to everyone at the Fond du Lac clinic, the Inochi clinic in West Bend, and the colonics office this past week.  Everyone wished me well or ensured they will be praying and said they can't wait to hear how everything goes.  I was at the bank this morning to send the wire transfer of funds to the Mexico clinic, and the ladies in the bank wished me well, too.

I'm hoping to be able to post updates while we're in Mexico, but I'm not entirely sure how reliable the internet will be nor how tired I'll be.  At the least we will have some relatives post updates on Facebook.

Thank you all again for the faithful prayer support, encouragement, and financial gifts that God has used to make this trip possible!  We have seen Him work miracles and answer so many prayers already, and I have been thanking Him in advance for the good gifts with which I know He is going to continue to bless us!