Chase had a Great Weekend - Rife is Underway

Chase went into the weekend in great spirits (along with the rest of us on the home front) after the last MRI confirmed that his condition has certainly stabilized. He was thrilled to receive a metal for his participation in soccer this year (his first time on the team) and is looking forward to returning in the Spring (hopefully with the same teammates and coach, who he really enjoyed playing with).

We went to his cousin’s place for a Halloween and birthday party (Caleb – 10 yrs old) on Saturday. Chase had a great time with family and friends and did well overall, but it was painful to see him stare at the cake and ice cream being doled out to the others, knowing that he couldn’t partake. In general, he’s been a trooper with this but it was still heart-breaking to see the effect of his condition. We were considering making an exception for him, but the fact that he didn’t eat a good dinner (and didn’t seem to have an appetite for any of his organic food) didn’t leave much alternative but to stick to the program. He quickly got over it and seems to really understand that it’s in his best interest in the long run to remain as healthy as possible – he often asks before eating thins, “is that organic”?. We’re experimenting with a new ice cream maker in hopes of coming up with a healthy alternative that he will like.

Chase’s reward on Sunday morning was being able to swim with his cousins for a couple of hours – he loved it and it was just the kind of exercise he needed. This really lifted his spirits and he had a much better day overall. He held down all of his supplements and he seems to getting into a good routine with his overall treatment plan. Since his prayer was answered on the catheter, he also seems to be getting great sleep (which is benefiting all of us). He still gets up occasionally for the odd request (more water, ice chips, etc.), but this is much more tolerable.

We’re really excited about the fact that Chase started his Rife treatments and doesn’t seem to have any issue with it (once he got over the intimidation). Barbara helped a lot with this, volunteering to be the first to use it. After she told him that it didn’t hurt (and even tickled a bit), he was good with it - of course after bargaining to get something in return (a new movie). So the rife treatments are underway and we believe this could hold the key to helping the body with the detoxification. We believe that although the MRI scans don’t show much reduction yet, it doesn’t mean that tissue isn’t dying – the issue could be the pace at which the body can process and detoxify, so the rife machine might just accelerate this.

We remain firm believers and are keeping the faith that everything is going according to HIS plan. We are very grateful for all the prayers and support along with way!

Lots of love and gratitude,

John & Carol Sammut
Chase and Barbara Ann

Chase's MRI Indicates "Stable" Tumor

Well, our little Trooper endured another session of anesthesia (which actually went much smoother than the last one and he didn’t have any breathing problems this time). The MRI procedure went well overall, and the good news is that there certainly hasn’t been any progression of the tumor. In fact, it still doesn’t “enhance” (indicating no metabolic activity), which is great news for a grade three lesion. Some of the images also seemed to indicate to the Radiologist “subtle improvement”, as though the tumor was less dense on the perimeter, although it hasn’t shrunk measurably. Nevertheless, there’s plenty of reason to be optimistic that things are moving in the right direction.

In addition, we got an important clue as to why Chase failed his hearing test earlier this week – it’s not related to the tumor, but rather his recent cold. While reviewing the scans, the Radiologist found fluid in his ear and nasal passages. We’ll be having this checked out by his Pediatrician and hopefully get it addressed before it develops any further.

So now we’ll be kicking into gear the next dimension of Chase’s recovery plan – rife treatments. The machine we purchased from Energy Wellness will transmit electro-magnetic waves at specific frequencies designed to interfere with the tumor and stimulate the breakdown as well as the detoxification of the body. Once again, it doesn’t interfere with any of this other treatments and it certainly can’t hurt. In fact, one family that we recently met used the same machine in conjunction with their son’s ANP treatments (after 3 months of growth, followed by 3 months of “stability”) and the following month was the beginning of the significant deterioration of the tumor. The punchline: their son recently graduated from college and is completely free of any symptoms or tumors.

We remain confident and optimistic that Chase will soon be joining him in the long-term survivor’s circle. Thanks so much for all the prayers and support. It means the world to us as we keep our heads up during this journey!

Lots of love and gratitude,

John & Carol Sammut
Chase and Barbara Ann

Chase's MRI Indicates "Stable" Tumor

Well, our little Trooper endured another session of anesthesia (which actually went much smoother than the last one and he didn’t have any breathing problems this time). The MRI procedure went well overall, and the good news is that there certainly hasn’t been any progression of the tumor. In fact, it still doesn’t “enhance” (indicating no metabolic activity), which is great news for a grade three lesion. Some of the images also seemed to indicate to the Radiologist “subtle improvement”, as though the tumor was less dense on the perimeter, although it hasn’t shrunk measurably. Nevertheless, there’s plenty of reason to be optimistic that things are moving in the right direction.

In addition, we got an important clue as to why Chase failed his hearing test earlier this week – it’s not related to the tumor, but rather his recent cold. While reviewing the scans, the Radiologist found fluid in his ear and nasal passages. We’ll be having this checked out by his Pediatrician and hopefully get it addressed before it develops any further.

So now we’ll be kicking into gear the next dimension of Chase’s recovery plan – rife treatments. The machine we purchased from Energy Wellness will transmit electro-magnetic waves at specific frequencies designed to interfere with the tumor and stimulate the breakdown as well as the detoxification of the body. Once again, it doesn’t interfere with any of this other treatments and it certainly can’t hurt. In fact, one family that we recently met used the same machine in conjunction with their son’s ANP treatments (after 3 months of growth, followed by 3 months of “stability”) and the following month was the beginning of the significant deterioration of the tumor. The punchline: their son recently graduated from college and is completely free of any symptoms or tumors.

We remain confident and optimistic that Chase will soon be joining him in the long-term survivor’s circle. Thanks so much for all the prayers and support. It means the world to us as we keep our heads up during this journey!

Lots of love and gratitude,

John & Carol Sammut
Chase and Barbara Ann

Chase's MRI Indicates "Stable" Tumor

Well, our little Trooper endured another session of anesthesia (which actually went much smoother than the last one and he didn’t have any breathing problems this time). The MRI procedure went well overall, and the good news is that there certainly hasn’t been any progression of the tumor. In fact, it still doesn’t “enhance” (indicating no metabolic activity), which is great news for a grade three lesion. Some of the images also seemed to indicate to the Radiologist “subtle improvement”, as though the tumor was less dense on the perimeter, although it hasn’t shrunk measurably. Nevertheless, there’s plenty of reason to be optimistic that things are moving in the right direction.

In addition, we got an important clue as to why Chase failed his hearing test earlier this week – it’s not related to the tumor, but rather his recent cold. While reviewing the scans, the Radiologist found fluid in his ear and nasal passages. We’ll be having this checked out by his Pediatrician and hopefully get it addressed before it develops any further.

So now we’ll be kicking into gear the next dimension of Chase’s recovery plan – rife treatments. The machine we purchased from Energy Wellness will transmit electro-magnetic waves at specific frequencies designed to interfere with the tumor and stimulate the breakdown as well as the detoxification of the body. Once again, it doesn’t interfere with any of this other treatments and it certainly can’t hurt. In fact, one family that we recently met used the same machine in conjunction with their son’s ANP treatments (after 3 months of growth, followed by 3 months of “stability”) and the following month was the beginning of the significant deterioration of the tumor. The punchline: their son recently graduated from college and is completely free of any symptoms or tumors.

We remain confident and optimistic that Chase will soon be joining him in the long-term survivor’s circle. Thanks so much for all the prayers and support. It means the world to us as we keep our heads up during this journey!

Lots of love and gratitude,

John & Carol Sammut
Chase and Barbara Ann

Chase's MRI Indicates "Stable" Tumor

Well, our little Trooper endured another session of anesthesia (which actually went much smoother than the last one and he didn’t have any breathing problems this time). The MRI procedure went well overall, and the good news is that there certainly hasn’t been any progression of the tumor. In fact, it still doesn’t “enhance” (indicating no metabolic activity), which is great news for a grade three lesion. Some of the images also seemed to indicate to the Radiologist “subtle improvement”, as though the tumor was less dense on the perimeter, although it hasn’t shrunk measurably. Nevertheless, there’s plenty of reason to be optimistic that things are moving in the right direction.

In addition, we got an important clue as to why Chase failed his hearing test earlier this week – it’s not related to the tumor, but rather his recent cold. While reviewing the scans, the Radiologist found fluid in his ear and nasal passages. We’ll be having this checked out by his Pediatrician and hopefully get it addressed before it develops any further.

So now we’ll be kicking into gear the next dimension of Chase’s recovery plan – rife treatments. The machine we purchased from Energy Wellness will transmit electro-magnetic waves at specific frequencies designed to interfere with the tumor and stimulate the breakdown as well as the detoxification of the body. Once again, it doesn’t interfere with any of this other treatments and it certainly can’t hurt. In fact, one family that we recently met used the same machine in conjunction with their son’s ANP treatments (after 3 months of growth, followed by 3 months of “stability”) and the following month was the beginning of the significant deterioration of the tumor. The punchline: their son recently graduated from college and is completely free of any symptoms or tumors.

We remain confident and optimistic that Chase will soon be joining him in the long-term survivor’s circle. Thanks so much for all the prayers and support. It means the world to us as we keep our heads up during this journey!

Lots of love and gratitude,

John & Carol Sammut
Chase and Barbara Ann

Chase's Prayer was Answered

A couple of days ago while we were saying our family prayer before dinner, Chase added: “Dear God, please help me so that the catheter works tonight and I don’t have to wake up”. Sure enough, that night the catheter worked better than ever (no leaks at all) and everyone slept well. Since then, it has worked almost every night (apparently there were some issues last night but I was out of town on business). So Chase got to witness God’s answer to his prayer and he was really excited (all it took in the end was to get him to realize that it was in his best interest to pray for this outcome as well). Chase is a firm believer as well that things are working out according to His plans….

We received Chase’s proofs from the school pictures and they turned out great – he smiled nicely, puffy cheeks and all. We placed our order and we’ll post the new picture as soon as we receive it. This is another reminder that we need to get him the rest of the way off the decadron (steroid) which is what has caused the puffiness (among other things). We’re down to 2 ½ mg per day and based upon our plans to reduce by ½ mg per week, he should be completely off by the end of November – hopefully, his appearance will be back to “normal” by the holidays (although we’re not sure how long that is expected to take). As long as he doesn’t exhibit any concerning side effects from the decadron taper, we’ll stay on this track and get him completely off as we increase the natural inflammation suppressants (including the homeopathic remedy recommended by Dr. Banerji). We’ve received several inquiries about the remedies of Dr. Banerji so we wanted to pass along his contact info.:

Dr. Prasanta Banerji
PBH Research Foundation
10/3/1 Elgin Road
Calcutta - 700 020
India
Tel: +91 33 22472845
Fax: +91 33 22477275
Email: pbhrf@vsnl.com

He has been very responsive and helpful on multiple occasions and I know several others who have had a similar experience. He works entirely on donations and, as I previously mentioned, many of his patients in India receive treatments at absolutely no charge. He’s a wonderful man and a great example of what God intended as “good Samaritan”.

On a side note, the only concerning news we’ve had lately about Chase is that he didn’t pass his hearing test at school. Apparently they conducted a “short version” which he didn’t pass (although this could’ve been due to not paying attention) so they proceeded to do a longer version and we haven’t received the report yet. Hopefully, this just turns out to be a false alarm; however, it could be an indication of a progression of symptoms related to his tumor (this would be the first indication since the diagnosis based upon his left eye palsy). We’re praying that there’s nothing to be concerned about and that the MRI this Thursday will confirm the efficacy of the treatments that he’s been taking.

Thanks so much for all the prayers and support.

Lots of love and gratitude,

John & Carol Sammut
Chase and Barbara Ann

Chase Met the Top Homeopath from India

After corresponding via e-mail for the past couple of months, yesterday we were finally able to meet Dr. Prasanta Banerji, who is widely recognized as the leading Homeopath in India. Thanks again to TMW, we were able to fly in and out of Kansas City to meet Dr. Banerji during a visit on his 5 stop tour of leading US cancer research centers to report on the latest results of his remedies. He examined Chase, reviewed his recent blood tests, MRI results, etc. and is very confident that his homeopathic remedy will be successful in eradicating this tumor.

Fortunately, there is no conflict or contradiction with the ANP treatments Chase is receiving from the Burzynski Clinic. We verified this through several sources (including the Nutritionist, Dr. Burzynski, and Dr. Banerji) so we have been administering these in parallel over the past 6 weeks. Dr. Banerji confirmed that the examples we brought of the specific products we are using (Ruta 6X and Cal Phos 3X) are correct and representative of what he has been using in India. His main recommendation for an adjustment in our approach is to augment the anti-inflammatory with another homeopathic remedy to enable Chase to get completely off decadron (steroid). He expects the initial tumor regression results to become evident during Chase’s upcoming MRI (next Thurs. Oct 27th). Ironically, the results that Dr. Banerji has been able to achieve through administering his homeopathic remedy alone are approximately the same as the ANP treatments – 32% complete remission (no trace of the disease), 36% response / improvement and 25% stabilization, leaving < 10% that do not respond.

Since none of the available treatments claim to be effective in 100% of the cases, utilizing several different approaches (as long as they don’t conflict), significantly reduces the odds of the disease progressing. The tail of the bell curve is getting sliced smaller and smaller to the point that it is almost inconceivable that response (if not complete remission) will not be achieved. Dr. Banerji reported that most often within 6-8 months he is able to confirm the complete efficacy of his treatments and then recommends an additional six months to ensure that the tumor receives maximum response. In addition, he has “never” seen a case of relapse, which he explained would be logical since his remedy strengthens the patient’s immune system to fight off the disease directly and thus is capable of fending it off from returning.

Overall, we are extremely encouraged and confident that Chase is on the right path to a full and complete recovery. Forgive the detour, but I have to take a moment to underscore the differences in the homeopathic remedies with Dr. Burzynski and all the other medical programs we have identified. First of all, it is extremely easy to administer (dissolve two small pellets under the tongue twice a day for two different natural products). Secondly, there are absolutely NO side effects (not even the minor nuisances of the ANP treatments). Thirdly, it is unbelievably cheap (< $20 per month). All strong reasons why you would think the medical community would sit up and take note, validate the results and make this readily available to all their patients (particularly since this certainly can’t hurt, and most likely would help their results with any other treatments). Nevertheless, the complete contrary is true – they’ve been doing their best to “squelch” this information from being disseminated.

One small example: the research lab that was used to verify the efficacy of Ruta 6 / Calphos in brain tumors was MD Anderson, and according to a published study, they confirmed that brain tumor cells were killed with the treatment and the growth of normal cells was stimulated. Yet, when I visited there in late August to ask about treatment options, they didn’t even mention this. When I pulled an article out that described Dr. Banerji’s treatment and amazing results, they looked baffled and said they would have to look into this and get back to me. Then, after a couple of weeks of attempted follow-up, I received a short / sweet response indicating that they reviewed Chase’s file in committee and recommend radiation / chemotherapy. Furthermore, they claimed that the MDA doctor who was studying the efficacy of Ruta 6 was in research (not a clinician) and there are no plans for trials with patients, so if I wanted further information, I would have to contact the doctor in India directly. Go figure – apparently there just isn’t enough money in curing patients with homeopathic remedies to make it worth pursuing, yet they’ll gladly administer radiation / chemo although they know it’s a death sentence…

Forgive me for being so cynical, but after meeting with Dr. Banerji and seeing his data / presentations first hand, it is completely incomprehensible that this has been stonewalled for so long. He as been presenting this info (along with the cures to many other types of cancer) for the past 10 years to the National Cancer Institute, with volumes of supporting data (based upon his 50+ yrs of experience). He has literally cured thousands of patients in India of this condition alone, not to mention all the other types of cancers he treats with different homeopathic remedies. This just goes to reinforce the growing sentiment that our leading research centers do NOT want to cure cancer (at least not quickly) – it’s too lucrative to keep the churning the same machines…

Anyhow, Chase is getting the benefit of these alternative therapies and the results are quickly starting to show. We’re counting down to the next MRI and we can’t wait to report the news. Please continue to keep us in your prayers over the next few days leading up to this scan – we truly appreciate it!

Thanks so much for all the prayers and support.

Lots of love and gratitude,

John & Carol Sammut
Chase and Barbara Ann

Chase Meets the Top Homeopath from India

After corresponding via e-mail for the past couple of months, yesterday we were finally able to meet Dr. Prasanta Banerji, who is widely recognized as the leading Homeopath in India. Thanks again to TMW, we were able to fly in and out of Kansas City to meet Dr. Banerji during a visit on his 5 stop tour of leading US cancer research centers to report on the latest results of his remedies. He examined Chase, reviewed his recent blood tests, MRI results, etc. and is very confident that his homeopathic remedy will be successful in eradicating this tumor.

Fortunately, there is no conflict or contradiction with the ANP treatments Chase is receiving from the Burzynski Clinic. We verified this through several sources (including the Nutritionist, Dr. Burzynski, and Dr. Banerji) so we have been administering these in parallel over the past 6 weeks. Dr. Banerji confirmed that the examples we brought of the specific products we are using (Ruta 6X and Cal Phos 3X) are correct and representative of what he has been using in India. His main recommendation for an adjustment in our approach is to augment the anti-inflammatory with another homeopathic remedy to enable Chase to get completely off decadron (steroid). He expects the initial tumor regression results to become evident during Chase’s upcoming MRI (next Thurs. Oct 27th). Ironically, the results that Dr. Banerji has been able to achieve through administering his homeopathic remedy alone are approximately the same as the ANP treatments – 32% complete remission (no trace of the disease), 36% response / improvement and 25% stabilization, leaving < 10% that do not respond.

Since none of the available treatments claim to be effective in 100% of the cases, utilizing several different approaches (as long as they don’t conflict), significantly reduces the odds of the disease progressing. The tail of the bell curve is getting sliced smaller and smaller to the point that it is almost inconceivable that response (if not complete remission) will not be achieved. Dr. Banerji reported that most often within 6-8 months he is able to confirm the complete efficacy of his treatments and then recommends an additional six months to ensure that the tumor receives maximum response. In addition, he has “never” seen a case of relapse, which he explained would be logical since his remedy strengthens the patient’s immune system to fight off the disease directly and thus is capable of fending it off from returning.

Overall, we are extremely encouraged and confident that Chase is on the right path to a full and complete recovery. Forgive the detour, but I have to take a moment to underscore the differences in the homeopathic remedies with Dr. Burzynski and all the other medical programs we have identified. First of all, it is extremely easy to administer (dissolve two small pellets under the tongue twice a day for two different natural products). Secondly, there are absolutely NO side effects (not even the minor nuisances of the ANP treatments). Thirdly, it is unbelievably cheap (< $20 per month). All strong reasons why you would think the medical community would sit up and take note, validate the results and make this readily available to all their patients (particularly since this certainly can’t hurt, and most likely would help their results with any other treatments). Nevertheless, the complete contrary is true – they’ve been doing their best to “squelch” this information from being disseminated.

One small example: the research lab that was used to verify the efficacy of Ruta 6 / Calphos in brain tumors was MD Anderson, and according to a published study, they confirmed that brain tumor cells were killed with the treatment and the growth of normal cells was stimulated. Yet, when I visited there in late August to ask about treatment options, they didn’t even mention this. When I pulled an article out that described Dr. Banerji’s treatment and amazing results, they looked baffled and said they would have to look into this and get back to me. Then, after a couple of weeks of attempted follow-up, I received a short / sweet response indicating that they reviewed Chase’s file in committee and recommend radiation / chemotherapy. Furthermore, they claimed that the MDA doctor who was studying the efficacy of Ruta 6 was in research (not a clinician) and there are no plans for trials with patients, so if I wanted further information, I would have to contact the doctor in India directly. Go figure – apparently there just isn’t enough money in curing patients with homeopathic remedies to make it worth pursuing, yet they’ll gladly administer radiation / chemo although they know it’s a death sentence…

Forgive me for being so cynical, but after meeting with Dr. Banerji and seeing his data / presentations first hand, it is completely incomprehensible that this has been stonewalled for so long. He as been presenting this info (along with the cures to many other types of cancer) for the past 10 years to the National Cancer Institute, with volumes of supporting data (based upon his 50+ yrs of experience). He has literally cured thousands of patients in India of this condition alone, not to mention all the other types of cancers he treats with different homeopathic remedies. This just goes to reinforce the growing sentiment that our leading research centers do NOT want to cure cancer (at least not quickly) – it’s too lucrative to keep the churning the same machines…

Anyhow, Chase is getting the benefit of these alternative therapies and the results are quickly starting to show. We’re counting down to the next MRI and we can’t wait to report the news. Please continue to keep us in your prayers over the next few days leading up to this scan – we truly appreciate it!

Thanks so much for all the prayers and support.

Lots of love and gratitude,

John & Carol Sammut
Chase and Barbara Ann

Chase is Over the Cold and Doing Much Better

Chase got over his cold about as quickly as it set in. By Monday night he wasn’t coughing at all and all the sinus issues stopped as well – this was a very encouraging sign about the strength of his immune system. He also hadn’t vomited since Friday morning so we were pretty confident that the adjustments we had made, with the guidance of his Nutritionist, were working. We decided to send him to school yesterday since he seemed fine in that morning; however, about ½ hour later, we got a call from the school asking us to pick him up because he vomited again (very frustrating and upsetting for everyone).

So Chase ended up having another day at home with mom (which he certainly didn’t mind) and we went back to the drawing board to figure out how to soothe his stomach. He also got to go to Whole Foods (affectionately referred to as “Organic Heaven”) to pick out some more organic products for him to try and we stumbled upon a great find – Vitamin Water (“Organic Gatorade”). It has the same colors and flavors of one of his old favorites without any unnatural sweeteners or other concerning additives. The flavors are also strong enough to mask some things we’ve been trying to get into his system, including liquid ginger to sooth his stomach and green tea (anti-oxidant). We also found a product he likes as “organic hot chocolate” (chocolate egg white protein) – this is a perfect drink for the morning and night time which also has a strong enough flavor to mask ginger.

So this morning Chase drank his new hot chocolate concoction with the ginger and it seemed to work. Hopefully we won’t be getting a call from the school again. As it turns out, the Nutritionist wasn’t surprised at this latest setback – during another follow-up call last night she indicated that fighting off the cold would certainly add more inflammation to his system (although it was a good sign that his immune boosting is working). So far, we’ve managed to avoid adding to his doses of steroids, which is often the “knee jerk” reaction of the Clinic to these kinds of situations, and we’ve managed to keep his electrolytes in balance so that he could continue to get all of his ANP treatments. This is a huge feat since we believe the ANP is working on shrinking the tumor (along with the homeopathic remedy, nutrition and electro-magnetic corrections). We’re really excited to see his progress at the next MRI (Oct 27th, next Thursday).

We’ve also confirmed a meeting with the Homeopath from India (Dr. Banerji) this Friday in Kansas City, during his tour of the States to meet with various cancer research centers. We’re looking forward to getting his first hand feedback on Chase’s condition and confirmation that we’re administering his recommended therapy properly (thus far, all correspondence has been by e-mail). So overall we’re praying and believing that Chase is still on track and that he’s stabilizing to be able to hold down all the supplements and treatments as they work to boost his systems and fight this tumor off with his natural abilities.

Thanks so much for all the prayers and support.

Lots of love and gratitude,

John & Carol Sammut
Chase and Barbara Ann

Another Therapeutic Weekend

Chase did really well this weekend, starting with a field trip with his kindergarten class to the cider mill on Friday. He was feeling pretty well, although a bit nauseous in the morning, and it was a good opportunity for him to get out with his classmates. He held it together until one of the supplements upset his system again right after lunch and he “lost it”. We’re learning more about which supplements to avoid in those situations and he hasn’t vomited since then. He was in great spirits the rest of the day and weekend.

On Saturday, Chase was full of energy and played great in his soccer game. He really enjoyed getting out there and “mixing it up” with his friends and classmates. It was really nice to see, since this is as therapeutic as anything right now. We realize how important it is to keep him active and vibrant so we’re always looking for ways to get him out. There’s a couple more weeks of the soccer schedule left, then we’ll have to get him into something else (probably go back to karate, which he really liked and wants to get his orange belt soon).

The best part of the weekend was the fact that we’ve finally got the catheter system completely working. Last night was the first time it stayed on the entire time with no leaking. Carol came up with a better way of applying and securing it (with Chase giving her the “slack” to keep trying). What a huge relief – after all the options that we’ve tried (with 10 types of samples from 3 different manufacturers) we finally seem to have a system that works consistently. Now we’ll just need to quickly get supplies of the one that works to keep our momentum going along with Chase’s cooperation.

The only setback over the weekend is the fact that Chase caught a cold (along with the rest of family, except Barbara for now) and the symptoms were bad enough that it didn’t make sense to have him go to school (sinus, runny nose, cough, etc.). We’re trying to minimize the spread of these bugs in his classroom so he doesn’t get exposed to any more than necessary through the school year. Hopefully he’ll get over it quickly and his immune system will be boosted in the process to keep fighting off this tumor. Once we backed off the supplements that his stomach couldn’t tolerate (mainly the fish oil and the strong mulit-vitamin) he’s been holding down the rest and we’re also boosting his vitamin C (10X recommended daily amount) so we’re confident he’ll soon be as strong as ever.

Thanks so much for all the prayers and support.

Lots of love and gratitude,

John & Carol Sammut
Chase and Barbara Ann

Chase's Nausea Appears to be Inflammation Related

After conferring with Chase’s Nutritionist again yesterday and recounting the sequence of events that has led to his recent nausea, she strongly believes this is related to inflammation, which is fairly common for patients of this condition. This is a relief that it isn’t due to anything related to his medications. Apparently, this inflammation is most likely to occur as he awakes (either in the morning or after a nap), which was the case in both incidents. This actually isn’t necessarily a bad sign – all of the treatments appear to be working and attacking the tumor, which will lead to increased inflammation. We’ll be increasing the natural inflammation suppression supplements over the next few days in an effort to head this off before the Clinic recommends increased steroid use, which is what we’re trying hard to get Chase off.

Overall, he’s in great spirits anyhow and hasn’t let this slow him down. We’re confident that this sound advise, along with slowing his intake of anything (particularly smoothies) when he first awakes, will take care of the issue. He didn’t have to get off the treatments yesterday, which is a good thing since we want to maintain the momentum we’ve gained leading up to the next MRI in two weeks. That will be a very important milestone and indication of the efficacy of our overall treatment plan. We also just received the missing piece to begin our Rife treatments (discs that will be positioned above his ears during the ½ hour electro-magnetic cleansing cycles). We’re anxious to get this started this weekend and see how it adds to the overall plan of attack.

Thanks again for all the prayers – Chase is doing great today and looking forward to a couple of play dates.

Lots of love and gratitude,

John & Carol Sammut
Chase and Barbara Ann

A Minor Speed Bump

Chase has been a bit nauseous over the past day. It seemed to start yesterday afternoon when he pounded a smoothie– the good news is that he likes to drink them, but he drank it so fast that he threw up, which certainly didn’t help his system. Then he didn’t feel like eating much for dinner and we were praying that he’d be better this morning. However, when he went to take his supplements this morning (along with another smoothie) he did the same thing – drank it fast and threw some of it up. Hopefully, it’s nothing more than the fact that he needs to adjust the rate that he consumes these healthy drinks.

In addition, after making progress over the past few nights with the catheter, it didn’t seem to work last night and he was up several times. This just compounded the problem, since he needs good sleep to strengthen his system. So it seems we hit a minor speed bump and we’re considering taking a break for a day or so from the treatments, if he doesn’t improve throughout the day today.

He’s nevertheless in good spirits and, as usual, very happy to stay at home with mom for the day. While that’s great for his attitude, it certainly adds to the concerns and stress on the home front. Fortunately they don’t have school tomorrow (in recognition of Yom Kippur) so that will give Chase another day to recoup and get back on track.

Thanks for all the support and prayers. Chase and our family can certainly use the ongoing support as it’s keeping our heads up through this process.

Lots of love and gratitude,

John & Carol Sammut
Chase and Barbara Ann

Thanks for the Wonderful Prayer Service

The prayers service last night was absolutely wonderful. We had an excellent turnout and Carol’s high school friends, Kathy, Dawn and Laurie had a beautiful program all worked out that filled our spirits to the brim. We’re more excited than ever to see this miracle unfold before our eyes and we thank everyone that attended or were with us in spirit. We could certainly feel the power of the prayers (note: if I can figure out how to upload the file from the service, I'll post it to Chase's blog soon).

Chase had his best night since the beginning of the treatments. He only woke up twice, as opposed to 5-8 times per night. The catheter worked fairly well, although there are still some improvements to be made. We explained the importance of this to him again and our need for him to be patient in the process while we figure out the best system that will allow him (and the rest of us) to get good sleep. He seemed to understand and agreed to continue to work with us. After the improved sleep, he woke up in great spirits again and drank another vitamin packed smoothie before heading to school.

We also learned some interesting info about our house over the weekend. We had a dowser come over to assess geopathic disturbances in the area and sure enough she found that three different current fields intersect right in Chase’s room (all of which was assessed from outside our house, before she knew the layout or where Chase’s room was). She’s in the process of researching this some more and developing recommendations that could enable us to diffuse the sources of electro-magnetic radiation / disturbances. In the meantime, Chase is shacking up in our room, which actually makes it much easier to monitor him through the night.

Of course, this was a difficult pill for Barbara to swallow – she’s been watching as the level of attention to Chase continues to mount and this one put her over the top. She broke down and cried about it (believing that he’s the “favored one”), until we explained the extent of the problem in his room and that the only other option was to put him in her room. At that point, she got it and preferred to keep her room to herself. Fortunately, she got over it quickly with the help of some extra love and attention from mom.

Overall, we couldn’t be more pleased with Chase’s progress. As of today, he’s at the maximum of the target dose range the Burzynski Clinic had recommended (350 / 35 ml per dose) and he’s tolerated it all with no real problems. He’s been a bit more lethargic than usual in the afternoons, but that’s to be expected. The clinic recommended that we continue to find ways to keep him moving so the medicine doesn’t get him sedentary and bog him down. We’re excited about the next step in his integration at school, which will be participating in Physical Education (just before lunch). If we can get that worked out and set up the timing of his treatments properly, he can be disconnected for the half hour class and we’ll be ensured that gets at least that much regular exercise each day. We’re hoping to have that in place by the end of the week and with the support of all your prayers, we’re sure that’ll be the case. Thanks again!!

Lots of love and gratitude,

John & Carol Sammut
Chase and Barbara Ann

Half Way Through the Night

Well we’re getting closer – Chase agreed to let Carol try again with the condom catheter last night and it worked for about half the night. It apparently came off around 1:30 am so he got us up to change him and from there out it was every hour or so. That half night of solid rest was quite promising; however we still feel like zombies (perhaps more so), although we’re very optimistic it will get worked out soon. We’ll be receiving a package today with 8 different kinds of catheters and several other kinds of adapters, adhesive strips, etc. so something is bound to work, as long as Chase lets us keep on trying. Hopefully by the end of the weekend, we’ll have this figured out and can stick to a plan that works with some stability so we can all keep our sanity.

Chase also seems to be doing well with his integration at kindergarten. During the Cranbrook Open House last night, they played a short video of the kids singing songs and he seemed to blend right in (backpack and all) singing away and having fun with his classmates. The most recent milestone was getting him to stay until 11 am, through the snack break. Apparently when his teacher gave Chase the snack that was sent for him (as opposed to what the other kids get), one of them asked, “why does he get something different”, to which Chase responded, “because I eat organic”! Well, that seemed to suffice for a reasonable explanation (Chase obviously gets it), and hopefully all will continue to go well and seem like “normal”. Now we just need to get enough options and have them planned out so that it’s not a daily chore.

The next milestone that we’re shooting for is to find a way for Chase to join the class for Physical Education. I’m working on a way to accelerate the rate of his dosage delivery cycles and plan the timing just right so that during the half-hour he can be disconnected and run around with the others. This should be manageable with enough forethought and we’re certain it will only help to increase his desire to stay in school. Chase is very close to the reaching the maximum targeted dose level of anti-neoplastons (350 ml per dose x 6 per day), which we should get to by Sunday as long as he continues to tolerate it well. So far, still no real side-effects, which is a miracle in itself. He’s blown through all the incremental steps without any set-backs and once we’re there, we can establish a pretty solid / stable schedule as well as look at approaches to get him off the remaining dose of decadron (steroid). That would be huge, because most patients complain about this as the cause of the worst long-term side effects.

We’re continuing to pray that Chase’s regimen can stabilize for him and everyone can get to that place of “normalcy” for the time being. We’re extremely close now and with the momentum going, we should be there by early next week. In the meantime, we’re doing our best to keep him happy and we’re looking forward to tomorrow’s soccer game where he can “let loose” for a couple of house unencumbered, as well as the prayer service on Sunday night at Beaumont (5:30 – 7:30 pm) – thanks again to Kathy and Dawn for pulling this together!

Lots of love and gratitude,

John & Carol Sammut
Chase and Barbara Ann

Upcoming Prayer Service

Sorry for the long pause between updates, but there are so many things going on at the same time as we work aggressively to get Chase re-integrated into a "normalized" schedule (as well as ourselves) that it makes for very long days and short nights. Some of the milestones in the past couple of days were selecting and installing a new water filtration system (whole house filters and separate drinking water system), learning how to make different types of smoothies and juices (including a using a more professional type of machine – Vitamix), getting a second fridge for all the vegan food we’re having to prepare for Chase, etc. Fortunately, most of these have been successful efforts – for example, Chase and Barbara are really liking some of the latest concoctions (not detecting the flax oil, soy based yogurt, or emergen-C supplements mixed in); that’s a real victory as it makes the job of coaxing them much easier.

In addition, we’ve really been making progress on the snacks – this has been a perpetual struggle to find things that look like what they’re used to eating (and what other kids wouldn’t be compelled to add to the confusion by giving weird looks at). A couple of recent discoveries include “Gourmet Tings” that actually look almost exactly like cheetos and taste like them too but are actually natural corn meal and spelt pretzels. We also learned how to make home made popsicles from fresh unsweetened fruit juice and yogurt– these have been a big hit and will go over great as a snack after the soccer games as well.

The one area that we haven’t been able to succeed with yet is finding avenues to get Chase to sleep soundly through the night. Because of the high volume of medicine through his IV bags and his associated constant thirst (he’s now up to about 1 ½ gallons of water per day), this has caused the frequent urination to continue throughout the day and night. We’re not giving up yet – I recently located pediatric condom catheters that appear promising and aren’t invasive at all. Now the struggle is just to get him comfortable using them. I’m certain that as soon as he gets one solid night of sleep (and likewise for us), the relief will be enough for him to agree to continue using them. However, he outsmarted me on the first attempt. When I showed them to him a couple of days ago, he just laughed and said, “that’ll never work”. I replied, “you want to bet” (my first mistake). He said, “yeah I’ll bet you $100 that won’t stay on”. I can’t believe I actually fell into that trap – in hindsight, I should’ve used reverse logic on him and said, “I’ll give you $100 when YOU figure out how to make it work”… instead, by the way he set it up, there was a built in incentive for him to prove that it wouldn’t work and sure enough, he made me fork it over the next morning when he woke up wet because the tube came apart (which if felt guilty for and complied since it was a huge milestone just for him to try it).

I’m now trying another approach, offering a Jeepers wristband (all the rides he can go on in a couple of hours at the mall play area, worth $10) for each time he gets through the night. This was enough incentive for him to give it another try tonight and I was quite hopeful. It seemed to work quite well for the first couple of hours but then he woke up a bit slap happy (laughing about something or another – probably getting a kick out of his gas talent again from all the veggies) and then he called me in and said he didn’t want to keep it on, even for the wristband reward (so it’s back to the drawing board). We’ll have to find something that he wants badly enough to give him the incentive to stick it out. This may seem like beating a dead horse or belaboring a small point, but after several weeks of sleep deprivation, constant interruptions, including blankey and PJ changes with many loads of laundry, it’s gotten worse than the days of having a new born and I’ve learned from experience that I don’t do well with that condition (after successfully overcoming sleep apnea myslef, I’m not about to go backwards). I’m determined to solve this one way or another and I think we’re close – we now have a system to use that is well-designed with the right adapters and a velcro band to hold the tubing snugly in place, so and it’s just a matter of finding the right reward / incentive to get Chase over the hump.

We’ll keep brainstorming while we add this little (“big”) milestone to the prayer list. Speaking of which, some of Carol’s friends (Dawn Sunderlik and Kathy Conover) are organizing a prayers service for Chase:

Date: Sunday, October 9th

Time: 5:30 - 7:30

Place: William Beaumont Hospital Royal Oak, MI - Spiritual Center (3rd Floor - Central Elevators)


We’re looking forward to the get together and harnessing the power of our collective prayers. Chase is also continuing the progress on the school front and should be up to the ½ day session (up to lunch) tomorrow if all goes as planned. He’s been warming up to the setting, beginning to make new friends and getting along well. He’s even had a couple of play dates and more planned – this is making a big difference in his attitude, as did the soccer game (which he’s looking forward to again this Saturday).

Thanks again to all for the support and prayers!

Love,

John & Carol Sammut
Chase & Barbara Ann

Chase Started Soccer This Weekend

Chase had a full weekend, starting with a visit to the zoo on Friday afternoon, for the first time in a couple of months (this used to be one of his favorite past times). He didn’t make the long walk like he normally would, but rode in a wagon and at least got out in the sunshine and fresh air. More importantly, he actually got out and played soccer on Saturday. He really didn’t want to at first and resisted the idea. The more we talked through it with him, we understood that his apprehension was related to the fear that his port access would be removed which meant he’d have to get the needle again after the game. Once we explained to him that he was going to have to do this anyway, for sanitary reasons, and that he might as well enjoy a bit of freedom, he agreed and had a great time. He actually did fairly well for his first soccer game ever, blocked several shots and scored a goal (despite the fact that he’s no where near as fast as usual and he gets winded pretty easily). Nevertheless, he had a lot of fun socializing with some Cranbrook classmates and that was the most important thing so that he can get comfortable with easing into school.

We’re planning to start this week with a two-hour school schedule and hopefully get to a complete ½ day by the end of the week. Although he still resists at first when being dropped off for school, his teachers say he’s fine within minutes and seems to be enjoying himself. Hopefully, more familiarity with others through his soccer experience will make him even more comfortable. He agreed to continue on the team and he’s actually already asking when basketball will start again – another great sign!

The biggest accomplishment of the weekend was the fact that his needle change for the catheter access was by far the smoothest yet. Auntie Cathy (the Nurse Practitioner) came down again to visit over the weekend and take care of this duty so that Chase could get over his apprehension of the needle. As usual, he put up some resistance at first, but this time we hardly heard a peep during the re-insertion. We’re praying that one more “easy” experience with someone he knows / trusts and Chase’s apprehensions will subside enough that we can actually have a visiting nurse take care of the catheter needles going forward. That will be a huge milestone and the point at which our choice of this type of catheter will pay off – we’re almost there.

Despite the positive progress, there were several concerns over the weekend with Chase that we’re going to have to monitor very closely. First of all, Carol noticed a slight nose-bleed after the soccer game (this is not been a common occurrence with him, so any unusual behavior raises concern). Secondly, he complained of a headache when he woke up in the middle of the night on Saturday – the first in several weeks, since his recovery from the surgery (although he seemed to be over this on Sun morning when he woke up). He also mentioned a stomach ache on Sun morning, followed by a slight bout with diarrhea and later had cramps in his right leg. We’re praying that some of these symptoms were just due to the fact that he had more physical activity over the weekend than he’s had in a long while. After being massaged a bit on his upper thigh Sun night, his pain seemed to subside, so we’re thinking it was just a sore muscle, but it’s hard to know for sure.

Based upon these concerns, we chose not to increase Chase’s dose of ANP over the weekend and we’ll wait to see how he’s feeling tomorrow to determine whether to go up to 300 ml. We’re so close to his ultimate target dose, that we don’t think it’s a huge hurry and would prefer to make sure everything’s fine before taking another step. If we confirm that he’s ok tomorrow morning, he’ll increase again by 10 ml per day throughout this coming week and should probably max out at around 350 ml. We’re really looking forward to getting to stability with his dosage so that we can get over any concern about his ability to tolerate the treatments (although it’s really been smooth sailing for the most part thus far). This will also make things a lot easier with programming the pump, changing the IV bags, etc. since we can develop a detailed plan based upon his ongoing daily dosage.

Overall, we’re still feeling that the progress Chase is making is tremendous and we believe we’re on the right track for his full recovery. He’s very close to achieving a fairly stable routine, which will be a huge accomplishment / milestone for the whole family. Thanks to all for the ongoing prayers and support. They mean the world to us through this process – although we’re trying to keep a positive “front”, behind the scenes, it’s quite stressful staying on top of all aspects of his treatment plan, physical and social well-being, etc, in addition to our own mental and emotional stability. It’s been extremely trying at times and feels like a roller-coaster ride. This is a big challenge for our faith and we’re trying to use all the affirmations and prayers we can to stay focused on the best result for Chase and our whole family. Thanks again for keeping us all in your prayers!

Love,
John & Carol Sammut
Chase & Barbara Ann