Praying for Strength in Chase's Vocal Cords

After another long day at the hospital, we finally were able to get Chase in for a late “add-on” appointment in the OR to re-evaluate his airway passage. The good news was that they detected movement in both sides of the vocal cords (although the previous endoscopy indicated paralysis of at least one side). Unfortunately, the movement in the vocal cords was described as paradoxical – moving in the opposite direction that is needed for proper air passage. The ENT specialist isn’t sure if this indicates the first sign that the nerves are recovering (based upon the ongoing movement on both sides) and that perhaps with a little more time this will get corrected. We certainly hope so, since this would enable us to avoid the tracheotomy.

We’re hoping and praying that things improve further quickly with Chase’s vocal cords – we need the nerves to recover and correct their signals as soon as possible. The ENT is willing to try using a CPAP for a while as a less invasive way of treating the airway obstruction (versus intubation) and this could get us enough time for things to recover without the trach. We’re going to try the CPAP tomorrow morning and hopefully Chase will tolerate it – this is certainly better than the breathing tube, since he will be able to eat, drink, etc. Please keep that intention in your prayers.

We’re also anxious to get Chase back on his Antineopaston treatments. Technically, we’re not allowed to administer this at the hospital, since they don’t participate in the FDA phase II trial from the Clinic where get the medicine; however, our Oncologist is kind enough to pursue a deviation and hopefully we can get these treatments going again tomorrow. We also have some other decisions to make regarding the shunt after getting another opinion tomorrow. It seems that the temporary one has provided some relief, which could be important as we work aggressively to get the tumor to shrink over the next several weeks and months.

After consulting directly with Dr. Burzynski today once again, we understand that the tumor is likely to continue to swell as other areas breakdown and become liquid / necrosis. This means that the shrinkage / resorbtion of the tumor debris is more critical than ever. We’re continuing to visualize Chase’s white blood cells doing what is needed to get the debris away from the tumor as soon as possible through whatever means available. We’ve also come across some very effective visualization tools - we’re trying to find a way to post these on the blog or on the yahoo group page for anyone interested in using them.

Thanks for all the prayers and support! We’re very blessed to be able to keep Chase lifted in his battle to recover from this tragic challenge. We’re continuing to believe that Chase will eventually prevail and that this is an excellent opportunity to strengthen our faith and bring glory to God for his infinite mercy.

God Bless!

John & Carol Sammut
Chase & Barbara Ann