What If I Live?

My blah blah and my life journey has been completely influenced by a cancer journey that began in 2012; a dramatic disaster. For the first year and first time going through chemotherapy, I was encouraged by my my oncologist that I had stage 3b cancer, surgery had removed all of the cancerous tumors, and that I was having chemotherapy as a "mop up job" - as a security; just to make sure.

It's clear to me by how quickly the cancer returned and by the path of disease that in retrospect I was always stage 4 and there was no "mop up anything.....".

There are plenty of cancer specialists who will tell you that I shouldn't be alive right now. EVERY treatment failed me. I continued to progress regardless of trying every possible chemotherapy, biological therapy, immunotherapy, and radiation.

No treatment is without it's scars either. I suffer from terrible radiation burns that are both hard to look at and are excruciatingly painful. I have a list of symptoms which, I'm thankful that aren't worse than they are.

By the end of the summer, 2018, I appeared to have weeks to live. My eyes were sunken in. I no longer had an appetite. My daily life consisted of a bedridden existence and pain killers.

From 2012, the option of me living for a long period of time was unrealistic. Though I couldn't imagine me actually dying, (my faith and denial have always been strong) I don't think many people believed I was long for this world. Bless my oncologist for never taking away my hope - which is known to have self-fulfilling properties.

The reality of stage 4 ovarian cancer is tragically impending death. All of the new treatments; PARPS inhibitors, immunotherapy, and whatever the mainstream medical claims are.... are failures. I've tried them all. I've watched my cancer friends die - one by one.

By August, 2018, it looked like The End was near. Different from the past 6 years, I'd now lost my mobility and my life consisted of pain and suffering with "good days" few and far between. My July 30th PET CT scan showed terrible results; cancerous tumors completely taking over my liver, spleen, pelvis, and bowel.

Then came Turkey.... The doctors in Turkey won't promise anything however their work speaks for itself. They're curing stage 4 patients while no other place in the world can make such claims. I arrived in Istanbul at the end of August and began grueling and torturous treatments. Lacking the funds, friends began fundraising to help us pay for the expensive treatments at the private clinic.

After 4 rounds, I underwent a PET CT at home, in Israel. As I wrote in my previous post, both my Israeli oncologist and the radiologist were shocked by the results. Of course! Despite the wonderful fabulous medical care available in Israel, options for treatments had long dried up.

The final (October 29, 2018) report shows a 70-80% reduction in disease load!!!

What if I live???

Suddenly, there's true hope! One by one, we meet Stage 4 cancer patients at ChemoThermia, the Turkish clinic in Istanbul, who arrived on their deathbeds and after 3-6 months of treatments are in remission with no evidence of disease! Not only do we meet the reality of life after stage 4 cancer - I am living proof.... I'm still alive! For the first time, I'm looking forward to my next PET CT scan! May it be G*d's will that I too merit remission and a clean scan!

I need continued support. We are SO happy and blessed to share that our dear friends have created a fundraiser that's raised almost $100,000! THANK YOU so much for your generosity!

So.... what if I live? That is perhaps the title of my first book to be published in the future - G*d willing. Having this true hope of survival obviously changes everything! It's almost too wonderful to be true however I see a happy shinning light at the end of this horrible cancer journey! HOPE!

Please continue to daven/pray for the full recovery of Ahava Emunah bat Chava Ehta.

Please consider making a donation no matter how big or small... every bit helps and donations are tax deductible. There's an option to donate via GoFundMe or via our local synagogue organization and receive a tax receipt with 100% of funds going towards my treatments.

What if I live? I will continue to devote my life to my purpose. Hopefully my purpose is truly to help others and spread love and faith in every way possible.