A letter from Esther (Sameer's cousin):
Posted 3/24/2009 by amoctone
I would like to begin by thanking and praising God for the life he has given me. He has blessed me so abundantly in this journey and I cannot thank Him enough. I also wan to thank each of you for so lovingly supporting, encouraging, and praying for our family during this time, because that is what has sustained us thus far.
Praise be to Him that we had gotten funds from an anonymous, God-sent donor to go to a consultation at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas on March 6th. There the doctors discussed what they believed to be the very best regimen for the rare from of brain cancer I have (medullablastoma), and came up with a treatment plan. They opted out of doing surgery because of the fact that there are multiple tumors in my spine. Operating one tumor at a time would only cause the other tumors to continue to grow and spread as I spend time recovering from each surgery. So doctors thought it was best to tackle the situation as holistically as possible with radiation and a different chemotherapy plan to specifically target the brain. I began radiation and chemotherapy at the beginning of this week (week of March 15).
The doctors at MD Anderson Cancer Center have worked in conjunction with the doctors here in Scott & White Hospital and have discussed what drugs are most effective for this type of cancer. Because treatments at MD Anderson are very expensive for for self-paying patients, like myself, every single appointment, scan, MRI, etc., is very costly. Therefore, they thought it best to get treated closer to home, since the treatment would be no different and no less advanced than what would be provided at MD Anderson.
We do, however, plan to go back to MD Anderson for further research and studies that they would like to conduct on my case so we can better understand this cancer.
The doctors don't know if these drugs will work as effectively as the hope, considering that the cancer has come back in such a rigorous form so quickly; but we have the full faith that God is in total control of ALL things. Whether God grants me life or death in the near future, I know His plans are the most perfect ones, and it is such a joy to be alive and honestly doing GREAT today.
I want to praise and thank Him for this life and the great things He is teaching all of us through this. I can say that I am thankful for this time, because it puts life into great perspective and shows what is truly truly important.
Once again, thank you all for your love, encouragement, and prayers. I am thankful for each one of you in our lives.
Love always,
Esther Boyalapalli
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