Dear CCAM Partners and Friends,

Gioia called me with an update on Buntheep's treatment.

Today, the doctors did an MRI to prepare for the Gamma knife treatment. They discovered that the three small portions of the tumor had grown back into one large mass even larger than the tumor they removed before. It was impinging on both optic nerves and the chiasm where the optic nerves cross. This, unfortunately, made the gamma knife treatment impractical. The tumor is now too large and too close to the optic nerves that would be damaged by the treatment. Everyone found this news pretty disappointing, as you can imagine.

So, what do they plan to do?

The doctors plan to do an IMRT treatment. IMRT is Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy in which radiation is given with "measured doses for hyperfractionization". I'm probably not saying that correctly, but those are the words that were given to Gioia as I wrote them down in my notes from our conversation. The bottom line is that they give short doses of radiation intended to kill or shrink the tumor. The IMRT is given twice per day for 5 weeks. (Yes, FIVE WEEKS!)

If necessary, when this treatment is completed, a gamma knife treatment might be used to kill whatever portion of the tumor remains.

The treatments will begin tomorrow (Friday) at 7:45 AM. In the meantime, the doctors will do a CAT scan to combine with the MRI in order to plan the IMRT.

Gioia asked that we pray for Buntheep to be spared the bad side effects that are common with radiation treatments, that the treatment would kill the tumor and spare Buntheep's eyesight, and for strength to persevere.

What a journey! God is good. All the time. Let's keep praying for Buntheep and Gioia.

--Joe Ginder,
for Gioia and Buntheep

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