Rob's Story

Thank you for all of your love and prayers. While sitting in the hospital, it has been encouraging for Rob and Amber to read your comments and see that you are all waiting for his quick recovery.

At first, it was really scary for them to be so quickly admitted into the Emergency Room but after things settled down, we realized that it was actually a blessing. Getting admitted to the MD Anderson hospital is sometimes a lengthy process. Going to E.R. speeds it up and he can get treated more quickly. The first night they sat in a cubicle for about 11 hours waiting for an answer or some direction. Amber was really scared that night and Robi was in severe pain. Amber kept asking them to let her take him home because she knew she could manage his pain better and care for his needs. At about 2 am they were taken to their room and "officially" admitted. The night got better because they were given a great nurse. Amber was finally able to sleep since she knew that nurse understood his pain and she would take good care of him. However, in the morning at shift change the new nurse didn't really understand. Amber just kept praying that she could make her see how Rob was feeling. She never quite understood that pain.

When the doctors came in Rob and Amber were disappointed to hear that chemotherapy was the doctors prescribed treatment. Rob has already done 3 rounds of chemo and it was really hard on his body. Since the scans showed that it didn't help his tumors, Rob was planning to try something different. After waiting so long to get in with this hospital they are really confused about what to do. They know its one of the best hospitals in the world but why are they prescribing the same things they've already been through... that don't work? They have lots of questions... What should they do? Should they go through chemo? Should they try another clinic even though this one has such a great reputation? There is a clinic in Houston, called the Burzynski Clinic. It has been recommended to Amber by a few different doctors and Suzanne Sommers talks a lot about it in her book, "Knock Out". One family who lost a child to cancer also told Amber about it. They thought it was a great alternative but didn't discover it until it was too late. The doctors at Burzynski pretty much do the opposite of chemo. They build up the immune system and healthy cells in order to fight cancer, as opposed to chemo that destroys all cells.

He had an appointment with the Burzynski clinic today but he was still in the hospital and unable to make it. The new appointment is now set for Tuesday. In any case, MD Anderson will release him from the hospital tomorrow. They recommend that he come home to Vegas and start chemo right away, then go back to Houston in about 6 weeks for full on treatment. His oxygen is still low and the tumors have grown since his last scan but all tests on his heart came back healthy and strong. One great thing is that they have options. They are working with some of the best doctors in the world. The only thing left to do is decide. Its a hard decision. No one knows- especially because hardly anyone has seen this before. Amber has a lot of weight on her shoulders knowing that it's her husbands life at stake. She is overwhelmed with the decisions and choices that have to be made. We know the waiting game is dangerous. But she doesn't want to make a decision without looking at all options. Does anyone else feel confused and helpless?