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DOES BOB HAVE LUNG CANCER?! (UPDATE 7/28/17)

By Admin

A quick update to my previous post.

As of yesterday the unofficial diagnosis is in.

It’s not good!

Additional test and evaluations are being completed by specialist. They well be finished by August 8th. Official diagnosis will be made at that time.

As it stands now the unofficial opinion is I have Stage 4, Small Cell Lung Cancer. The most aggressive type. The only treatment option available is Chemo. Time wise I’ve got from 1 month to a max of 6 months.

I’ve already started putting my affairs in order.

I’ll post another update once the official diaginois has been issued.

Until then …

Rock Onnn… Saigon Kids

Bob

“In the end all we are left with is memories.”

48 comments to DOES BOB HAVE LUNG CANCER?! (UPDATE 7/28/17)

  • Mike O'Brien

    Bob, so sorry to hear this bad news.

    Thank you so much for creating this memory bank for all us kids who were in Saigon, it wouldn’t have happened without you and it’s been a source of joy.

    Very best wishes to you and your family.

    Mike

  • Angelique Kenney

    I am so sorry, Bob. Sending you love and healing and an enormous amount of thanks for what you have done here. It has been a tremendous help to my understanding of the place I was born..

    Best wishes to you,
    Angelique

  • Karen Hunt

    Bob- so sorry about your probable diagnosis.
    I am so happy I found your Saigon Kids site. We really are a unique group and it’s been wonderful to connect to part of my life that only those of us there as kids understand. Sending you good thoughts. Please keep us informed- we care.

    Hang in there.
    Karen

  • Hello Bob,

    I, too, am sorry to hear the news of your diagnosis. As I think you may know, my wife Sylvia died of cancer just last year. I have some small idea of what you are going through.

    Thank you for all you’ve done over the years with this website. Even though I/we didn’t pursue the Day in the Life project as far as we might have, at least it resulted in some interesting stories.

    Best,

    Richard

    • Richard, thank you. I was saddened to learn of Sylvia’s passing. Her Spirit lives within us eternally. It’s not too late to continue with the Day In The Life project.

      Bob

  • Suellen O Campbell

    Our thoughts and prayers are with you, Bob. Your inspiration in creating this website has given us such pleasure. Reconnecting all of us with other Saigon Kids is your legacy to us all.
    We are thankful for your dedication and love over the years for this project. It has been a joy for each of us to share memories of the place where we became young adults, and where I grew to love Asia and its treasures. Finally returning to Saigon in March 2018.
    Thinking of you! Hang tough!
    Love,
    Suellen

  • sarah j rogers

    not good news bob, my thoughts and prayers are with you

  • Dave Burford

    Bob,
    Sorry to hear of your probable diagnosis. Lets hope that possibly a mistake was made in the diagnosis, a/o that your medical team has some new treatment options available.
    In the meantime I want to let you know what a pleasure its been to have connected with the Saigon Kids newsletter and your tireless efforts to keep it up to date and relevant.
    Best of luck in your battle with cancer and here’s hoping that you continue to produce Saigon Kids for many more years.
    Dave Burford

  • Mike McNally

    Bob, please don’t give up hope. My father once got a six-months-left diagnosis, and he managed to live another ten years. Yes, he had to take meds and treatments, and he always had oxygen nearby. I don’t know if he had what you have, but his problem was definitely lung related.

    A good source of medical information is the Mayo Clinic website. Anyone who has medical problems should take a look at it. Here’s a link to their start page for Lung Cancer.

    http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lung-cancer/basics/definition/con-20025531

    I’ll have my Vietnamese family of Buddhists and Christians praying for you…Mike McNally

  • brooks kasson

    ah, bob. i am sure you’re going through a roller coaster of emotions at this point. that in itself is rough. glad to hear you’re continuing to explore and prepare.
    my thoughts are with you for smooth sailing, whatever and whenever the destination.
    brooks

    • Brooks, thank you for your thoughts. Not so much a roller coaster as it is a maze of mine fields carefully placed by the profiteers of the cancer industry. My destination is the same as it has been all my life…

      Bob

  • Mike McNally

    Bob, it’s not lung related, but one of my sisters-in-law was in a Scripps Hospital after suffering a stroke. The hospital told the family to come and pay their last respects. The family and friends visited and prayed, and the medicos worked their magic. Today, the lady, in her sixties, walks with a cane and talks just a little slower than she did before.

    I have relatives in the medical profession. I’ve had lots of experience with docs and nurses over the years, the most serious incidents in the last five years. I’ve found almost all health professionals are friendly and hard-working. But they don’t have time to know all the new things even in their special fields. And they may feel ethically unable to suggest alternative treatments.

    A Google Search for “alternative treatments for lung cancer” gives a lot of results. Some are for new mainstream meds and treatments. Others are for meds and treatments outside the mainstream. Perhaps your doctors haven’t heard of some of the new meds or methods. And perhaps some outside-the-mainstream methods have now been approved for mainstream use. Keep the faith…Mike McNally

    • Mike, I completely agree with your words. It’s unfortunate that *alternative treatments* for cancer are for the most part *illegal* in the USA. Particularly, since many of them have been used and proven for over 100 years (well documented) to cure cancer without negative side effects.

      Bob

  • Cathie Mcintyre

    Bob, I echo the sentiments of those who have already replied. This uncertain news probably has you doing a great deal of self-reflection and questioning. I wish the best for you. Please keep us posted and let me know any way I might be of support. Thinking of you, Cathie

  • Bob,
    It is sad that we are all are getting older but that is life. Think of wonderful all the memories you had compared to others. We had great time. Carl Cinie

  • Cindy Nguyen

    Dear Bob,
    What distressing news!
    What can I do from afar?
    Lend an ear? Advocate? Run interference? Find good docs for 2nd and 3rd opinions?
    Continue to live every minute fully as you have been doing!
    Although I rarely chime in (I was only in 3rd grade when you all left and ACS shut down), I love being a part of Saigon Kids! Thank you for all you do for this community. You ought to be so proud of such a legacy!
    Please let me know if I can support you in any way.
    Cindy M?-Huy?n Nguy?n
    (650) 566-0765

    • Cindy, thank you! Your compassion, support and willingness to assist (even from afar) overwhelms me with gratitude beyond what I can ever express in words. Thank you for the blessing of connecting with you through this site.

      Bob

  • Richard Murphy

    Hi Bob,

    Thanks for all your work on this wonderful site. You will be in all our prayers. Best to you and family.

    Richard

  • Maile Doyle

    Dear Bob, I echo all the comments. We all cannot thank you enough for giving us this venu to reconnect. Sending prayers as you deal with your health issues. God bless, Maile

  • MIKE PARKER

    BOB,

    THE BAD NEWS IS, YOU’LL BE LEAVING YOUR FRIENDS, FAMILY, AND ALL OF THE EARTHLY THINGS, BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS, YOU’LL BE MAKING THE BEST TRIP OF YOUR LIFE, AND WILL RESIDE WITH OUR HEAVENLY FATHER, WITH NO PAIN, NO WORRIES, FOR ETERNITY. CLING TO THAT AND YOU’LL BE FINE.

    THANKS FOR YOUR FRIENDSHIP, HARD WORK, AND ALL OF THE GREAT MEMORIES. MY PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.

    MIKE

    • Mike, thank you for your touching words. We had some good times in old Saigon back in the day. In our final moments all we are left with is memories … Saigon Kids, The Clods and our days and nights in Saigon will be in mine … what a blessing!

      Rock Onnn…

      Bob

  • Laurie Methven

    Bob – am saddened and there isn’t to much more I can add that everyone else has said. I would echo that this site that you developed has been awesome.

    My partner of over 27+ years [name is Kris] had the same diagnosis in Dec. 2014. However, we hadn’t anticipated this @ all. In fact, she had worked the day before & this was a visit to the ER because numbness in her ankles had moved up her legs (she hadn’t been to a dr. in 10 yrs.!).

    I’m telling you all this as I became more of an expert on SCLC then I wanted. In fact, Kris had written in her daily planner, “If you want to know about the cancer, ask Laurie”.
    As you may know, with SCLC, it is usually not discovered until it has metasized. In Kris’ case, that day in the ER she was told she had tumors in her back, brain & lung and was admitted to the hosp. A biopsy a couple of days later showed the source was the lung, SCLC. As you may be aware, only about 15 % of lung cancers are this type and as you said it can be very aggressive. And then it depends where the “mets” are, ie with Kris it was her brain and back. The largest tumors were on her back pressing on her spinal cord – causing the numbness.
    Anyway – there are some excellent resources on line that helped a lot. Thru cancer.org, there is a group on line just for SCLC folks. There is also a FB page. There are folks on there that have survived years. I won’t lie, most don’t but many do and there is now some immuno therapy for SCLC. People share what they are trying/ what has helped, what hasn’t etc.
    If you would like more info. on my journey with Kris and don”t want to ‘tie up’ the Saigon kids site, feel free to email me: ljmethven@aol.com

  • Bob,
    So sad to hear about your diagnosis. My parents both died of lung cancer so I can relate to what you’re going through.
    You’ve done a wonderful thing with this website and we all owe you a debt of gratitude for connecting us to each other, and for making our past live again, if only in our minds.
    I hope you know that we are all pulling for you and praying you’ll fight the good fight against this disease and win. Many people have beat lung cancer, and hopefully, you’ll be one of them.
    Keep us posted!
    Thanks again,
    Les Arbuckle
    Author of “Saigon Kids”

  • H.Clark

    Bob,

    I’m never good with words; they hardly can describe how it feels when I read this news of probable diagnosis. It delivered an amount of silence and sadness. I feel numb. I echo many other Saigon Kids’ sentiments and hope that it’s possible a mistake was made. Meanwhile, my family and my mother’s Vietnamese friends from church will be praying for you.

    By coincidence, just saw today an ad on TV about this medicine that works with your immune system. Don’t know anything about it, but thought you would like to check out this link and discuss with the doctors.

    https://www.keytruda.com/?cc=F56EF8DC&csid=General_Brand_Lung&gclid=CjwKCAjw5PDLBRB0EiwAh-27MrvlfVK8L9TOxlZJIIJEzmMvf2kwo5G-_fxfGQ6sv6JltQ_hkaVLyRoCv8gQAvD_BwE

    No matter what you would say, my only regret is that I fail to demystify the sect’s name and the seven rings and seven bracelets.

    In the end, thanks for all of the great memories. Will hold hands and stand tall … let the sky fall…

    Thinking of you,

    Huong

    • Huong, thank you for the prayers by you and your family. I’m so happy you found this site, and hope it has brought you as much joy as you’ve brought to Saigon Kids.

      Rock Onnn…

      Bob

  • Sandy Hanna

    I too am saddened and thank you for all your efforts to bring this band of Saigon gypsies together. I wish you the best as the sea pours into the stars and the will of heaven does what we poor mortals are destined to struggle against. Hoping you will win the fight! That is my prayer to the universe. Sandy

  • Kathy Emery

    I would like to echo Sandy Hanna’s words. Because of all your work on this site and making the Saigon Reunion a reality, I was able to visit a place that couldn’t really imagine when Dick talked about his experiences there. Wishing you the very best, ROCK ON! Kathy

  • Bob,
    Just got back from D.C. and started reading all my emails. I am so sorry to hear about your condition. Time to go to combat and do what you have to do. You never know and I hope you are the victor. Keep us posted. My prayers and thoughts are with you and your family.
    Carl

  • Karen Hunt

    Hi Bob.
    I was wondering how you are. Concerned about you.

    Karen

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