Masami's Breast Cancer Fight
Thank you for taking the time to read this and consider showing your support for my wife Masami and our family during this tough time and battle for life. We have some real challenges ahead and I want to give our family and friends an update on our condition and make a plea for your help.
Many of you may or may not know that for 3 years now my wife Masami has been in a battle for her life. In October 2015, our life took an unexpected turn when Masami was diagnosed with Stage 4 HER2 negative metastatic breast cancer. Her doctor informed her that this is a very aggressive cancer that has spread from the right breast and lymph nodes to the lower spine on the left side and more recently to her brain.
I would like to tell you about this wonderful woman that my children and I love very much. As you may know, ours was one of those rare "love at first sight" beginnings. In 2010, I was a Sergeant in the Marine Corps stationed in Japan looking for a second job to earn some extra cash to explore the country. I decided to apply at the base mini mart for a part time job. At the time of the interview, Masami was behind the counter looking at the floor and notices a pair of shoes pass by. She asked her friend who that was, her friend replies," it was the marine coming to interview for the position" (Me). Not seeing anything else but my shoes and ankles she said to her friend "I'm going to marry him". Sure enough, she did.
We have been married closed to 7 years now and have been blessed with 2 beautiful children, our son Riky, age 6 and our daughter Melodie, age 4. Both have a beauty that could have only come from their mother whom they both love very much. Being a great wife, mother and friend comes natural for Masami. As my wife, best friend and heartbeat Masami has made a great home life for our children giving them a love that cannot be duplicated. When able, Masami volunteered to watch the children in our church nursery on Sundays with a heart of servitude and joy. She has always put others before herself. Be it at work, church, or in the home going above and beyond for those she cares about is Masami’s nature.
When first diagnosed in 2015, this wonderful woman has had to radically start ever-increasing hormone therapy drugs. While on hormone therapy, we have also tried many other alternative treatments and home remedies (many of which she is still continuing even now) to keep her immune system up. She had been doing hormone therapy for a year before her doctor suggested switching to chemotherapy. We were reluctant to try chemo at first since the growth wasn't very significant and we were encouraged that natural remedies might have an impact. In Dec 2016 with further convincing, we decided to try chemotherapy. Throughout 2017 Masami had been taking chemo orally but saw no improvement. Feeling dejected during this time, Masami was dealing with hair/weight loss, pain and loss of appetite. Due to the mental and physical anguish caused, Masami contemplated stopping the treatments. To her dismay, Masami's doctor determined that chemo wasn't working and wanted to change her dosage to a more aggressive type. He had told her to come back in a month due to lack of stock. Masami went back in Jan 2018 to take chemo again but this time her doctor told us of a stronger hormone therapy drug he wanted her to try. She gladly agreed to try it especially after how the chemo made her feel. Fast forward 7 months of hormone therapy to July 2018. Masami’s doctor determined hormone therapy was not helping and wanted her to go back on chemo. She turned it down due to how horrible it made her feel before.
In mid –September 2018, Masami had an MRI which shown the cancer spread to the back of her brain. She is also experiencing increased leg pain on her left side, cause unknown. Gama knife pinpoint radiation has been prescribed to break up the growth in Masami's brain. This would be the second time going through this. First time was a year ago with a similar problem near her right eye that caused blurred vision on that side. She will also be going through radiation treatments on her spine for the first few weeks of October. Along with radiation treatments, we are trying a homeopathic approach while taking numerous supplements, CBD oil, diet changes, and Vitamin C injections. All of which are unimaginably expensive and are not covered by insurance. Money donated will be used to pay for medical expenses not covered by insurance and to help with daily living expenses.
Our family has a long road ahead of us, but we have the faith, strength, and determination to recover. Please keep Masami in your thoughts and prayers. Your thoughts, prayers, and generous donations to help Masami heal are sincerely appreciated. We are blessed to have wonderful friends and family and thank you for showing your support.
1 Thessalonians 5:23
