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"SUPERMAN" Mike Machinski's Cancer Battle 
Thank you for visiting Mike Machinski's web page!! I began this site to keep everyone informed of Mike's condition and to remember the order of events ourselves. We could not fight this battle without the support of friends (old and new) and our families!
This site was created to keep friends and family updated on Mike's lymphoma, stem cell transplant & treatment progress.
Four years ago, on March 15, 2004, Mike was diagnosed at age 31 with Stage 4B Advanced Hodgkin�s Lymphoma. Mike is the loving Daddy to our three daughters, Kylie (now age 10), Mya (now 8)and Emma (now age 7). He completed 5 months of chemotherapy treatments called BEACOPP from March through August '04, having 18 treatments in total. There were hospital in-patient stays, operations and blood transfusions that came with his treatments. He was in remission for just 8 weeks when another lump was discovered on Mike's neck. During the third week of October 2004, we were told that Mike had a re-occurrence. His remission time was much to short. During October, November and December 2004, Mike went through 3 cycles of I.C.E. chemotherapy for Re-occurring Hodgkin�s Lymphoma. Each cycle required him to be an inpatient at the hospital for four days. This chemo regiment is very aggressive and required frequent blood transfusions.
Since Mike was in remission for a short time and had a quick re-occurence of his disease, the next step in beating his cancer is a stem cell tranplant. Mike received a full Allogeneic re-lated Stem cell Transplant at MD Anderson in Houston, Texas on February 14,2005. On Wednesday, May 18th, we learned that Mike is once again cancer free. On May 22nd, our family left Houston and road tripped back to Pennsylvania. In September 2005, Mike started back at work after almost a year on disability. For almost two months, life felt normal and on November 7, 2005- Mike's PET scan showed that the cancer was back. More chemotherapy followed and on April 6, 2006, came the beginning of three weeks of radiation treatments. The summer of 2006 included 60 radiation treatments for Mike. He had radiation 5 days each week for 12 weeks. From that, the results came back that it had not gone away and in early November, 2006, Mike began chemotherapy again. Through the holiday season 2006, Mike took a chemotherapy pill of 50 mg Vepesid (Etoposide)each day. January 2, 2007, he had another PET scan which showed that the chemo had not been effective in slowing growth of the cancer in all areas. During the monthes of January and February of '07, Mike was on Holisitic Supplements but lost to much wieght and the 3rd week of February, began Radiation treatments again. Mike has completed a total of 120 Radiation treatments and currently goes to the Woodlands Center in Quakertown once a week of IV Vitamin C infusions. His PET scan in January 2008 showed a spread into the Lung. During the summer of 2008, Mike's lungs began to fill with fluid and he is now on IV Vitamin C in theraputic doses two times each week and is beginning Vitamin D injections in early September. Please continue to PRAY!
Journal
Friday, July 3, 2009 8:51 AM CDT When Colleen emailed me in big BOLD letters today to update the site...I figured it must be way over due. We are all okay....Mike is a trooper. People tell me all the time, "he looks good", and he does. As for how he feels, I dont think anyone who has not been through a battle like his can understand, there are ups and downs. All of which he handles amazingly. He's a tough guy. He turns 37 on July 20th....shower him with birthday cards!
On July 15th, we go down to Fox Chase for the initial visit of his new clinical trial. He has been waiting awhile for this. He is off (almost off) his predisone and he is vomiting often again and totally exhausted so all our eggs are really in this basket. We can only pray that they did read all his file and we wont get down there and get shut down again. He is also concerned that he will get denied because the bulky disease that loves his neck so much is back.
I booked us a week at Ocean City, MD for the week of his birthday....nothing better than a week at the beach to make everyone feel better!
As for the girls, Mya is hard core into softball. She loved playing for the local travel team this spring, just took a week camp at Lehigh University. Now, she has a pitching coach coming up to the house and at the end of the month, I would like to bring her up to RI for pitching clinic up there (thanks Cort!). Mike wants her to try out for Allentown's fall travel team. Kylie is enjoying the summer, goofing off and growing an inch per day! Emma is my lazy girl, she goes with the flow and loves being with eithier her best friend, Angie or playing in the pool with her other best bud, Gabby.
Thank you for checking in on us!
Love,
Becky
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Hospital Information: Mike Machinski
70 Ridgeview Drive
Lehighton, Pa 18235
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