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Alexandre was 2 years old when he was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma Stage IV on February 15th, 2000. It came as a complete shock for his parents and his 3 big sisters, but everybody started at once in the fight with him.
He had four chemos, then surgery to remove the abdominal mass and the adrenal gland. He was not NED at that time. He then had 4 more chemos before going into autotransplant in October 2000.
After transplant, he was still not NED (some spots on the knees at the MIBG) and we started radiotherapy (he had amplified N-MYC). In February 2001, we started Accutane, and we were all hoping this year would be the good year for getting rid of cancer.
At the end of this month, he started complaining of knee aches ... an MIBG scan was done early March and the result was devastating : relapse, in many places.
No hope was left to us after such a relapse, happening so shortly after transplant.
Nevertheless, we tried Topotecan (didn't work at all) and oral VP-16 which worked well in having him stay pain-free but not in stopping the cancer progression.
We also tried intravenous Vitamin C which probably helped him stay off morphine until 2 days before his death.
Alexandre stayed home until the end, becoming more and more tired (liver shutting off), but being surrounded by all the people he loved.
On June 14th, 2001, we found him smiling softly in his bed : he had left us silently, during his sleep. He was 3.5 years old.
He is now free from all the awfulness of cancer : please, pray for all these children who are fighting so hard for just having the possibility to live the life of normal children ...
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Journal
Sunday, June 14, 2009 4:30 AM CDT 8 years today .... 8 years without Alexandre physically but thinking of him every minute of the day.
A close friend sent me this yesterday, knowing I was very very sad, so I just want to share it :
Listen closely to the winds
And hear the gentle whispers
Of an Angel's wings in flight.
Look far into the sky
And see the shimmering stardust left behind.
Close your eyes, clear your thoughts
And feel the love of your very own,
Very real, Guardian Angel
Thinking of you
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