RAY SASSANO

Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting.
I am so happy to be able to tell MY STORY!!
I have been blessed with a great health  challenge on March 30, 2016. 
As some of you who already know ME, I have a great family of love. 
Just before my 59th birthday on April 18 of this year, I was given a upper back spasm that on March 30......all I could say was ouch!!
It was do bad that night that I told my wife (33 years of marriage bliss) to call the ambulance...something is not right. They came within 10 minutes did an evaluation. By the time they put me on the gurney my legs started to lose feelings. We went to White Plains ER. Within 2 hours I had MRI and things started to go real bad. They shipped be down to Montifiore Hospital in the Bronx NY. There I had CAT SCAN. 
By that time I had no real idea what was going on because on pain killers they gave me!  Then it was April 1! Then there was s few doctor meetings that they strongly suggested to operate to release the spinal cord comprrssion. It was a 8 hour operation and now it was April 3. The pain was gone but I had no ability to walk.  The surgeon told me that he could take the pain away but the trade was to dedicate myself to do the rehab on my body. Of course I knew I could do it and I would do it to walk once again. 
After almost 3 weeks in hospital i was  released to Burke Rehab hospital in White Plains NY. I spent 3 weeks of intense rehab making great progress. Then the insurance kicked in!! They shipped me off to a nursing home that does some rehab.......NOT GOOD!!! My rehab went backwards!
After 10 days of abuse at that place my wife Marianne (she is my rock....) made a appointment with a oncoligust at White Plains HOSPITAL. We decided to be admitted start the radiation and chemo treatments. We had a PET SCAN that determined that I have cancer multiple mylenoma of the blood with many lesions. We did 5 radiation treatments then started chemo on a out patient basis 2x a week. I RESPONDED GREAT....IMIMPROVING EACH WEEK NO MAJOR SIDE EFFECTS. 
THEN IT HAPPENED....I GOT GREAT BLOOD RESULTS ON OCT 10, 2016 I WAS IN REMISSION!!!!!!!!!
All along through the process i was going to out patient physical therapy 2/3 x per week in a wheelchair to get muscles back to strength.  I LOVED TO SWEAT AT EACH PT!!
The doctor from Montifiore said in the beginning of November we can do stem cell transplant. I gave 11million in 4 hours on one day. 
I am now just doing once per week chemo to prepare for the transplant of my stem cells back into my blood. 
By the way....did I mention I have NO PAIN!!!! Sill in wheelchair using the walker getting stronger each day. I am so blessed with so many who have helped me through this time in my life. I love you all. THE LIST IS HUGE!  If you like send me some comments and maybe a phone call could be made.....and visit!!!!😄
P. S.
THROUGH THIS ENTIRE PROCESS I KEEP THE MUSIC GOING BY PLAYING GUITAR.. GO TO YOUTUBE AND PUT MY NAME IN!