Ricardo Ramos

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In October 2016 Ricardo was admitted to Manteca Kaiser
for an unrelated medical condition. 
During a routine CT scan, an 8 mm mass was discovered on his left kidney
which we were told was suspicious for carcinoma.  Upon further exploration, an additional  2mm nodule was discovered in his right lung
as well.  Immediately Ricardo had a
consultation with a urologist to discuss removing his entire kidney.  Ricardo then had a biopsy of the nodule on
his lung which confirmed his Renal Cell Carcinoma diagnosis.

 

 On November 21st,
2016 Ricardo underwent a radical nephrectomy procedure in which his urologist
removed his entire left kidney along with his adrenal gland.  He did excellent during surgery  and was even up and walking the next day and
was eventually discharged after only one night in the hospital!!!  A few days later he received his pathology
report from his kidney mass which identified his particular type of Renal Cell
Carcinoma as a  Clear Cell type with
Sarcomatoid pattern.  This means that
medications work well on the clear cell portion of the cell, however the
sarcomatoid patterns tends to be more aggressive.  Ricardo has had several scans of his entire
body, and so far the only place his cancer has spread is to a few tiny nodules
in his lung.  Although Ricardo is
technically considered Stage IV, we are very lucky that since we have removed
the "mothership" of the cancer that lived in his kidney, all that
remains is a few tiny nodules in his lung.




As it currently stands, we are waiting for Ricardo to
make a full recovery from his nephrectomy prior to starting any treatment.  His oncologist has recommended doing a tag
team defense against the cancer cells. 
One medication is a pill form of chemotherapy called Sutent, and the
other is an IV form of chemotherapy called Gemzar.  The Gemzar is more of a nuclear blast on the
cancer, whereas the Sutent tends to be a more focused form, where it targets
the cancer cells specifically.  The
Sutent can cause blood thinning so it is imperative that Ricardo's incision is
100% closed prior to starting this medication, or else he would be at risk for
infection.

 

We have had to push back treatment a few times now due to
a longer than expected healing time, but our hope is that as of 1/12/17, he
will be 100% healed and will be able to start his treatment.  The plan for treatment is Sutent every day,
and the IV chemo once  every 8 days for 2
weeks.  After the 2 week period, he will
have 1 week off of all chemo medications in order to let his body rest, and
then start that treatment over again.

 

While we have been (not so) patiently waiting for
treatment, Ricardo's oldest sister Marie has connected us with a holistic
friend of hers, Dr. Ali.  Along with the
help of his brother John, Marie was able to arrange a meeting for Ricardo with
Dr. Ali to discuss some alternatives to chemotherapy as well as healthy eating
habits, and all around general healthy lifestyle.  We have introduced some of Dr. Ali's beliefs
into our daily lives such as a strict supplement regime, organic diet, and
juicing.  Through these better habits,
Ricardo was able to lose approx. 25 lbs, and was able to control his blood
sugar well enough that he was able discontinue taking one of his diabetic
medications that he had previously twice daily!

 

We thank each and every one of you for your continued
thoughts and prayers.  Without such a
great support system, this journey would be entirely different.  Each time someone says "let me know if
you need ANYTHING", we know that it is sincere and heartfelt.  All of you know Ricardo,  and therefore you know how strong he is, and
that he will indeed, KICK CANCERS ASS!!!!

 

Thank you a million times over... 

-Ricardo and Family