Rob Cambias

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. 
On June 9th, Father's Day weekend, Robert Cambias​ woke from a nap and his legs hurt. There wasn't any reason for the pain. At 51, he was in the best shape of his life, and only a month from competing at the state swim meet against 18 and 19 year olds. Then he started having weakness and trouble walking. Within two weeks he saw a neurologist. But things weren't handled quickly enough. We drove to Florida to see a neurologist friend on July 2nd. Dr. Freddie Aubert discovered, through an MRI, that Rob had an area of lesion, which looked like a case of MS. But Freddie cautioned us to get a radiologist to take another look. We returned to Metairie and spent another two weeks waiting to see the doctor again. On July 14th, Rob collapsed at home. We took an ambulance to the ER, and Rob has not been home since. 

 

Initially Rob was in the hospital four weeks. In that time the doctors ran every test to figure out what was wrong with him. He ended up needing a brain biopsy on July 22nd. The results came back August 2nd. Rob had been diagnosed with Primary B-Cell CNS Lymphoma, brain cancer.

 

Since then he's been to inpatient rehab then back to the hospital for several rounds of chemo. The journey has been harrowing. But each step towards healing has been a victory. 

 

These journal entries, here on CaringBridge, are the texts I send to his parents, his family and our family as well. In the course of communicating with them, others wanted to know what was going on. I started a copy/paste texting update almost daily to many friends and family members. This journal website includes all the texts beginning from July 14th. I will update all new texts at CaringBridge as well. 

 

Thank you to all who have prayed for Rob and for our family. Thank you to all who have reached out to help. We belong to a beautiful community of people, and it takes my breath away. Your prayers are holding us up. Your encouraging words, which I read to Rob, have fueled him in ways you won't believe. We have a long road ahead of us. But God willing, we will live many, many more years with a new appreciation for all the little things that we take for granted each and every day.

 

(We ask that people please not show up at the hospital or rehab facility to visit Rob unannounced. Please request a visit via text or message me. Rob's rest and visits with his children and others should not be interrupted. He loves visitors in short doses. So if you feel inclined to visit, I will find a time for you. Each visitor brings a special gift when Rob sees them. His true self is reflected in each person. When he sees how much he is cared for, I know he won't lose hope. I can be reached at 504-382-6039, via text, or here at Facebook Messenger. Thank You



(Rob passed away November 25, 2020. )