Help Sam access cancer treatments

Sam graduated high school in 2017 and was to take a year off before going to
college.  He climbed Mt. Rainer that summer and planned to go work at the ski hill for the winter.  He had minor knee pains for a few months before Thanksgiving
which he assumed was from overuse and hiking.  On November 22, 2017, the pain became so intense that they decided to go to urgent care in Missoula to get it
checked out.  Urgent care immediately sent them to the emergency room, as
Sam’s leg was warm and he had a mild fever.  After a frightening few days of tests
and biopsies, Sam was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a type of pediatric bone
cancer.  Only about 200 kids per year in the US are diagnosed with this rare 
cancer, hence, there is not a lot of research dollars going towards curing this 
disease that mostly strikes kids between 10 and 20 years old.

The Sturdevants spent the next nine months in Portland every two weeks getting
intense inpatient chemotherapy at OHSU.  Halfway through that treatment, Sam
had to have his knee and half of his femur replaced to remove the tumor.
The recovery was tough, but Sam made it through and was testing out his new
knee hiking the mountains of Peru with his sister by the following October, 2018.  

Sam continued to get scans every three months, and unfortunately a tumor
appeared in his lung in July 2019.  What followed was more chemotherapy and
more surgery.  More tumors appeared in his other lung, followed by more
chemotherapy and radiation. It was at this time that they realized that standard or conventional treatments would not cure Sam or put him in long-term remission.
During all of this, his mother Nancy began researching clinical trials and cancer
treatments not yet authorized for use in the United States.  She retired from the
Forest Service and put her biology research skills to work combing through
medical journals and enlisting the help of several integrative and naturopahic 
doctors in the US and abroad. Europe has access and the authority to utilize a
much wider array of cancer treatments.  

Sam has been under the care of the top Ewing’s oncologist in the United States,
Dr. Pete Anderson of the Cleveland Clinic.  The Sturdevants have traveled to
Cleveland for treatments since the first relapse, almost for 2 years.  Additionally,
Sam is getting consultations from one of the best holistic oncologists in the United States, Dr. Dawn Lemanne.  Dr. Lemanne has recommended a number of
supplements and off label drugs to fight the cancer.  Sam literally takes dozens of
pills each day without complaint.  He built himself a sauna, because cancer doesn’t like heat.  He heats it up to 160 degrees and sits in it daily.  He gets high dose
vitamin C, alpha lipoic acid and curcumin infusions weekly, at the cost of
$750/week, and injects himself with mistletoe, a tincuture from a parasitic plant
designed to elicit an immune response to fight the cancer.

In April of this year, Nancy and Sam went to Budapest to see oncologist Dr. Ralf
Kleef.  Dr. Kleef is able  to do treatments not authorized in the United States such as whole body hyperthermia and off-label checkpoint inhibitors.  Sam and Nancy
spent a month there, which cost over $70,000 out of pocket.  Sam just had scans
last week and his lung nodules are gone, he is once again in remission.  Needless to say,  Sam will be returning to see Dr. Kleef.  Sam and Brad will head back in June,
and spend another $50,000 out of pocket (or out of their retirement accounts in
their case).  They are also looking at personalized vaccines currently only available via clinical trial or the private sector.  If they cannot get into a clinical trial, they
will withdraw another $100,000 from retirement to pay for a vaccine privately
developed.  

Sam is continuing to heal but still experiences pain from multiple surgeries and 
long-term effects from chemotherapy.  However, our goal is to keep Sam in 
remission with immunotherapy and a vaccine until a cure for Ewings Sarcoma is 
found and can be given to patients in this country.  The cost will be steep but well worth saving this amazing young man's life.  He is truly a wonderful soul and has
endured much pain and suffering, but received much healing and grace also over
the past four years. 

Sam is a private person, and the Sturdevants ask that you not share this widely on social media.  Please forward the email to friends and family if you would like to
help, but the last thing Sam wants to see on Facebook is his story.

Thank you for your continued support, prayers and positive thoughts.
Michelle-Sam's Sister and Friend