Supporting Colby through Stage IV Breast Cancer
Donation protected
Colby and her family are seeking your support in light of her rare high grade/fast growing agressive Stage IV Breast Cancer Diagnosis. She has the most difficult to treat & the most aggressive type of Breast Cancer, and the one with the poorest survival statistics. She also has a genetic expression that causes chemotherapy resistance.
She struggled to get through Chemotherapy this past year. She's highly allergic to most medications that the average person can tolerate. They had to do chemotherapy without the colony stimulating drugs that raise your white blood cells. On numerous occasions her counts plummeted to life threatening levels. This took twice as long for her to get through chemotherapy. She had seven more rounds of neoadjuvant therapy left when her oncologist decided it was not working and they needed to do surgery to take out the three large tumors in her Breast and axillary lymph nodes. Her cancer was resistant to the strongest chemotherapy they tried, which is somewhat common with the aggressiveness of triple negative breast cancer and the GST expression that she has. GST genetic mutation is linked to more aggressive triple negative breast cancer, chemo resistance and a higher rate of metastasis. Chemotherapy increases this genetic expression and is associated with increased mortality. Her largest tumor was 12cm/2 pounds and caused significant pain throughout the year. Because of the severity of the situation she was not given a choice of a double mastectomy or reconstruction at the time of surgery. She successfully had a unilateral mestectomy with a flat closure November 17th 2023. During the surgery they found 14 of the 16 axillary lymph nodes they removed were cancerous. Febuary 2024 she found another swollen Lymph node, she went to her PCP and got a same day ultrasound. That's when they found 10 questionable spots, eight effected lymph nodes and two spots on her chest wall. February 29th, 2024 her pathology report came back as metastatic Stage IV breast cancer. While doing the biopsies they found that one of her lymph nodes in her neck were effected as well. Supraclavicular neck metastasis is rare and has a poor prognosis. 10% to 15% of people with stage IV breast cancer have brain metastasis. The risk of brain metastasis is usually highest for people with more aggressive subtypes of breast cancer, such as triple negative. The new biopsies also showed weak estrogen, although it is triple negative it has mutated and technically it is ER positive breast cancer now. Studies have showed weak ER+ acts like Triple Negative Breast cancer. Likely because this is how it originated, but over time the cancer mutates. On March 25th she did a PET scan that showed bone mets in her spine and a spot on her upper arm/bicep, as well as rib involvement. Her oncologist says she will no longer be doing chemotherapy until they see significant organ involvement. The two medications he would like to try requires her to be medically in menopause. On April 24, 2024 she had a bilateral oophorectomy or surgery to remove both ovaries. She started a new chemo regimen on June 24th, we are hoping this new regime melts away these spots. In the meantime she will be doing pain management with hospice/supportive care for the tumor pain, which has been pretty intense. The spots in her chest wall and rib cause constant stabbing pain. The spots around her collarbone and bicep cause shooting pain down her arms, elbow and hands. She also has mets in multiple regions of her spine (T11, L1, L4, L5, and S1) causing signifigant pain. These alternitive treatments would signifigantly reduce her pain.
She wants to explore other integrative therapies, including some therapies that has had success with her rare type of cancer and are known to reduce cancer related pain. As this is the most aggressive type of breast cancer, with fewer treatments available it has now become metastatic and life threatening. She currently needs funds to do treatments that are not covered under insurance, your donations will help her pay for these services. Any help large or small would be greatly appreciated.
Background
Colby is 37 years old. She spends her days caring for our three kids, attending to the health and well-being of them, herself, and I. Two of our children are autistic. As you can imagine, life was difficult before her breast cancer diagnosis. She continues to be dedicated to her healing journey and has been for as long as I have known her. She feels she now needs to do everything in her power to ensure she is here for them and watch them grow. This includes other therapies not covered under insurance. Insurance companies do not yet understand nor support the value in alternitive treatments.
Treatments range from locally available ones on the island she has not had access or funding to pursue, as well as more thorough and structured facilities abroad. Now that things are quickly progressing and she has metastasis throughout her body, time is running out. We need her to try everything to make it through this cancer diagnosis.
What She Needs
No one should have to face this alone. Colby needs us! Funds are needed to continue this journey to recovery. Any amount helps, no amount is too small. Your support can make a tangible difference in her life, and every donation is a step toward a brighter, healthier, future for this incredible young woman. Whatever you bless us with financially will allow Colby to supplement her western medicine with integrative. Right now she needs more than western medicine can offer. Currently the only thing they are offering her is pain management, while she schedules her surgery to get her overies removed. If you can't assist financially, it's ok. I do understand that not everyone is in a position to help financially. In that case. I request that you share this fundraiser and her story with your family, friends, and in your networks like Facebook. etc.
Every phone call, card, care package, and text message has been so appreciated and means so much to her.
Mahalo for taking the time to read this. Below are some of the treatments she hopes to integrate into her healing journey.
Respectfully,
Johnathan Micealor Foster
Colby's Contact info if you want to keep track of her progress. She does regular health updates on her TikTok. Click the link tree below for all of her contact info. I've also included our address for any cards or care packages.
16-566 Keaau Pahoa RD
STE 188-706
Keaau, HI
96749
- integrative clinics $300 consultation fee, $80 a visit for nutrigenomics and follow ups.
To go over the genetic mutations that Colby has and how that might be effecting her cancer treatments. How to treat these mutations, so that treatment is successful.
- IV Ozone therapy $160 a week
It’s recommended to do at least 10 of these.
In combination with chemotherapy Ozone therapy is an effective method for inhibiting breast cancer cell growth and reducing chemoresistance. Clinical trials have Shown it reduces chemotherapy-induced side effects, increasing oxygen tension, normalizing blood flow, restoring blood lymphocytes more rapidly, and reducing fatigue symptoms. By interacting with the immune system, ozone therapy exerts a range of effects, including the activation of immune responses, regulation of cytokine production, and modulation of inflammatory processes. The effects of ozone on macrophages, T cells, B cells, NK cells, and dendritic cells can be used in the treatment of infectious diseases, autoimmune disorders, and cancer immunotherapy. ozone affects the tumor microenvironment (TME), which plays a critical role in cancer initiation, progression, and response to therapy. Ozone affects the TME by influencing immune cells, cytokine production, angiogenesis, and extracellular matrix remodeling. Thus, understanding the immunomodulatory effects of ozone therapy could facilitate its integration into disease management, either as a standalone therapy or as an adjuvant to existing therapy.
- Oxygen chamber $60 per session
A study done on triple negative and triple positive breast cancer cells concluded that Hyperbaric oxygen therapy was effective at suppressing tumor growth and reduced metastasis in triple negative breast cancer cells. Studies also show it can help swelling, pain, skin problems, and healing after a mastectomy. Hyperbaric oxygen treatment has been under utilized as a treatment due to availability, but has been shown to have substantial healing benefits. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy should be considered along with conventional and complimentary therapies.
- Iscador/Mistletoe therapy $160 follow up's, $300 a month for injections
Popularized in the 1920s by Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian philosopher, mistletoe extracts are used to treat cancer in some countries in Europe, where the plant has been used as a folk treatment for many centuries. The extracts are also used to treat AIDS, hepatitis, and degenerative joint disease. Preclinical studies indicate its anticancer properties. Data from clinical studies suggest that mistletoe therapy may improve symptoms and quality of life in patients with cancer. Exposure of various cancer cell lines to mistletoe extract along with doxorubicin, gemcitabine, docetaxel, or cisplatin does not appear to inhibit chemotherapy and may produce additive effects.
services through Dr Zubin Marolia Integrative Oncologist
Organizer and beneficiary
Micealor Foster
Organizer
Hilo, HI
Colby Foster
Beneficiary