Back in January 2008, my friend Dawn, who I met through Leigh Ann (LAGS), has a sweet family as neighbors. Their only child, their son Jordan, 16 years of age was diagnosed with a form of cancer that affects his soft tissue. Here are notes from Jordan's Caring Bridge page, ( I encourage you to visit his page for more information as I'm only giving you an overview http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/JordanPaganelli)
Jordan’s fight began on January 11th 2008 when he was diagnosed with Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma (ARMS) (pronounced: Rab-doe-my-o-sar-co-ma) stage IV.
What’s Rhabdomyosarcoma (IE: Rhabdo and/or ARMS)?
Rhabdomyosarcoma (Alveolar subtype) is:
· A very aggressive, highly malignant soft-tissue Sarcoma which arises in undifferentiated muscle cells anywhere in the body.
· The most aggressive childhood cancer; however, it strikes adults and teens as well.
· Strikes at least 350 kids in the US each year.
· Unlike more common cancers, ARMS is considered rare and thus receives minimal outside funding for research (causing the 5 year survival rate to be low).
· Often has spread to other areas of the body by the time a diagnosis is determined. When a disease spreads, it is labeled a “meta-static” disease.
· The 5 year survival rate for ARMS patients whose disease has become meta-static is approximately 20%.
What’s Rhabdomyosarcoma (IE: Rhabdo and/or ARMS)?
Rhabdomyosarcoma (Alveolar subtype) is:
· A very aggressive, highly malignant soft-tissue Sarcoma which arises in undifferentiated muscle cells anywhere in the body.
· The most aggressive childhood cancer; however, it strikes adults and teens as well.
· Strikes at least 350 kids in the US each year.
· Unlike more common cancers, ARMS is considered rare and thus receives minimal outside funding for research (causing the 5 year survival rate to be low).
· Often has spread to other areas of the body by the time a diagnosis is determined. When a disease spreads, it is labeled a “meta-static” disease.
· The 5 year survival rate for ARMS patients whose disease has become meta-static is approximately 20%.
In talking to LAGS a few months ago the type of cancer that Jordan has only had a small percentage of moving to his brain, and then the bad news that it had moved to his brain. So they immediately started treatments again possibly knowing the outcome is one no parent dreams of; yet still holding out hope. Make A Wish Foundation also came in and granted Jordan and his parents his 'wish' which was a trip to Italy. A few weeks before their trip at the end of February the doctors did another full body scan of Jordan to see how he was responding and to see if the spots on his brain were becoming smaller.
After the full body scan the doctors could NOT find any spots of cancer in Jordan.... yes I said it NOT ONE SPOT was found in Jordan. And of course the doctors have no explanation for it...but how could they when so much of what they do is based on science and and science is explainable, but God is not explainable and He is the ultimate healer. So as of March 2009 I was told that Jordan was healed and I praise God for the work he's done in this young teenager and his family. I only pray that their family will see this as a true blessing from the Lord and that others around him will not be able to deny that Christ was in this - he was with them all the way.
