Help Gio fight this annoying cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma!
Gio’s Updates
August 18, 2010: It has been a while since my last update on my little sister Gio's condition and I apologize. It has been a very emotionally exhausting time for the whole family. A lot of fighting also went on as we all had conflicting ideas on how to properly treat Gio's cancer...Read more >
August 2, 2010:As of today Gio has been on an Alkaline diet for 6 days and we have notice that the tumor has shrunk because the breathing from out from her nose is less restricted and she is no longer coughing up blood...Read more >
July 28, 2010: I definitely owe you an update on Gio's (my 9 year old sister) progress. The past 4 weeks have been a crazy roller coaster ride. In my last email, I expressed our uncertainty for Gio's health. She had fallen ill and eventually began to get fevers. Read more >
June 2010: It has been a year since Giovanna began her journey. The treatment was long and perilous, but she came through it intact - unfortunately, so did the tumor. Read more >
June 2009: Giovanna is now entering her 9th week of chemotherapy and will simultaneously begin the most radical segment of her treatment, radiation, to eradicate the malignant tumor in her soft palate area. Read more >
Stay In Touch
Email: gigivana(atsign)aol.com (mother)
August 18, 2010
Dear Friends and Family,
It has been a while since my last update on my little sister Gio's condition and I apologize. It has been a very emotionally exhausting time for the whole family. A lot of fighting also went on as we all had conflicting ideas on how to properly treat Gio's cancer. Ultimately, we had to succumb to Gio's mother's choice. She birthed her and she has the final decision. This was not easy for some of us to take and the fear brought on even more fighting in the family. But now, as the days go on, we have all reached a submissive place and less fighting is taking place and hopefully more love is opening up. There is sort of a silence among us.
I can say, there are angels all around little Gio. You can just feel it. Last night, I stood in the doorway of her room, observing. Gio was on the bed slipping in and out of a heavy breathing sleep, "Grammy" on the floor praying and Mother on the floor kneeling beside her little child's bed with an intense concentration on Gio's face. Gio would wake up every few minutes to moan in pain, but was comforted to see her mother right there next to her and would slip off into another short deep sleep. We were all holding our breath at this moment rapidly praying and focusing hard on Gio's breathing because it was a certain type of breathing Hospice prepared us for. Finally, when Gio was awake, she was given a medication that is taken as a vapor to open up the lungs and clear up the mucus so that she could breath with more ease. And we finally let out our breath.
You see, I don't exactly know what to say. Early yesterday, before that incident, Gio was sitting up and playing games, joking around and talking about the future. She is very ambitious and has so much she wants to do in this world. But then, after that, she just goes down, hard. One moment we think the cancer is breaking off and shrinking and the next moment something new and scary pops up. She is still following the alkaline diet as much as she can, but they had to give her medication for the pain and when medication and pain killers are brought into the equation, it's kind of a lost battle. The meds make the cancer grow faster. They feed it. But, at the same time, Gio goes into great fits of pain and so they feel there is no other option. So its basically a catch 22. She has rapid heart beats at times which can cause a heart attack, much coughing, and she is really really skinny. She can no longer walk, she has to be carried to the bathroom by her mother. Her words are hard to make out because the tumor in the back of her throat has grown so large. There is also the fear of her air supply being blocked. We are constantly going back and forth from hope to no hope.
So, what I'm regretfully saying is that it's not looking good. Our hearts are all beginning to break. At this point, we have all given in to whatever God wants and trust His/Her will. Gio's mom follows the treatment still as much as she can and Gio continues to fight. She an angel warrior, come to put things right on this earth. She's teaching us all so much and helping us evolve ever more. Some of the things that she says and lessons she gives us are of a saintly quality. I am continually blown away by her strength and wisdom. I am truly blessed to have been given the honor of being her big sister. She is no little soul. She is a bright big ancient soul!!!!!
So if any of you are wondering what you can do to help. Just pray. Pray that Gio's suffering comes to an end whatever which way God chooses. Send her your loving thoughts and white healing light. I am truly blessed by all of your love and help you have sent already. You have shown me that there is a whole lot of good in this world and love conquers all.
From the very very bottom of my aching heart, thank you and love to you all!
Anna Nordeen
P.S... attached is a photo of us taken about two months ago and of Gio and her mother taken about two weeks ago.
August 2, 2010
Hello Dear Friends and Family!
As of today Gio has been on an Alkaline diet for 6 days and we have notice that the tumor has shrunk because the breathing from out from her nose is less restricted and she is no longer coughing up blood. She coughed up mucus instead. Gio says she is feeling stronger, she has gotten up from her bed to go to the bathroom and did so in a brisk fashion, which we haven't seen in weeks. So as far as we can tell, it seems as though the cancer has at least stop growing and is possibly shrinking. She has had the correct PH Balance for 3 days straight now.
Sincerely,
All of us
July 28, 2010
Hello Dear Friends and Family!
I definitely owe you an update on Gio's (my 9 year old sister) progress. The past 4 weeks have been a crazy roller coaster ride. In my last email, I expressed our uncertainty for Gio's health. She had fallen ill and eventually began to get fevers. We were able to keep them stable until one night her mother (Mimi) couldn't get the temperature down. Mimi and Mimi's her mother (Grammy) rushed her to the local hospital. They immediately put Gio on antibiotics taken through an IV and sent her home. Two days later she developed a cough and her lungs hurt so they rushed her to MUSC, the children's cancer hospital in Charleston, SC(about a 2 hour drive). There, an xray was taken of her lungs which revealed that the cancer has spread. So, not only does she have it in her neck, its in her lungs. The medical doctors gave Gio 4 to 6 weeks life and sent her home. They told Mimi to just make her as comfortable as possible and enjoy these last few days with her. At that moment, we were struck with heartache and pain...and panic. What do we do? On the ride home, Gio said she was confused because she thought the hospital would keep her. Mimi didn't have the heart to say why they didn't. When they returned home it was just a whirlwind of confusion, frustration, and defeat. Hospice started coming over, delivering pain medications such as Oxycodone and ones as hardcore as Morphine(for when it really gets bad).
I'm telling you all, Gio's pain sure did come. I was in the health food store buying black sesame seeds for a tea blend for Gio when I called Mimi to see if they needed anything else. This was when I first heard her screams of pain in the background. Mimi stepped out of Gio's room for a moment and I could hear her crying on the other line. I began to cry too. I'm telling you that there is nothing harder and more agonizing than to hear a child scream like that from pain, especially your own sister and to Mimi, her own daughter. We hung up and I was really trying to pull myself together in the store, but the tears kept flowing. The clerk offered me a million napkins and I thanked her and paid. A nice boy who worked there helped carry out my bags, I only had a dollar in cash to tip him and apologized for the lousy tip, but he was like what do you mean, this is awesome! Just then, my mom called and I got in my car and just lost it. My tears were like a waterfall. I cried like a baby grasping for breath, a cry I remember too well from 2007 when I lost my first love and best friend Trevor Butler to a car accident. Here it was again. The ultimate heartbreak cry. I sat there on the phone with my mom for about 30 minutes crying like this until I calmed down and it was safe enough for me to drive.
Ok, so that's where we were. Everyone was slipping into an idea that there was no hope. They were preparing their goodbyes and trying to just make Gio comfortable. Then I remembered, with the help of my mom(gio's my half sister by the way if you guys are confused. We have different mom's) remembered the spiritual master Meher Baba's words "It is infinitely better to hope for the best than to fear the worst." That's when it occurred to me. The girl is alive. Wait a minute, she's alive everybody! We still have a fighting chance! Now, I only had to convince the others of this. My brother Charles was already convinced. He stayed in New York a few extra days to attend a couple of benefits hosted by Venetia Kapernekas and Janet Dailey. These two lovely ladies helped raised a large amount of funds to whom I am completely grateful and could never find the right words to thank enough. Venetia even sent down a Harmonium Healer, Nadine Nussenbaum to do some sessions with Gio. They helped tremendously, lifting our spirits. Gio loved her. To all of you too who couldn't go to the benefits but spread the word and sent money, cards, and/or prayers, thank you so much! These are the things that help us go on, so without your help and support, we wouldn't have the confidence to fight this battle.
I have to be honest and say I was losing the battle of trying to convince the rest of the family that there is still hope for Gio and that western medicine is limited and that we must trust the alternatives. I was filled with frustration and anger. But I know that Gio's mom is working for Gio literally 24/7, so she experiences and sees everything that Gio goes through. How could I argue? They saw Gio in pain and their prayers shifted from "please heal gio" to "please God, have mercy on her soul and let her death be as painless as possible." I understand why they felt this way. They were lost and felt like this was it. The medications were speeding up the process and making Gio even more miserable. But at the same time, she was in so much pain, they felt they had to give them to her. Gio is also very smart and could read what was happening on their faces. She began to inquire about death. I overheard her mother, Mimi, painting a very fun and loving picture of the afterlife for Gio. What could she do? She wanted Gio to not be afraid of death if that is what she was facing. But was she?
Just to let you know, I was well aware and prepared if this was Gio's time to go to God, but I wasn't going to let her go without a proper fight. I'm her sister! I will always fight for her. I went home to my mom and kicked and screamed and called all my friends and vented out all my frustrations on them. Thank you for that guys, by the way. At Gio's house, I only want to be calm and supportive, but sometimes I have to let off steam from when I leave. My mom gets the brunt of that and I thank her for being so supportive when I'm frustrated. I was one foot out so I could see the picture as a whole and I could see the hope, but couldn't figure out how to convince Gio's mom to keep on. By the way, she never gave up total hope and was "wishing for a miracle" but given the circumstances, it was getting harder for her to believe.
Over the weekend I didn't sleep very well, but in the middle of the night, I began to pray for Gio's mom and Grammy to keep on fighting. I would repeat believe, believe, believe in my head. Especially to Gio, I would imagine her healthy with white light and repeat the word believe. The weekend goes by and I just can't wait for Charles to get here. I knew he would bring in some new energy and the drive we needed to go on.
I pick him up at the airport and we drove straight to Gio's house. The second we get there, I feel a shift. Grammy is the first we see and she is already speaking words of healing instead of dying. Wow, did my prayers really work? The mood seemed very light there as opposed to constricted and anxious. Then all of a sudden, we get a call from Gio's Alkaline doctor, Dr. Bernardo. He has a long conversation with Mimi and then she puts him on speaker phone so we all can hear him. He is positive and full of life and completely confident. He says he hasn't lost a patient in 40 years and to immediately put her on this Asea formula to ween her of the pain medication and to keep her on the very strict alkaline diet and all will be fine. We all thanked him and the moment Mimi hung up the phone, she was shifted. She was beaming with a new energy and belief! I love this Dr. Bernardo!! This was exactly what she needed! We all needed! My prayers had been answered, they believed again!
We immediately got Gio on the strict alkaline diet. She had been on it loosely before, but she's a really fussy eater, so they would be a little lenient with her diet. This was when they thought there was no hope too, so they wanted her to at least enjoy things. But not anymore. She is sticking to the diet now! Three days have gone by now and Gio truly has been showing better signs. Her mood is getting better and she seems to have a little more energy. Mimi is still in high spirits and still believes in the treatment because it is clearly showing results! My good friend Jesse Eidsness has been working with her friend Rich(Tony) Wood to get us in contact with the best alternative doctors too! A lot of them won't treat children because of legal issues, but right now because of them, we are in contact with Dr. Garcia who runs an alternative treatment center in Mexico. I am awaiting to hear if that is a possibility. Also, my good friend Quinn Lundburg and her boyfriend Zach Galifianakis worked very hard to get Toy Story 3 to Gio. It was something Gio and I were planning to see, but then she fell ill. I just got off the phone with a representative from Pixar Animation Studios and they are flying someone out from california to give us our very own private screening this weekend. How cool is that?!
This whole experience had shown me all the good in the world and has made my life rich. I am not giving up the fight for Gio's life! We are not giving up the fight! I believe! Thank you everyone for your calls, emails, letters, support, and love! From the very bottom of my heart and every ounce of my being, THANK YOU! Keep on sending your love and light to my little baby sister, it's working!
Sincerely, Anna "banana" Nordeen
June 2010
It has been a year since Giovanna began her journey. The treatment was long and perilous, but she came through it intact - unfortunately, so did the tumor. Two months after completion of treatment, cancer cells are still thriving at the tumor site. I cannot even begin to explain what this outcome means, but I am sure you get the message. We are currently investigating every possible treatment option. It appears our doctor has no viable option to offer, so we are ready to head anywhere that will offer us acceptable treatment. As Giovanna's mother, I am her full time caregiver, and have not been able to work for over a year. It has been completely due to the gifted funds and donations from family and friends like you, that have allowed me to stay by her side and ensure she is never alone. I am reaching out once again, in the hope that you will find it in your hearts to support us further, as we search for the treatment that will allow Giovanna to resume her childhood at some point. I would do it for you, that much I know, and I thank you for all of your love and support in the past.
—Miriam Silk
Gio's Prayer:
I say this prayer every night.
Beloved God
Help us all
To love you more and more
And more and more
And still yet more
'Till we become worthy
of union with you
And help us all
To hold Fast
To Baba's Dalmond
Until the very end.
Part 2:
Oh dear the soul
help me with lord
I'm sick of struggling
with a IV cord
I live with cancer
Rhabdomyosarcoma I believe
I hate it baba!
Please give me a need
I love you
And peace on earth
Even people in Perth
Baba, Dear Baba
I need a life
Could you help?
I do not dare a knife
I will stay close by
to loved ones and family
I'm just a 8 year old girl
Please don't tourture me!
I will end this prayer,
Its' far too long
But help me god
Make cancer Gone!
Amen.
— Gio
June 2009:
Giovanna is now entering her 9th week of chemotherapy and will simultaneously begin the most radical segment of her treatment, radiation, to eradicate the malignant tumor in her soft palate area. This treatment is scheduled to take place five days a week over a period of five weeks. The family will have to stay in Charleston for the duration of this treatment, since the three hour commute each way would not be tolerable for Giovanna. Being displaced from their home, family and community is difficult enough, but not being able to work during this time adds to the financial burden they are already experiencing. The intensity of the upcoming radiation treatment requires both parents to be present at all times to care for and assist this small child and each other. In order to support and reinforce this family during their extremely difficult treatment period, we ask for your contributions to help them through their ordeal.