Mugdha!
ggu...@imap1.asu.edu
Dear friends,
We are posting this letter on the net to appeal every net user
to help us save our friend, Mugdha Umesh Ghodke, who has been
RECENTLY DIAGNOSED WITH BREAST CANCER. MUGDHA WAS TAKEN TO THE
emergency room at Medical College of Georgia (MCG) in Augusta,
GA, on December 5th, 1994 with a complaint of pain in the
abdomen (right side). After investigations, she was sent back
home without any diagnosis (probable muscular pain). On December
12th, 1994 with pain in chest, abdomen, and back, Mugdha went
back to MCG. After 10 days of investigations, a biopsy was
scheduled for December 21st, 1994. On that day, a sample was
taken from a fracture site at T-5 (found on a specialized spine
X-ray). The biopsy showed adenocarcinoma. During the biopsy
(done by thoracoscopy), the chest surgeon found a tumor on the
right breast. Radiation therapy was started (3000 rads over 10
days) the same day and was given to T2-T10 sites. Mammograms
done afterwards confirmed the location of the primary tumor.
The doctors finally made a diagnosis : Metastatic (spread)
adenocarcinoma of the breast, Receptor-negative, grade IV.
Dr. Salhattin Sanal, the local Oncologist and breast cancer
specialist (MCG) referred the case to the Duke University Medical
Center, Durham, North Carolina. The oncologist in charge at Duke
is Dr. James Vredenburgh. He is an associate of Dr. William
Peters, who pioneered the autologous bone marrow transplant with
high dose chemotherapy in metastatic breast cancer patients. He
is simply the #1 authority on this subject. The Duke breast cancer
facility has the best record as far as stage IV patients are
concerned. Sixty to seventy percent of the patients on this
chemotherapy protocol have gone on living a disease-free life for
more than 6 years and are still doing well. The only other
facility with comparable respectable figures is in Duarte, CA
(the Hope National Medical Center).
The oncologists at Duke think Mugdha will be in long-term remission
because :
- She is young (only 30 yrs) and can take the aggressive
CHEMOTHERAPY.
- She has never had any chemotherapy before
- Soft-tissue involvement is negative even though she has bone
INVOLVEMENT
- Her attitude is more positive than that of their other patients
- No family history of breast cancer.
She has none of the 5 high-risk factors for breast cancer.
The doctors at Duke have planned following Treatment Protocol
for Mugdha:
A) Induction Therapy : 4 cycles, each one lasting 21 days.
Combination of 3 drugs- Adriamycin, Fluorocil and Methotrexate.
* 1st cycle given at Duke U M C in Durham (01/26/1995).
* 2nd cycle started on 02/20/1995. 2nd, 3rd, and 4th chemo
CYCLES WILL BE GIVEN AT MCG.
B) Bone-marrow Harvest followed by Immunological Purging:
* After the 4th cycle, bone-marrow harvest will be done at Duke
* The bone-marrow will be subjected to a purging protocol
DEVISED BY DUKE SCIENTISTS. THIS PROCEDURE IS EXPECTED TO REMOVE
POTENTIAL TUMORIGENIC CELLS IN THE MARROW BY 3-6 LOG UNITS.
C) High-dose Chemotherapy:
* During the 5-day hospitalization at Duke, around 1st and 2nd
WEEK OF MAY.
* Combination of Cytoxan, Cisplatin, and BCNU at highest doses.
* These doses are supposed to reduce the number of white blood
CELLS, RED BLOOD CELLS, AND PLATELETS TO SINGLE DIGITS. THE BONE
MARROW WILL BE COMPLETELY ABLATED.
D) Bone-marrow Re-infusion:
* After the high-dose chemotherapy, purified bone-marrow from
PHASE B WILL BE GIVEN BACK WITH ADDITIONAL COLONY-STIMULATING
FACTORS (CSFS) AND PERIPHERAL PROGENITOR BLOOD CELLS (PBPCS).
E) 3/4 Week Follow-up:
* After the bone-marrow re-infusion, there is a 3-week
FOLLOW-UP THAT INCLUDES ANTIBIOTIC COVER AND DAILY BLOOD COUNTS
UNTIL THE BONE-MARROW STARTS FORMING AGAIN (THE MARROW CELLS
START THE MATURATION PROCESS AGAIN).
F) Surgery and Local Radiation:
* Phase E will be followed by surgery (bilateral mastectomy)
AND RADIATION (30 DOSES OF LOCAL RADIATION OVER 6 WEEKS) AT MCG.
Phase E is expected to be completed by the end of May '95. Phase
F will go on till the end of September '95.
Mugdha was working at the Medical College of Georgia last year
as assistant to secretary and had full insurance coverage with
Blue Cross-Blue Shield. Due to an error by the INS, she received
her employment authorization renewed two months too late. As a
result, she lost her job at MCG and the insurance therefrom. The
COBRA plan they offered was too expensive ($5000/yr.), so she
could not afford it. Instead, Mugdha and Isha (Mugdha's 5 year
old daughter) were put on Umesh's (Mugdha's husband, who is a
Graduate Student at the State Univ. of New York doing Ph.D. in
Biophysics) Graduate School Insurance plan. That coverage was
activated on 01/15/1995, beginning of the Spring Semester.
Unfortunately, the cancer was diagnosed before the insurance came
into effect. At the moment, the Graduate School Insurance will
cover the conventional Chemotherapy but neither the experimental
version nor the bone-marrow transplant.
Mugdha Ghodke (formerly Mugdha Chitnis), is a professional
storyteller and has performed hundreds of storytelling
(kathakathan) programs not only in India, but also in some
cities of U.S. and Canada. She has also acted in one Marathi
film 'Maze Ghar Maza Sansar' directed by Dattaji. Her book
narrating her experiences in storytelling programs is one of a
kind. She has performed many programs on All India Radio at
Bombay and was interviewed on Bombay TV and Vision of Asia in NY
on number of occasions. Mugdha's friends know her as a very
joyous, lively, and kind hearted person.
Mugdha's treatment is expected to cost about $100,000 to $125,000.
Duke hospital will not start her bone marrow treatment unless
money is guaranteed. Hence, we are trying to raise the money
through appeals, cultural programs, etc. We appeal to all the
kind hearts out there to donate any amount they can, to give
Mugdha a chance to live! IT WILL BE A CHANCE FOR LIFE ITSELF
TO LIVE!
Please send your donations to - Mr. Ramanand V. Panse, 5 Doe
Drive, Freehold, NJ 07728 ( Make checks payable to `BMM' with a
memo of `donation to Mugdha Ghodke Medical Treatment Fund'.
Your checks are tax exempt. BMM is Brihan Maharashtra Mandal, an umbrella
organization of groups from Maharashtra, India )
THANK YOU!
- Sunil & Geeta Gupte Mohan & Swati Wakade Sanyog Pendharkar
(602) 968 3281 (706) 738 5590 (607) 273 1435
AS...@ASUVM.INRE.ASU.EDU SM...@CORNELL.EDU