Give Javier a Chance
As most of you know, Javier has been fighting an advanced melanoma for several years. He has beaten all odds. Javier was diagnosed with a superficial and highly curable melanoma when he was 29. But eleven years later, in 2009, he had a recurrence with multiple metastases. Life expectancy was less than a year. Yet, almost eight years later, he just celebrated his 50th birthday and keeps fighting with courage and living with passion.
Javier and Diana are a fantastic couple. They, like many of us, left the uncertainty of Argentina to start a promising new life in Spain. They were able to settle in a town north of Barcelona called Palamos, build successful professional careers and raise two wonderful children, Micaela (17) and Marc (12). Micaela is a sharp, inquisitive and rebellious young woman, making plans for college next year. Marc is a budding athlete and dedicated student, preparing for his Bar Mitzvah next September.
Javier teaches and works on creative industrial design, and is very successful in his field, although he has not been able to work as much owing to periodic hospitalizations and complications from the heavy drugs he was treated with. Diana is a anesthesiologist, works a full load of patient care and hospital calls while taking care of the children and Javier. She is a whirlwind of positive energy.
Four weeks ago, studies showed that the tumors, which had shrunk to some degree and were stationary up to that point, had started growing again and the treatment was discontinued. This is something that happened several times before; each time, Javier’s doctors moved him to a new drug that would work for some time.
But now the only treatment left to Javier is not offered in Spain. The treatment is complex and still in a trial phase but has often shown good success and even a few cases of real cure. It is hard on the body, but Javier is used to take the blows. All he needs is a chance to keep fighting.
Private treatment in the US runs in the vicinity of half a million dollars, and more if there are any medical complications. Javier and Diana have found a promising alternative at Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem, called TIL (tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes). They extract Javier's cells, grow them, and infuse them back to fight the tumor. But the treatment has a basic cost of over $140 thousand dollars. That doesn’t include travel, lodging and lost income. Despite being accomplished in what they do, the last eight years have taken a financial toll on Diana and Javier and they simply cannot afford it.
That is why we are seeking your help for Diana and Javier. We are asking for donations to help pay for the treatment. Javier has just started the first stage of the treatment, and when the cells have grown in the next 4-5 weeks, he will need to pay for the most important part of the treatment.
Let's give Javier a chance!
Thank you for your support
