George W. Ghindia

Thank you for visiting georgewghindia.com

Check out George’s Journal

George is thrilled to celebrate every single day!  His friends created this site in April 2010 to update his tenacious battle against Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. We want to give supporters a central place to stay abreast of his health status, encourage him and exchange messages in the Guestbook. For a chronicle of his amazing journey, click on George’s Story (above).  And hear from him directly in George’s Journal (frequent updates).

There is Hope! With millions of people afflicted with cancer, our aim is for this site to be a resource for all patients, survivors and caregivers. Scroll down for more site features.

9-YEAR BATTLE, THE WILL TO LIVE…FAITH DRIVEN…PRAYERS ANSWERED

After the lymphoma transformed into a more aggressive type in August ’09, George endured a critical period of intense chemo treatments at City of Hope Medical Center (COH) that were ineffective.  By mid-March ’10, radiation sessions were equally unsuccessful at shrinking the 12 cm tumor. George was given 2 months to live. In desperation, the radiation dosage was doubled for remaining 4 sessions. George then traveled to Oasis of Hope Hospital (OOH) in Tijuana for alternative-integrative treatments not available in the USA.  Miraculously, the combination of those therapies and lingering effects of the radiation “melted” the tumor sufficiently to qualify him for a Bone Marrow/ Stem Cell Transplant (BM/SCT) in May at COH. Go to George’s Journal and read the April-June entries featuring his experiences in Mexico and the BM/SCT.

George believes, “With God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26) With resolute faith and tremendous support and inspiration from family and friends, George persevered. We’re thrilled that he is now cancer free!  The good Lord has watched over George, strengthening his faith, bolstering his resolve, and reversing a very bleak situation. The new stem cells eradicated the cancer from George’s body! His dramatic progress is a miracle!

Read George’s Journal posts to gain insights, observations and takeaways from his incredible journey. The Aug. 19^th and 30^th posts highlight 5 key decisions: the initial diagnosis, who he told and when, “the miracle” (no other way to describe it), assembling his team and taking ownership of his health care, and a healthy nutritional blueprint for all.

CITY OF HOPE BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT REUNION

It has been one year since George received his BM/SCT, May 6^th – his second birthday! A key goal of his last March/April, was to make it to “next year’s, reunion. Against all odds, George and Cheryl attended City of Hope’s annual BMT reunion, April 29^th.  City of Hope has been treating cancer patients with BMTs for 35 years, and recently, celebrated its 10,000^th transplant.  That’s remarkable!  There were a couple thousand patients / survivors / caregivers / physicians / nurses and staff in attendance. George met dozens of BMT recipients, many survivors from 10-15-20 years ago – amazing people and stories. Very encouraging! This joyous event took place on the expansive lawn of the COH campus. Check the photo album to see George with other BM/SCTT recipients/cancer survivors.

FOCUS AND FIGHT MUST CONTINUE

While cancer free is a wonderful place to be, the word “cure” is not used so much in the world of survivors. There may be “no evidence of cancer,” and “you’re in remission,” but, there is also no guarantee cancer is gone forever.  We must continue the fight! Well beyond George’s continued battle, it’s about the loved ones in your life who have been tormented by this vile disease, as well as millions of other patients and survivors. We ask that you continue your prayers, and further your involvement with cancer fighting causes.

WEBSITE FEATURES

Besides the Guestbook, George’s Story and George’s Journal, this site features resources about cancer research and care. The links to the right point to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (especially helpful to George), BE THE MATCH “National Marrow Donor Program,” City of Hope, National Cancer Institute, and Oasis of Hope.

Take a moment and review George’ Top 100 Rock Albums 1964-1994. Music has always been one of his passions. George put this list together in the hospital along with a Bonus Tracks list of 130 additional top albums, to generate a fun diversion from cancer, and to interact with you about your favorites. Tell him in the Guestbook what you think of his list.

Many of you are featured in the Photo Album. Click on the link and enjoy the slide show!  New photos are added throughout the year.

Special thanks to Mike Stover, Owner of Propel Pages (SEO-web consulting/services) at www.propelpages.com. Mike is responsible for this site’s “look and feel,” including redesigns and maintenance. We also thank our friends at ThomasNet at www.thomasnet.com (industrial goods and services) for the initial site build.

COMMUNICATE AND SHARE….AND ENJOY TODAY

We hope George’s Story will be insightful and inspiring to others battling this horrible disease. If you’re a cancer patient/survivor/caregiver or health care professional, please let us know. We would like to share information that could be helpful to others.  Please tell us about your journey in the Guestbook, or contact George’s brother, John R. Ghindia, at 313.909.9728 or johnrghindia@hotmail.com. George loves hearing from all of you, so drop him a note in the Guestbook. He replies to every message.

Every day is a blessing! The good Lord gives us “today,” a precious gift.  Our lifetimes are filled with thousands of todays (if fortunate). Thanks for your care and support. Let’s keep up the fight for everyone battling cancer! We must find a cure, together we can do it!