Sean Martella's Testicular Cancer Update Blog: Sean's Obituary

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Sean's Obituary

Sean's obituary is running today in the Salt Lake Tribune, our local newspaper. It is also available online at this link:

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/saltlaketribune/obituary.aspx?n=sean-martella&pid=143286215

The online obituary will be available for 1 month.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...: Rest now my sweet nephew. You fought so hard & You taught us the meaning of TRUE LOVE & to NEVER give up. I'm impressed at ALL the acts of love & kindness that so many people have shown & given to your/our family. I know you are in Heaven & playing with your sweet, precious little girls. I can hear you all giggling, I can picture you & my Sweet Mother (your Grandma Martella) playing with the babies & making sure they know they are loved by EVERYONE. "God Be With You Till We Meet Again" WE LOVE YOU & WILL make sure your babies remember their wonderful Daddy!
Love Always Sweet Sean, Aunt Laura Martella-Steele; June 16, 2010 at 5:03 PM
Anonymous said...: There can be several kinds of chest pen but when it is related to heart disease, it becomes dangerous. It’s very important that we should keep this in mind. Dilse India provides information about chest pain. The information can be helpful for those who have chest pain and there is danger of heart disease.
Website : Risk of chest pain; November 9, 2010 at 3:11 AM
Anonymous said...: Unfortunately there are a lot of AIDS/Herpes denials on Herbal cures still out there. I did research on them after I was tested HIV/Herpes positive. I was so worried I was going to die soon. I continued my search again on herbal remedy for Std, then I found lots of testimony on how Dr Itua Herbal Medicine Cured HIV/Aids, Herpes Virus,Copd, Hepatitis, Diabetes, On websites sharing their testimonies, which made much more sense to me. All the authors pronounce Dr Itua As a man with Good Heart, I pick interest in their testimonies and I contact him about my situation then he gave me procedure how it works, I proceed after one week he courier his Herbal Medicine to me and instruct me on how to drink it for two weeks to cure. I receive His Herbal Medicine so I drank it for two weeks as I was told then after 2 days I go for a test I found out I was cured from HIV/Aids & Herpes Virus, I pay homage to him 2 months ago to his country to celebrate with him on his African festival which he told me it usually happens every year. I know there are lots of (HIV)/Aids Herpes Virus denials of Herbal Remedy movement, the same few doctors and they represent a very small fraction of the community. I could have died because I refused Natural Herbs Cures for so long, but luckily, by the grace of God I am alive to tell my story. Contact Info. Email...drituaherbalcenter@gmail.com/ www.drituaherbalcenter.com. He cures the following diseases below...1. Herpes 2. cancer 3. HIV / AIDS 4. hepatitis 5. Bring my ex back 6. Leprosy 7. SARS 8. Bubonic plague
9. Cerebrovascular disease 10. Lower respiratory infections 11. Syphilis 12. Influenza A-H1N1 (swine flu) 13.Ischemic heart disease 14. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease 15. Whooping cough 16. Perinatal complications 17. diarrhea 18 .. lung cancer,Diabetes,HPV,Hepatitis,Back pain and so many other diseases also you can visit his website to read more.; March 26, 2022 at 5:53 PM

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The Rundown

Okay, so here is how it all started and where we are at now (short version):

Throughout 2007, I had lower back pain. The back pain got worse and worse. Finally, a doctor ordered bloodwork, which showed that I was anemic. A CT scan was ordered that showed widespread cancer that had originated in my right testicle. There were small metastases in the lungs and large tumors in the abdomen.

In January of 2008 I had a right orchiechtomy surgery done (right testicle removal). A biopsy was done that showed a nonseminoma/seminoma mixture. I was diagnosed as stage 3 high risk. I went on a BEP regimen (Bleomycin,Etoposide, and Cisplatin) of chemotherapy that lasted 12 weeks. All this was done at home in Salt Lake City under the direction of Dr. Nitin Chandramouli. After it was done, a CT scan showed that all cancer was inactive except for the largest tumor in my abdomen. Circa June '08.

In August of 2008 I underwent an RPLND (Retroperitoneal Lymph Node Dissection) in SLC. The surgery appeared successful but a subsequent CT scan showed the cancer had spread to my liver in a couple spots. In September of '08 I was taken to Indiana where Dr. Einhorn (inventor of platinum based chemo and recognized testicular cancer specialist) practices. Under his direction, I received three weeks of salvage chemotherapy. After the salvage, I underwent two rounds of high dose chemotherapy (5x strength Carboplatin and Etoposide). Before undergoing treatment, my stem cells were harvested so that they could be given to my severely weakened body after treatment. I achieved a complete remission in December of '08

As part of maintenance, I took a VP-16 etoposide pill until April of 2009. I remained in remission until July when my blood markers began elevating again. A PET scan revealed a localized tumor in my abdominal cavity, near the vena cava. I was taken to Indiana again, where Dr. Beck performed a second RPLND. The surgery was difficult but successful. At the cost of half a kidney, a bowel obstruction, a possible blood clot, and several weeks in the hospital I was in remission again.

In October of 2009 I relapsed again. I began a regimen containing Taxol and Gemcitabine. At the time there were small metastases in my liver, lungs, and abdomen. Taxol/Gemzar failed in early 2010

In late January of 2010, after having several months of normal blood tests, the AFP marker began to rise again. Tumors in my abdomen, lungs, and liver began appearing again.

In March 2010, I went to Sloan Kettering Memorial Cancer Hospital in New York and began a clinical trial under the guidance of Dr. Darren Feldman. The ARQ-197 pill looked like a good side-effect free choice to try and fight the cancer.

In April 2010, the trial was determined not to be effective for me. New tumors appeared and disease progression showed no signs of slowing. A tumor on my spine threatening paralysis was of particular danger. Fearing that consequence, I underwent a short course of radiation on that tumor and another in my hip.

I have multiple lesions in my lungs, liver, and other areas that continue to grow. Currently, I am in the process of having my tumor profiled on a molecular level by TGen. TGen is a company that is based out of Arizona. They look at tumor's case by case, on a genetic level, to determine new and unused courses of treatment that will be as effective as possible for that individual.

Because that process takes a while, and the treatment itself may not be covered by insurance, I just started a regimen of Oxaliplatin as well. Oxali is effecive in 20% of people in my situation. The regimen often comes with a lot of neuropathy and cold sensitivity. I started this regimen on 5/12/10 and am still waiting to here about how it's working.

Sean Martella's Testicular Cancer Update Blog

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Sean's Obituary

3 comments:

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