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Old 08-09-11, 01:13 AM
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Collection for Chris Hill, IPO

Most of you guys on here probably don't know who he is, so I will explain. He is a big influence on the 3000gt/stealth community and has set many records for the 3/s platform. Formerly the owner of Import Power, he transferred to 3sx for the past couple years until recently venturing out on his own again, starting Ninja Performance.
http://www.ninjaperformance.com/

Things were going great, until a recent turn of events occurred in his life. He was diagnosed with stage 3 multiple myeloma.


Originally Posted by Ninja Performance
I have been diagnosed with Stage 3 Multiple myeloma - cancer of the plasma cells in bone marrow. 80% of my bone marrow is cancer. I will be starting chemo next week followed by a stem cell bone marrow transplant. I would have went for a checkup earlier but wouldn't ya know it, I don't have health insurance so I waited till late in the game. Dumbass.

The drugs for chemo are $8,000 per month but we may qualify for help with the meds, and The stem cell bone marrow transplant will be around $200,000. It's time to sell some things.

-Chris

Edit for more detail:

6 months ago Vicki and I both noticed I was getting fatigued a lot. I was working a full time job and rehabbing the new house, but I was really drained.

3-4 months ago fatigue was still an issue but now I was getting wore out doing much less. While I built the new garage I was bruising very easily and they would be deep and hard. Unlike me, I am hard to bruise.

2-3 months ago I started having pains in my rib cage to around my back. Couldn't take deep breaths in because it was so painful. Figured I pulled muscles.

3 weeks ago the bleeding started. Flossed and a tooth/gum bled for 3 days. Then my sinus started bleeding out my nose and down my throat. This went on for 6 days and nights pretty heavy. Not having insurance I dealt with it.

2 weeks ago, Still having "pulled muscle" feelings in ribs and back, I woke up with a very hurt shoulder. For no good reason. We went to the ER.
They did a blood workup and my blood count was at 7.5 (should be 14) and I was very anemic.

They admitted me and the next morning gave me 2 units of blood. They also did the bone and bone marrow biopsy. That hurt and still does.
My blood was monitored by drawing blood every morning at 4am. It had come up to 8.4 then 9.2 but then dropped back to 8.5. I then got another unit of blood and the next day I was up to 9.4, my HTC (the percentage of blood volume that is occupied by red blood cells) was only 27 and normal is 42 but they let me go home.
The next day the marrow biopsy was back. 80% of the marrow was cancer. Stage 3 Multiple myeloma confirmed.

Multiple myeloma is a very rare cancer and normal age for getting it is 70-80. There is very little known about why people get it. The only theory so far is people that work in the petroleum industry.

We will be doing a PH diet (raw foods mostly vegs and fruits etc) as there are many that have beat this and other cancers with this alone and we know 2 people personally that have used diet only and won, and we will be doing the IV and pill Chemo that my Hematologist/Oncologist has setup for us. The drugs he is using are newer with very few side effects. No hair fall out, no upset stomach. Then Bone marrow stem cell transplant if we can come up with the $100,000-$200,000

My body had been telling me something was wrong. I ignored it like a dumb *** male. But can't dwell on that now. It's time to kick cancer's *** and live life.

Thanks for all your support, it means a lot!
Unfortunately, the cost for treating such a condition is staggering, Chris can't do this on his own. I URGE you to donate what you can to help him out, no amount is too small.

In a time such as this, the vehicle platform is irrelevant. The bottom line is that he's an automotive enthusiast just like you & me. Let's all ban together to help out another gear-head, as he enters the fight of his life.

Here is the link to his paypal account. Again, I would like to stress the fact that no amount is too small. Every bit counts.

http://www.3sgto.org/f2/paypal-addre...-ipo-5980.html

Rag on 3/s cars later, be a human now.
Old 08-09-11, 11:02 PM
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I followed the links and did some looking, and this is definitely legit guys.


I'm a broke college student, but I will send what I can. Let him know he has the support of 7club.
Old 08-09-11, 11:09 PM
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Damn.
Old 08-10-11, 02:48 PM
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Thanks guys, this means a lot to me as well as Chris, who I know has been blown away by the support he has been receiving. Even if you don't donate, a few words of support can be just as powerful.
Old 08-10-11, 08:43 PM
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Damn, my prayers go out to him and his family.
Old 08-10-11, 11:20 PM
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Glad to hear he's in good spirits, and ready to take this challenge head-on. He's got my support.
Old 08-12-11, 04:04 PM
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sorry to say but he is going to die very soon. My Father (53y/o) was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2005, in 2006 he died from it, during that year he was constantly doing treatments and was following the Dr. steps. This cancer spreads really fast and spreads through out your bones all over your body, terrible situation to be involved in as a whole. I wish this guy all the luck in the world he can recover.
Old 08-14-11, 12:11 AM
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Here's the link to Chris' page. The link to the auction is on the top of the page, you guys might want to stop in & see what's being sold. I'm sure we will have some universal parts such as boost controllers, bov's, etc.. that you guys might be interested in.


http://chrishill.carolina3s.org
Old 09-13-11, 06:20 AM
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A recent update:


Originally Posted by Ninja Performance
Blood checked before starting my 3rd week of chemo. My Oncologist is kinda beside himself. His words "Your blood looks NORMAL". He did NOT expect me to get to this point in only 2 weeks of chemo and one week off.

Hemoglobin up to 11.8, Platelets are 260,000, White cells 43,000. I think it's a combo of the chemo, my will power, my family and friends and my diet change (mostly vegatarian)

Of course the cancer is not gone, and I have 3 months of chemo and stem cell bone marrow transplant to go, but my body is responding beyond what anyone expected. I am still weak and have to gain muscle mass back. But overall I feel tons better than I did 1 month ago!

-Chris
Old 04-14-12, 12:31 AM
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Just to keep you guys updated:

An unfortunate turn of events-

Originally Posted by beepbeep
Hey, guys. We thought we would have good news to share, but we have the opposite. Chris' blood tests came back and the current chemotherapy treatment is not working. His cancer numbers are continuing to rise at a scary rate. We are waiting to hear back from Johns Hopkins as to what the plan will be now, since his numbers MUST come back down before he can have the transplant. We had already taken the money for this round of treatment from his transplant fund and will have to do so again. We were within $1k of our goal before we got this news. It's disheartening and frustrating, but we will wait to see what we need to do next to get this **** beat back down. Thank you all for the thoughts and comments you have been sending as well as the donations. We'll let you know once we know something more.
Originally Posted by Ninja Performance
Thanks guys, and gals. It's disheartening, but I had my 15 minutes of wallowing after getting the news today. Now it's Go Time. So I started doing some reading. I am on Velcade this round as I was the first go around. Not on Revlimid cause it would impair the stem cell harvest doing it quickly after chemo. Taking all kinds of supplements. I take 6 grams (you heard me) of Vit C a day. Well, turns out recent studies have proven that Vit C stops Velcade from working by binding to boronic acid. So all this time I am fighting the Velcade with VitC....What the hell. Needless to say, I am stopping that now. Drrrrr. Oh, and green tea does it also, guess what? Started drinking that 2 weeks ago. Yay me... LOL

-Chris
Originally Posted by Ninja Performance
Got my test results today. I kinda knew cause my bones have started hurting again. Mspike has risen again, up from 2.3 to 2.9. IGA (immunoglobulinA) up from 2700 to 3289 (normal is 350-400) my other immunoglobulins (IGG, IGE, IGM are almost non existent due to the broken IGA crowding them out. This makes my system susceptible to infections and allergies. I am close or back to stage 3 again. Starting on Revlimid ASAP. More chemo...more money....Yay!

Yes, transplant pushed back again. Gotta get my system super clean to get the transplant. So back on revlimid which worked the first time. Probably at least 9 more weeks of chemo since the numbers have gotten so high.

Disappointed but not sobbing in the corner. I am still around to complain about it so....all is good so far.

-Chris
Old 04-15-12, 12:30 PM
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Damn, he's got my support.
Old 04-16-12, 12:13 PM
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https://www.pcip.gov/
Old 06-07-12, 10:59 AM
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Another update:

Originally Posted by Ninja Performance
Blood tests results back from last week. M-Spike down from 2.6 to 1.1 (wholly crap) and IGA down from 3289 to 1537...WOW

My transplant Dr at Johns Hopkins wanted me to get down to M-Spike of 1.4 so I will contact her with the results and see what we are going to do. It may be time to schedule the transplant :b
YAY!!!!!!!!

-Chris
Originally Posted by Ninja Performance
My Transplant oncologist/hematologist at Johns Hopkins agrees with me to go thru at least one more chemo cycle (2weeks) since I am responding so well up to this point. I am more than happy since the cleaner I am going in the better. So this week, next week, then a week off at which point I get blood drawn again for another SPEP (another $1000 test LOL ). So in about 3 more weeks I will have the next results and maybe it will be time to get the transplant scheduled!

-Chris
Old 01-15-13, 10:08 PM
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Haven't forgotten about you guys. Personally wanted to thank you all for the support that has been given to Chris during his fight. Not every forum I reached out to was as welcoming.


Here's a quote of a recent post made by his wife, Vicki:

Originally Posted by beepbeep
Just wanted to share a picture from over the Christmas holidays of Chris and I. His hair has really started growing back in and he has a little more energy every day. He has been out to the garage to piddle a few times over the last two weeks but he gets worn out quickly. His next checkup is at the end of February and I expect a fantastic report. So, for those who are not on his FB, here we are:


Best of wishes on the New Year for everyone and thanks for being there for us.
I had to remove the picture due to my insufficient post count. To see the post (with picture) in it's entirety, please copy & paste "3sgto christmas 2012 a little pic" into Google, and click onto the first link.
Old 01-16-13, 07:10 AM
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Originally Posted by mb3000
I had to remove the picture due to my insufficient post count. To see the post (with picture) in it's entirety, please copy & paste "3sgto christmas 2012 a little pic" into Google, and click onto the first link.
http://www.3sgto.org/f8/christmas-20...pic-10739.html



Having dealt with someone that's suffered through late stage cancer and the subsequent treatment, it's truly a horrifying experience for all those involved. It's great to see him doing well, because I don't wish the opposite on my worst enemies. It's also great to see so many other people help out someone they don't even know. I wish those involved all the best.
Old 07-23-13, 09:10 PM
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I was PM'd by the OP and asked to post this, as apparently you need 50 posts to post in the lounge now.

Originally Posted by mb3000

Here is the update:

This is an update that I did not want to make.


A post made today, time stamp 7:78 AM. Please keep him in your thoughts & prayers. Kind words would go a long way.

Originally Posted by Ninja Performance
Well, we all knew this time would come. I was lucky and happy to have had almost a full year cancer and chemo free thanks to my Stem Cell Bone Marrow Transplant. The constant looking over my shoulder waiting and worrying for the return has ended. It strangely brings a sort of relief not having to wait, constantly wondering and worrying. Multiple Myeloma is a blood cancer with no cure, so we knew the transplant may only be a short respite, some relief from constant chemo. And we are thankful for the 11 months it gave me. Many aren't as lucky.

My MM is very aggressive, it grows very quickly. It has shown in the past to grow from nothing to stage 3 within 3-4 months if not treated. Therefore 11 months post transplant without chemo was a surprise to me. And again, we were thankful to have had it.

I am still in the "coping" stage. Dealing with the news that I have been waiting for. Somehow I thought hearing it would have been easy, since I knew, at some point, it would return. But all the preparation has not prepared me for the news. It has been 4 days. Friday I was devastated, over the weekend on and off sad/mad with moments that were not too bad. Today, well, today I accept the challenge once again.

I have changed my supplements around a bit, increased some, and will start on a supplement called Wobe-Mugos which has shown great promise in many cancers, especially Multiple Myeloma. I will need to cut back my hours out in the hot humid summer time service garage so I can give my body a better chance at recovering and repairing itself. Working later at night when ti is cool. Lucky for us, my Brother in Law just moved back down. As a lifetime Tech and certified Tech under many car brands, his help will be key in keeping cars moving in and out of the Ninja Shop.

So the Fight Is On! Thanks to everyone for keeping us in your thoughts and sending positive vibes. Without all my great Family and Friends this would be a very tough battle.

-Chris
Old 10-10-13, 02:03 PM
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Latest updates:

Originally Posted by Ninja Performance
My Tests are back.

M spike .29 (same it was 1 month ago)
IGA 899 (normal is up to 450 - I have IGA Multiple Myeloma so we watch this more than M Spike)
IGA being high shows the MM is doing what it does, making duplicate but broken Immunoglobulins (in my case A). This also crowds out normal production of the other important infection fighting IGs like IGG, IGM etc. Which is how MM makes one very prone to infections.

Last month my IGA was only at 525, still over the limit but not much. So it is on the move.
Bone Marrow is 5-10% Cancer cells. Not too bad yet, but I was down to less than 5% pre transplant.

I am probably going to start on Dexamethasone, Revlimid and a new drug I haven't taken with Revlimind, Clarithromycin, that has shown to boost Revlimid's response. Dex and Revlimid worked well before and I can semi deal with the side effects. So we shall see how that goes.

My Dr, and others, conclude that an Auto transplant (like I had - giving myself my own bone marrow) is deemed a failure and will not do another if the patient relapses within 3 years. Since I only made it 10 months they are ruling out an Auto. And are talking about an Allo. Marrow from a donor. Much more risky, and includes the possibilities of GVHD (Graft versus Host) which scare the crap out of me as it can be bad, life threatening and life long, even too much sun exposure can kill. My Dr says my best bet is a sister match. It is also clinically known that opposite sex siblings work better than like. And I have 3 sisters so that works out

So that is it in a nutshell. We will try some chemo and see where we get. Maybe knock it down and go on low dose chemo as maintenance for a while. I will probably have to think about an Allo transplant for long term. But damn that's scary ****.

Chris

Originally Posted by Ninja Performance
Two of my three sisters went in to get cross matched for a Bone Marrow Match for my possible second bone marrow transplant. Allo (donor) this time, first was Auto (self)

Results are back!

One is 5/10
The other is a 10/10 match !

AwesomeSauce! Now if I decide to do this, I have a perfect match.

Allo is MUCH riskier with a 20% fatality from the procedure alone. But comes with it the only possibility of a cure, doesn't always happen but it has.

-Chris
Old 04-22-14, 02:47 AM
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Current as of this month.

Originally Posted by Ninja Performance
We have decided to start over, from scratch. Been on many cycles of chemo, bone marrow transplant, more chemo, and due to insurance change over have been off chemo (while I should have been on it) for 3 months.

We have added a new Dr to the mix. Levine Cancer Institute, which is where I have been going since diagnosed in July 2011 seeing Dr Brouse whom is a very good oncologist/hematologist, has hired (stole from Arkansas) world known multiple myeloma specialist Dr Usmani.

Had my first appointment with him yesterday. With all of the different treatments etc over the past 3 years he wants to reset and start fresh. So yesterday they took a lot of blood and will run normal spep tests, but also fish (haven't had fish run since diagnosed), and many gene typing tests. And I had bone marrow biopsy done which will also undergo many MM tests. All to get a better grasp on the exact type and mutations of multiple myeloma I have.

Once we have all the information we will then map out a treatment protocol tailored for my genetics.

Just got most of the test results back from the new MM specialist. My Mspike has gone from 0.4 to 0.8. My IGA went from 900 to 1580 (normal is max of 450, I am IGA type MM so it creates fake broken IGA, crowding out all the other Immunoglobulins like IGG, IGM etc which is what breaks my immune system as it is Immunoglobulins that fight all of the bad things in your body).

My Bone Marrow Biopsy is showing that my bone marrow is now 40% plasma cells. Meaning only 60% is actual good blood producing bone marrow and 40% is cancer cells. Pre transplant and post after my 1 year checkup I was still at around 5% plasma cells.

I have a 3 hour long PET scan scheduled for Thursday, 4/3/2014, to see if any bone damage/changes have occurred or any tumor sites have popped up. Should have the results same day as I am seeing the specialist after that and he, Dr Usmani, said he would have the results. It's all being done in house.

With the results he has so far he really wants to get me started back on chemo immediately, and there are some clinical trials for new drugs not FDA approved yet he may want to try.

I have been off of chemo for 4 months, so the rise in numbers isn't a surprise. Only 0.8 m spike isn't bad. The 40% plasma cells in the bone marrow however is worrisome (known as tumor load even though it is not tumors as most know them but since it is a blood cancer that is what they call the plasma/marrow load in the bones.)

Will update everyone on what the PET scan shows. Bones are about as achy/painful as they have been for a while aside from the occasional sharp jabbing pains that come and go, so I don't foresee them finding anything crazy. But you never know.

Another day above ground is a win.

Thanks for all the support.

Chris


Originally Posted by Ninja Performance
Hello all,

After a full day at the hospital getting more blood tests, PET/CT scan etc, we are closer to nailing down the next treatment protocol.

We had Gene Expression testing done to find out if my MM has changed Genetically which is often does.

I am now classified as Multiple Myeloma Type CD-2.
In the latest study on 380 newly diagnosed MM patients CD-2 made up just 1.6%. of the patients.

Along with the CD-2 genetic expression and all of the other blood tests there is an algorithm for low to high risk. ) is lowest risk, 100 is highest risk. 50 and below is low risk, From 50 and above high risk
My number is 24. Very low risk group.
It also gave me a 77% 5 year survival rate.

My genetics have changed a bit from the start. All for the good. No more gene deletions, and less translocations (genes swap ends with other genes making them broken)

PET/CT scans all came up negative. No issues with any organs, tissue, or bones.

Have more blood tests on Monday, and Wednesday have Electrocardiogram and Echocardiogram, them a full body Skeletal survey (xray)

All in hopes to make it into a new clinical trial for:
Kyprolis and ARRY-520 now known as Filanesib which is a kinesin spindle protein inhibitor. Sadly, unlike the pills I was taking in the past, they are both IV which mean get stuck with IV in the arm, and sit and wait for hours. What fun . Movie Time!, or nap time. This will be 2 times a week, 3 weeks on, one week off. repeat

-Chris
Old 04-22-14, 08:55 AM
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Thanks MB, to you and Chris' wife Vicki for the updates and support for Chris. It's an epic battle, but one that can be won.

If you want to forward that Christmas picture of Chris and Vicki to me, I'd be happy to post it here.
Old 04-22-14, 12:54 PM
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Thanks man, I know Chris appreciates all of the support, and It means a lot to me as well. I think the link to the Christmas picture is down, but here's one from the Facebook page. I guess I'm allowed to post pictures now.

Old 06-05-14, 12:37 PM
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Posted yesterday:

a
Originally Posted by Ninja Performance
My blood tests results from last week are in.
My Mspike has dropped from 0.9 to 0.6 with only 2 chemo cycles - 3 weeks on chemo, 1 week off, 3 weeks on chemo 1 week off.
This is great news as my Multiple Myeloma did mutate genetically, as it often does, after my bone marrow transplant. This makes it become resistant to the chemo you knocked it down with and you have to move to a different chemo. And you eventually run out of options.
But the same chemo (Revlimid along with dexamethasone) I started on when I was diagnosed back August 2011 is still working. I have yet to become resistant to my first original chemo.
I will continue on the highest dose, 25mg, until it either hits zero or plateaus, then try a lower dose to see if it will stay in check.

-Chris
Old 06-05-14, 01:51 PM
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That's very good news, thanks for posting mb.
Old 06-05-14, 09:25 PM
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Agreed, thanks
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