A new treatment has been developed that could destroy hard to reach cancer tumors that evade normal treatment. The treatment utilizes existing equipment available at hospitals, as MRI scanners are already a vital tool for diagnosing cancer.

The magnetic fields of the MRI scanner are used to steer a small magnetic seed through the body and into the tumor, where it is then remotely activated to destroy the cancer cells with heat. The 2mm seeds can be navigated accurately, and cause little damage to tissues around the cancer.

The researchers call the therapy MINIMA, which stands for minimally invasive image-guided ablation.

It has been a while.

I’ve missed all of you. And posting on here regularly. Life has been hectic and full of challenges. J has just finished his first round of radiation and chemotherapy. Now we just need to wait. After a four week break we will do an MRI and see if the tumor is gone fully, or if it is back. A few weeks ago we had a horrible scare. J had headaches again and we went to the hospital. They saw two images but could not definitely say what they were. Swelling from the radiation. Swelling from surgery. Swelling from medication. Or worst yet, two tumor growths. We won’t find out till weeks from now when they check again.

In the midst of all of this we have suffered grave financial difficulties. I have been out of work and trying to find SOMETHING to pay the bills. Countless interviews later and still nothing. Meanwhile bills pile on. I know I haven’t been as around as y’all would like, but I really need help right now. Please, if you’re able to, please donate something to help us survive this. And please forward and share J’s PayPal to others.

https://www.paypal.me/JZamora8

Here is an updated image of J. Cute ol bald headed, and celebrating avocado day with a silly selfie.

I love you all and thank the world for the support in my inbox.

May: Brain Cancer Awareness Month

The most common symptoms of brain cancer are:

• Headaches
• Seizures
• Difficulty thinking/speaking
• Personality changes
• Tingling/Stiffness on one side of the body
• Loss of balance
• Vision changes
• Memory loss
• Nausea
• Disorientation
• Muscle weakness
• Anxiety/Depression

These are not all the symptoms of brain cancer, and brain cancer is NOT the only cause of these symptoms. If you suddenly or frequently experience any of these, go to your doctor so they can determine the cause.

[ID: An illustration of the side view of the human brain, with each lobe colored differently, with the most common symptoms arranged to follow the shape of the brain/lobes. The lobe-specific symptoms of brain cancer are in list formats outside the brain and correlate in color to the lobes. Frontal lobe: Personality changes, Increased aggression/irritation, Apathy, Weakness on one side of the body, Loss of smell, Difficulty walking, and Vision / Speech problems. Parietal lobe: Difficulty speaking/understanding, Problems reading/writing, and Loss of feeling in part of the body. Occipital lobe: Vision problems. Meninges: Headache, Nausea/vomiting, Sight problems, and Neck pain. Pituitary Gland: Lack of energy, Weight gain, Mood swings, High blood pressure, Diabetes, Enlarged hands/feet, Irregular/infrequent periods, and Infertility/impotence. Temporal lobe: Forgetting words, Short-term memory loss, and Seizures (often associated with strange smells/feelings). Brain Stem: Issues with coordination, Eyelid/mouth droops to one side, Difficulty swallowing, Difficulty speaking, and Double vision. Cerebellum: Issues with coordination, Uncontrolled eye movement, Nausea/vomiting, Neck stiffness, and Dizziness. Spinal Cord: Pain, Numbness, Weakness in legs/arms, Loss of bladder/bowel control, and Difficulty walking. End description.]