I wish I would have known more about the beads because I spend 2 agonizing weeks contemplating amputation (without much support from my husband) and when I fianlly saw a surgeon he said we didn’t need to amputate that the beads was a much better way to go.

Please keep us updated on Gretta.

Hi there! I wanted to give you another follow-up on Gretta; please add to website if you would like.

Gretta is still doing well, and turned 13 y.o. on September 15th. However, we noticed some nodules on her leg in late August, and last she underwent surgery again last week. She had 2 sites of recurrence of the cancer, at both the bottom and top margins from the original tumor. Keep in mind, her original tumor was huge (the size of a grapefruit) so the recurrence might be expected in her case. The two new tumors have successfully been removed, and she has received another batch of the cisplatin beads (8 this time).

This is still a success, in that she has kept her leg, and continues to live a healthy life. I do believe that if the cisplatin beads had not been implanted, the recurrence would have been sooner, and more severe. However, a consideration for anyone thinking about doing this type of intervention; this surgery was almost as expensive as the first one, and all together we have invested about $6K in the treatment. Well worth it in our mind (and budget), ut certainly a consideration for anyone who may believe they only need to do the procedure once.

Best regards-
Jami Earnest & Gretta (Cancer Survivor!)