Guess who called???
A Representative from Johnson & Johnson!
A Representative from Johnson & Johnson!
Yesterday, while I was driving back from my fathers dr's appointments I received a call from a telephone number from a 908 area code. I couldn't answer because I was driving and well, it's illegal to drive and talk on a cell phone in Maryland. My parents phone rang less than a minute later. I asked "is that a 908 number?" and my mom said "yes" and then answered. "Hello?" she said........ "Hold on, let me put you on the phone with my daughter" I immediately KNEW it was Johnson & Johnson!!! "It's Johnson & Johnson" Mommy said. My eyes lit up and I got a little nervous that I wouldn't know what to say! " Hello?" I said "Hi, this is Kelly McLaughlin (or McGlocklin) from Johnson & Johnson, I received a letter from a friend of yours regarding your father" she said. "Ok, Hi!!" I said (not knowing what to say). "I took a moment to read your blog and I see that you have a letter campaign going on" She said (I smiled). She ventured to tell me that she read the blog and thinks we have a wonderful family and wants to send me information regarding Abiraterone... I immediately feel discouraged that I would just be sent the information that we ALREADY KNOW so I added "I called in a week ago and asked how to get this medicine for my dad and was sent to a clinical trials website... but the trials weren't currently enrolling and this is something we need now..." She says "Oh, ok, did they tell you about getting early access?" "NO!!" I say with excitement "ok, well I am going to have early enrollment information sent to you via fed ex. You will need your fathers oncologist to get in touch and see if we can enroll him in the early access program. He will need to fit the criteria but often times the drug can be released to patients who need it immediately who can benefit from it." WOW! It's so crazy that I never had any idea that drugs can be released to patients in IMMEDIATE need. Did you? I think these are the types of things and information Mecia would like to put out to the public with her Non Profit that she is working hard to start.
Before we ended our conversation, I asked her whose letter did she receive... She explained that she'd only received one letter and it was from Jessica Ward.
Below is the letter sent by one of my closest friends, Jessica Ward. Her letter is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!! Jessica has been in our lives since I was 16 years old (I am now 31) and has been able to see first hand how wonderful of a man that my father truly is!
Please see the letter below:
Attention: Pharmaceuticals Department Johnson & Johnson Friday November 19th, 2010
Happy Holidays!
I am praying that this letter has reached the ONE person that can make my request a reality!
It has come to my attention that your company, Johnson & Johnson, has made an Amazing drug called Abiraterone, and that through current clinical trials has proven to prolong the life of Stage 4 Metastatic Prostate Cancer patients.
The purpose of my letter is to request that you consider adding someone to your clinical trials. This person has become through the years an AMAZING role model in my life. His name is James Muckelvene, husband of 35 yrs to Pearline Muckelvene, father to 3 BEAUTIFUL women, and grandfather to 8 AMAZING grandchildren.
I have had the wonderful opportunity of being close friends with the youngest of his three daughters, and through the last 16 years I have experienced an amazing display of Selflessness, Love, Loyalty, Courage and FAITH that people only DREAM of seeing. At any moment in James’ life if anyone in his family ever needed ANYTHING there was never a moment of hesitation, if it was his, it was Yours! SELFLESS, he and his wife!
This amazing couple set a foundation with their love and most importantly their FAITH IN GOD that has become UNBREAKABLE and now in THEIR time of need the structure that they built is keeping them safe and full of HOPE!
In February of this year James received the unfortunate news that he had Stage 4 Metastatic Prostate Cancer, soon after to find out as well that the ravenous disease had affected the integrity of his bones. By the recommendation of his oncologist, James went through several surgeries in a matter of a couple of months to repair damage to his spine as well as replace and correct both hip bones. After his last surgery the doctors sent him to hospice with the mere prescription of “make him comfortable.”
The Muckelvene family would not have this! And quickly the ball went rolling; everyone pitched in to provide the same SELFLESS love and support that the couple had shown to them all those years ago. It has been an AMAZING experience!
I encourage you to take a moment and see for yourself the journey James and his family has been making, the family has been keeping a blog of it at::www.4wewalkbyfaith.blogspot.
I beseech you now to provide a miracle to this journey of FAITH that has amassed such an extraordinary following and has inspired so much generosity and LOVE!
Please, please consider James Muckelvene to participate in your clinical trials of ABIRATERONE. He fits the criteria, and time is of the essence, with just a simple entry you will make such an amazing story EXTRAORDINARY! God has BLESSED YOU with the knowledge to discover this amazing drug, and we ask that you pass along the BLESSING of allowing this discovery to PROLONG THE LIFE OF JAMES MUCKELVENE.I will end my letter with THANK YOU, thank you for taking time out of your day to read my letter. And with that thank you for considering my request. We eagerly await your response not matter what it is, but I do want to remind you that TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!
My God bless your Holiday Season and upcoming New Year.
Sincerely,
Jessica B. Ward
Muckelvene Family can be reached:
**********
Thank you Jessi!! WE LOVE YOU!!!!!
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We would like to THANK everyone who took a few moments of their time to send a letter to Johnson & Johnson on my fathers behalf. You don't have ANY IDEA how much that means to us.
There is another company we would like to reach out to. Provenge. If you would like to help us with writing a letter to Provenge and/or Johnson & Johnson, please do so by using the following addresses:
PROVENGE: http://www.provenge.com/
ABOUT PROVENGE:
PROVENGE (PROH-venj) is designed to stimulate a patient’s immune system to target prostate cancer cells. The process of making PROVENGE involves the introduction of a patient’s immune cells to a protein that functions as a prostate-cancer associated antigen. An antigen is a substance that causes the body to react with an immune response. This process activates the patient’s immune cells against prostate cancer cells to help the immune system better fight the disease. Click on the graphic for more details.
Mitchell H. Gold, MD & Richard B. Brewer
3005 First Avenue
Seattle, WA 98121
If you can take a few moments of your time and write letters to these companies on my dad's behalf, we will be forever grateful!
If you do, please send a copy to forwewalkbyfaithnotsight@yahoo.com
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