Marisa Hislop

Marisa died early in the morning on February 10, 2000.

Please visit her website at: http://www.cloudworks.com/

Marisa did not die directly from her tumor but from the side-effects of long-term steroid use. The steroids were necessary to keep swelling down around her brain stem.

Marisa experienced no pain whatsoever in the end. She died very peacefully. She had been sleeping comfortably when her breathing became a little labored. We became very concerned by her breathing and tried to wake her, but she never woke up again. Her blood pressure was extremely low and in spite of having the doctors try to raise her blood pressure her heart just stopped. She was in a very deep sleep for several hours before and she passed very peacefully.

We would like to thank all the wonderful people who have helped us throughout this crisis. We could not have given her the best chance at living without you. We also want to emphasize that we really appreciate what everyone has done for us, not just those that contributed money, but everyone who cared about and prayed for Marisa.

Marisa was diagnosed on April 19, 1999 with Brain Stem Glioma, a very difficult to treat Brain Tumor.

Brain Stem Glioma is a rare form of Brain Tumor that is non-operational and very non-responsive to most treatments. Most children diagnosed with a Brain Stem Glioma die within one year!

We were told different things by different Doctors about Marisa'a chance of survival with conventional treatment. From Zero chance to as good as 1 in 20. Marisa is our whole life and what we heard wasn't very hopeful.

After searching for anything that seemed more effective than conventional treatment we found something very promising.

What we found was a very promising new treatment for Brain Stem Glioma available from the Burzynski Research Institute in Houston, Texas as part of an FDA approved Phase II trial. Please look to the bottom of this page to find links to more information about Brain Tumors, Dr. Burzynski's treatments, and what it takes to qualify for an FDA approved Clinical Trial.

As is the case with many newer treatments, Insurance companies usually do not pay for expenses of the treatment, even though the treatment is part of an FDA approved Phase II Study and shows significantly better promise than ANY other currently available conventional treatments.

Dr. Burzynski's treatment is the best chance available to Children with these types of tumors. Please help out by contributing to families that need help with the expenses or by advocating for better health insurance coverage for experimental treatments.

Many children are suffering from cancer similar to Marisa's. For most of these tumors, conventional treatment simply does not work without severe side-effects and will not be curative. Most conventional treatments like chemo-therapy and radiation will only, at best, prolong life slightly. Very often the price for that slight increase in lifespan is pain and suffering from the side-effects of the chemo-therapy and radiation. The sad truth is the antineoplaston therapy was working for Marisa, she was just too weak and prone to health problems from being ill so long. If you would like to help other children who are specifically trying to receive the very promising antineoplaston therapy then please consider making a contribution in honor of Marisa to:

Cancer Coalition of America

9396 Richmond Avenue, Suite 307

Houston, TX 77063

Phone Number: 713-335-5677

An Organization that really helped us out when we needed it and helps many families with children with cancer is The Keaton Raphael Memorial for Neuroblastoma. If you would like to help them help families who need it then please send a contribution to:

The Keaton Raphael Memorial For Neuroblastoma

1292 Miners Way

Roseville, CA 95661