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63 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, September 17, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend July 14, 2004 Unorthodox cancer treatment worked Ashland’s Whitney Chatfield, 16, went to Buenos Aires for treatment of her Hodgkin’s lymphoma By JOHN DARLING for the Mail Tribune ASHLAND — After half a year of a controversial new cancer "vaccine" treatment in Buenos Aires and major thoracic surgery to remove tumors, 16-year-old Whitney Chatfield is home, calling the painful ordeal a seeming cure for her Hodgkin’s lymphoma. "It’s effective," said Chatfield, "without the long-term side effects of radiation and chemotherapy," which she underwent in Oregon three years ago, buying her a short remission in the lymph cancer. Her father, Paul Nash, said he feels "very positive they’re on track and can clean up what’s left" when Chatfield goes back for final treatments late this month and again in late August. The expensive treatment, for which the family is having to raise $130,000, uses no drugs or radiation, but rather injections of a vaccine made from her own blood and tumor cells. "It just makes more sense to work with the immune system than against it, and I believe this vaccine treatment is the wave of the future — even Chatfield’s doctor in Portland (for the chemo-radiation treatment) said that," said Nash. Advertisement The vaccine is administered — usually to late-stage cancer patients at the Regina Mater Clinic, a university hospital in Buenos Aires — under the supervision of Dr. Gustavo Moviglia. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, pending lengthy field trials, is withholding approval for use here. The vaccine was injected in four treatments into lymph nodes in her groin, causing severe wounding and blistering, but allowing the antibodies to circulate to lymph nodes in her chest and neck to battle the advanced cancer, Nash said. Chatfield on June 25 underwent removal of tumors in her neck and 70 percent of tumors in her chest, requiring a large entry incision under her right arm. She just got off pain pills when she arrived home July 6 and will have her stitches out soon. "I’m really glad the doctors are positive and that keeps me really positive," Chatfield said. Chatfield’s family over the past three years has raised $100,000 through benefit concerts, car washes, appeals to foundations and wealthy individuals, and grass roots fund-raising strategies. But they’ve seen the bill rise in recent months by another $30,000, which must be raised before she returns for final treatments in a matter of weeks. Nash admits he doesn’t have a plan for raising the money. But he remains confident and upbeat. "I don’t know," said Nash. "We’ve done it before. We’ll just do it." Then he joked, to rousing laughter, "Whitney will get a job." More seriously, he adds, "We’re very ready for this to be over and for it to be smooth sailing for a while." While in Argentina beginning in January, Chatfield kept up her guitar playing and songwriting, made friends she’s eager to see again and attended a Waldorf school the first few months before her body’s reaction to treatments intensified, she said. This fall, as a junior at Ashland High School, Chatfield will spend a year at Wilderness Charter School, a small, intimate learning environment. "I’m so glad, so excited. I really needed the change of scenery and the shift into a community setting, rather than classes with 300 kids." Chatfield said her six months in Buenos Aires, being cared for either by her father or mother (Ami Cline of Ashland), has changed her, but it’s hard to find words to describe it. "All I can say is I am so thankful to the people who’ve supported, helped and loved us — and it’s so good to be back here in all this beauty, breathing fresh air," she said. John Darling is a free-lance writer living in Ashland. E-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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