My mother's story

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   After a few years, I felt it was finally time to post and share this story.  I feel it is important that I start this post by setting the expectation for readers that I will not return to this forum or reply to future comments, after telling my story.  It is also important that I state up front that I am not a doctor, yet...and that while I may place you on the right path with my story, it is still just that -- my own experience.  That being said, let us begin.  

In August of 2011, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.  I remember the day well, being at my parent's house, in the back room where we both had been sitting and talking when she told me.  It was devastating to hear, and I didn't know what to say or how to react.  I could only imagine what my mother must have been feeling in having to tell me.  It was a strange feeling of true empathy for her as a mother, and not a selfish feeling from my perspective as a son who might lose his parent to this disease.  She explained to me how it had been discovered, what would be happening next as far as the biopsy, etc.  

After the biopsy, she had explained to me that it was a Triple Negative breast cancer and that the oncologist had explained how it was a particularly aggressive cancer and that they would need to start treatments and therapies soon.  And by soon, I mean that the oncologist had made it seem like it was time to start the next week, with many radiation sessions in short period of time followed by umpteen weeks of chemotherapy which would be administered via a port in her heart.  Forgive me that I cannot recall the stage of her cancer as I type this.  Regardless, you can imagine how scared it must have been for my mother to hear this.  

I could not just sit back and do nothing, so I did something.  The first thing I did was learn and research about Triple Negative Breast Cancer.  And I don't mean read wikipedia and short summaries about it.  I mean I read about BCRA1 and BCRA2 genes and their mutations, about how the receptor cites work on cancer cells, about how chemotherapy and radiation combat general cancers, etc.  I read and read and read and I took time off from work to read some more.  A particular devastating moment during all this reading was when I had searched in google: "Triple Negative Breast Cancer Survivors".  When I did this, I found nothing.  It was like the internet had reached a dead end.  There were stories upon stories of mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, that had not made it past the five year mark without their cancer returning or ultimately without these women succumbing to the disease as told by their surviving family and/or friends. 

I had just about accepted this reality when I decided to take a night off from reading to relax and watch Netflix.  Depending on your belief system, and in my opinion it matters not, God or the universe will speak to you loud and clear, if you should choose to listen.  And so it did to me, a documentary had been listed under my "Suggested for you" titles.  This film was called Forks over Knives.  You've likely heard about it by now, being 2014, but this was only a few months after the film had been released.  And so I watched it.  I was blown away at the information presented in the film.  I knew that my parents would not likely wake up at 4am and watch a documentary, so I wrote a post-it note advising them to watch the film when they got home from work the next day.  

An interesting thing happens when you watch a film on Netflix, afterwards, it suggests other films of similar subject matter to you.  I watched movies like "Food Matters", "The Beautiful Truth", "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead", "Dying to Have Known" and more.  I found out about things like Dr. Max Gerson and the Gerson Therapy.  I read The China Study, and I read about other alternative therapies.  But the most important things learned were all of the behind the scenes bits of information.  

After you dig deep enough, you uncover a lot of things that you did not know about.  You uncover that the term "survival" when dealing with cancer only means that you are alive 5 years after initial diagnosis...this means one could hit the 5 year mark, die a month later and they are considered a "survivor of cancer".  You uncover that most oncologist would not administer chemotherapy to their families or take it themselves.  You learn that in the United States it is punishable to include prison time and hefty fines if a doctor should prescribe or suggest anything other than the big three: surgery, radiation, chemotherapy.  The doctors could even lose their license.  You learn that the FDA has approved chemotherapy as "Safe and Effective", when a side-effect listed on them is "toxic death".  I was curious, as most would be: why?  Chase the dollars, and you will find the truth.  

I learned that cancer is a very slow growing disease, showing up years later in the form of a tumor.  Dr. John McDougall says it well in a documentary called "Healing Cancer From Inside Out". He says, "The truth of the matter is that this disease, on average, has been going on for 10 years before they discover it and it will probably go on another 10, 15, or 20 years before it kills them.  So its a very slow growing disease and patients should in a sense, be patient...and consider all the decisions, all the possibilities, and to not panic".  So, we didn't.  My mother had already done the lumpectomy by this point, but she advised her oncologist that  she did not wish to proceed with the radiation therapy or chemotherapy.  For us, after looking at all the research, all the options at that time, and understanding why these options were the only ones available, my mother decided it best to heal herself with nutrition.  "You cannot heal with poison", as said by Charlotte Gerson, rang true to me.  It only makes sense.  

Instead my mother purchased a Norwalk Juicer.  It was the best decision I felt that she could make.  I had to deal with the very uncomfortable questioning from my mother's siblings, my aunts and uncles about if what I was telling her was the right thing to do.  After all, I am not a doctor.  And I had to explain to my family members, that they can feel free to do the research, feel free to search online for survivors, and then feel free to see what conventional therapies do to the human body.  I never took it personal or was offended by their concerns.  It was a legitimate position to take, but it's hard to explain hours and hours, days and weeks, and months of research and information into a nice packaged five minute reply.  It simply is not possible.  

So, my mother went vegan, as did I and my father.  We all lost weight...considerable weight, as each of us ranged in 40-60 lbs lost.  And everything else seemed to disappear.  My father's GERD had gone away, his allergies to pollen and cedar had disappeared.  My mother's diverticulitis had gone away.  Most importantly, her cancer had gone away.  At her 3 month, six month, 12 month checkups, and so fourth...no cancer.  

Here we are three years later, and I feel it was time to share my story.  I had been discouraged for many months and years, because when I would tell people in person that either had a degenerative disease or had family that have/had cancer, their replies would be "I could never go vegan...I like cheese and meat too much" or "juicing is too much work or expensive".  My fiancee had encouraged me to tell my story regardless though, because even if it helps just one person or their loved one, then it would be worth my time and efforts...and I agree with her.  

There is so much information that I could not include, but I feel that I have put enough in here that can set people on the path to truth and to hope.  Thanks for the read. 

Warm regards