Sharing of personal experiences about cancer treatments. Cancer patients seeking links to cancer resources, information and support will find this site provides a general orientation designed to help you make your own choices and decisions concerning alternative cancer treatments or orthodox cancer treatments.

Lecia sent me this story as an example showing that orthodox treatments do work.

In March of 1995 I noticed a lump on the right side of my neck. My GP said it was 1% chance that this was malignant. I later found out this was really 80% chance. I was diagnosed with nasopharynx cancer stage 4 in 1995. Went through a radical neck dissection, and then seven weeks of radiation. Today I have a dry mouth because of this treatment. Followed was three sessions of Cisplatin and 5-FU. The first treatment of 5-FU put me back in the hospital with a very very low blood count. My hearing has been drastically affected by the cisplatin. I was then monitored on a frequent schedule till October of 1996 when it showed up in my lungs.

I had a choice of Chemotherapy or Surgery. I chose surgery since chemo was very hard on me. Was told neither one was a cure. This would just buy me time. After the lung surgery I became a vegetarian and name a supplement I've tried it. This is what I did for the next six months. I truly believe the alternative methods do work for some people. In my case they kept me healthy but didn't touch the cancer.

In June of 1997 I was to the point I was on oxygen. I then went on Taxol. Remarkable improvement. I was still working at this point. Life was good then the Taxol slowly stopped working.

November of 1998 the cancer had spread to my brain. This was operable and four weeks of radiation. During this time my lungs were getting worse to the point I went on oxygen again. The oxygen really didn't help me much. My lungs were really in bad shape.

My oncologist tried three other chemos that did not work. Then we started on Xeloda. My chest x-rays showed a 80% improvement. I am still on the Xeloda and feeling wonderful. I have been able to tolerate this chemo very well.

I wonder why I have survived this. The only explanation I have is God is using me as a glimmer of HOPE to others.

NEVER GIVE UP. THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE

Valerie's story

I had stage 1 breast cancer in June 1996. I had a mastectomy and lymph node clearance followed by 6 months chemotherapy, intravenous Methotrexate, Flurouacil, Cyclophosphamide. These drugs caused severe dehydration due to ulceration of the mouth, throat and gullet plus thrush and fevers. These were treated in hospital with intravenous antibiotics, anti fungal drugs and morphine to relieve pain. The treatment caused hair loss, several admissions to hospital in a serious condition, as above, plus weight loss of 6 kilos. I am normally 52 kilos , 1.65m tall. I was advised to eat Ginger, and drink ginger beer before each treatment by a health shop, plus wear an acupressure wrist band for 48 hours afterwards . This was to reduce nausea, and they seemed successful. It is now 19 months since completing the chemotherapy, (as of August 1998) I am fit and well with no recurrence of the disease.

Re the acupressure wrist bands, they are made in NZ the company is

Pan Pacific Ltd
PO BOX 353
Warkworth NZ

the cost was about $NZ 15. I saw pages of research so if you write to them I am sure they will send you the research. I was never prepared to try a treatment without them on, I felt they were doing a good job.

I had an excellent oncologist who inspired me to be really positive. I felt anxious about the chemotherapy and certainly most unwell during it but I was convinced it was killing off any cancer cells that had escaped during surgery. I would have it again if need be as you need to feel you are fighting it with force.

I was working during my treatment and had a lot of support from workmates.

My ex-husband, Joe, is a long-term survivor of primary central nervous system lymphoma. This is a deadly brain tumor with only a 2-3% five year survival after standard treatment. It has been nearly 14 years since his diagnosis and Joe has been off all treatment for over 2 years now. He is also well and fully functional. Joe is a cpa-lawyer who specializes in the valuation of pensions and businesses for divorce proceedings. He spends much of his time being grilled as an expert witness in court proceedings and was recently listed in the "100 Best Lawyers in America" book. Except for some mild forgetfulness, his intellectual abilities appear to be unscathed. Joe is also physically active, jogging several times a week and playing racquetball with our two sons. But, it was a long journey from the diagnosis to his current condition.

In September of 1984, a CAT scan revealed a 3cm mass in Joe's third ventricle. The neurosurgeons at our local community hospital informed us that this was an inoperable location and that, at the age of 37, Joe should get his affairs in order. After a night of hysteria, I pulled myself together and decided to become Joe's advocate. No one was making any attempt to refer us and I realized I would have to do it myself. If the worst did

happen, I wanted to be able to look our two young sons in the eye and tell them that I had done everything I could to save their father. My efforts would lead to two new treatments that were unavailable in our home state of Michigan.

I sent out a call for help to everyone we knew and, fortunately, two of our friends were related to an orthopedic surgeon at the Mayo Clinic. This surgeon checked with the neurosurgery department and found out that a neurosurgeon new to Mayo, Dr. Patrick Kelly, specialized in deep brain tumors. Dr. Kelly was awaiting my call. Over the phone, he described his technique, called computer-assisted sterotactic laser surgery, and I was blown away. Dr. Kelly's technique uses a computer-guided laser beam to vaporize deep tumors layer by layer. It was more precise and caused less damage(and swelling) to surrounding normal brain tissue than standard surgery. Four hours later Joe and I were on a plane to Minnesota.

The long surgery was highly successful- over 99% of the tumor was gone- with no brain damage. Even Dr. Kelly called it a miracle. But, the biopsy was unable to establish a diagnosis. Even after sending the slides to the best neuropathologists around the country, there was no consensus. We decided to abide by the majority opinion, which was that of a low-grade astrocytoma. After much agonizing and research in the medical library, we decided that Joe should have 5000 rads of radiation to the tumor and the immediate surrounding area. This was done at a major medical center close to home.

One month after the radiation was finished, Joe again began to have headaches. A CAT scan revealed a second tumor in a completely different area of the brain. We knew it had to be highly malignant to recur so quickly. Back at Mayo, Dr. Kelly did a stereotactic biopsy which confirmed his suspicions. We finally had a diagnosis- Joe had a primary central nervous system lymphoma. These tumors, unlike gliomas, tend to occur in multiple

sites throughout the central nervous system.

The neurooncologists at Mayo had little to offer. Radiation did not produce a durable remission and the tumor was so rare that they had never given chemotherapy for it before. This, along with the fact that I no longer trusted anyone, spurred me to return to the medical library. After many hours of searching the Index Medicus and references at the back of articles(no Internet back then!), I found an article written by Dr. Edward Neuwelt of Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland. He was a pioneer in a chemotherapy treatment called blood-brain barrier disruption(BBBD) which temporarily breaks down the brain's guard allowing high concentrations of chemotherapy to reach the tumor. It was especially effective in treating CNS lymphoma. The only other treatment I could find was a less aggressive one offered by a physician at Dana Farber in Boston. As we struggled to decide, I asked both physicians the 24K question: how many patients have you treated and how are they doing? The physician at Dana Farber was evasive and never answered the question(I would later learn there were NO survivors). On the other hand, Dr. Neuwelt was very open and told us that he had treated nine people with one alive three years and another for two. It wasn't much to go on, but this was much better than 2-3%. At that time, BBBD was a phase II clinical trial available no where else in the country (it is now a multicenter trial). So, now it was off to Portland.

BBBD is a rigorous treatment, done in the hospital and requiring intubation and an overnight stay in intensive care. But, it was well worth it- after only one treatment 90% of the tumor was gone and after a second round of BBBD we never saw it again.

Thus, by overcoming my own despair and becoming my sick husband's advocate, I had been able to find two very new and little-known treatments. Joe was one of the fir st 70 people in the United States to have computer-assisted stereotactic laser surgery and the tenth person to receive BBBD.

There were other factors in Joe's recovery as well. I pumped him full of high doses of anti-oxidants(Vitamins C,E,and beta-carotene)as these have cancer-fighting properties. And, European studies have f ound that 1000 IU of Vitamin E daily may protect normal brain tissue from radiation damage during radiation therapy. Joe also practiced guided imagery where he imagined his white blood cells destroying the tumor. This, and his strong religious beliefs, were very helpful emotionally.

So, my message to you is, don't give up. Use all the resources available, which are far better than when I was helping Joe. If your physician is not aware of a treatment, show him a medical journal article or its listing in PDQ. And, if he/she still is leery, check it out yourself. Investigators of clinical trials WILL talk to patients. And, my experience has been that the best ones are also the nicest.

If you would like more details of how I found Joe's treatments (believe it or not, this is a short version)and some more tips, go to my Patient Advocacy Home Page. Article 1 here is Joe's full story that I wrote for Woman's Day magazine back in 1986. The URL is: http://uhec.udmercy.edu/picct/risinglo.htm

This site also contains a university-approved research survey that I am conducting on the experiences of cancer patients when accessing a clinical trial. So, those of you who have entered a clinical trial or simply looked for one, please fill it out. It should only take about 10 minutes of your time and the data gathered will help future cancer patients. Thanks and Good Luck!!

Lydia Cunningham Rising

URL is: http://uhec.udmercy.edu/picct/risinglo.htm

Liver Treatment

The clinic has a website - Liver Cancer Care. The doctor in charge is Dr. Gary Onik.

The team has done many of these procedures and has patients coming in from Europe for it. Gary has developed the technique, the probes and is the ultrasound specialist. He trains others and has written 2 books on the subject. They had a conference on the the procedure about 3 months ago in Orlando, advertised and open to physicians from all over. They had a good turnout but noticed that not one major, famous place sent anyone to learn about it. Again, they do not promote themselves,and I am not related to them or anything like that. I just feel that there are people out there being told to cash it in and don't know about this chance for life. When I emailed them about my friend in late December, Gary Onik called me on the phone within 2 hours of receiving my message. He was so excited to tell me that he thought he could help. I could not believe that a surgeon, doctor called me on the phone!! I knew then what I know now they are wonderful doctors doing a terrific procedure and saving lives. I do not know the cost, but my friend had a PPO plan from her work and they paid 90%!! This procedure is approved and recognized and just right for certain people. The cryosurgery is done with probes placed into the liver using ultrasound to locate tumor. They do a double freeze and thaw to be sure that all cancer is killed. Their research shows that to be most effective. My friend's total time on the table that day was 9 1/2 hours. Anyway I'd be glad to give anyone information. Janice Anderson at cfajra@earthlink.net

Contact Glynn's website at www.north.island.net/~glynnw/

I beat cancer with herbs

It is time for all the world to know that cancer can be beat.

I am a cancer survivor. I will make this short and to the point. I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the wing of the breast and one of the lymph nodes was positive. I refused conventional treatment of any kind. I truly believed that there was an alternative cure somewhere.

So, I prayed and let divine intervention lead me in whatever direction while affirming my healing. I found out about the Essiac Tea through and alternative cancer group . Bless that day... I am alive and healthy today, and that was three and a half years ago (early 1995) I became a vegetarian, did a parasite cleanse, took high antioxidants, and drank glasses of carrot juice daily. I changed the products I use on my body daily, and have become quite conscious about the air we breathe and the water we drink.

My message to all that will listen is that we have become too comfortable with automation and fast foods. The public mass needs to be educated in nutrition and the chemical warfare that invades our bodies on a daily basis. Essiac Tea can be taken by everyone as a preventative to the possibility of cancer. Essiac Tea is a blood and liver cleanser

as well as giving the immune system support.

Our nation needs to become aware that everyones' immune system is in a weakened state. The answer is: Clean up our immune systems and make them strong again. We will then live on in a healthy state

I am looking forward to communicating with anyone on this subject.

Cured by self-hypnosis

This story is excerpted from Positive Health magazine (see www.positivehealth.com) September 1998. It was first published in the Wessex Cancer Help Centre Newsletter, 8 South Street, Chichester, West Susses PO19 1EH, England

Mrs X , the patient of therapist John Benest, is a woman in her 70s who was diagnosed early in 1996 with cervical cancer. She received radiation for the cancer but there were signs that the cancer may not have been cured. In October 1997 she was introduced to an alternative therapist.

"He asked me how I saw my cancer , which to me appeared as a black lump. He then showed me how to go into a trance like state and visualise my cancer on a sheet of paper, and as I enjoy painting as a pastime, he suggested that I try to paint it to a nice healthy pink colour. I did this everyday and finally had a plain sheet of paper. After a while I noticed that my jaundice was improving and my water was a better colour. In mid-December last year, I was doing my visualisation and as the paper appeared, thinking I must try to colour the lump pink, a match appeared and set the paper on fire, which seemed strange. When I attended the outpatients clinic on the 6th February 1998 the

doctor told me that he could not find the cancer, and although I do not feel my old self, I feel that I am getting there and I am convinced that the mind can help to heal the body if you will let it."

Her therapist says this of her treatment:

"After I had treated her by correcting her natural energy field...Using hypnosis I helped her to visualise the cancer as pink healthy flesh and gave her the Relax & Let Go tape"

My brother-in-law opened the bottom drawer of my sister's bureau and lifted out a tissue-wrapped package. "This," he said, "is not a slip. This is lingerie." He discarded the tissue and handed me the slip.

It was exquisite; silk, handmade and trimmed with a cobweb of lace. The price tag with an astronomical figure on it was still attached. "Jan bought this the first time we went to New York, at least 8 or 9 years ago.

She never wore it. She was saving it for a special occasion. Well, I guess this is the occasion." He took the slip from me and put it on the bed with the other clothes we were taking to the mortician. His hands lingered on the soft material for a moment, then he slammed the drawer shut and turned to me. "Don't ever save anything for a special occasion. Every day you're alive is a special occasion."

I remembered those words through the funeral and the days that followed when I helped him and my niece attend to all the sad chores that follow an unexpected death. I thought about them on the plane returning to California from the Midwestern town where my sister's family lives. I thought about all the things that she hadn't seen or heard or done. I thought about the things that she had done without realizing that they were special. I'm still thinking about his words, and they've changed my life. I'm reading more and dusting less. I'm sitting on the deck and admiring the view without fussing about the weeds in the garden. I'm spending more time with my family and friends and less time in committee meetings. Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experience to savor, not endure. I'm trying to recognize these moments now and cherish them. I'm not "saving" anything; we use our good china and crystal for every special event-such as losing a pound, getting the sink unstopped, the first camellia blossom. I wear my good blazer to the market if I feel like it. My theory is if I look prosperous, I can shell out $28.49 for one small bag of groceries without wincing. I'm not saving my good perfume for special parties; clerks in hardware stores and tellers in banks have noses that function as well as my party-going friends'.

"Someday" and "one of these days" are losing their grip on my vocabulary. If it's worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now. I'm not sure what my sister would have done had she known that she wouldn't be here for the tomorrow we all take for granted. I think she would have called family members and a few close friends. She might have called a few former friends to apologize and mend fences for past squabbles. I like to think she would have gone out for a Chinese dinner, her favorite food. I'm guessing-I'll never know.

It's those little things left undone that would make me angry if I knew that my hours were limited. Angry because I put off seeing good Friends whom I was going to get in touch with-someday. Angry because I hadn't written certain letters that I intended to write-one of these days. Angry and sorry that I didn't tell my husband and daughter often enough how much I truly love them. I'm trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything that would add laughter and luster to our lives.

And every morning when I open my eyes, I tell myself that it is special. Every day, every minute, every breath truly is...a gift from God.