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A friend from church heard about my plan to juice my cancer away. She began messaging me about her cousin-in-law, Jessica, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer after surviving an earlier bout of breast cancer. She started juicing based on information from chrisbeatcancer.com and was seeing amazing results. I was intrigued. So I started messaging this new cancer buddy. We began by getting to know each other. We began by sharing our cancer history and where we’re at with our healing; things we’ve tried and doctors we’ve seen. She told me of a local naturopath that she had a couple of appointments. I had actually researched him and had considered going to him at one point. She was not impressed with him after he told her to stop taking her vitamins. So I asked which vitamins she was taking and about the diet she was following. She listed most of the vitamins in the alphabet and also some supplements. She mentioned that she was mostly vegetarian but she did eat turkey and chicken for protein. She gave me a great pep talk and then I began asking about her juicing regimen. That’s when she mentioned chrisbeatcancer.com and that he was her inspiration and guide to juicing. I was excited to have someone who shared in my struggle with cancer and who I could relate to. I loved that she was so upbeat and positive.
So I went to the website, chrisbeatcancer.com. Chris Wark, the creator and author, is a colon cancer survivor. He was diagnosed in 2003 with stage IIIc colon cancer with metastasis to nearby lymph nodes. He underwent surgery to remove part of his colon, a golf-ball sized tumor, and 49 lymph nodes. Following his surgery, he was advised to undergo chemotherapy for 9-12 months. He refused and chose to pursue natural therapies. In his own words,
I removed all the toxic inputs of the Western diet and lifestyle, and replaced them with whole food nutrition. I corrected all my nutritional deficiencies and in the process strengthened my immune system and changed the internal terrain of my body– making it inhospitable to cancer. Most importantly, I put my trust in God to lead me in the path of healing.
https://www.chrisbeatcancer.com/faq/
He is currently cancer free and has become a prominent voice in the movement advocating for alternative treatments to cancer.
As I perused the website, I found the information fascinating. Not only does Chris discuss his own path to “spontaneous remission,” but he interviews scores of survivors of various types of cancer that achieved remission through alternative therapies as well. He also has Skype interviews with experts in the field of alternative and holistic treatments. I could literally spend hours upon hours sifting through all the information and resources on his site. It left me feeling hopeful and empowered in my chosen path to healing.
I continued juicing, more confident that it would help heal my body from the cancer. I focused mainly on carrot juice, carrot apple juice, and then I started various concoctions of a beet medley, and a conglomeration of greens. Those tended to border on the “barely tolerable” side of the taste scale. Not something that I would actively seek out to drink, but I felt good after and tolerated it with the knowledge that it was “curin’ cancer.” I did learn the hard way that certain vegetables just don’t belong in juice because… well frankly, it just tastes bad. These included onions and leeks for sure. Also, herbs, while highly beneficial, taste awful in large doses. I had read that cilantro and parsley are fantastic chelators (meaning they remove heavy metals from the body) so I added an entire bunch to one of my juices. I’m pretty sure I just poured that one down the drain. I learned through trial and error how much of each vegetable I could add before it made the entire juice taste weird. And I learned that adding extra apple or lemon can usually hide the weird taste. These were all helpful lessons that made my juicing experience more enjoyable over time.
A couple of weeks had gone by and it was time for my next appointment with Dr. John. I had been getting more and more anxious during the time leading up to it. What would the results show? Would I be able to have my first dose of IV Vitamin C? If so, what would it feel like? I really wanted to “get this show on the road,” as they say. Since Jeremy had to work that day, I had to find a babysitter for the kids and drove the 40 minutes into town to the appointment by myself. After waiting anxiously in the waiting room for a little while, Dr. John met with me in an exam room and very somberly told me that the results were not good. My heart dropped to my stomach. He reviewed the values that were abnormal: my eosinophils were high; folate was low; thyroglobulin antibodies were high; my ANA was elevated against my intracellular Golgi; low vitamin D; and I am homozygous for the A1298C mutation in the MTHFR gene. I understood what some of it meant, but I didn’t grasp the whole picture. Dr. John explained that the MTHFR double mutation affects my ability to remove harmful chemicals from my body which led to the cancer and this new diagnosis of Hashimotos thyroiditis autoimmune disease. He was right—the results were not good. However, this was so much more information than I had before. I now had a reason why my body developed cancerous tumors. And now that I knew the cause, I could work towards preventing a recurrence.
After discussing my test results we talked about additional tests and supplements I should take such as a test for parasites and heavy metals, supplementing with vitamin D and methylfolate. By this point I was more than willing to submit to any and every test he recommended and I was anxious to get started taking supplements to help my body heal itself.
He then led me to one of the relatively small treatment rooms. It had two metal IV poles next to two leather recliners, one of which was already occupied by an older woman who looked in pretty rough shape. I was eager to start the vitamin C treatments but I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Dr. John started the IV himself and explained to me all of the supplemental vitamins and minerals he added to the bag. I had him repeat it but I still only remember a few such as methylfolate and apricot seed extract. As he was getting all the tubing connected and hung the bag, I was startled by the bright yellow color of the fluid. It seemed bright and happy, like sunshine.
He told me that he was starting me out on a small dosage of the vitamin C—25 grams, but that he would gradually work up to 100 grams. To put it in perspective, a typical oral supplement of vitamin C contains 1000 milligrams, or 1 gram. He explained some of the sensations I may feel as the infusion progressed. I may feel like my head is in a bubble, sluggish speech, nausea and vomiting are possible as well (as he placed a trash bin close to my recliner). I was surprised since I had heard that there were little to no side effects associated with IV vitamin C treatment, and the lady next to me didn’t seem to be affected in any way that was related to the infusion. Nevertheless, I put myself on high alert to be aware of any new sensations that I may feel.
After checking to make sure the fluid was flowing through the tubing and into my veins without any leaks or bleeding, he left the room. The first thing I noticed was a weird taste in my mouth. Not something to make me nauseous—just different. I actually didn’t associate the taste with the infusion until several treatments later. As I sat there watching the yellow fluid drip through the tubing, the quiet became a little unnerving and awkward, as there was another person in the room. It’s the kind of silence where you feel like there should be a conversation about a shared experience, but it’s awkward and you don’t know how to start the conversation. Or maybe that’s just me. Thoughts flew around my brain as I tried to think of a tactful way to begin a conversation and find out more about her: her diagnosis, which treatments she tried, and how successful any of the treatments have been. I introduced myself and began by asking her if this was her first time receiving a vitamin C treatment. “No,” she said. She had had several treatments prior to this one. She explained that they help, but she worried she was too far along for them to make any difference in her outcome. She proceeded to tell me that a few years ago she had been diagnosed with colon cancer. It was caught early on and she dutifully did everything her doctors recommended to her—surgery, chemotherapy, radiation—the works. After all the treatments she was declared cancer free and in remission. She rejoiced in her luck and vowed to live her second chance at life in a healthy way. Well, as life happens, a close family member died. That sent her into a depressed state. She no longer cared whether she lived or died and basically said, “To hell with it!” She started drinking again and eating whatever she wanted. A short time later she noticed a pain in her abdomen and went to the doctor.
About this time, Dr. John came in to check on us and she asked for help to go to the bathroom. He left and came back with the receptionist and they assisted her to a sitting position. After wrangling the IV tubing and the pole, they helped this frail lady to a standing position with a few moans and whimpers of pain from her. She slowly staggered from the room to the bathroom, leaning heavily upon her two helpers. Several minutes passed before she staggered back into the room with her assitants, exhausted. The situated her back into her recliner, adjusted the tubing and pole, and made sure she was comfortable before they left.
When she had settled down and relaxed some, she continued her story. Sure enough, her cancer was back. She had had enough of doctors and treatments and turned her back on conventional medicine. But she did want to alleviate her pain and symptoms. So she found Dr. John and has been pursuing IV vitamin C and ozone treatments. After a pause in the conversation she looked at me and asked, “What about you? What’s your story? You got any kids?” I briefly told her about how they found cancer during the birth of my fifth child and how chemotherapy has been shown to be ineffective for this type of cancer. She responded, “Well, hopefully it’s not too late for you.”
A couple of hours later and the last of the yellow drops of sunshine fell from the bag into the tubing. Dr. John entered the room not long after to check the progress of the infusion. When he noticed it was finished, he began disconnecting the tubing. He asked how I responded to the infusion and I told him that I didn’t notice any noticeable side effects except for a little dizziness. He said that would soon go away. We then talked about his plan for future infusions—he wanted to increase my dose to 30 grams at the next visit and then do an ozone treatment. Then he advised that I come to the clinic twice a week for treatments. I agreed to it although in my mind I knew it was a huge commitment to find someone to watch my kids for so long twice a week for at least six months. But considering the alternative, it was definitely doable. After Dr. John left the room, my “roommate” asked if I had ever had the ozone treatment before. When I told her “no,” she said, “Those treatments are hard. They make you feel like you have the flu the day after.” That’s just great. More side effects that I hadn’t heard about. I got up to go and I realized how badly I needed to go to the bathroom. As I stood up, I felt a little bit dizzy. But I decided to power through it and go—because I really had to go! Coming out of the bathroom I noticed I felt less dizzy but I decided to wait a few more minutes before driving home to make sure I was not a danger on the road. Within ten minutes I was feeling pretty much back to normal.
On the drive home I noticed that the dizziness went away entirely. That was comforting to know that the side effects went away so quickly. I contrasted that with the side effects of chemotherapy that are much worse and can last for days to weeks to even months after the infusion. I was feeling very grateful that I chose the route that I did.
To continue the story, go here.