Today’s post is from one of our younger beneficiaries who
has kindly agreed to share his story. Pablo, 26, from Wrangaton in Devon is
living with a brain tumour.
It started out in August 2014 with some migraines and
nausea. I was working as a garden centre assistant in mid-summer and one day
after work I had what I thought was a stroke. My GP said that it may well be a
migrainous aura. I went back to work and carried on as normal thinking I was
okay and just needed to hydrate more.
A week or so later I had another episode at the end of work,
with continuous headaches and distorted vision occurrences throughout the week.
Turns out they were seizures.
I returned again to my doctor and explained that I felt
there was something very wrong with me and that I would like to go to the
hospital for a scan. I had the CT scan and was told by the attending
Neuro-Doctor that it was all clear. I went home feeling grateful. The next day
though, I got a phone call from the doctor explaining that he had spoken with a
neuro-surgeon and that there was an abnormality within my brain and that I
would need to come back in for a MRI scan.
This shattered my whole world really. I felt as though I was
dying. The fear I felt and anticipation of news that would change my life kept
me in a state of despair for the whole day before the MRI. (What does
abnormality mean? Is it a tumour?)
I know people say this all the time, but nothing can prepare
you for something like this. Nothing at all…
I went back to the hospital and had the scan, my partner
waiting for me, hoping and praying for an all clear result. As was I.
I’ve got to say that the whole experience of having a scan
is uncomfortable and very loud! Afterwards I saw the doctor and he didn’t mess around or
fumble for the right words. He said ‘it is definitely a tumour, as for what
grade of tumour, you would have to have a biopsy’.
Devastation! Complete and horrific devastation. I and my
partner were in tears. Shaking and deeply afraid of the next stage of our
lives.
How do you carry on living knowing that you could die?
The big “C” word, Cancer. Everybody knows that it kills. The
statistical data for survival is not good.
A month later I had the biopsy and recovered very quickly. I then got the call from the hospital after two very long and arduous weeks saying the
Neuro-Surgeon would like to see me. My mum, my partner and I all went into the
hospital to wait for the result.
The surgeon tells me it is a Glioblastoma Multiforme. I know
what this means as I have done a tonne of research into the grades of cancer. I
say, “so this is terminal,” he replies “yes”.
My partner goes white as a sheet, my mother looks stunned and I seem to
be keeping my cool. For about a minute or so, I am calm and pensive. Then the
shock kicks in and I blurt out, “oh F**K IT ALL!” have a little cry and then harden my resolve. I know that if I become weakened by a little life or death
situation, I might as well die. I tell the doctor, “I want to live, and this is
my opportunity to love life and live well!”
That’s my story really. You get the most devastating news
you could possibly get. Yet it doesn’t kill your spirit right there and then.
It makes you want to live all the more!
I opted out of Chemo & radiotherapies and chose to do my
own thing.
The whole concept of poisoning your body with a toxic drug
made no sense to me so I chose to try an “alternative” and much more natural
approach to treating my terminal cancer.
I am currently one year into my alternative therapies. I take
numerous anti-cancer supplements to support my immune system and to decrease
inflammation. I am on a ketogenic, high fat diet which means my body is adapted
to burning fat instead of sugar as its fuel. Tumours love sugar and I am
starving my “terminal” cancer of its fuel to grow.
This diet is brilliant at stopping my seizures and I am
actually much healthier than I have ever been in my life. Twice a week I see a Toyahari Acupuncturist. He monitors my
system and tweaks anything out of alignment. I also see a Cranio-sacral osteopathist
once a week.
I get advice on which supplements to take through an
organisation called Nutritional Solutions in America, they have extensive
knowledge of natural ways of treating cancer and also to support people
undergoing conventional treatments and to help alleviate the symptoms of
chemotherapy.
I am one year into my self-administered treatment and I have
halted the tumour growth for a second time by maintaining a very strict diet of
no carbohydrates and taking all the correct supplements for my system, daily.
Considering the life expectancy of a patient with GBM 4 is about two years
maximum I feel I am doing extremely well.
The only downside of doing it without the NHS is that my
family and friends are constantly struggling to find the funds to buy all the
expensive supplements I need to keep me going.
I can’t remember how I found out about Yes to Life. I think
that in my research into cancer I stumbled upon their website and the freedom
of information they provided gave me inspiration and ideas for my own self betterment.
Charities like this are so important, providing a well of information to anyone
with cancer who needs some free information with no bias.
I called the helpline and they were very helpful. Yes to
Life funded me to have a consultation with Patricia Peat of Cancer Options and
with her help I ended up getting all of the necessary information to help me
battle this tumour.
Yes to Life then offered me financial support to help pay
for the supplements and therapies I use, which is a great help. I have now set
up a Personal Fundraising page through Yes to Life to raise money to continue
to fund my journey.
I had an MRI scan last week, and you will be pleased to hear...THE TUMOUR IS STABLE! It's
the simple things in life ey...
If you would like to contribute to Pablo’s campaign to
support him to continue on his journey you can do so here
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