A few words of gratitude

Today’s post is a short thank you from one of our beneficiaries, Keith, who has been following the Gerson Therapy protocol with support from Yes to Life.

May I offer a few words of gratitude to Yes To Life and of course it’s fundraisers for the incredible self-less consideration being paid to others like myself. I was diagnosed over two years ago with an advanced stage blood cancer, which can only be treated conventionally but not cured.

             

My body was literally riddled with disease both visibly on the surface and within. Immediately after my diagnosis I embarked on the Gerson Therapy in order to rebuild my immune system. Gerson is well established as an answer to cancer but of course the costs are not borne by drug companies or governments. Thanks in no small part to the kindness of Yes to Life and others I have been able to maintain the rather demanding cost of the full Gerson protocol alongside other adjunct therapies which combined have put me into an advanced state of recovery.

My change in direction after a cancer recurrance

Today’s post is from one of our beneficiaries who has kindly agreed to share her story. Claire, 47, from Devon took an integrative approach after suffering a recurrence of cancer. 

I was diagnosed with stage 3b inflammatory breast cancer in October 2012. This is a rare form of breast cancer where there is not a lump, but a swelling and redness. I was completely in shock after my diagnosis, as it was also found that the cancer had spread to lymph nodes under my arm. My children were five and seven at the time, and I was so worried and scared that I would not be around to see them grow up.

I had seven rounds of chemotherapy soon after diagnosis, followed by a mastectomy and three weeks of radiotherapy. I then had herceptin every three weeks for two years.

Unfortunately this was not the end of the story. I had a recurrence in my neck two years later in October 2014, which was treated with six months of Kadcyla chemotherapy.

An introduction to Bach Flower Remedies

Today our post comes from Sara, a Bach Flower Remedies Practitioner, who talks about the impact of stress on the body and the benefits of using these remedies are for those diagnosed with cancer. 

Hello everybody, my name is Sara and I am a Bach Flower Remedies Practitioner. I am writing this post because I believe the Bach Flower Remedies (BFR) can be a big help for people with cancer. When your Doctor diagnoses you with cancer, a wave of emotion will hit you. These emotions have a deep effect that cannot be underestimated or ignored.

A diagnosis of cancer is undoubtedly a trigger for a lot of emotions and a very stressful situation to deal with. Everybody reacts in their own way. Shock, fear of death, worry about the outcome, concern for our beloved, panic, despair, anger towards this invader, self-pity… there isn’t a right or wrong way to feel about having cancer.

Seeking alternatives in Mexico

Today’s post is from one of our beneficiaries who has kindly agreed to share his story. Kent, 56, from Devon has travelled annually to Mexico for the past seven years to seek alternative approaches.

After about six months of investigative tests and treatment for a non-existent ulcer, I was diagnosed in September 2007 with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. My first response was to either go for a trial drug or chemotherapy and radiation. But after a little research I realized how naïve I was and choose to discount previous orthodox options that had not yet been offered to me. I was told that when I got worse those options would become available to me but for the time being my treatment would be 'watchful waiting'.

The only orthodox treatment I had was diagnostic, some surgery to biopsy two lymph nodes and determine if I indeed had cancer. The biopsies confirmed that I did.

Five Years On: My Reflection

Today's blog post is from our intern, Olivia Tilton talking about her experience of grief having lost her own mother 5 years ago to breast cancer. 

We all knew it was going to happen. 

After all, everyone has to die. 

I just wasn’t prepared for it. In any way, shape or form. 

She had been in a hospice for around two months. She had litres of fluid surrounding her lungs and heart. She was so, so exhausted. It was staring us right in the face. But still, at midday on the 10th of November 2010, my whole world seemed to collapse in around me when my mum died.