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Background:
I am a 55 year old woman who was diagnosed with kidney failure in February of 2008 and after numerous tests, multiple myeloma in April of 2008. A bone marrow biopsy taken in March showed 26% penetration of cancer cells but x-rays showed no bone involvement. The oncologist said I wouldn’t live five years. He pushed very hard for chemotherapy, which I initially resisted. I finally relented and went on Velcade in May of 2008, and continued this treatment through the rest of the year. I understand that Velcade only blocks the further effects of the bad protein; it doesn’t specifically target cancer cells because it can’t penetrate the blood/brain barrier.

I had already started on a vegetarian regimen to save stress on my kidneys. We decided to intensify the vegetarian effort and convert to almost 100% vegan (difficult for a dialysis patient, because the dialysis process removes the good albumen (protein) while leaving the bad, and your kidneys no longer regulate electrolytes, which are plentiful in raw fruits and vegetables). I am on dialysis two days per week (the frequency was just lowered).

Anyway, I started following a regimen called the Budwig Protocol. You can read more about it here:

http://www.cancertutor.com/Cancer/Budwig.html

That page has been expanded since I was doing the program, it seems like there is a lot of good information there.

There is also a Budwig support group on Yahoo! Groups:

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/FlaxSeedOil2/files/

Just apply to join and they will approve you.

I also took homemade apricot pit capsules, homemade turmeric capsules, drank green tea and kombucha tea, and ate a ton of raw vegetables and fruit. You can read more about kombucha here:

http://gtskombucha.com/

We bought a Jack LaLanne juicer at Macy’s (not online, we wanted to have a retail outlet to back us up) and my husband made fresh green juice for me just about every day. I think Costco sells them too. The Gerson protocol is also based on fresh juices but their cancer health program is pretty expensive ($3k). Charlotte Gerson is in San Diego and operates a clinic in Tijuana, Mexico.

After a while, I developed a gall bladder problem. For a couple of days, all I ate was raw shredded beets with lemon juice and flaxseed oil! But the gall bladder attack subsided, thank the Lord! If you ever have this problem, here is a terrific resource:

http://gallbladderattack.com/

Many people prayed for me, and my work, family and friends could not have been more supportive. Especially my husband! Thank God for him!

As fall came along, I was getting tired of salads and looked up a doctor here in California who knew something about both nephrology (kidney problems) and nutrition. He was very impressed with the lab results and said to keep doing what we were doing. He told me I needed more vitamin D (good for any cancer patient, by the way), and sold us a supplement for protein enhancement and some fish oil. I take those every day (or when I remember, LOL). They give me vitamin D at dialysis, but I also take 5,000IU daily. My naturopath’s website is here:

http://www.iprogressivemed.com/index.html

We recently joined a raw foods group in Fresno to support and get support from other people interested in raw foods.

Results:
The second biopsy (November 2008) showed 0 cancer cells. That was in the space of about 7 months. I was very happy, as you can imagine.

The entire time I was on chemotherapy, the cancer doctor’s appointment papers said, “Multiple myeloma without mention of remission.” My dialysis time is down to 3:00 hours per session, two sessions per week, and I have also lost 50 pounds. I feel terrific!

My oncologist advised me to contact the City of Hope to discuss a bone marrow transplant. I went, and they referred me to Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix, but I am not going to have the procedure done. I want to rebuild my immune system now that the MM is in remission. From what I’ve read, I didn’t think chemotherapy could penetrate the blood/brain barrier, hence the need for bone marrow transplant to attack the cancer cells inside the bone.

Heh, when the biopsy came back negative, the doctor never asked me about my diet - I’m sure he thinks it’s irrelevant. But according to the DVD Healing Cancer From Inside Out, that would have been between 8 and 16 billion cancer cells that got killed in 7 months. What killed them? What can cross the blood/brain barrier? Not chemotherapy.

http://www.amazon.com/Healing-Cancer-Inside-Mike-Anderson/dp/B00132XZFQ

You can watch a preview here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xkyMAYmrQY

I hope this helps anyone who reads my story. Please start reading everything you can about alternative treatments. I’m not saying don’t take chemotherapy, but I am saying you don’t have to just sit back and let the doctor and his medicine do all the work. You can be a partner in your therapy!