I was recently featured in the Gerson Newsletter. Gerson is the Natural Therapy I used to overcome a rather aggressive form of Breast Cancer. By the time I had a mastectomy of my left breast, the tumor was almost 3 1/2 pounds and 14" across. Just closing the wound was a huge concern but due to having been on the therapy for a while by the time of the surgery, they were able to do a simple close and I did not require skin grafts.
It has been over 3 years later and I am still cancer free without having taken chemotherapy or radiation. We are still having a fight with Lyme Disease but my body is beginning to kick-in and we have seen some progress. Not only have I been able to stand but we are preparing for an Achille Tendon lengthening surgery to straighten my left foot which, with some diligent effort, will give me the ability to begin walking with a walker.
While I have a link to the actual Gerson Article, it was an edited version so below I have included the complete article.
One area that cannot be stated enough is the role of my family in my recovery. My husband dealt with all the doctors that were all too willing to declare me dead and tried to push conventional treatments that even they did not believe would help. Josh took me through the therapy when I had difficulty putting a sentence together and our children were an active part each step of the way. Every birthday, holiday or even just family night is appreciated even more because we know, it took everyone to make those days still possible. I am truly blessed...
The Full Gerson Article:
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My
story starts as an active wife and mother of three who worked in our family
business, homeschooled our three children, milked goats morning and night,
ground my own wheat to bake homemade bread, cooked organic meals, handled all
the family finances as well as the company's finances and walked 2 miles a day
when, suddenly, one day in September of 2007, my life changed forever. I was going about my normal activities
like any other given day and by the next 24 hours, it was like someone switched
on a light, I was in more pain than I have ever felt in my life.
At
first I thought it was a terrible flu but the pain began to increase and what
we thought was a poison ivy rash from a few weeks before, now became very
suspicious. What we thought was
the flu, and what the doctor diagnosed as a sinus infection, turned out to be
Chronic Disseminated Neurological Lyme Disease. My life literally changed overnight. I maintained some form structure for a
few more months by using more Tylenol than was good for me to make it through
the day, not without pain, but just to function. At Christmas, I almost passed out in a store and that was
the last time I shopped on my own two feet. I barely made it to the car and home. I fell into my bed there I would stay
for the next few years.
The
doctors were still unsure what was happening until I was finally diagnosed with
a rare form of Lyme Disease in January 2008. By this time, I was bed ridden and dealing with Bell's
Palsy, extreme leg spasms, degraded sight, loss of cognitive function and pain,
extreme pain. By this time I was
heavy doses of Percocet but it wasn't touching the nerve pain. We had started on the extreme Lyme
treatments of high doses of antibiotics along with various other drugs, but
after approximately 9 months, I began reacting badly to them. I could barely lift my head off my
pillow and I saw my children's lives flashing before me and I wasn't a part of
them. I could no longer take care
of myself, nonetheless, work or take care of the house and children.
My
husband struggling with maintaining a house, taking care of the children and
working two contracts in an attempt to pay for both, the high price of
insurance which paid for very little, as well as pay to provide me with a
myriad of treatments the insurance wouldn't cover. Our children worked hard trying to help in the house as well
as take care of me but I was devastated I had to look on from a bed, helpless
to do my own work and knowing this was all because of me. It was April of 2008 when the joints in
my legs locked into place and I could no longer walk. I didn't know your legs could just stop working that way but
one day, I was walking to the bathroom and my knee stopped moving. From that moment on, I have been in a
wheelchair. My right leg was in a
-45 degree position and my left leg was in a -70 degree position with both
ankles in a drop-footed with no muscle control and hips locked in-place making
even going to the bathroom something I had to have assistance to do.
The
next few years were filled with treatments of all kinds, including Antibiotics,
Hyperbaric's and Kinesiology but nothing worked. The antibiotic therapy thought to be the only way to treat
the Lyme, put me in bed and extremely weak, I was unable to hold my head
up. I was nothing but skin and
bones and hope was fading with each passing day.
The
doctors were baffled. Then, to add
to the already unbearable situation, in January 2009, a large lump was
discovered in my left breast. I
had had a thickening in the breast for several years and in 2006, it had begun
to ache a little but I thought it was from wearing underwire bras. I changed my bra choice and the pain
got better but after the on-set of the Lyme, the thickening became a lump and
began to grow rapidly.
It
was first thought to be a Lyme cyst but it wasn't long before it was diagnosed
as breast cancer. Everyone's first
thought was the issue with my legs was the cancer having metastasized but after
various tests and scans, that was ruled out. The legs and the cancer were not related other than a
decrease immunity from the Lyme Disease, although, some more open-minded
doctors believe some rarer forms of Lyme and cancer are beginning to go
hand-in-hand.
The
two diseases didn't work well together.
Whatever treatment worked for the Lyme made the cancer worse and
whatever worked for the cancer affected the Lyme negatively. After months in HBOT treatment for the
Lyme, we had to stop because the cancer was thriving in a 100% oxygen
environment.
Doctors
were hesitant to touch me. The
tumor needed to be removed but I was so weak from the antibiotics used to treat
the Lyme, we had to push off the surgery so I could gain enough strength to
survive. It was a triple-negative
tumor so there was not a great chance that either chemotherapy or radiation
would be successful. After having
seen the Gerson Therapy work for a relative, Willie Mae Chappell, we opted for
that direction as our best chance.
We
were unable to go to the clinic
out of the country but worked with the doctors to administer the treatment at
home. We had to start with one
step at a time, changing the diet, moving to the juicing with the Champion at
first then moving to the Norwalk, adding the supplements, coffee breaks,
etc. It was a difficult process,
especially the coffee breaks since I was a paraplegic, making administering the
coffee breaks challenging at best.
After
the first two weeks on the therapy, we began to notice a reduction in my pain
level. I was on morphine but until
starting the Gerson Therapy, it did almost nothing. Once on the therapy, it was finally beginning to control
some of the pain, or at least, took the edge off. Nerve pain is difficult to control on any level.
Once
on the full therapy a phenomenon began to occur. The tumor would open up and spew out a red substance that at
first would appear to be blood but once cooled down, became a jelly-like. It would spew out with a force like
from a water gun. Towel and towel
would be filled before stopping.
It became such an issue, I could not safely leave the house. What we learned later, from the
surgeon, was this was the tumor expelling the dead cancer cells. The surgeon
said it was miraculously since she had never seen a tumor do this unless
someone was undergoing heavy Chemotherapy treatments to reduce the size of the
tumor. She was amazed we
were doing the same thing with the Gerson Therapy. Her eyes were beginning to open to new possibilities.
By
the end of 2009, the bottom part of the tumor had begun to die. Unfortunately, since the tumor was far
too large for my body to absorb it, an infection set in the dead area. This reduced my immunity and allowed
the top part of the tumor to flourish.
Everyone agreed, it needed to come out but I had been too weak to withstand
the surgery. Finally, after being
on the Gerson therapy for a few months, my strength rebounded enough in
December 2009, I underwent the mastectomy.
The
doctors were still unsure I would make it through the surgery. In addition, we were still dealing with
my legs spasming and the severe pain, along with all the other Lyme symptoms
which made dealing with the cancer all that much more difficult. Due to the fact I would go into a deep
Herx when on Antibiotics, it made the surgery extremely difficult as well as
saline drips they wanted to give me for the surgery.
The
tumor was 3 ½ pounds by the time it was removed and over 14 inches across. There was an operating room full of
specialist. With the tumor being
so large, the problem was how to close after removing the cancer. The plan was to do muscles grafts since
they believed the tumor had grown into the chest wall, secondly, there were to
be skin grafts from three places on my body and a negative pressure wound
therapy to promote healing. All the
plans were made and I was rolled into the operating room to have the tumor, and
my breast, removed.
Once
in surgery, everyone was surprised.
The tumor had not grown into the chest wall at all, in fact, my body had
pushed the 3 ½ pound tumor out of the body so that the entire tumor was sitting
on skin level. There was no
muscles or skin grafts needed and in the end. The clearances were so good, they were able to perform a
simple mastectomy taking only 2 lymph nodes.
When
the pathology report came back, everyone was in amazement that although the 3 ½
pound tumor was a triple-negative tumor, the 2 lymph nodes that were wrapped in
the tumor and had to be removed were both negative and did not contain
cancer. The doctors had no idea
how that was possible. Our surgeon
was so impressed; she did not pressure me to go with chemo or radiation and
asked only that I continue with the Gerson Therapy since it was working so
well.
Once
home we began with the healing process.
An odd issue did come up, however.
As I was checking over my incision one day I noticed there were small
cream-colored pin-like things sticking out all along the incision. They were evenly spaced and hurt a
little to touch. Being concerned,
we made the trip in to see the surgeon.
The
surgeon sat in amazement as it was determined, by body was rejecting the
sutures and was pushing them out, just like it did the cancer. We actually had to slide off the Gerson
therapy a little, adding some chicken, dairy and eggs, to slow down the healing
process long enough to allow the wound to heal up without pushing out the
necessary sutures. Once the
healing completely, we went back on the full therapy.
Almost
three years after the surgery, I have just received my new cancer numbers and I
am clean again this year. My CBCs
look very good, although we are still fighting the Lyme and I have some
residual affects from being on the morphine for so long. Slowly but surely, we are gaining
control of the pain from the Lyme having infected my spinal fluid and damaging
the nerves. If I do not stay
faithful on the Gerson diet, I pay with additional pain.
Because
we have continued on the Gerson maintenance diet, I am able to maintain both
the clear cancer numbers as well as control the Lyme. Because the Gerson Therapy, I have not become addicted to
the morphine. On my good days, I
can simply not take as much pain medication without any negative effects. So, as we are working with the Physical
Therapy in hopes of retraining the nerves and muscles and hopefully reduce the
pain, I am able to lower the level of morphine I am taking.
I
have started Physical Therapy and have stood for the first time in six
years. There has been a lost of
communication between my muscles and brain but we are working hard to retraining
and are seeing significant progress.
My right leg is now at a -12 and my left leg is now at a -38. This is huge progress. I believe one day I will walk again.
The
Gerson Therapy saved my life.
There is no question in my mind, if I had attempted to use conventional
therapy, I would have died. By
using the Gerson Therapy, we gave my body the ability to fight the cancer and
the Lyme. While we are still in the
battle with the Lyme disease but I know it is better than what it would be if I
were trying to fight it with the antibiotics that nearly killed me.
I
am alive today because my wonderful husband and children gave everything to
work through every aspect of the therapy with me. Their dedication to my survival made the difference between
life and death. So, I am blessed
in so many ways and I’m alive to appreciate all them.
Sincerely,
Lynne
Ray-Rule
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| After I fully woke-up, I was starving. The hospital brought me a plate of pork! For a cancer patient! What were they thinking??? So, Josh Ran to Mrs. Greens and brought back a low sodium, organic vegetable soup and California Sushi for dinner that night. |
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| Waiting to be released so I could go home. I was suppose to be in the hospital for another 2 days but there was a snow storm headed our direction and our surgeon trusted my family's ability to care for me so, I was released. Josh even removed the tubing for the pain pump a few days laters. For a man who had trouble pulling our children's teeth, that was a heroic feat of love! |
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