CANCER STORY: Success & Hard Truth

Two Years After Intensive Chemo. Took Herbs and Remained Well for Seven Years Now

Siew (A948) was 20 years old when he suffered high fevers on and off in 1996. There was also a lump on the left side of his neck. He consulted a Chinese sinseh who told him that this was due to heatiness. Since the problem persisted,

The treatment consisted of the following:

Induction Phase
1. Vincristine on days 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29.
2. Daunorubicin on days 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29.
3. Prednisolone on days 1 to 22.
4. L-asparaginase on days 15 to 28.
After the induction phase, treatment rested for 2 weeks and phase 2 started as follows:

Phase 2
1. Cyclophosphamide on days 26 and 50.
2. Ara C (andriamycin) on days 13 to 16, 43 to 46, 50 to 53 and 57 to 60.
3. 6-MP, throughout cranial irradiation.
4. MTX
5. Cranial irradiation for 15 times.
After completion of Phase 2, treatment rested for 2 weeks and continued with:

Phase 3
1. Mitoxanthrone on days 2 and 3.
2. Ara C on days 1 to 4.

On 31 July 1997, Siew’s liver enzymes were elevated and HbsAg was reactive. His doctor thought this was probably due to blood transfusion related hepatitis. Further chemotherapy was withheld. Siew’s liver function returned to normal and the ultrasound of his abdomen was also normal. A Bone Marrow Aspiration (BMA) done on 17 September 1997, showed no evidence of infiltration.

From 1 October 1997, Siew was treated with MTX, L-asparaginase, folinic acide and methotrexate. On 29 October 1997, another BMA was performed and the result was negative. More chemotherapy treatments followed on regular basis until May 1998.

Siew was on oral medication in 1999. In 2000 he seemed to be well and was not on any medication. In July 2000, Siew came to seek our help. He was prescribed some herbs but that first visit was also his last visit to us.

About 2 years later, in March 2002, Siew came back to see us again. He presented with:
1. Feeling of heaviness in his head.
2. Tiredness.
3. Swellings on the right side of his neck. There were pulling sensations with slight pains.
We suggested that Siew go back to his doctors at the hospital for further medical treatment. Siew flatly refused. He told us that the doctor wanted to do a biopsy of the lump. He also knew that he would most likely have to undergo chemotherapy again. Siew said that in the past he had been very lucky to get out of the hospital alive. While in the hospital receiving treatment, he saw many patients in similar situation did not make it and died.

We respected Siew’s decision to opt for herbs instead of chemotherapy. We cautioned him that the lumps in his neck may not go away. And there would be no guarantee that he would be better either. Siew and his wife understood the risks he was taking.

Siew felt better after one week on the herbs. His head did feel heavy anymore. The lumps in his neck seemed to loosen up and there were no more pulling sensations. However, he still felt tired.

After about two months on the herbs, Siew noticed that the neck swelling seemed to increase in size. Also, there were additional lumps. However, Siew’s health was good.

After about a year on herbs, Siew reported that he had less episodes of fevers compared to previous time. However, sometimes he felt heaty. Our Heat Flu herbs helped him resolved this problem. At an earlier occasion, Siew showed us there were 3 lumps forming a loose cluster in his neck. But by then, two lumps had disappeared. The size of the remaining lump has gone smaller.

As of this writing, April 2009, it has been 7 years since Siew decided to abandon medical intervention and came to see. During this period, he took our herbs very religiously and kept to our recommended diet. Siew appeared well and did not suffer any problem. He is well to this day.
On 12 April 2009, we had a short chat with Siew and his wife. Following are excerpts of our conversation.

Chris (C): You look good.

C: You had cancer in 1997?
S: Yes. There was a lump at my neck. I went to GH for my chemo.

C: How long was your chemotherapy?
S: About 2 years, in and out of hospital.
W: After that it came back. In one and a half years, there was a big lump again.

S: Now there is also a lump.
W: But it is very small, so very tiny.

C: Let me see. Why is it red?
S: I touched it.
W: Cannot feel it any more. Last time, I could easily feel it. It was much bigger.

S: Last time, I can feel it as soon as I place my hand on the neck. Now, I have to really feel for it. I have to press into the neck to find it.
W: Like you say: Live with it.

C: In these seven years, do you have any problems?
S: Not really. Sometimes I may have a bit of fever.
W: Very seldom now. Last time, it was very often.

C: I remember, you used to have fevers very often.
W: In agreement.
S: When I get a headache, the fever will also come.
W: But it is nothing serious.

C: So, after the chemo, there was a recurrence?
W: The doctor wanted him to go for biopsy. But he ran away.
(Everybody laughing)

C: The doctor recommended chemo?
S: But they wanted to do a biopsy first.
W: I brought him out of the hospital.
S: She brought me home. She helped me run away.

C: What made you do that?
W: We already know that it is cancer. What is the point of doing another biopsy? It does not make sense. That was how I thought then. So, I brought him here. I don’t like the idea of disturbing the lump.

S: To me it is alright to do the biopsy. But after that, they want me to do chemotherapy. I do not want to do anymore chemotherapy. My wife’s way of thinking gave me a way (a choice) to refuse chemo.
W: He did not want to do any more chemotherapy as he suffered badly when he had his chemo before.

C: Was chemotherapy so terrible?
W: He even fainted on the road at one time.
S: It was a black out – but it was only for a short period of time. It was during my chemotherapy days.

W: And his liver was also affected. There was nothing wrong with his liver before the chemotherapy. The doctor said he had hepatitis and all sorts of thing. They wanted him to take more medications. Since he had a choice, he chose to come here. We did exactly what you told us to do. He drank apple juice and juice extracted from the leaves of seven needles plant and all that.

C: I remember. When you first came, I was also worried for you.
S: At that time, I was only twenty plus years old. Now I am already thirty plus years old.
W: But the most important thing is the food he eats.

S: If I were to go for chemo, I cannot do any work.
C: You mean, the two years during your chemotherapy, you did not work?
S: Yes, I did not work. You see, I cannot eat well. I vomited. I felt weak.

C: What about your memory?
S: Not bad.
W: You forget very easily. You do not have good memory.
S: Of course I can remember whatever happened a day or two ago. But for things that happened too long ago, I don’t remember very well.
W: He does not remember faces. Cannot recognize people he met.

C: Compare to the time before your chemo. Is there a difference in your memory?
S & W: Yes. There is a difference.

S: I forget more easily. I am not as sharp as before.
W: He is quite slow.
S: (In agreement) Yes. When I talk, it is not like before. I do not speak as fluently as before. Sort of become a bit blunt. Not as sharp as before.

W: And his hair is not as much as before. It had thinned a lot. And it had not grown back to as much as before.
S: When I talk, at times I cannot express myself well. I could not find the words to say whatever I wanted to say.

C: Before your chemotherapy, do you experience this?
S: No, never.

W: The only thing is he cannot eat what everybody else eats.
C: Don’t think so much about eating.
S: That is not important, that I am alive is good enough.

Comment

We have documented a similar case with Devi. She had a relapse soon after chemotherapy was completed. She took herbs and regained her health. It has been 12 years and Devi is still doing fine, leading a normal life. So Siew’s healing is not a fluke shot! It is a repeat of Devi’s case. Repeatability and this is what science is all about!