Posted on 03/24/2021 10:38:24 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Sarah Hughes, 40, is using diet and exercise to prolong her time with her three kids
A mum diagnosed with cancer just months after giving birth to identical twins is attempting to "starve" the disease out of her body.
Last month, breast cancer sufferer Sarah Hughes found out she had months to live, after doctors found the rare cancer had spread to her liver.
However, the mum-of-three is determined to prolong her time with her children, taking on natural therapies and a special diet designed to help her body "starve" out the cancer.
Sarah, 40, was first diagnosed with the disease back in March 2019 when her twins were just five months old.
Her latest prognosis means she is facing the prospect of leaving behind twins William and Thomas, two, as well as six-year-old daughter Holly.
Speaking to Hertfordshire Live, she said: "I couldn't comprehend it,"
"I got them to ring my husband. I couldn't believe it and I don't think he could believe it, he was at work at the time.
"It was a shock. No one expected it. I'm a young, healthy, fit person, just had twins, living life and not realising the enormity of this. I couldn't take any of it in."
Doctors warned Sarah that she'd be in for a tough year with all the chemotherapy, but was told it could be managed.
The severity soon unfolded though and it was later confirmed she had a rare form of cancer - triple negative breast cancer. It develops in 10-15 per cent of all breast cancers and is more common in women under 40.
Sarah was then told she'd have to undergo a lumpectomy to remove the lump of breast tissue, followed by a year of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
"I realised that my life would change from that point on," she added.
After three surgeries, 26 chemotherapy infusions and 14 radiotherapy sessions over the last two years, her metastatic stage four triple negative breast cancer is continuing to spread through her body.
The cancer returned aggressively earlier this year and the diagnosis is bleak. In other words, there's no medical cure for it.
Sarah's recently had a biopsy in order to try and ascertain the genetic profile of her cancer and there are currently two drugs available to her - but if they don't work, those with metastatic triple negative cancer usually have an average lifespan of between six and 22 months and an average of 13.
Scots teen determined to walk again after Leukaemia leaves him without feeling in legs That prognosis was a month ago, and Sarah says she's fully aware the clock is ticking.
She begins her third round of chemotherapy this week, and it's one of the last lines available to her.
"On paper, that's what I'm facing and that is something that I'm struggling to accept," she said.
"I'm seeing other patients living with cancer all over the world. So why can't I do it? Or can I give it a try?"
She added: "I got a phone call from Isabel Hospice to talk to them about what to put in place from when I die.
"That is not an easy conversation to have but that is a conversation I have to keep open.
"I have to keep my head screwed on, I have to understand what I'm facing is extremely likely to end one way at some point, but I refuse to accept that people know when that will be.
"For me, I feel good, I feel healthy. My protocol is giving me energy."
Sarah isn't taking her diagnosis lying down.
She met Amy Talbot online - an inspiring mother of twins, also from Hertfordshire, who spoke about her experience with bowel cancer - shortly after finishing her first lot of chemotherapy.
"After my first round of chemotherapy, I sensed that people thought I was on a road with quite a certain ending," she said.
"I just needed to know that I could be doing absolutely everything possible to be here for my family. I needed to know everything in my power. No stone left unturned. Is there any other way I could help myself?"
Amy came along at that point and pointed her to the book How to Starve Cancer by Jane McLelland.
It followed the story of Jane who has been educating and helping cancer patients since 2003. From 1994 until 2004, Jane battled two aggressive cancers with metastatic spread, both of which were classed as terminal.
Using her medical knowledge and research methods, Jane put together a cancer-starving formula using natural therapies, exercise and diet.
And when she developed a second cancer, leukaemia, the result of chemotherapy and radiotherapy for her first cancer, she knew she only had weeks to live.
Fast forward the clock to now and, almost 20 years later, Jane is still inspiring people across the globe.
Sarah "devoured" her book in just 48 hours, leading her to ask the following question - if chemotherapy is killing off the active cancer cells, then what is feeding the cancer and making it grow in the first place?
It's encouraged Sarah, who enjoyed a successful career in visual arts in London, to look at other cancer patients, many of whom are defying the odds and leading normal lives, to also think 'why not me?'
She's hoping that a combination of off-label, widely accessible drugs will work for her, although admits she's running purely on a gut instinct, driven by the determination to try to bring all the various strands of her research together to keep her living alongside traditional treatments.
She's even taking part in a Care Oncology Clinic study using five key drugs that will hopefully open doors to further therapies.
Balancing her research with time spent in hospital recovering from treatment and invaluable time with her kids is a near-impossible balance to reach.
In a post online, Sarah said: "In doing this research into the integrative treatment of breast cancer I have connected with other cancer patients across the globe and have found an underground network of ordinary people who are simply trying to find ways to stay alive.
"There are stories of miraculous recoveries, there are stories of stable disease, there are stories of protocols that have worked and haven’t worked. There is some sadness but there is an overwhelming sense of hope for the future and I am holding onto the future with both hands.
"My ambition is to continue my research and to help other cancer patients to understand that cancer may well be a chronic disease that can be lived with rather than a death sentence. With cancer affecting so many people’s lives, this feels more important than ever."
Just a few weeks ago, Marie Graham, who met Sarah on the school run before the Christmas break in 2019, set-up a GoFundMe page that has so far received over a staggering £41,000.
The pair have become close friends ever since they met and even celebrated a New Year's Eve party together.
Sarah is attempting to starve her cancer of growth by taking alternative medications, drastically changing her diet and using alternative therapies alongside, all of which take up a large sum of money.
And for Sarah, who had to quit work to look after her health, that financial burden has increased by some degree.
The money raised so far will help both with her treatments and her family in the future, with Sarah saying the support has been nothing short of overwhelming.
"It's an extraordinary amount of money," she said.
"We never, ever, ever expected to get that response from people. What Marie has done for us, that's going to help pay for supplements, that is going to help pay for everyday things. We've got £9 in our food shop account. I don't mean we're in poverty because we're not but I'm just saying we're to the wire like most families are in lockdown.
"We're very privileged and lucky to have family nearby and privileged in a lot of ways, but this is going to open doors that we never ever dreamed would be possible."
She added: “I want to thank the whole local community and say how much support we have felt from everyone, and that means the absolute world to us.
“And a huge thank you to my husband who is literally the most supportive and brilliant person you could ever meet.”
And Sarah is keen on dispelling the taboo around death and encouraging others to speak up to know they're not alone.
"Cancer is such a taboo subject, people just don't want to talk about dying," she said.
"The person I'm talking to the hospice said we use the word dying and death at the hospice, but people will say they passed away or went to sleep.
"She said it's so taboo and is just not something we talk about, it's swept under the carpet.
"What happens then is that people suffer. If I could help just one person it would be worth it."
You can donate to Sarah's GoFundMe page here.
The first time I heard of people abusing Neurontin was from my doctor. I have to take 800mg four times per day for a nerve disorder in my head/face. The side effects are almost as bad as the disorder so I was very shocked to find out about it being abused. Yuck.
Yes. It changed for me also. I was getting 120 per month but now insurance says they’ll only cover 90 per month. They were supposed to allow me one last Rx of 120, but when I went to pay out the pharmacist said it would be 50-and-something. I told him to just remove the 30 they won’t cover now. The price was a couple of dollars after he did that.
You really need and should get your medicine. There’s no excuse for someone in your condition to not get the help they need. I am sorry this happened to you. You should ask your pharmacist how to get the price lowered. A lot of times there’s a program from the manufacturer or a pharmacy discount card to help with the cost. To boot, a few months ago my doctor’s office gave me a coupon that amounted to a couple hundred dollars off a prescription. If none of the above work, your county probably has a program to help you. Please look into getting help with needed medication.
Thank you Nick and others who’ve posted very helpful info.
Looks like I’ll be starting my battle very soon. I’ve never believed burning it out or cutting it out was the best way forward.
Doctor McCoy (Bones) response to a 20th century surgeon performing an epidural hematoma and dialysis.
“My God, man, drilling holes in his head’s not the answer. The artery must be repaired. Now put away your butcher knives..” “My god, what is this, the Dark Ages”?
Thank you all!
Very hard. I still wear my ring and say goodnight to her when I get into bed.
My thoughts and prayers are with you.
“It’s encouraged Sarah, who enjoyed a successful career in visual arts in London...”
Sounds like a vegetarian...the cancer is starting to make sense now.
“What is this diet that’s supposed to help starve out cancer? Am asking for a family member with stage 3 stomach cancer.”
Dr. Fung wrote a book on just that subject, so he’s convinced of it.
“I don’t know if it works or not, though I have heard claims of both yes and no. It’s in the book mentioned in the OP, How to Starve Cancer by Jane McLelland. It’s more than just diet, but I believe it centers on a ketogenic diet and fasting, claiming some cancers require glucose to grow. Again I have no expertise here, and most western oncologists would probably consider it quackery and put her on chemo and radiation...”
Dr. Fung also wrote a book on the same thing - starve out cancer on Keto diet. He sees cancer as something everyone has inside of themselves, but it only strikes when conditions are right. He also sees our present ‘treatments’ as futile, as they only take out part of the cancer, with the remaining cancer coming back and more resistant to ‘treatments’. Similar to taking antibiotics for 3 days, instead of the full 10 days, except with cancer, the ‘treatments’ will kill you if they were strong enough to completely kill the cancer.
You might want to check out essiac tea. https://www.cancertutor.com/essiac/
More information on essiac tea: https://draxe.com/nutrition/essiac-tea/
A search will give more sites with information.
I remember reading about this person years ago, don’t know what is on the website now but she was taking terminal patients and changing their diet with remarkable success. Here’s is the link I kept.
https://budwigcenter.com/anti-cancer-diet.php
Thank you to everyone who posted information. I really appreciate it.
My screen is blurry. So sorry for your loss. Prayers up for you and her.
Thanks very much.
Every couple has to go through this at some point.
This is from an article dated 12 years ago:
ScienceDaily (Feb. 5, 2009) — A new minimally-invasive option for treating liver tumors, called microwave ablation, is now available at UC San Diego Medical Center and Moores UCSD Cancer Center, the only hospitals in the region to offer this technology to patients.
“A liver tumor can be removed in many ways,” said Marquis Hart, MD, transplant surgeon at UC San Diego Medical Center. “Now, patients at UC San Diego have a new option called ‘microwave ablation.’ Simply put, we zap and destroy liver tumors with heat derived from microwave energy. This is an important alternative, especially since the majority of liver cancers cannot be partially removed and not all patients are transplant candidates.” Now, microwave technology, offered by Covidien, removes the tumor with intense heat.
To perform the procedure, Hart accesses the tumor through the skin, or through a small laparoscopic port or open incision. With ultrasound guidance or a computed tomography (CT) scan, the tumor is located and then pierced with a thin antenna which emits microwaves. This energy spins the water molecules in the tumor producing friction which causes heat. Temperatures above 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit) cause cellular death, usually within 10 minutes.
“Microwave ablation causes the tumor to be quickly and precisely removed. If necessary, multiple tumors can be treated at the same time,” said Hart. “This method appears to be more efficient than other ablation techniques which translates to better tumor destruction and less time for the patient under general anesthesia.”
The Care Oncology Clinic has doctors in the US who are part of the program. You just have to contact them and get set for the first appointment. The cost is about $400 to start and roughly $200/mo in drug costs depending on the cancer and patient parameters.
I’ve had Cushings three times from lengthy high dose prednisone. Not fun, but it will eventually go away once you’re weaned off of it. Of course in the cancer situation you’re speaking of that wouldn’t matter.
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