WhatFinger


Cancer. The Problem and Solution.



On April 9th at 8 p.m. sitting in my comfortable armchair after returning two hours earlier from a lightning trip to England, the telephone rang. Unlike many people I love the telephone – at 66 and living alone it is usually a friend calling and I’m blessed to have many. Of course it could be a windows and doors purveyor, or a Toronto Star subscription agent, or the MBNA Bank. At one time I used to say, Sorry, not interested.” Now I just put the phone down without a word. This time it was the gastroentologist I visited before I went away.

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My lightning trip was to visit one of my oldest and best friends in Southend-on-Sea, a seaside town east of London. Reuben was diagnosed with colon cancer a year or so earlier, had chemo and surgery, pronounced ‘clear’ only to find six or seven months later it had returned. “Nothing we can do,” was the verdict. Over the next while Reuben and I spoke often by phone and I could feel gradually he was getting close to the end. I got to England but he died before I saw him, although he knew I was there. I wrote about this in my previous column. I also wrote at the end of that column the reason the gastroentologist called; yes, they had found cancer cells in my stomach-esophagus area. Ironic to say the least. Life has a habit of throwing curveballs and I would say I’ve had my fair share – perhaps no different than other people really, if you and I were to sit down and discuss our histories. However, I’ve developed a pragmatic approach to life’s situations, a kind of ‘it is what it is’ philosophy, so, Michael, just deal with it in a step-by-step process. After I booked an appointment with the doctor to discuss what I should first do, I then entered the Internet world, googling a search I titled, ‘Esophageal Cancer – Cure’. (I may as well say what I want.) Up came a book by an American couple: ‘Cancer – Diagnosis to Clear in Eleven Months.’ I learned much from that book, especially about diet, specifically the western diet. What this couple did was to totally change their diet to remove the toxins and chemicals unknowingly ingested over the years – it was he (aged about 50) that had the esophageal cancer. He did have chemo and radiation treatments previously but balked at the invasive surgery deciding that perhaps reversing the damage through diet may be the answer. It was, it worked, and at time of writing he has been clear for five years. Since April 9th there has not been one day that I’ve not learned a little more about cancer, its causes and its cures, mainly through the Internet. The accepted protocol is chemo, radiation and surgery. I was sent to see an endoscopic surgeon, who after an educated telescopic view through my anus at 6:30 a,m. called me into his office and said: “You have cancer of the esophagus, we give you chemo then we take out your esophagus.” That was it. As cold and as blunt as that. Seeing the look on my face this ambassadorial surgeon’s bedside manner kicked in at least asked if I was o.k. I mumbled incoherently and left the Humber Regional Hospital with a changed life. My next appointment was to see a thoracic surgeon at Scarborough General Hospital to discuss surgery. He drew a pencil sketch on a piece of scrap paper, giving a verbal description: “We cut you open from neck to stomach, open your rib cage, cut out your esophagus, pull your stomach up through your diaphragm, stitch it to the back of your throat, then sew you up. You stay in hospital for 14 days on intravenous feeding, then go home and for the next 6 weeks you have only a liquid diet. After another 6 weeks you will have recovered but we have to teach you to eat again.” He then took out an operation consent form which he gave me to sign. He was quite surprised and a little taken aback when I said that I would think about it and let him know. I already knew, and a couple of days later so did he. What did I decide to do instead? Or more to the point, what am I doing? Let me put it in a way that I hope may impact you. The bare facts are this: 1 in 3 people will get cancer – only a short while ago it was 1 in 4. If you are a couple with a child the odds are one of you will get cancer in one form or another. That is not a guess but a fact. You can and must prevent it. It is not without effort, it is not without sacrifice, it is not without study. In so doing you will discover some very ugly facts about our food and diet, pharmaceuticals and lifestyle. I just ask you to think about the recent spinach and tomato salmonella scares – basic and fundamental everyday dietary staples that we suddenly had to stop eating. What about the drugs now taken off the market? What about the proliferation of ADD and autism in our children? What about the new diseases to which present-day antiseptics provide no defense? I’ll tell you next week. It will have a happy ending. Michael is a freelance writer in Toronto.


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Guest Column Michael Vallins -- Bio and Archives

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