| The Program is what worked in my personal battle with Melanoma and holds no guarantees as each individual who proceeds, does so at their own risk. The program is intended to help promote a better healthier body & immune system. A key element in fighting any kind of illness. Always consult your doctor. |
Searching-4-Hope
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In 1997, when I was 35 years old; upon a routine doctors visit he found a discolored mole
on the left side of my chest. And the doctor referred me to a dermatologist who removed
it for biopsy. Two weeks later the results came back that it was malignant. I was assured
that they caught it in time and with the removal of the surrounding tissue I had nothing to
worry about. With stitches out I returned to my normal life.
A couple of years went by, and in September of 1999 I was getting ready for work. I was
putting on my shirt on when I noticed a large lump under my left arm. I immediately went
to the doctor. After an examination and x-rays, it was determined that the lump was
nothing more than inflamed sweat glands. A prescription for antibiotics was given and I
was scheduled to come back in a week for a follow up. I began to get used to the pain &
discomfort, but every three weeks or so I noticed I was not feeling good. I always felt run
down kind of like having a lingering cold. The doctor continued to give me antibiotics and
I went about my life as usual. No worries. They assured me in 1997 that I had nothing to
be worried about. They got it all!
After about five months, I was out of town working and something hit me. I knew
something had to be wrong when I could still feel the lump under my arm. Recalling how
many times I had felt under the weather over the last few months, I called home and
asked my wife to schedule another doctors appointment with a different doctor. When I
got home two days later I picked up my medical records and went to another doctor, upon
his examination he saw in my chart the history of the cancer and immediately requested
for me to see a specialist. Within an hour with the surgeon, I was having surgery
scheduled to have the lump removed. A few days later, I had the lump (17 lymph nodes)
removed, all malignant!
I was assigned to an oncologist and a full CAT scan was done and a larger tumor on my
spleen was found, as well as a small one on my left kidney. Again, surgery was scheduled.
My spleen was removed and I spent a week recovering in the hospital. It was time to face
the reality of the situation. My wife and I were asked to come to the oncologists office. I
knew it wasn't good news when he walked in. He didn't even open my chart. He paused
before he looked up at me and said "we have a problem". With a deep breath, I asked
"how bad is it?". He said "it is stage IV Melanoma and the odds are not good". WOW!
My life changed from being in control of my life to realizing I had no control at all. I was
told I might be able to make it two years with the treatment they offered,only giving me
an 8% chance of survival with the start of an extreme series of chemotherapy. I
requested that I have a bit of time to digest everything that was going on and to make
sure I made a sound decision on what was going to happen to my body. The doctor
informed me that I was dealing with a killer and I needed to act quickly!
The drive home was quiet and I didn't even remember the route which we took. When we
pulled up in the driveway my thoughts running in every direction, not even sure how I
made into the house. I was standing in the kitchen when the grim reality hit me like a
freight train. When my 13 year old son got home from school, all I could think of when I
saw him was weather I'd be here to see him graduate from high school, much less be there
for him as he ventures out into life. I knew then, that he was the source of my strength
and desire to live. We are all given gifts in life, sometimes for a reason, sometimes to just
enjoy and sometimes both! I believe God gave me my son and my desire to be a father to
save my life.
I owned my own business and with that comes stress, I had made the decision to close it
down and focus on my health. It took about three weeks closing the business, during that
time I researched the Internet, read as much as I could on Melanoma. Some stories that
started off positive ended up depressing, but I kept searching for that hope. Talking about
the cancer was very emotional. One minute I could talk about it and the next I would
break down and cry uncontrollably. I learned that I needed to be able to talk about it
openly. Talking about it really helps you release some of the anxiety when you have to
make life and death decisions.
One day I called a dear friend of mine that I have known nearly all my life. I knew he was
working for a supplement company; I thought it was just another vitamin company, but
little did I know they were a major supplier to the natural healing industry. After the
emotional explanation of my situation he asked me to call a precious lady who was a
nutritionist for the company. I made the call, and healing began.
You see she was also a cancer survivor and had become a nutritionist through her own
trials. She set me in the right direction with a detailed plan for my immune system and
guided me to the Restoration Ranch for a complete body cleanse. The Restoration Ranch
helped me eliminate the chances of following the wrong path of trying useless products
that would have only cost me hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. What a blessing to
have someone there to show me the right way.
I then informed the family that I would not be doing the treatment the doctor wanted me
to do, nine years later I am alive and cancer free!
J. Alexander
on the left side of my chest. And the doctor referred me to a dermatologist who removed
it for biopsy. Two weeks later the results came back that it was malignant. I was assured
that they caught it in time and with the removal of the surrounding tissue I had nothing to
worry about. With stitches out I returned to my normal life.
A couple of years went by, and in September of 1999 I was getting ready for work. I was
putting on my shirt on when I noticed a large lump under my left arm. I immediately went
to the doctor. After an examination and x-rays, it was determined that the lump was
nothing more than inflamed sweat glands. A prescription for antibiotics was given and I
was scheduled to come back in a week for a follow up. I began to get used to the pain &
discomfort, but every three weeks or so I noticed I was not feeling good. I always felt run
down kind of like having a lingering cold. The doctor continued to give me antibiotics and
I went about my life as usual. No worries. They assured me in 1997 that I had nothing to
be worried about. They got it all!
After about five months, I was out of town working and something hit me. I knew
something had to be wrong when I could still feel the lump under my arm. Recalling how
many times I had felt under the weather over the last few months, I called home and
asked my wife to schedule another doctors appointment with a different doctor. When I
got home two days later I picked up my medical records and went to another doctor, upon
his examination he saw in my chart the history of the cancer and immediately requested
for me to see a specialist. Within an hour with the surgeon, I was having surgery
scheduled to have the lump removed. A few days later, I had the lump (17 lymph nodes)
removed, all malignant!
I was assigned to an oncologist and a full CAT scan was done and a larger tumor on my
spleen was found, as well as a small one on my left kidney. Again, surgery was scheduled.
My spleen was removed and I spent a week recovering in the hospital. It was time to face
the reality of the situation. My wife and I were asked to come to the oncologists office. I
knew it wasn't good news when he walked in. He didn't even open my chart. He paused
before he looked up at me and said "we have a problem". With a deep breath, I asked
"how bad is it?". He said "it is stage IV Melanoma and the odds are not good". WOW!
My life changed from being in control of my life to realizing I had no control at all. I was
told I might be able to make it two years with the treatment they offered,only giving me
an 8% chance of survival with the start of an extreme series of chemotherapy. I
requested that I have a bit of time to digest everything that was going on and to make
sure I made a sound decision on what was going to happen to my body. The doctor
informed me that I was dealing with a killer and I needed to act quickly!
The drive home was quiet and I didn't even remember the route which we took. When we
pulled up in the driveway my thoughts running in every direction, not even sure how I
made into the house. I was standing in the kitchen when the grim reality hit me like a
freight train. When my 13 year old son got home from school, all I could think of when I
saw him was weather I'd be here to see him graduate from high school, much less be there
for him as he ventures out into life. I knew then, that he was the source of my strength
and desire to live. We are all given gifts in life, sometimes for a reason, sometimes to just
enjoy and sometimes both! I believe God gave me my son and my desire to be a father to
save my life.
I owned my own business and with that comes stress, I had made the decision to close it
down and focus on my health. It took about three weeks closing the business, during that
time I researched the Internet, read as much as I could on Melanoma. Some stories that
started off positive ended up depressing, but I kept searching for that hope. Talking about
the cancer was very emotional. One minute I could talk about it and the next I would
break down and cry uncontrollably. I learned that I needed to be able to talk about it
openly. Talking about it really helps you release some of the anxiety when you have to
make life and death decisions.
One day I called a dear friend of mine that I have known nearly all my life. I knew he was
working for a supplement company; I thought it was just another vitamin company, but
little did I know they were a major supplier to the natural healing industry. After the
emotional explanation of my situation he asked me to call a precious lady who was a
nutritionist for the company. I made the call, and healing began.
You see she was also a cancer survivor and had become a nutritionist through her own
trials. She set me in the right direction with a detailed plan for my immune system and
guided me to the Restoration Ranch for a complete body cleanse. The Restoration Ranch
helped me eliminate the chances of following the wrong path of trying useless products
that would have only cost me hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. What a blessing to
have someone there to show me the right way.
I then informed the family that I would not be doing the treatment the doctor wanted me
to do, nine years later I am alive and cancer free!
J. Alexander
| Beware of raised, discolored (dark red or even purple) Moles with ragged edges |
| Stage IV Melanoma Cancer Survivor's Story |