Not only did my mom survive cancer, she did it without chemo. I think that may be why she so faired so well, but it wasn't easy. Standard insurance policies will only cover traditional medical practices, so it's been a real challenge for her to find care that was acceptable to her. One doctor even denied her care for refusing chemo treatments. This blows my mind because chemo is so toxic, it kills the healthy cells along with the cancer cells. At first she went along with the doctor's recommendations to have the surgery and local radiation, but later regretted undergoing the radiation treatment. From that point forward she became adamant about never again receiving any therapies that compromised her bodies well being. Once she recovered, it was like she never had cancer at all. She's been healthy, strong and vibrant -- working full-time, jetting around the country showing her cats and caring for great-grandchildren when she could. She's had a clean bill of health up until this past summer when her test reports showed invasive ductal carcinoma, 0.4cm in greatest dimension, with positive estrogen and progesterone receptors in her left breast -- in other words, a lump in left breast that tested positive for cancer. She said, “This was the second in the same breast so I made the decision that if one breast had to come off that I wanted both of them off”. But that didn't get her down. Still not budging from her position on chemo, she proceeded with the mastectomy and has since had reconstructive surgery. She’s good as new again. It seems that nothing can keep her down. I'm very proud of my mother for sticking to her guns and insisting on only receiving treatments that support the body’s ability to heal itself. She's a trooper and a wonderful role model for others who find themselves presented with radiation and chemo as their only options for life. I wonder how many people die needlessly because they didn't feel like they had a choice.

Signed,
Kimberly Mendoza