On March 7, 2024 I had an appointment with my Primary Care Physician (PCP) to discuss what I thought were symptoms of perimenopause, including hot flashes and night sweats. During the appointment I mentioned that I had noticed some mild asthma symptoms while lying down in bed at night. Having had asthma since childhood, these symptoms were only remarkable in that I had been symptom free for almost two years after making some dietary changes, and the symptoms had returned despite sticking to the diet. My PCP asked if I had ever had a chest x-ray, which I had not, so she ordered one and I had it the same day.

Later that afternoon I received a text message from the PCP’s assistant saying that I needed to come back in the following morning to review the results of the x-ray, which, of course, sent me into a panic. The next morning in her office my wife and I learned that the X-ray showed a mass on the upper lobe of my right lung and that it was “probably cancer.” There are no words that can adequately describe the shock I experienced in that moment. We briefly talked about other possible causes of the mass on the x-ray, and what the next steps would be. My PCP was very kind, and very reassuring, that it was probably stage I and I would have surgery and be “cancer free in six months.” I walked into her office that morning a healthy, vibrant, fit woman, and I walked out a cancer patient.

What followed was a rollercoaster of appointments, tests, results, and difficult conversations that left me dizzy, exhausted, and terrified. A CT scan days after the x-ray confirmed a 4.5cm mass in my right lung. A needle biopsy two weeks later confirmed adenocarcinoma. A PET scan revealed involvement in the lymph nodes near by. A bronchoscopy confirmed they were cancerous. Finally, a month after the initial chest X-ray, an MRI showed a lesion in my brain, officially earning me a stage IV diagnosis.  

Throughout this time, I was frantically searching the internet for stories of hope, any shred of evidence that I could be ok. I knew better than to consult Dr. Google for my prognosis, but the internet seemed determined to make sure I knew it wasn’t good, even though I wasn’t asking. I distinctly remember seeing the word “abysmal.” Thankfully, I found survivor stories on the Do Cancer website, and listened to “Radical Remission” by Kelly Turner. Both gave me the hope I needed to believe that if someone could heal from stage IV cancer, it was going to be me.

With my freshly minted stage IV label, we started down the path of treatment options. We discussed the pros and cons of chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, and targeted medication with my local oncologists. I learned that once I reached stage IV, I was no longer considered a candidate for surgery, though it wasn’t entirely clear to me why. I sought a second opinion from Dana Farber Cancer Institute and ultimately, after a lot of back and forth and weighing the risks and benefits, we decided to start with three rounds of chemotherapy (cisplatin and pemetrexed) concurrently with the EGFR targeted medication Osimertinib, and stereotactic radiation to treat the lesion in my brain.

Years before cancer entered my life, I battled chronic Lyme disease for almost a decade. This experience helped me to see the limitations of conventional medicine in treating chronic illness and introduced me to the world of integrative medicine. I successfully healed Lyme with the help of an expert herbalist, and knew that given the right conditions and support, my body could heal cancer, too. After listening to Radical Remission and learning about the role of nutrition, and alternative therapies like mistletoe, I searched for and found an integrative oncologist about 90 minutes from my house, and she works with me to improve my immune function, detoxify, and dramatically decrease inflammation throughout my body.

Determined to do whatever it took to heal, I combined conventional treatment with alternative therapies. From May through August, I fasted for 72 hours during each for four chemo treatment (36 hours before, 36 hours after). I sat in the sauna for hours during off weeks. I used mistletoe, hellebores, and a boat-load of supplements. I changed everything about my diet, eliminating all foods known to cause inflammation, including most animal products, alcohol, sugar, gluten, and processed grains. I went to therapy. I saw a Reiki Master, energy healers, and hypnotherapist. I practiced qigong and meditation. I exercised (almost) daily. I had acupuncture, massage, and floated in a sensory-deprivation tank. I even visited a psychic medium. I also continued to work full time and raise my 10 year old son.

In July, after three rounds of chemotherapy, I received a voicemail from my local oncologist. I immediately heard a change in his voice. He was, I learned, calling to congratulate me. A follow up CT scan taken days before showed over a 90% reduction in the size of my tumor. He called the response “miraculous.” During our follow up meeting, he urged me to consult with my oncologist at Dana Farber to see if they would consider me a candidate for surgery. I met with my DFCI oncologist a couple of weeks later and he confirmed that my positive treatment response was surprising and agreed to refer me to a surgeon. During that consultation I had to undergo a number of different lung functioning tests to see if surgery would be possible. My lung functioning tests showed my lungs (my cancerous lung) was functioning at 120%. The surgeon said that although surgery for stage IV cancerous was considered “aggressive” given my excellent treatment response, and better than average lung function, he thought I would be a good candidate for surgery. We scheduled one more chemo treatment to cover the gap before I could have surgery, and on September 23rd, 2024, I had minimally invasive surgery to remove the upper right lobe, part of the middle lobe, and six lymph nodes in my chest. Aside from a pneumothorax that caused my heart rate to increase drastically, the surgery was considered a success. The pathology report from surgery revealed “no evidence of viable cancer cells” in any of the tissues removed. Six months after being given a terminal cancer diagnosis, I achieved the distinction “no evidence of disease.”

My oncologists from both medical centers were blown away by my treatment response. The Dana Farber team said the tumor board from this world-renowned cancer institute “had never seen it disappear like that.” (My integrative oncologist, however, was not at all surprised and said “yeah, of course, that what’s we’re doing here!”) When I asked the medical oncologist to what he attributed my excellent response he definitively determined it was the combination of chemotherapy and Osimertinib.

Earlier in my treatment journey, before the follow up scans, I hesitantly asked my local oncologist if he wanted to know about the alternative therapies I was using. He said yes, so I carefully started describing mistletoe, which he had, of course, never heard of. This kind, mild mannered, and very caring doctor became visibly upset, standing up from his stool and facing me to make his point. He urged me not to continue to use any treatments that were not recommended by my medical team. Because, he said, if the therapies were successful, we would never know if it was conventional or alternative treatments that made the difference. I was (and still am) shocked and horrified by this response. I knew in that moment that I could never talk to my oncology team about integrative treatment. It didn’t really matter because I was going to continue to trust my instincts and use whatever therapies I could to support my healing.

If you ask my medical team, they will tell you that it was the conventional treatments that made the difference. They can’t however, explain why my treatment response has been so dramatic compared with others who have had the same treatment. Throughout the treatment process I was repeatedly told and reminded that stage IV cancer cannot be cured. I was required to sign a form attesting to the fact that the chemotherapy was “palliative, not curative” before my first treatment. I can tell you, without question, that the combination of conventional and integrative therapies saved my life. I should also mention that I did not lose my hair during chemo, though my oncologist assured me that I would. I worked full time throughout treatment. I did not get sick. I continued to exercise and engage in life. It was certainly no picnic, but I continued to live my life and show up for my family.

I know that my journey is far from over. It will never be over. The lifestyle changes and commitment to alternative therapies that I’ve made will continue for the rest of my life. They are infinitely small sacrifices compared with a possibility of being around to watch my son grow up. Every day I am grateful for every member of my treatment team. Each of them has played an integral role in my healing journey and I would not be here without them. I am also grateful for the entire experience. Cancer has allowed me to commit to a healthier way of engaging in life, including diet, activity, relationships, and mindset. I am a much happier, much more confident, more present, and relaxed person because of it (most days, no one’s perfect!)

Throughout my journey I searched endlessly for evidence that healing from stage IV lung cancer is possible. I found hope in many cancer survivors’ stories, but struggled to find them among people with metastatic lung cancer. I am here to tell anyone who needs to hear it, healing is possible.