Tonya Griffin

Today’s survivor is still very active in getting the word out about holistic approaches to cancer treatment. At 21 years old Tonya was first diagnosed with an aggressive Stage II breast cancer. She was in college and didn’t know much about cancer or chemotherapy, but what she had seen is what chemotherapy could do to a person. She decided to research further but meanwhile followed her doctor’s recommendation of a lumpectomy and lymph node removal. However, when it came to the decision about chemotherapy, she went with what she believed was best for her.

The women you will hear from today all received their treatment from the Oasis of Hope Hospital in Tijuana, Mexico. Oasis of Hope is different from other hospitals in the United States in that they are knowledgeable about holistic methods along with having the best conventional treatments available. I especially love their spiritual focus on God and dependence on Him as “the Great Physician.”

 Dr. Lorraine Day

Dr. Day was one of the first women I researched for this series. She is also probably the most famous and controversial. She beat a complicated and gruesome breast cancer diagnosis, and her pictures speak for themselves.

Marilyn Brent

Today’s survivor story is an absolutely uplifting and detailed narrative. She discusses her Stage II/III diagnosis, her kids’ reaction, her family’s history with breast cancer, her alternative protocol of choice, and her remission! Marilyn’s attitude of optimism is contagious and a perfect read for someone who is currently pursuing alternative therapies. Like my own story, her faith took a front row seat to everything else.

Ann Fonfa

I became strongly interested in Ann after reading her story in the book, “I Beat Cancer: 50 People Tell You How They Did It.” It turns out she is from my home town in South Florida and is very active in the Anti-Cancer community all over the world. She founded the Annie Appleseed Project, a non-profit organization devoted to raising awareness to alternative and complementary cancer therapies.

Gayle Cranford and Gloria Applegate

The two women you will read about today each chose various forms of conventional treatment to start their cancer fight with, but along the way they began to become aware of the effectiveness of alternative therapies and shifted their focus towards natural healing. These are their stories.

Susan Stevenson

I found Susan through the Cancer Control Society’s list of survivors and gave her a call. She was so welcoming and we had a wonderful conversation, relating over our survival stories. After chatting with her for a while, I told her I was particularly impressed by her age when diagnosed, 54. It is well known in the alternative cancer “world” that age is a big factor in making a decision to forgo conventional treatment. Typically, the older we get, our immune systems weaken further and it becomes more difficult to fight illness. Even at 54, Susan responded very well to her alternative protocol and continues to be cancer free after 13 years.