MARCH-APRIL , 2022 | THE HEALTH

BY KHIRTINI K KUMARAN

Aged 53 at that time , Susana , from the Philippines , opted for naturopathic treatment instead of the more conventional chemotherapy .

During the recent CanSurvive Global Symposium 2022 , she shared her journey virtually on Feb 19 . She was one of the participants who spoke on their journey with cancer .

Sharing her family background , Susana said her mother had leukaemia when she was 80 years old while her dad had skin cancer when he was 85 years old .

According to her doctors , cancer that developed in later years , such as those of her parents , was not hereditary . So , she and her family were jolted to hear of her diagnosis in 2005 , which set a painful ordeal suddenly .

“ It was devastating to be afflicted with such a deadly disease because I had always tried my best to eat healthy food . However , I braced myself to face reality than deny it and started building my courage to get on living my days as normally as I could .”

Symptoms and diagnosis

The only symptom Susana had was some blood in her stools in the last quarter of 2004 .

“ I noticed that it did not happen daily but only twice or thrice a month . Then sometime in March 2005 , there was fresh blood in my stools for the first time .

“ I got scared , so I went for a checkup in the medical city hospital . I was asked to undergo a colonoscopy to determine the cause of the blood in my stools .

“ I was praying it was just haemorrhoids , but when the results came , it turned out that there was a tumour in my colon , and it was malignant .

“ I did not have any other symptoms except the blood in my stools . I could not believe that this seemingly simple symptom was cancer ,” added Susana .

On April 26 , 2005 , Susana underwent surgery to remove and determine which stage the colon cancer was .

“ The surgeon removed seven inches of my colon in the lower area near the anus , the sigmoid area . Thankfully , this meant I did not need to use a colostomy bag .

“ Seven lymph nodes were also removed from my large intestine . Only two had cancer cells while the other five were clear .”

She hoped and prayed for it to be a Stage One cancer . However , her results showed Stage 3 colon cancer . Fortunately , there was no metastasis yet .

Searching for the right treatment programme

She then went to see the oncologist recommended by her surgeon , who urged her to undergo aggressive chemotherapy as cancer cells were circulating in her blood .

However , Susana did not feel comfortable going through the chemotherapy treatment , feeling she would not survive the ordeal . She thought she heard God saying , “ go natural ” in her prayers .

Not keen on the treatment plans by two other doctors , Susana went looking for a naturopathic doctor . She was then referred to Dr Christine Gonzalez by her close friends .

Dr Gonzalez is a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine whose practice spanned 25 years . She has doctorate degrees in Holistic

Nutrition and Natural Medicine and is also a Fellow of the American Naturopathic Oncology .

“ I went to meet Dr Gonzalez , and after she explained her recommended treatment regimen , I was convinced it was the treatment I wanted for myself .

“ It was gentle to the body and non-invasive , unlike chemo , which could destroy even the good cells in the process .

“ I also remember Dr Gonzalez saying that the patient ’ s will to live contributes 85 per cent to the healing process , and only 15 per cent comes from the treatment and the doctors .

“ I had a strong will to live . I told the Lord I wanted to live longer . I didn ’ t want to die yet .”

Susana decided on the naturopathic treatment rendered by Dr Gonzalez and

Susana Dy-Reyes committed diligently to the regimen .

The naturopathic treatment

Before she could start her actual treatment regimen , Susana had to go through a period of detoxification .

“ First , I had to undergo a detoxification process , which meant going on a liquid diet for two months , taking all kinds of vegetables and fruit juices and herbal teas .

“ I always felt full those two months because I was fed as frequently as every hour of liquid juices and teas .

“ I was at the clinic almost every day doing several treatments , including aromatherapy to cleanse my entire body of toxins .”

The detoxification regimen also included colon cleansing , which meant taking enema shots every day , getting Vitamin C weekly through a drip lasting four hours , and getting a regular kidney and gallstone flush .

“ After two months of detox , I was allowed to eat rice and veggies again , but no fish and meat . I lost a lot of weight , which I regained slowly .”

After three months , when her body was strong enough , Dr Gonzalez started the actual treatment regimen for Susana ’ s cancer .

“ A clear liquid called HMC2K was measured and added to my carrot juice which I had to take three times a day . I considered it a mild treatment , only experiencing some tingling sensation on my lips .”

After six months of treatment , Susana took the Quantum Dots tests , which showed that she was cancer-free .

“ We had to wait for another six months to validate it . After a year from my surgery , I went back to the hospital to undergo all the necessary tests , and the result showed that I was indeed cancer-free .

“ After that , I still had to undergo a colonoscopy yearly to check if there were any growth after my alternative naturopathy treatment .”

Every consecutive year , she took tests , then every five years for monitoring . This year marks her 17th year of being clear and declared cancer-free .

Living healthy

Up till now , Susana has continued with her healthy lifestyle of vegetable juices and herbal supplements , eating naturally grown organic fruits and veggies and organic meats .

Even her make-up and toiletries are all-natural plant-based without toxic ingredients .

“ Likewise , my clothes are mostly made from cotton or nylon cloth . This is the healthy lifestyle that Dr Gonzalez encouraged me to commit for a lifetime .”

She admitted that she has occasionally resumed eating some meat and not so healthy food over the last few years .

“ I had cancer when I was 53 . Today , I ’ m 70 years old and still counting by the grace of God .

“ Friends and even people I don ’ t know have approached me to ask how I got cured . I would happily tell them it was through naturopathic treatment . Many who have gone to see Dr Gonzalez had been blessed in similar ways .

“ My healing has somehow given my family and friends serious thoughts about eating and living healthily ,” Susana shared .

Susana , who lost her husband of 45 years due to stroke in Sept 2021 , spends more time with her children and grandchildren while serving in her prayer community . — The Health