A demonstration of what can be accomplished through the use of alternative cancer therapies.
Walking the tightrope between traditional and non-traditional worlds of medicine is not without its challenges. It takes a fair amount of ego strength to weather the subtle and sometimes not so subtle messages from your doctor that modern medicine is the one and only avenue towards eradicating cancer. Granted, some of Gary's physicians reported that cancer could surprise you sometimes with unpredictable outcomes, but that's about as far as it went. Happy as they seemed to be when his diagnostics showed he was cancer free, they did not show much interest in what alternative therapies he was pursuing. I remember times when, in his excitement, Gary attempted to explain the merits of black salve to his doctors. I would watch the polite interest on a doctor's face soon dissolve into boredom. A congratulatory pat on the back on their way out the door saved them from any additional explanations. Sometimes they'd even say, "Well, whatever works," and move on to other matters. Willingness to be unpopular with any number of people is an inevitable part of taking treatment options into one's own hands.
One of the major fears people experience when considering alternative cancer treatments, is that their doctors will abandon them in some way. If they are not "compliant," then perhaps various, essential forms of support (such as diagnostic tests) may be withheld. Some individuals are hesitant to tell their doctors they are following another path, fearing an angry response or ridicule. Gary and I decided from the onset of our non-traditional treatment exploration that we definitely wanted our doctors "in the loop," whether they seemed supportive or not. We figured it was better to be up front about our plans, and asked our doctors directly if they would provide regularly scheduled diagnostic tests. Our doctors were very agreeable to this. To take the initiative and be assertive about treatment choices certainly commands the kind of respect that even the most rigid doctor will give. In spite of the support we received in this area, we weren't always so fortunate.
There was one doctor, in particular, who was very much opposed to Gary's doing anything other than the complicated surgery with its very guarded prognosis. He actually placed a call to Gary and asked us to come in and talk with him. We discussed it and decided to go ahead and see him in spite of the fact that we had already taken a firm stance against surgery. We felt we should speak with him out of respect for his support throughout Gary's treatment. When we met with him, he basically proceeded to play on every fear you might imagine someone with cancer might have. "If you don't have this surgery, this tumor will wreak havoc with your system." The unspoken message of course, was, "You'll die." It was a difficult thing to swallow our fear in the face of modern medicine and say, "I'm going to pursue a different path." But those who wish to be wise and pro-active in following the course of treatment they feel is best, run the risk of leaving some individuals frustrated with their decisions. An even more substantial risk would be to wait until the body is ravaged by the effects of radiation, chemotherapy or disabling surgery before considering adjunct or alternative therapies.