Jessica Ainscough was diagnosed with epithelioid sarcoma, which is a very rare cancer, and hers was in her left arm. She did give chemo and radiation a try, which they targeted her arm, and the cancer did go away, but then came back about a year later, at which point her doctor suggested to amputate her left arm, including the shoulder, which she then refused and decided to go on a healthy path of doing 2 years of the Gerson therapy. Then she kept going on the healthy path. Now so many people online are saying horrible things about Jess, on how she should have amputated her arm, because she might have still been alive right now. One thing I found online is this: "It has been speculated by people who have never met or treated Jess that, had she chosen to amputate her arm or undergo further conventional treatment, her chances of survival would have increased," the statement read. "Her treating oncologists do not agree with this uninformed view." I support her decision because it was the right decision for her, and her family supported her as well and still do. We all have our own opinions and we all have the right to make the best choices for us, and it's not up to others to talk so horribly about her or anyone. I still do admire her, and although her blog posts are no longer online, I do hope they put them back because I didn't get the chance to read them all, and would love to go back to her blog for inspiration, recipes and information. Here's what is on her blog site now. It really is beautiful what they put, but do hope they put her posts back, I think she would want her fans to be able to access the information she shared with us.
Cancer really is such a scary thing, so many battle this horrible disease. My mom lost her battle in 2013, and I still miss her so very much. Jess also lost her mom in 2013 from breast cancer, and it was at that point where her health went down. I can understand that because it affected me so much when I lost my mom. Had her mom not passed away, maybe Jess would still be with us, just like if she amputated her arm, maybe she would still be with us, but again maybe not. We will never know, but what I do know from reading up on her cancer is her chances of survival weren't that good. I've heard of some not surviving more then 5 years, some around the 10 year mark, and she survived with her cancer for about 7 years. All I do know is she made a huge mark in the world, she opened her arms to so many people. She shared her journey, and from what I saw, she looked to be in pretty good health, considering. With her path that she took, her cancer stayed in her arm and didn't go any further then that. She was able to do things, to share her story and her information. Here's what she had to say on her blog: "Somewhere along the way, I realized that I was more than a 'cancer story' — I was a leader, a role model, an educator, and a champion".
One point I do have to make is that chemo and radiation have saved some lives, but not all. It kills the good and the bad within you, so I'm not sure if I would go that route. The side effects of those are incredible and I saw my mom go through that and it was very hard to see, I felt so helpless. Jess' doctor also suggested amputation but even that wasn't guaranteed. So the way I look at it, is each of her options were not guaranteed, so she chose the one that she could live with and I support that 100%. With a healthy diet, she was able to do so many things, with chemo and radiation, you don't get much energy to do very much at all, because your body becomes so very weak. With amputation, she could have lived a pretty good life, but it would have been a hard start as she would have to go through a big surgery, recover, and then learn how to re-do everything because it's hard to not have two arms. So for those out there that keep calling the founder of the Gerson Therapy, and his daughter, and others like them quacks, should also be calling the medical professions quacks as well because they can't save everyone's lives either. And like the medical professions, they have saved quite a few lives, just like going the healthy way has saved lives as well. I have read many stories of eating healthier has saved them from cancer or other things.
I think when we are faced with something like cancer, or anything else, that we all should take our own health in our hands and take whatever path we are able to live with. Seeing my mom battle cancer was so very hard to see. I tried to help as much as I could. I'm not sure what I would decide if I was faced with cancer, but I would look at all my options and go from there, but one thing I know for sure is I would eat as healthy as possible because I still do believe that eating healthy will help me fight off whatever it is I would have. As you all know I was faced with endometriosis, and cutting out meat, diary and wheat helped me not be in pain every day. I did have the occasional meat, diary and wheat, but when I over did it, I paid the price of pain. As some of you know, I also chose to go for a hysterectomy because my monthly menstruation were unbearable. I had debilitating pain, and had to take behind the counter pain medication to help, and my periods would also last 2 weeks out of the month, therefore I was also anemic. I did my homework, and even spoke to someone that had a hysterectomy because like me she had endometriosis, and so I decided it was the best thing for me and I don't regret that decision at all. I have more energy, and now I have pain very rarely. So yes I do still have endometriosis but it's manageable now. Some might not want to take the same path as me and that's perfectly fine, they can lower their pain by changing what they eat, and there are other things out there that can also help.
We are all different. We all react to things differently, whether it's medication or food. We also have our own opinion and views on things, and it's own our life, so it's up to us on how we live it!
There is so many confusing things everywhere, where some say one thing is good for us, and another say it's not. I do believe in medical treatment to an extent. I do still believe that most medication are a band aid, and that we all should be eating healthier. With all the junk food out there though, it does make it really hard to eat completely healthy. My eating isn't perfect, but I do try to eat as healthy as possible most of the time. I try to enjoy life as well as much as I can, because I don't know how much time I do have so I try to live life to the fullest.
Eating healthy is definitely important. I have eaten not that great at times and I found myself having less energy and being more tired, but when I eat healthier, I feel so much better. Exercise is also very important to being healthy and providing energy. I know so many people that eat extremely healthy, and exercise, and you can tell, they just look so healthy! I'm going to keep eating as healthy as I can, and also keep exercising, and will keep sharing my journey here.
Just want to give my condolences to Jessica's family. I'm very glad to have been part of her journey through her blog, and I have also gotten her e-books, and took part online on one of her events. She was an amazing person, and she will be greatly missed.
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