Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma treatment is helping to restore Jamie’s health!
In April of 2017, Jamie, a nurse from Oregon, was diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC). ACC is an “uncommon form of malignant neoplasm that arises within secretory glands, most commonly the major and minor salivary glands of the head and neck.” It has been described as “indolent but relentless.”
For Jamie, what followed was a year of struggling to find hope in a bleak situation.
“I had symptoms for several years and then I went to a few different doctors,” she shared. “I was misdiagnosed a couple times with the facial neuralgia because I was having pain in my face. There were a couple of medications that my doctors wanted me to go on, but I was a little apprehensive, so I started looking at some alternative treatments.
Even then, her symptoms got worse and eventually, she got a biopsy which confirmed there was cancer. She was advised that her main treatment options were surgery and radiation. “The plan was to have surgery to take out half of my face and reconstruct all of this,” Jamie said.
After the preliminary scan, they found “a mess” on her liver which they planned to remove through surgery. But further scans revealed metastatic spots on the insides of her abdominal wall and in her lungs. They aborted the surgery, and Jamie was left with hardly any options.
She added, “I remember asking my oncologist, ‘Is there anything else I can do, nutrition-wise? Is there anything I can be doing to help myself at home?’ At that point, you’re just reaching for straws trying to figure out something that you can do. I was told, ‘No, you know diet doesn’t matter.’ It leaves you feeling pretty helpless and hopeless.”
Jamie ended up in a clinical trial in February. But before that, she took charge of her own health. “I started doing research on natural medicine and some natural healing. I started doing juicing and changed my diet pretty radically. I made sure I was exercising and doing saunas,” she shared.
In July, after months of pain and extreme discomfort, she decided to finally pursue an alternative treatment option.
Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma Treatment provided under An Oasis of Healing’s Guidance
When Jamie first called An Oasis of Healing, she was expecting to get the “runaround.” But Andy, from the front desk, proved to be the exact opposite. “He spent a good half-hour with me on the phone, just answering some questions. I hung up the phone feeling like there’s more we can do. You’re not alone and you’re not a lost cause,” he explained.
Even before checking in, she was able to experience the personalized and attentive service of the Arizona-based team. She furthered, “I had a few extra questions and so I called and talked to Dr. Goodyear and he answered all of those questions for me and made the whole process so easy.”
After everything that she went through in the conventional treatment system, only to be left feeling worse, the feeling, and the fact, that there was a team behind her—preparing everything, making the big decisions and working on restoring her health—was crucial for Jamie.
She also appreciated the “nutrition-forward” approach of the treatment path. “You’re constantly not just eating food that is good for you, but you are learning about why it is good for cancer-fighting,” Jamie added. “Where else do you go where your doctor is readily available all the time? If you have a question, he’s walking around he’ll come and eat lunch with you answer questions. You just don’t get that in mainstream medicine. Here, the nurses are one step ahead of you all the time, just looking at everything.”
And even during days when she was not feeling that great, she knows that “everyone’s going to come alongside you, help you and carry you when you’re feeling weak.”
As Jamie prepared to leave An Oasis of Healing, she brings with her knowledge that will make a lasting impact on her life. More importantly, she goes home with a renewed sense of hope and health.
“I’m going home prepared and empowered to continue this life journey at home,” she said. “My cancer is getting better, it’s going away. It’s such a unique opportunity to be a part of something like this. I feel incredibly grateful.”
To find out more about An Oasis of Healing’s life-changing cancer care program that has helped patients like Jamie, check out the website or schedule an appointment for a more personalized consultation.
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