I am from a little town 25 km North of Barcelona, Spain. I was diagnosed with a hormone-dependent breast cancer in November 2009 called invasive ductal adenocarcinoma; stage II/III, tumor size 2cm.

I felt devastated at that moment, and so did my husband, my mother and my sisters. But then I felt the strength inside myself, and a furious rage came out saying that this cancer wasn’t going to kill me — that I would be victorious!

The doctors immediately started to plan surgery, then radiotherapy and, following that, five years of Tamoxifen. After a pre-surgical routine MRI the doctors found another little 4mm tumor in the same breast. Since they could not localize it because it was small and very deep, the doctors couldn’t perform a biopsy. They took out the tumor out and decided I should have a check-up with an MRI every 3 months just in case it grew. Luckily, my lymph nodes were clear so the doctors only took out the sentinel lymph node.

After surgery, my hospital oncologist said that I had to take Tamoxifen. I found out that, according to the National Cancer Institute, Tamoxifen’s side effects range from hot flashes, vaginal dryness, joint pain and leg cramps to blood clots, cataracts, strokes and uterine cancer. So, it was clear in my mind that I was not going to take that poison.

I started radiotherapy for six weeks, but worried that it would be a big mistake.

After one month I was so ill that I ended up in the hospital because I could not stop vomiting. I lost about 22 pounds in a few months. My family was very alarmed and fearful and my husband could see that I was not doing well. The day after I returned from the hospital, I started vomiting again.

I continued looking for other less aggressive treatments. In Spain, it is still not very common to do alternative treatments for serious illnesses like cancer. I read about the Gerson Therapy and asked a private oncologist her opinion about the Therapy. She said that it was the best Therapy I could do, but that it was very difficult and required a lot of effort, commitment and discipline.

My next MRI showed that I had not one but three little tumors, 4 mm each. The recommended course of treatment was mastectomy and chemotherapy in case the tumors grew. I was very clear that I was not going to have any of this done to me.

I wrote to the Gerson Institute in the USA. They very kindly sent me a lot of information and the contact details for Stephen Gamble [Editor’s note: Stephen Gamble is a Gerson practitioner in England, but is no longer practicing].

Then my husband and I watched the movie Dying to Have Known and afterwards he looked at me with very a clear light in his eyes and said: “You are going to recover with the Gerson Therapy.”

And I breathed deeply in peace, not just because I knew what I was going to do but also because my husband was with me. He was going to support me until the end and truly follow me on that path. No more doubts, no more fear, no more fighting with doctors. And then I could feel how tired I was. My husband set up an appointment with Stephen.

I started the Therapy in July of 2010

My husband was on holiday, so he could be with me the whole time. Yes, at the beginning everything was new and I found that the day was too long, and exhausting. My husband prepared juices. I cleaned carrots and prepared all the foods during the morning and coffee for the next day’s enemas too, so that in the afternoon I could have some rest. I have been following this schedule ever since then and it has become very normal. Besides, I am feeling better now, so it is not as stressful as it was in the beginning.

When I started the Therapy I weighed only 85 pounds but the castor oil treatment affected me very strongly. Every time I did it, I lost nearly a pound. After three weeks, I weighed just 81 pounds, so Stephen made some adjustments to the schedule in order to avoid negative consequences.

I had my first flare up just 10 days after starting!

I must say, I felt a bit scared. But also, in a sense, happy. It meant that the treatment was working.

My first flare up had nothing to do with cancer but with an injury from an accident where I broke my nose two years earlier. It was terribly painful then, and it hurt when the healing reaction occurred. I felt pain all over my face and I could hardly open my mouth. My ears were hurting too, and I had a strong headache. The pain went away in a week and then I felt for the first time in two years that my nose didn’t hurt anymore! Then, just a week later, the second and third healing reactions happened. They continued almost non-stop during the first three months. I had recurring headaches, and one day around mid-April I had a strong migraine. I could not eat anything and I had to make a big effort to drink the juices. But since then I have had fewer headaches, which is a big improvement.

By the end of October 2010, four months after starting the Therapy, my next MRI showed that the three little tumors were not there; they had just disappeared!

Everybody was surprised. My surgeon said: “I don’t know exactly what are you doing, but it is going very well.” He didn’t ask anything else and I did not try to give any explanations.

But my husband could not keep quiet, he has an acute sense of humor. With a very naïve look, he asked the doctor how it was possible for the tumors to just disappear. The doctor’s answer was “Well, the breast is a place where there is a lot of movement. Things come and go” (sic). The MRI report assumed that the three little tumors vanishing was due to the radiotherapy, which was totally untrue. Because before I started radiotherapy I had asked all the doctors if the radiotherapy could kill these tumors and all of them (radiologist, gynecologist, surgeon and oncologist) agreed that was not the purpose of the radiotherapy, and in fact was impossible.

But even after the tumors disappeared, the healing reactions continued

By the beginning of 2011 my breast and right lung started to hurt a lot. Since then it has happened quite often; the last time was in mid-July. I could hardly move my right arm and I had headaches for more than three days, non-stop. I applied castor oil packs and did more enemas and finally it went away.

I did everything as prescribed. I drank thirteen juices a day and did five coffee enemas during the first three months, after which the enemas were reduced to four a day. I continued with the juices since I could not eat a lot. I took all the medications and liver injections with B12. I follow what my practitioner said, and I must say that I have been doing it very exactly and very well.

The second year on the Gerson Therapy was easier than the first.

I had many flare ups but they were shorter and a bit different from the ones I had at the beginning. They lasted just a few days and the headaches were less strong, but I continued to suffer strong pains in the breast and in the lung. I used a lot of castor oil packs on the area. During the second year I started to feel quite anxious and had emotional flare ups (maybe other Gersonites have experienced that too) including fear, sadness and rage. I cried a lot and could not stop.

My last visit to the oncologist was in March 2012. My blood tests were perfect and the results of the last MRI (done on February 2012) were perfect, too. The last three months on the Therapy I was drinking nine juices and doing two enemas a day, along with all the medications but a bit reduced.

Two weeks ago I reached the two-year mark, and very naturally I just continued with the Therapy.

I am planning to go on with the Therapy until mid-September when I will start working again. I am taking seven juices, two enemas and liver capsules, acidol, and pancreatin. I’ve stopped the thyroid and Lugols. After September, I am going to continue the Therapy in the same way but I will concentrate the Therapy mainly during the mornings and work a few hours in the afternoon. Until when? I don’t know, really. I probably will continue for life, with some breaks. It is clear in my mind that there is no going back.

I look forward to what life and the universe puts in front of me. But I learned a good lesson. It’s important to listen to our body and to listen to all the alarms and signals that it gives to us before we discover that we are ill. Now I am feeling strong and healthy.

Rita, August 2012

 We’re so grateful to Rita and all Gerson patients for sharing their inspirational stories. To share your Gerson story, fill out our testimonial form HERE.

Educational articles like this are made possible with the help of your donations. Help us continue the legacy of Dr. Max Gerson, his daughter Charlotte Gerson, and the thousands who rely on the Gerson Institute for vital educational materials and training.