Posts
This
relates to material on the melanoma treatment situation in New
Zealand, HERE
Surviving
melanoma – Pam and Robin’s experience
Seemorerocks
I
would like to talk a little about my own experience along with that
of my partner Pam.
Both
of us have been melanoma patients and both had operations done.
In
Pam’s case this dates back to 15-16 years ago. She had a melanoma
removed from her hand. The only follow -up was regular checkups at
the hospital Within a couple of years (and within a couple of weeks
of a regular checkup) she felt something wrong in her armpit. When a
biopsy was done it was found that she had a secondary melanoma so she
had an operation to remove her lymph glands.
The
only response of the System was to have several sessions with an
oncologist who gave a grim view by quoting survival statistics, but
had nothing else to suggest.
In
the meantime we decided not to rest on our laurels and Pam treated
herself with Gerson therapy that consisted of mostly vegetable
juices, a diet and coffee enemas. We were amused when Pam’s first
juice coincided with a visit to the hospital; when she fainted they
asked her if she had a cold (!).
As
I was in practice at the time I treated her with NAET (Nambudripad’s
allergy elimination technique) with, among other items an energetic
copy of her tissue sample)
As
luck would have it she was told about a melanoma vaccine trial being
run at the Sydney Melanoma Clinic by Prof. Peter Hersey.
Oh
yes, said the oncologist at the hospital, there is a trial in
Queensland too (that they weren’t going to tell her about) – but
that is a double blind trial.
There
was no way she was going to opt for something that possibly involved
a placebo so she opted for Sydney despite no encouragement from the
melanoma clinic at the hospital).
Prof.
Hersey was a totally different person from the Wellington people. He
sent Pam back with a chilly bin full of vaccines which were
administered by the nurse at the medical centre where I worked at the
time. This went on for two whole years with two trips back to
Sydney and with bi-monthly blood tests for the cancer antibody (which
stimulates the production of T-cells that detect and fight invading
cancer cells)
From
all the people that had travelled to Sydney anecdotally at the time
not one person had died from the disease.
Pam
was eventually cleared by the Wellington hospital (with yet another
spouting of statistics) and taken off the books.
Fast
forward to 2013. Also through not “feeling right” about a mole on
my midriff I went to a locum doctor who although initially vocally
sceptical decided, on second thoughts, to remove the mole and send a
tissue off to the hospital.
The
tissue proved positive so I was sent off for an appointment with the
surgeon.
The
whole picture had completely changed.
Prof
Hersey’s melanoma vaccine trial had been wound up and whereas we
had previously been told that melanoma was seen as a problem of the
immune system and that chemotherapy was ineffective in treating
melanoma we were now fed a completely different story.
The
drug companies had come up with a new generation chemotherapy and
that was all that was available.
So
for me there was no possibility of immunotherapy.
The
only route was to have a preremtory six-monthly check-up at the
hospital. After that it has been relegated to my GP (who
coincidentally is a specialist in this area but had absolutely NOT
HEARD, not only of Prof. Hersey’s program but of vaccines in
general.
Not
so my usual doctor, William, who referred me to a story from his
hometown, Vancouver, about a doctor who had disciplinary action taken
against him for using an unauthorised treatment (a melanoma vaccine)
on a patient.
When
I came to write this article I could not find anything on this
although I did find this, involving a naturopath from neighabouring
Washington.
As
an aside it has always seemed amazing to me that a clearlly-effective
(but simple) blood test for cancer bodies was OK to check progress
but was not authorised as a diagnostic tool, leaving only the clearly
ineffective manual check-up as the only tool – it had clearly
failed Pam who picked up her secondary growth two weeks after such an
examination.
The
situation in New Zealand, one of two melanoma capitals in the world
and where one person dies every day from melanoma, is dire.
I
therefore support efforts to get government funding for the
breakthrough drug treatment, Keytruda
so it is available for patients generally, and not just for those
with the large amounts of money to fund treatment themselves.
However
I do ask myself the question of why there is no support (and little
support) for effective and simple remedies such as cancer vaccines.
Why
is it next to impossible to get any acknowledgement that such a
treatment does, in fact exist.
I
have to ask myself why Prof. Hersey’s programme at the Sydney
Melanoma Clinic was discontinued.
I
think I know the answer.
It
reads, simply, BIG PHARMA.
…...
P.S.
Comments from Pam
I
understand that any treatment of melanoma, once cancer cells have
invaded the lymphatic system, blood stream and organs will probably
have a low success rate.
Early
detection and treatment offer the best chances of survival. Why,
therefore, is the proven, effective and cost-effective immunotherpay
not available for stage 1 and stage 2 melanoma patients when it could
save so many lives?
