True to my life thus far, my affirmation came during casual conversation with a sympathetic doctor, after nearly three months of frivolous searching. “Sure, I’ll prescribe all those for you. What else you need?” It was said with a backhanded noncalance, but to me, suddenly, the day had become clear, bright, and full of possibilities.

I’m lucky to have learned the subtly reverential nuances, coded in medical banter between doctor and patient when asking for a favor, from decades working as a medic. Ironic how often life’s tragic twists turn out to be future solutions, ain’t it?

Treating my type of cancer with chemotherapy is considered “therapeutic,” not curative, meaning I take the medication and wait to see if it affects tumor growth. Maybe sí, maybe no. Maybe they shrink, or stay the same size, or continue grow.

Many people stop there…but I’m not “most people.”

A shift towards healthy lifestyles and relationships to people and passions have shown immeasurable benefit, and it makes sense.

A healthy, ketogenic diet starves the tumors of sugar and carbohydrates, slowing, and in many cases altogether ceasing tumor cell growth.

Vigorous exercise done regularly keeps the immune system strong, the lymphatic system drained, and the blood-oxygen levels in an alkaline state, which also combats mitosis (cell division and replication)

To maximize my opportunities, I take a melangé of supplements that have shown to thin and damage the cancer’s cell membrane, slow mitosis, paint the tumor as volatile and killable, strengthen the body’s immune response, or glom onto free-ranging sugar molecules, lowering blood sugar even further. Along with the naturapathic adjuncts, I’ve discovered certain medications that, although not intended to fight cancer, have demonstrated profound success in tumor reduction and destruction. Sweating off a dozen pounds of fat and inflammation, sweet-talking doctors with kind persuasion, navigating life-threatening disease through parenthood and partnership, all while my cortisol levels are pegging the needle, is not for the faint of heart or determination.

Finding doctors who will veer just out of bounds to prescribe quality off-label pharmaceuticals at the proper dosages to sick strangers can prove tumultuous, often met with failure. I needed only one “yes,” however, and I wasn’t giving up.

Through active discourse and the same kind of determined patient advocacy I practiced for my patients, I have given myself the best chance to destroy this illness once and for all—and perhaps have added a decade to my life through positive choices. In my head, this saying continually rings like church bells: