Archived from Howard Straus' gersonmedia.com website

Contributed: October 1995

The following story of a patient’s recovery is told virtually verbatim by his wife, Janet.

“In October 1995, being examined for a kidney stone, my husband Gray, aged 38, was diagnosed with early stage Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. No treatment was indicated, but we were informed that the prognosis was not good and chemotherapy would suppress the lymphocyte count only for a while.

Although I was a nursing tutor, I was not familiar with oncology, nor was I aware of alternative or complementary therapies. The course of our lives was changed by the arrival of the book, A Time to Heal, by Beata Bishop, sent by a friend. I became convinced, after further information from the British Gerson Support Group, that the Gerson Therapy might offer Gray more hope and certainly would not do him any harm!

As finances were tight, Gray continued to work as a pastor, but he could follow the Therapy, as we live next door to the church and he works from home. We were pleased with the initial response and two flare-ups in the first 3-4 months. But although we followed the Therapy meticulously, he continued to deteriorate over the first 18 months. He produced no further flare-ups, but continued to have mild fevers and night sweats, indicative of lymphoma. I would now advise cancer patients to take the first 3-6 months off work, because the body needs all the energy it receives through the juices and food to heal itself.

We had some good holiday breaks, during which he seemed to improve with rest. It became obvious, though, during the last few months of 1997, that his condition was deteriorating, as monitored by blood counts and increasing size of the spleen. His NHS (National Health Service) consultant was keen to start chemotherapy; we were reluctant to accept but unsure what to do.

At this point we were able to visit the Gerson Hospital in Mexico, where Gray showed rapid improvement within two weeks. Unfortunately on our return home he developed septicemia from a leg abscess, and a flare-up of the lymphoma, and needed two periods of hospitalization. He was treated with I.V. antibiotics and lost about 20 lbs.

The flare-up of the lymphoma necessitated crisis intervention with tablet form chemotherapy. Also, the spleen had grown to weigh 7 lbs. and had to be removed. Contrary to expectations he did not need intensive care, was home on the eighth day, and returned to work three months later. Throughout I managed to keep him on the Gerson Therapy and took many juices, all his food and enemas into the hospital every day!

In all, we continued on the full Gerson Therapy for four years, until Gray’s condition had completely stabilized and the blood picture and lymph glands were reduced to normal. This process was assisted by a further low dose, 12-month course of tablet chemotherapy (Chlorambucil). Gray experienced no harmful side effects, only a slow beneficial one, as he followed the Gerson Therapy simultaneously. For the past year (the fifth) he has reduced the juices to between six and eight per day with two coffee breaks, but we continue to eat the Gerson way as a family 90% of the time, as it is good for all of us.

According to the last scans, there is no sign of disease in his body and the blood picture has been completely normal for 18 months. Gray continues to work full time and has regained all his weight and has wonderful color and energy. An added bonus has been that the kidney stone is no longer visible on the X-ray—we presume it has dissolved and disappeared.”

Diagnosis made at the Royal Surrey County & St Luke’s Hospitals, Guildford, Surrey, England, on December 12th 1995: Stage IV Low Grade Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma