Growing
up I was never an athletic person.
So, when I discovered road biking and racing at the age of 29, I felt as
though I was living the part of my childhood that I’d missed out on the first
time around.
On Friday, April 28th, I had gone to get a deep tissue massage
to limber up for the big race on Saturday.
Right after the massage, my right leg buckled on me, and I thought to
myself “Gee, that was a great massage.
I’m so relaxed I can’t even walk correctly.”
The next day at the race, we were all lined up at the start, the referee
blew the whistle, and everyone took off.
Everyone, that is, except for me.
For some reason, my right leg didn’t move the pedal when my mind said
it was time to race.
Again, I chalked it up to having a bad day, and after already being
behind the others, pulled out of the race one lap in to it.
The
following week I noticed that when I walked, I would stub my toes on my right
foot (I was convinced that my right leg was longer than my left), that I was
dragging my right leg, and that I was having difficulty writing (I am
right-handed).
I attributed all of these oddities to the massage that I’d had the week
before; perhaps the massage therapist had pinched a nerve and as a result, I
couldn’t walk or write correctly.
Still not convinced that there was really something wrong with me, I went
to my Chiropractor and asked him to “fix what the massage therapist had
done.”
His reply was “Jodi, there’s nothing wrong with your back, you need
to see a Neurologist.”
That’s when the “fun” began.
I
met with my Neurologist on Tuesday, May 9th and went in for an MRI
Wednesday, May 10th.
Later that day, my doctor called to tell me there was a lesion on my
brain; it could be an infection, it could be a parasite, or it could be a brain
tumor.
I left work immediately, and checked in to the hospital for a series of
tests and monitoring.
The tests were several CAT Scans and additional MRIs to make sure there
were no signs of tumors elsewhere in my body.
The tests all came back negative (indicating that if it was a tumor, it
was a primary brain tumor, not one that had started elsewhere and metastasized),
and I was scheduled for a biopsy the morning of Monday, May 15th.
On
May 15, 2000, at the age of 31, I was diagnosed with an inoperable Anaplastic
Astrocytoma, a stage 3-brain tumor.
My parents (from Florida) and my sister (from San Francisco) were with me
that day.
My first comment when I saw my father was “Ya’ know, Dad, I don’t
mess around, I go straight for the big stuff.
I haven’t even had a cavity before, and I get a brain tumor.”
My dad chuckled, as well as he could, and replied, “You would have been
better off with the cavity.”
By the time I got out of the hospital on May 16th, I had
appointments set up with the top local Neuroncologists and Neurosurgeons.
A
friend of mine, who had unfortunately lost his wife several years earlier, told
me about Dr. Burzynski.
He begged me to look into Dr. Burzynski and his treatment, and if I liked
what I saw, to please try that before I underwent any other treatment.
My family and I did extensive research on Dr. Burzynski, including
speaking with several of his patients, and meeting with Tom Elias, the author of
The Burzynski Breakthrough.
I liked what I read and heard.
Dr. Burzynski’s treatment instinctively made sense, and there were no
known side effects.
Conversely, I didn’t like what I heard when I spoke with the
Neuroncologists and Neurosurgeons.
These doctors didn’t speak about “curing” me; rather, they talked
about prolonging my life “until the next best medicine comes around.”
Also, as an active 31-year old, I couldn’t imagine subjecting myself to
chemotherapy, and what I’d heard of its horrible side effects.
I
met with Dr. Burzynski on Monday, June 5, 2000.
I was sold immediately.
My father, who is a very stoic individual, noted that Dr. Burzynski
“has a sparkle in his eye.”
Perhaps it was that “sparkle” that convinced me I was in the right
place.
I started on the IV treatment June 6th, and was home in Los
Angeles Monday, June 26th.
I responded so well to Antineoplaston therapy, and my tumor was breaking
down so rapidly, that after only two months on treatment, I was moved from the
IV form of the medicine to a less-potent capsule form.
The enhancing part of the tumor was gone. Also, I was back at work full
time after having only taken two months off for medical leave.
I was back on my bike in October 2000, albeit it a slower pace, but I was
back.
I couldn’t imagine I would have been able to do that had I chosen the
chemotherapy route.
In December 2000, I was told that all that remained of the tumor was scar
tissue.
This fact was validated by my local Neurologist, who, at one time was
skeptical of Dr. Burzynski’s treatment, though now admits, “This treatment
obviously worked for you.”