The Dermatologist said that it was a melanoma and that James should get a large area of his back surgically removed. James was not convinced. He instead sought for the doctor who treated his skin cancer for advice. He spotted something wrong, and suggested a melanoma specialized Oncologist friend of his for James to seek advice. The Oncologist revealed it was – a severe Stage IV Melanoma.

• The Treatment and it’s side effects–

The Oncologist recommended a cancer removal surgery that would clear it all. James opted for it and got operated. Further, he only visited for monitoring.

As a person, James had completely gone from a happy person to a depressive one. His friends and family were worried that he won’t survive. His wife left with their daughter. He tried to create a new life for himself by taking up a new job and caring for himself. But the half-yearly check up devastated his plans.

• The New Dilemma–

In the check up after 6 months, doctors spotted lumps in his right groin from swollen lymph nodes. And got it removed in an extensive & painful surgery. The next recommendation was experimenting with 80 rounds of chemotherapy accompanied by more surgeries and rounds of radiations. The chemotherapy sessions stretched for 8-10 hours long followed by 5 days of recovery in the hospital. His body temperature was raised high in hyperthermia and was then injected with typhoid serum and then immediately followed by chemotherapy. Every two months, he underwent 5 rounds of this regime.

After 2 months into these miserable and weakening treatments, James sneaked out of the hospital in hope of something better. Tired, weak, nauseous and feverish were the only outcomes of the therapy. With leg swelling up to 3 times every day, losing weight and throwing up all that he consumed; James was utterly depressed and wanted to get rid of the protocol.

• Macrobiotics – A Ray of Hope –

A friend of his showed James a book – ‘Confessions of a Kamikaze Cowboy’ by Dirk Benedict, a renowned actor who beat prostate cancer with macrobiotic diet. It was quite relatable to James and helped him reflect on his diet and lifestyle. After sneaking out, he studied macrobiotics and began cooking it with his stepmother’s help. The ideal breakfast was miso soup, brown rice and cooked greens. He made every possible attempt to make macrobiotic diet work for him. He spent almost all of his time in reading, studying, meditating & manifesting. He also focused on exercises, breathing methods and chewing every bite 180 times. His energy rejuvenated. Vitamin C was not a part of the macrobiotic diet but he still ensured to consume 20,000 mg of it daily. Exercise was a steady and gradual process, but he got back to it like never before. He initiated with running but when his legs started hurting, he turned to cycling – 100 miles a week. Soon, he got back to work (12 hours a day) where he would eat the leftovers of his planned meals.

In 3 months, he regained some weight and swelling went down. He felt fresh and alive because of natural remedies unlike the chemotherapy. He read about a couple of hippie hitchhikers who led a city doctor to macrobiotic way of healing cancer, that he desperately wanted to be a part of.

•  The Healing Journey –

James realized that whatever one decides for him should be pursued with whole heart. There is no instant remedy for cancer, but a permanent change in lifestyle that heals you. Macrobiotics was right for him, but may not be for others. Macrobiotics changed things around him, but now his loneliness sought for people. He read a book by Anthony J. Sattilaro, MD, CEO of a hospital in Philadelphia. Anthony described about his journey of conservations with hippie hitchhikers, to whom he told about his illness and they in return convinced him to see a nearby macrobiotic center. James decided to sign up for a week’s residential program at Kushi Institute in Western Massachusetts, founded by Michio Kushi – the Father of Macrobiotics in America.

• Homely feeling –

With 20 of them in the seminar, almost all suffering with cancer; it was the best week for James. Everything was extremely positive, friendly and hopes building for him. There were classes on macrobiotics and cooking. Meanwhile, he also connected with Alex Jack, a writer about macrobiotics, who soon became General Manager at Kushi. On his insistence, James left his good job in Dallas and accepted an internship at Kushi. He washed dishes, hauled firewood, provided transport and did every single thing to earn bread. Soon, he was promoted as the Operational Manager of that 600 acre facility. When he was not working, he went for barefooted walks in snow. He slept on a futon on the floor, practiced intense kundalini yoga at 5:30 and also hiked & skied. He continued following the healthy diet protocols.