Randy Alexander
I am just an East Texas country boy and have been retired since 1/1/2000 and was enjoying being able to travel and enjoy life for a while. Not being old enough (64 Years old) to get on Medicare we have to find insurance where ever we can get it. On 6/29/2004 had a biopsy on a tumor I had acquired in the inside corner of my left eye. On 7/6/2004 got the report from the doctor in Houston that the tumor was nodular melanoma. He said it is a bad form of cancer that is fast spreading and deadly and that I need to get medical attention as soon as possible. He said that he had made me an appointment at M.D. Anderson in Houston. I was devastated just like anyone else would have been. I called M.D. Anderson and found that they could not see me before 7/20/2004.
I did not want to go to M.D. Anderson for treatment because of the fact all my friends and neighbors in the area where I live that I have known that have gone there for treatment have never lived over a few years and suffered all the last part of their life, because of the harsh treatments used on them there. At this time I started looking for some alternative way to address this problem. This is when peer pressure from all of my loved ones started, to go for the normal orthodox treatment. I am known to be hard headed anyway so it did not bother me too much. When I explained the difference between destroying the immune system and repairing and improving it they all agreed with me. I was lucky to get a call from the “money man” at M.D. Anderson to inform me that he had checked on my insurance and found that I could not come there at all. My wife and myself were paying over five hundred dollars a month for medical insurance and could not even get in the door at a State and Federal funded hospital for treatment. He said to get in I would have to put up $5000.00 cash on my first visit and he did not know how I would be able to pay for the rest of the treatment. He said for the type of cancer that I have the normal cost at M.D. Anderson would be from a quarter of million to one million dollars. Oh well I did not want to go there anyway I guess somebody is looking out for me.
In a couple of days my daughter in law over in Singapore sent me an e-mail and told me of a website she had found that might be what I needed. It was New Hope Medical Center in Scottsdale, Arizona. I look it up and found some of the best written information I had ever seen on melanoma cancer that made perfect sense to me. It was very comforting to me to find out that there was a way to cure this type of cancer. This is not the story I had got from the boys down in Houston. I called Larry O’Toole at New Hope Medical Center and made myself an appointment. Before we left to go to the Medical center I got a call from Dr. Branyon and it was very comforting to hear the voice on the phone that had written the information on their website, I knew then she was real.
By the time I drove my wife, daughter and myself and to Scottsdale, which was a little over 1200 miles I had worried about all of the bad things I might find when we got there. I could imagine that the doctor would an old fat grouch that only worried about payday and Friday evening. This is the type I have heard people talk about down where we live. You see I don’t go to doctors myself, the last one I had went to, before I got the biopsy done in Houston was in 1973 and he gave me an antibiotic that made me allergic to yellow cheese for 25 years. With only a high school education I know my limitations but I have always been able to think things out for myself. In the job I had before I retired I worked my way up from the bottom job to a Principal Control System Engineer in the 32 years I worked there. This was a company that did not allow a person without a college degree to become an engineer, but they waved this rule in my case. So I can think for myself like the old east Texas saying “I didn’t come in on that last load of turkeys”… With this in mind I was not afraid to look for help for my problem elsewhere and not what I call “just follow the sheep”. Who knows they may be going to slaughter! Normally I am a very healthy person. But I am not near smart enough or I would not have a cancer in my eye.
When I got to New Hope Medical Center I was amazed to find all my worries were in vain because the people there were wonderful. Dr. Branyon was not only beautiful but is the sweetest and the kindest person I have met in my life. She is very business-like and makes your health her number one priority. She has a heart of gold and will do whatever is necessary to get you well. After I was there a while I could see why she was awarded the “Legacy and the Leadership awards” from “The Institute for Exceptional Performance” in 2001. There is a very elite group of people that have received this award like Mother Teresa, Linus Pauling, Oprah Winfrey, Peter Ueberroth, Mikhail Gorbachhev and a few others that I have not heard of. I found these awards hanging on the wall in the clinic and I was very impressed. I have met lots of motivated and caring people in my life but she is exceptional. Larry and all off the other people at the clinic are very helpful as well and all seem to consider your health there number one priority.
I started treatment at New Hope Medical Center on 7/23/2004. The first day I was examined by Dr. Sherman. The doctors determined the correct treatments for me. I was pleased to find that they use lots of treatments instead of relying on one or two. The plan was for me to stay for 3 weeks but we found I had an unexpected problem with my veins. I was allergic to latex material which caused a problem with the needles used for the IV treatments. So I had to go and get a port put in to continue my treatments. So I spent 4 weeks in the clinic. While we were in the clinic they taught my wife how to cook the vegetables and things that I needed to be able to continue the treatments when we got home. We also learned lots of things about nutrition and how the treatments work. In learning things about what can cause cancer Dr. Branyon talked about a leading cause was root canal teeth that have gone bad. Dr. Branyon made me an appointment at a dentist that she knew in Scottsdale that know how to safely remove a tooth of this type. The dentist figured out which tooth was bad and pulled it. After I got back to the clinic to complete my treatments for the day I was surprised when my tumor stated to hurt and ache. This was the first time it had ever hurt since it had been there. At this time we .knew this was most likely the cause of the cancer. This makes a lot more sense to me to find the cause and fix the problem, improve the immune system to fight off the cancer instead of treating the symptoms of the cancer for a while knowing it is almost sure to come back someday. It is my fault that I got cancer from a root canal tooth because I bought a book “Root Canal Cover-up” and read it and was not wise enough to have these teeth removed at this time because they did not seem to be causing me any problems at the time, I thought. I still have one to be removed as soon as I get time.
When we got home from the clinic the first time I got madder than hell when I was given a clipping out of the Houston paper that had been published while we were gone. It was reported by Todd Ackerman about M.D. Anderson being given an 11.5 million dollar grant to try to find a cure for melanoma cancer. I guess if I had good insurance and went down there they would have given me some more of the “Cut, Burn and Poison” stuff that they knew did not work. It also said this makes a total of nine Spore grants they have received the most of any medical institution. Just wonder why they always give the money to the wrong people. It doesn’t seem smart to give my tax money to the people that are forty years behind in natural treatments for cancer.
We went back to the clinic the week of 10/25/2004 to have my liver checked. I had an increase in liver enzymes in a blood test and the doctors wanted to check it out.
I am at home now but still following the advice of the doctors at New Hope and taking the therapies she suggest. I have lost a little over 40 pounds that I needed to loose anyway. I feel great. My wife has been a critical part of this treatment plan. Without her help it would have been very hard to do. It was very kind and smart for New Hope Medical Center to allow her to join in on all the lectures and learn how to do all of the therapies that I have to do. We are sticking to the diet as much as possible. Larry taught my wife many ways to prepare the vegetables. That has been very helpful. Larry is an excellent cook. I have been very pleased with my progress and all of the treatment at New Hope Medical Center. With their help I will get over this cancer and live for a long time. I would recommend anyone that is sick with any type of critical illness contact New Hope Medical Center first. They care about you not your money.
To your good health: