Are There Success Stories From Chris Beat Cancer Readers?

Just finished reading ‘Chris Beat Cancer’ – such a scrapbook of human resilience. A particularly powerful story from a gentleman who’d been diagnosed with stage IV cancer but went on to transform his life by a return to a plant-based diet, juicing, and meditation. Before-and-after photos show a marked physical change but most of all there’s a look of hope and happiness back in his eyes. These days he’s now even cycling marathons – something he thought he’d never be able to do again. What is so wonderful about these stories of hope and how people have returned to good health is that they are honest about the bad days too, the days when they wanted to give up, days when they are eaten by cravings for unhealthy foods, days when they are ridden by emotional turmoil. It just makes the good days all the more achievable and hence all the more wonderful than if they were just presented as wonderful stories of recovery in a glossy magazine. The comments section below each of the testimonials is also wonderful – so many people writing of their own progress, or even just asking for advice. It shows that hope is very contagious.

I borrowed a dog-eared copy of Chris Beat Cancer from a coworker and spent hours in online reader forums. One woman documented her journey with dark humor after being told she had only a few years to live. The last post from her was a picture of herself at Machu Picchu two years cancer-free. The book explores many methods of cancer prevention and treatment and showcases many different approaches. Some people went all out with the Gerson therapy while others made slight changes to their daily routines. I found it very comforting because it's like having a toolbox full of methods and you get to pick and choose what works best for you. Many people who read these stories are inspired to make healthier choices and even get the rest of their family on board by switching to whole foods in an effort to avoid processed foods. The book makes health feel empowering rather than scary.

I stumbled upon the website 'Chris Beat Cancer' during the time my aunt was ill with cancer. The inspirational stories of people who had fought and beaten cancer were very uplifting. However, it was very moving to read the stories of people’s struggles and the not so perfect parts of their cancer journey too. One reader in particular, had always been a ‘skeptic’ of alternative treatments but had started to read more about the cancer diets and had started to combine some of his conventional treatments with his new found diet, which he credited with saving his life. His blog posts were so relatable to me, especially as I was also talking to my friend who had just gone through treatment too.

One particular patient's story stood out to me. She was a mom in treatment for cancer using the protocols outlined in the book in addition to her chemo. She wrote updates to her blog detailing her struggles and her successes. Her kids had been very afraid for her at times but as she slowly regained her energy they began to feel relief again. She even posted videos of her gardening again and talked about cooking again and how those things felt to her. It wasn't the dramatic 'I beat cancer' type of stories but rather all of the little stories that in total are very powerful. The support of the community around this book is not that of a fan, but that of a support group. They may discuss the latest smoothie recipes but they get it when it comes to healing from cancer.

The testimonials in ‘Chris Beat Cancer’ are raw, unedited and often conflicting. There’s a guy that did coffee enemas while another has daily turmeric shots. The underlying theme of all of these stories though is ownership. These individuals took an active role in their healing and found that mentally they got better as well as physically. It was really inspiring to read the story of a retired teacher that during her treatment turned her backyard into an organic veggie patch. She now runs workshops for newly diagnosed individuals and calls her backyard the ‘chemotherapy garden’. It’s not just about surviving cancer, it’s about redefining what life after diagnosis looks like for you.