
My Story.
In the face of cancer, hope became my most powerful medicine.
I was 23 years old, and life was unfolding perfectly. My career as a commodity broker in London was thriving. With my first big bonus, I had just purchased my own home. Despite the whirlwind of wining and dining clients and frequent international travel, I managed to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I was unstoppable, ready to seize every opportunity with an ambitious spirit. Then, everything changed. I was told “You have Cancer”.
At just 23, I was diagnosed with sarcoma. The prognosis for sarcoma was grim: with odds of 1 in 100,000, there were no known successful treatments. I felt like I’d been hit by a 10-ton truck. “Why me? What do I do?” Scared, overwhelmed, and desperate for help and advice, I turned to my doctors and took a backseat in my health journey, a decision that would prove to be my biggest mistake.
Within two weeks, I was in the hospital to remove a tumor embedded at the base of my skull, followed by a brutal regimen of two chemotherapy drugs and the maximum allowable radiation. Despite all this, the cancer continued to grow. I was terrified, in constant pain, skinny, and bald! The doctors told me a second surgery was necessary, this time far more aggressive, resulting in the removal of not just the tumor but also the nerve that controlled my left vocal cord. I woke up, literally and metaphorically, speechless.
Miraculously, I was then declared in remission and could return to my life! However, I received a sobering warning from my oncologist: if the cancer returned a third time, I might not be so fortunate. I refused to let those words haunt me. Life was exhilarating once again. My fiancé proposed during a dream holiday in Bali; I was making mid-six figures; I closed the largest deal in UK gas market history; and we renovated our home. Everything seemed perfect… Until cancer knocked on my door for the third time.
I went back to my normal lifestyle, pre-caner. What the oncologist hadn’t told me, most likely as he didn’t know, is how much my lifestyle choices could impact my chances of keeping the cancer away. I learned the importance of accountability at this mishap. We should never assume the doctors know everything nor have our best interests at heart. This became apparent many times over the next 7 years as I was encouraged by a hospital nutritionist that I need to be adding more sugar to my tea and having cream with my cakes in order to gain some weight!
Stage 4. Terminal. After a year and a half of believing I had been in remission, routine scans revealed countless aggressive tumors in my lungs. My oncologist delivered the news every cancer patient dreads to hear: “It’s spread too far. I’m sorry, there’s nothing we can do. You have 12-18 months to live.” He offered no hope, suggesting only options to prolong my life, palliative care.
At 27, facing my mortality, something fierce ignited within me. Looking at my devastated family, I resolved to fight; I would not accept a fate that kept me from celebrating my 28th birthday, let alone my 30th. We did what we thought was the next best thing: we flew to New York to one of the renowned cancer hospitals in the world, only to be knocked down once more. The doctor repeated the sentiment of every other medical professional before him: “There is nothing we can do.” No hope to offer. We spent the night in a dingy air bnb and I heard my mum sob a visceral cry all night and it was then I made a silent promise that I would never give up.
If one person had overcome this, then so could I.
Facing the battle of my life, I knew what I had to do. I had to become the CEO of my own health! I embarked on an intense research journey, spending days, weeks, and months diving into books and online medical studies to understand cancer and explore ways to combat it. I learned what drove cancer, what allowed it to thrive, and how to halt its progression.I uncovered a world of therapies and strategies that doctors often don’t mention; treatments dismissed, overlooked, or outright discouraged with fear based warnings. My ambition grew, I was determined not just to slow it down but to reverse it. This was going to be the fight of my life, and I was going to win.
Before long, I devised my own cancer healing protocol, which I dubbed the “Hope Protocol.” It was overwhelming and required extraordinary discipline. This regimen included over 60 daily supplements, a complete lifestyle overhaul, a pristine diet rich in anti-cancer nutrients, a liter of green juice each day, detoxing via infrared saunas, coffee enemas, ozone therapy, and weekly colonics. I also focused on my mindset, believing in the power of the placebo effect. I read accounts of spontaneous remissions, knowing that if others could defy the odds, so could I.
Three months after being told I was dying, I faced another CT scan. The results were unequivocal: every tumor in my lungs had shrunk. While many might call it a miracle, it was the result of countless hours of research, unwavering determination, and a mindset that battled daily doubts. It was hard work paying off. My oncologists only explanation to these unprecedented results without ‘conventional’ treatment - ‘Perhaps it isn’t cancer after all’.
For the next four years, I lived fully, free from hospital visits except for routine scans that reinforced my faith in this metabolic approach to cancer treatment. I felt like I had truly solved the puzzle, and I was on a one-way street to remission, until I wasn’t. After those good years, a routine scan revealed that the cancer was on the move again.
My oncologist, with sympathetic eyes, informed me that cancer had caught up to me once more. Again, I was told, “There’s nothing we can do.” But again, I refused to accept defeat. Like four years prior, when every medical professional had written me off, I did the unthinkable and combatted a stage 4 prognosis in a completely unprecedented way. I left no stone unturned until I found my desired outcome; perhaps there was just another piece of the puzzle waiting to be discovered. Nothing seemed impossible to me anymore.
Back to the research books, I honed in on the specifics. With gene testing done on my tumors, I revealed two different gene expressions, and with this information, I could narrow down specific novel treatments to target them. Knowing that with my holistic approach and treasure trove of knowledge, I could combine the two and ultimately enhance their effects while protecting myself from any adverse effects of the more toxic treatments.
I quickly mobilised to the United States, where promising trials were underway for these two treatments. Within four days of receiving the news, my husband and I packed up our beautiful new home, ready to pursue conventional treatments: chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and gene-targeted therapy. This time, I took the driver’s seat in my care, focusing on how to enhance these therapies and mitigate side effects to maintain a high quality of life. I would combine the best of western conventional treatments with all the alternatives I had spent years learning about- a fully integrative approach.
Fresh with optimism in my new plan of attack, by the time I met my oncologist in the U.S., the doom and gloom from the doctors tried to make me accept defeat once more, telling me one of the tumors was now 16 cm and dangerously close to my heart. With my parents, sister, and husband present, he took my hands and told me I was living on borrowed time, that each moment could be my last. Yet, I had a plan, and it wasn’t over until the fat lady sang, as they say.
Treatment got underway, and I tapped into every resource I had, physically and mentally, doing all I could to nourish myself with my revised protocol to get maximum results from what felt like my last shot. Miraculously, after a month of treatment, I received my first sign that I was back on track: the tumor was shrinking, and all my numbers were moving in the right direction. Hope renewed, doctors astounded, I was back on the road to remission.
Over the last two years, despite enduring toxic therapies, I’ve managed to live a fulfilling life with minimal disruption. While many undergoing treatment are spending a vast amount of it bedridden, thanks to my complimentary healing protocol, I was able to maintain my yoga practice and daily walking, even embarked on a few monumental hikes on the really good days and cherished time with my loved ones. With such a strong belief in my journey and purpose, we really were able to live as if nothing was wrong. That is the power of hope.
By September 2024, which marked 18 months in America, I was deemed well and stable enough to return home and continue my path in the UK. The cancer hasn’t gone, but once again, I am fully in control.
From this journey, a burning desire ignited within me: to empower everyone battling cancer to take ownership of their health. It’s my mission to share my decade of experience and research, ensuring that this knowledge is accessible to all, empowering you too to become the CEO of your own health.
Ironically, my name is Hope. There is always hope—always.
Hope Joy Pearce