Sophie Schneider

I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in the spring of 2018 at the age of 39. The disease is ER/PR+ HER2- and I have the PIK3CA mutation. My oncologist immediately put me on zoladex, followed by letrozole and zometa infusions. This is the extent of my standard of care treatment that I have been on for more than two years.

However, I knew that with metastatic disease more was needed if I wanted to survive, which is something my oncologist and the rest of my medical team could not offer me. I joined an online support group for other metastatic breast cancer patients and that’s where I found out about Jane McLelland’s How to Starve Cancer book. I also joined her Facebook group to learn more. Another member kindly sent me her copy, and then I made a start.

I took notes along the way, and learned about the metabolic approach to treating cancer. I do not have a medical background, so this is not something I had ever considered before, but it made sense to be able to block pathways that feed cancer and to deal with the underlying issues that promote cancer. I learned about how inflammation plays a part, and how lifestyle changes such as diet, exercise, supplements and off-label drugs can make a real difference to a cancer patient’s quality of life, and dare I say it! Survival.

I overhauled my lifestyle, bit by bit. I started incorporating regular exercise into my weekly routine, I made changes to my diet, had blood tests to check my vitamin B12, vitamin D, aldosterone, electrolytes and other tests, and I also contacted an integrative doctor who had also treated Jane. He follows the Care Oncology Clinic protocol (which prescribes atorvastatin, metformin, doxycycline and mebendazole) but he added more off-label drugs and supplements to my protocol than they offered, that were tailored to my needs. I would not have gained such help and support without Jane’s book. It helped steer me in the right direction.

I am now more than two years in from my initial devastating metastatic diagnosis and I feel healthier and fitter than I have done for years. I felt hopeless when my oncologist gave me the news that my cancer was not curable and that it would eventually kill me. But I am so glad I did not give in to that feeling. I felt such hope and encouragement after I had read Jane’s book. As Jane had been able to turn her metastatic cancer diagnosis around I was determined to do the same thing. Her book gave me the tools I needed to improve my prognosis. I have had 8 good consecutive CT scans that show I am stable, and the primary tumour has shrunk significantly without surgery. It can no longer be seen on my scans! I am so grateful to Jane for her amazing book.