HUTCHINSON ISLAND, FL -- You won't find any bitterness inside her kitchen. In fact Leisa Dargis won't let the past haunt her despite it being dreadful.

"It was unreal, it was like this can't be happening to me, this only happens to other people," says Dargis.

The 46 year old mother of three was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer last August. It spread to her spine and brain. Her death sentence was set. Her days were numbered and her life according to a hospital chart was almost over.

"I never believed them, I never accepted the fact that I was dying," says Dargis.

For Leisa the tranquility of the Treasure Coast is her life and now she was faced with the biggest life-changing decision. Would she go with chemo or radiation? Instead she took a totally different approach. "I changed my diet completely; I went all organics, no sugars, no starches, no preservatives."

She went with a holistic treatment. All organic foods, exercise, Pilates, and meditation. Fear of paralysis forced her to have one surgery under cyber knife and she takes only one drug.

"I was cancer free as of February 19th," says Dargis.

If there's truth to where there's a will there's a way, Leisa Dargis just proved it. A mom who saw the fragile nature of her own life and what it took in her own hands to win it back.

This is what I want other people to know, there is hope out there encourage other people that they have a choice to live," says Dargis.

Dargis outlines her complete recovery and treatment on her new website:

_________________
April/03 My Wife Deborah, age 46, diagnosed adenocarcinoma NSCLC
1/20/2006 Admitted to hospital Respiratory distress
1/23/2006 Ran to the light and is waiting for us to be rejoined in the Kingdom Of Heaven Her journey is Over but mine lingers on for Now!!!
4/23/07 DEb is joined in Peace by her Puppy Dawg Daisy from Cancer
8/30/07 Got new Pup named Mocha!!

"No matter hnow much it hurts, No matter how alone you feel, Your friends will help you get through anything!!"
Scrubs!!!!Yes the comedy show!!!

The Reason I advocate
If you would like to see our family photos Click on this link!
http://deborah-wallin.memory-of.com/

My memory-of Link is good to go now if you want to see it!!

What one drug is she taking? Could it be, Tarceva?

according to her site she was on Tarceva but when she found out it wuold not help that much and the side effects she stopped! Here is link to her site BTW!!

http://www.diseasefreedom.com/

Interesting and it appears she has really done her homework on her condition!

_________________
April/03 My Wife Deborah, age 46, diagnosed adenocarcinoma NSCLC
1/20/2006 Admitted to hospital Respiratory distress
1/23/2006 Ran to the light and is waiting for us to be rejoined in the Kingdom Of Heaven Her journey is Over but mine lingers on for Now!!!
4/23/07 DEb is joined in Peace by her Puppy Dawg Daisy from Cancer
8/30/07 Got new Pup named Mocha!!

"No matter hnow much it hurts, No matter how alone you feel, Your friends will help you get through anything!!"
Scrubs!!!!Yes the comedy show!!!

The Reason I advocate
If you would like to see our family photos Click on this link!
http://deborah-wallin.memory-of.com/

My memory-of Link is good to go now if you want to see it!!

Okay, so far so good for her. I'd love to hear how she is doing in 3 or 5 years. It was her decision to treat things this way and if she has been cured, that is great. But since she is so adamant I find it difficult to accept her story as it stands. There's a fair amount of faux science on her page - not that I am science knowledgeable enough to contradict it.

I can tell stories of individuals who went alternative - very much like what she has written, and still died from their cancer in a few months. I do wish there was a way to test alt vs standard therapy. I would love to find out that all natural is as effective for a general population and not for the one-off case. Juice or chemo? Juice please.

Someone mentioned to me that if we look at the stats of how many survive advanced lc after 5 years, you almost have to stop and ask if they would have survived with no treatment - either spontaneous remission or originally misdiagnosed. I think that is an interesting concept as well.

Just Saturday afternoon mumbles.

Here's one comment in the website article that I take exception to:

Maybe that was the overall survival increase of a large population in a particular study, but that's very different from what an individual patient may experience. There there's this:

Don't you think the Tarceva could be responsible for this positive result?

That's impossible to know with current technology.

But I wish her well.

Ned

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Ned is just my nickname, though it would be nice to merge it with the other meaning eventually...

Aloha means "Hello, goodbye, love, compassion, welcome, good wishes." It means belonging to others with a common humanity. It's defined better as a feeling in the heart than by words.

Dx NSCLC adenocarcinoma IIIb Sep 2006, now stage IV. Taxol+Carboplatin+Avastin 4 mo., Avastin 8 mo., Tarceva 16 mo., Alimta 12 mo. (sometimes combined with Cisplatin or Carboplatin), Navelbine since Feb 2010, 10 sessions of WBR in March 2011. See My Cancer Journey: viewtopic.php?p=351369#p351369 — UPDATED 03/05/2011.

Above left: Our golden retriever Rosie, who joined the family on 3/5/08 at the playful age of 2.

Below: Hannah, our golden companion 1994-2007.

I am the first to wish and pray for miracles but I also think tarceva could be credited with her success. I also am reminded of Heather (hebbie) and her macrobiotic diet and all organic changes and while that may have helped initially, ultimately it didn't make a miraculous difference.

I agree that this story 3-5 years out would be more impactful. God bless her and may she experience continued success.

_________________
- Katie Brown, Co-Founder and Director of LCSC-

15 yr cancer survivor.

"Any of us who have experienced the cancer journey- and survived it-
have an obligation to make the path clearer and aid those that come after us."
- Lance Armstrong

In memory of Jessee Dewey, SCLC
December 29, 1938 - September 6, 2003
Lisa Dewey- Jan. 22, 2007
my parents are together in heaven


facebook www.facebook.com/lungevity

My thoughts also on this one!!I think she discredited Tarceva where credit is definitely due though!!

_________________
April/03 My Wife Deborah, age 46, diagnosed adenocarcinoma NSCLC
1/20/2006 Admitted to hospital Respiratory distress
1/23/2006 Ran to the light and is waiting for us to be rejoined in the Kingdom Of Heaven Her journey is Over but mine lingers on for Now!!!
4/23/07 DEb is joined in Peace by her Puppy Dawg Daisy from Cancer
8/30/07 Got new Pup named Mocha!!

"No matter hnow much it hurts, No matter how alone you feel, Your friends will help you get through anything!!"
Scrubs!!!!Yes the comedy show!!!

The Reason I advocate
If you would like to see our family photos Click on this link!
http://deborah-wallin.memory-of.com/

My memory-of Link is good to go now if you want to see it!!