Now that I had been told there was a tumor in my colon that appeared to be cancerous, I had to decide what to do about it. Based on my past experiences, I had 3 options…traditional medicine, alternative medicine, or do nothing at all.

Doing nothing at all was not an option, as I had already determined I wanted to live. So, my decision came down to traditional or alternative treatment. The only perspective I had on either was from personal experiences in my family history.

Like many people, my family had a history of various cancers. My grandfather had prostate cancer, my father had lung cancer, and my sister had breast cancer. What these cases had in common were, they all sought traditional treatment and they all passed away in less than 4 years from their initial diagnosis.

Not to say that traditional treatment don’t work. I am sure there are many people who survive and live out their days completely. But given the “success” measurement is an extra 5-10 years of life, that wasn’t good enough to me. I needed more. So my first decision was to forego traditional treatment (except the surgery to remove my bleeding tumor), and find another way of healing.

Luckily, my wife and everyone I talked to (except the doctors) were supportive of my decision. My father-in-law, whose opinion means a great deal, even said “Whatever you do, don’t do chemo”. And again, while that may be the best choice for some, my heart was telling me to choose another path.