Brad was diagnosed in February of 2018. In July, he spent 35 days getting two surgeries and spent the fall recovering before his last surgery on December 14th.
This week, he went home for the first time in 10 months where the doctors have said that there is no evidence of disease.
Brad attributes his Christmas miracle to the power of prayer, clinical medicine, complementary medicine that includes mistletoe therapy and nutrition therapy, and incredible support from family and friends. His sister, Stacy, shared that she doesn’t need another gift….ever.”
Celebrating a Christmas Miracle
Thank You Contemporary Ceramic Studios Association (CCSA)
Mary, Jensen, and Jackie (from left to right) traveled to St. Charles, Missouri for the annual CCSA convention.
For the second year in a row, Believe Big was chosen as their charity of choice. The convention connected us with at least 30 new pottery studio partners nationwide that will now be offering Believe Mugs. Through their silent auction and raffles, the CCSA was able to raise $22,000 for Believe Big! Thanks to the CCSA, we are able to make a huge impact in the lives of those battling cancer. We are thankful and grateful for this partnership!
Additionally, one of our studio partners in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Bisque It, was featured on their local news station delivering mugs to a nearby oncology center. Bisque It is holding an October event commemorating their 1st anniversary of participation in the Believe Mug program and will donate half of their event proceeds to Believe Big! Check out the great story below!
Integrative Medicine Meeting
In September, Believe Big had the opportunity to travel to Stuttgart, Germany for the Integrated Medicine Meeting!
The Integrated Medicine Meeting was a gathering of over 200 various medical professionals hosted at the headquarters of Helixor, a producer of mistletoe. Ivelisse Page and Patty Buddemeyer met with experts in the fields of integrated medicine from all over the world and learned about new research and case studies in oncology. They toured the Helixor mistletoe extract production facility and learned how the plant is harvested and stored and how the extract is obtained from the plant. They also were able to tour the Helixor arboretum and learned about each specific species of mistletoe, the growth and maturation process, and what species treat specific cancers.
This wealth of information better equips us to serve our many patients. Ivelisse was also honored to share the Believe Big story with the delegates present and the response was overwhelming and supportive!,
Stefanie O’Polka – Lung Cancer Overcomer!
Stefanie O’Polka
Lung Cancer Overcomer!
As a lifelong non-smoker with no family history of cancer, I was shocked and horrified to receive a lung cancer diagnosis in April of 2015. I had a serious case of pneumonia that thankfully hadn’t responded to oral antibiotics. My general practitioner sent me to the emergency room to be admitted, get IV antibiotics, and rest. I began to suspect something was wrong when an unusually large number of doctors and specialists traveled in and out of my ER room, all of them saying they were trying to “rule things out.” After several days in the hospital and many tests and procedures, I awoke from anesthesia with an oncologist by my bedside. It was confirmed: I had lung cancer.
I didn’t know specifics, but somewhere in my mind I remembered reading that lung cancer was one of the worst types of cancer. The actual lung cancer facts are staggering. It is the deadliest of all cancers, killing more people each year than breast, colon and prostate cancers COMBINED. The five-year survival rate for those diagnosed with lung cancer is just 18%. Not great odds, but I am a fighter, and I was going to do whatever I could for me and my three amazing children.
I underwent conventional treatment including surgery removing the majority of my right lung and four months of weekly chemotherapy. I also began researching complementary therapies that could help boost me into that small number of lung cancer survivors. I found an acupuncturist, started taking supplements and juicing, opened myself up with spiritual practices like meditation and gratitude, and I was introduced to Believe Big. Believe Big’s beautiful stories of survival gave me hope that I, too, could overcome cancer, and their nutrition and mistletoe therapy services gave me practical ways to fight this disease.
As I write this, I can gratefully say that I have been cancer free for 3 ½ years! I continue my mistletoe injections and I strive to live a balanced lifestyle. Giving back has always been a part of my life, and I’m proud to say that this year I raised over $30,000 for the Lung Cancer Research Foundation. I am a monthly donor to Believe Big, I’ve enjoyed attending the last three inspirational fundraising dinners, I’ve hosted a fun Believe Mug painting in my home, and my niece now works for this incredible organization that helped me so much on my cancer journey.
Stefanie is pictured above with her niece and 3 children, Believing Big!
Believe Big visits Horizon Day Camp
Thank you to our supporters for providing an amazing day at Horizon Day Camp for 90 pediatric cancer fighters and their counselors!
These spirited smiling campers, aged 3 to 18, each painted their own unique Believe Mug to be given to another pediatric cancer patient. They each then selected a Believe Mug to encourage them as they continue their fight! We enjoyed an impromptu dance party with the campers and many contagious smiles. The resilience and joy demonstrated by these young cancer warriors was so powerful! THANK YOU FOR SPREADING HOPE, HELP & HEALING and BELIEVING BIG!
If you’re aware of a cancer treatment center, support group, or other oncology related facility that would like to learn more about Believe Mug donations for their patients, please contact mary@believebig.org. #faceitfightitovercomeitThanks for BELIEVING BIG!
Simple Fitness and Nutrition
Thank you to everyone who was able to come out and join us for our Simple Fitness and Nutrition event presented by Jo Miller!
Jo has been a longtime supporter of Believe Big as an advisory board member and volunteer. She also is a personal trainer and fitness and nutrition coach. Those who joined us experienced a hilarious and informative presentation and learned practical ways to live a healthy and fit lifestyle no matter what your fitness level is or how hectic your schedule can be. Guests were able to leave with dozens of at home and on the go workouts, recipes, tips, and tricks, too.
We hope you can join us next time!
Sunscreen – Is it Safe?
With summer in full swing, it is important to remember each sunscreen is different. There are many brands, types and ingredients; and with something that we put on much of our skin, we should all be aware of the best ones to use and ones to avoid.
Sunscreen’s active ingredients may be minerals, chemical filters or even both. So, which one is the best?
While they each have their own pros and cons, mineral based sunscreens use titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. These active ingredients go onto the skin but do not absorb completely into your blood stream. Mineral sunscreens provide the best protection as they do not break down in the sun and is a great protection from UVA rays.
The second group of sunscreens use a chemical filter as the active ingredient and contain 2 or more of oxybenzone, avobenzone, octocrylene, and so on. These ingredients are absorbed into the skin with measured amounts found in your blood stream, breast milk and urine. CDC data suggests that the ingredients in the chemical filters can also affect hormones. Oxybenzone exposure has been found to lower testosterone levels in adolescent boys. It is also known to shorten pregnancies of male fetuses and lower birth weights for girls.
The third group say they are mineral-based but they are coated in the chemical ingredients listed above, so make sure you read the label!
One additional ingredient that is sometimes added to sunscreen that can be harmful is Vitamin A. While this ingredient has it great benefits in other forms, when it is added to a sunscreen, it can form into small molecules call free radicals which damage DNA. Make sure your sunscreen, moisturizers with SPF and lip products do not include Vitamin A as an ingredient.
Is a sunscreen higher in SPF better for you? Not necessarily. SPF 100 sunscreen indicates you should be able to be out in the sun for twice as long, before you start to burn. For example, if you burn in 30 minutes, you should be able to stay out for 50 minutes. However, using SPF to pick the best sunscreen is misleading. SPF does not protect you from all the rays. It does help protect you from ultraviolet B (UVB) rays but not from ultraviolet A (UVA) rays. UVA can penetrate your skin much deeper and cause more damage than the UVB. By using a higher SPF, people tend to think they can stay out in the sun much longer, but this causes much deeper skin health concerns.
One last thing to remember before you buy that sunscreen! The FDA regulations have been grandfathered in from the 1970s. That was almost 50 years ago and we have learned many new facts about what we put on our body so it is very important to research which sunscreen you purchase this summer.
For a look at which sunscreens are best, please go to EWG’ 2018 sunscreen report by clicking HERE.
https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/#.W0bMDP9MGhA
Mistletoe Clinical Trial Update: A Brief Interview
This brief interview with Dr. Nasha Winters, ND, FABNO, and Dr. Channing Judith Paller, MD, from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, gives an update on the clinical trial of intravenous (IV) mistletoe extract in patients with cancer. The interview was part of the celebrations at the Believe Big Fundraising Dinner 2018.
Interview Transcript:
Host: Hey, it’s quite an honor for me to share the stage with you two. And I don’t refer to you as Dr. Paller and Dr. Winters, although that is what we should call you. But it is Channing and Nasha. And it is an incredible honor for me to share the stage with you because you are two of my heroes. And you have been part of this journey from the very beginning.
You believed that this was going to be something special from the very beginning. And to look now and to see what’s happened and all of the support and new leadership and new vision is pretty exciting. So, this trial that we’re in, Channing, I’m going to ask you to kick us off a little bit. Can you explain the trial design quickly and where we are today?
Dr. Channing Paller: So, we are doing a standard phase 1 trial: 3 plus 3 design. So, for those of you not familiar, it is where you put 3 patients on the trial at increasing dose levels until they develop a dose-limiting toxicity from the drug. And then we add 3 more patients until we reach the maximum tolerated dose. We have 8 dose levels planned, and I personally consented 12 patients since I last stood on the stage last year. Yes, that is huge. And we have about 18 to 24 more planned, depending how it goes.
Host: And can patients still—so obviously it is still opened, and we’ve got time to do that. What’s the time frame on that? How long will the trial remain open?
Dr. Channing Paller: Right. So, I am thrilled to say we’re going to probably take another 18 to 24 months to finish those because of some requirements that we have from the FDA. So, the FDA requires that I personally follow a patient for 28 days to make sure they’re safe before we give the next patient the drug. Because of that, it will take some time to complete this. So, 18 to 24 months.
Host: Fantastic, fantastic. So, Nasha. You were instrumental because of the work that you’ve done with mistletoe in helping us to advance from the initial design, which was going to be subcutaneous injection of mistletoe. And because of what you’ve done, it allowed us to jump right to the intravenous variety. So, tell us a little bit about, I know that Dr. Paller’s not able to share the specifics of the trial, unfortunately, so you need to let us in behind the scenes about the success that you’ve had with using mistletoe, and in particular the IV mistletoe.
Dr. Nasha Winters: Well, I had great experience for many years with the subcutaneous until about 2014, when I attended a conference where Dr. Paller was also involved and decided to branch out into the intravenous. And the experiences I had with that took my practice and my experience to the next level of people’s response.
Some basic things that I saw happen clinically was people immediately having a sense of well-being in the midst of their IV. People who were on, in some situations, death’s door that were really failing, really sick, really weak, to watch their vitality, their color, everything change as they were having the IV drip. We also saw massive tumor lysis, meaning really quick push back of the actual tumors. Sometimes that can be a little bit scary initially because the labs can look a little bit frightening. But what we find is that that’s a very good and robust response.
And some of the things that Elise talked about earlier about pushing back angiogenesis, anti-inflammatory patterns happening with that, very exciting to see people have extreme resolution of their pain in the midst of these IVs as well. So many places that it seems to have just given a new leg of life to a lot of our patients that were otherwise failing.
Host: That’s amazing. It is great to hear of the success and all of those really complicated words that you just shared with us that I’m having trouble getting my head around. But in other words, the translation is “it’s working.” Okay. So tell us from your perspective, Channing you can go first, and then Nasha you can finish up. Why is this trial important, from your perspective?
Dr. Channing Paller: So, from my perspective, this Believe Big is amazing and provides amazing care for many patients.
But I am looking forward to the day that we can show if mistletoe really does improve overall survival and improves quality of life. Both of those things matter for my patients. And if we can show that in an FDA-approved trial, then we get to look towards the day where other oncologists can prescribe mistletoe and insurance companies can pay for it. And that will really transform care.
Dr. Nasha Winters: And I would absolutely say “ditto,” to that. But also, as a clinician who has used this in my practice since 2003 and IV since 2014, I already have gotten to witness thousands of people have a very positive experience with it already. And my colleague and I have trained over 250 physicians around the country in the use of this. So, we’d like to see these numbers continue to grow and these experiences to continue to grow as well.
Dr. Channing Paller: I need to add one thing. One, Nasha has been an incredible resource for me as I get more experience with the drug. And it has been a real joy to do this trial because most of the trials I do are investigational drugs that are toxic. And so this may be toxic, but they all feel better. And it’s just fun to treat them.
Host: Fantastic. Hey, join me in giving another round of applause for Dr. Paller and Dr. Winters. Thank you.
