Tony's Story

Tony's Story

Hi, I’m Tony Hills. This is me on the day I was told I had LCS, with God’s double rainbow promise appearing at the hospital. If you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, I’m writing this to give you hope for healing. I beat one of the rarest, deadliest cancers called Langerhan’s Cell Sarcoma (LCS). I thank God for directing me in the right way to treat and heal my body and I want to share my story with you.

I’m almost 50 years old, have been married to my beautiful wife Irene 29 years, and we have four children. We live in Las Vegas, Nevada where I work as an engineer at the local utility company.

2013 was the toughest, most challenging year I’ve ever experienced…but now, in beautiful 2014, things have completely changed. The short story for my physical challenges in 2013 began with a hernia surgery, followed by shingles, a neck cyst & lymphoma surgery, and folliculitis (like chicken pox’s). If that wasn’t enough, I was then diagnosed with cancer, followed by ANOTHER neck surgery, and topped off with a kidney stone (Whew! Extremely painful!). After all that, radiation treatments for my LCS began. Now, it’s February 2014 and I’m cancer free!!!

The LCS saga started in May when I noticed a bump in my neck. A few trips to my general physician with two separate rounds of antibiotics for a swollen and, thought to be infected, gland did nothing, so I was referred to an Ear Nose Throat specialist. The ENT Specialist took two needle biopsies. He didn’t like the looks of it but said he was quite sure it was a cyst and not to worry. In July, the ENT surgeon removed the mass (about the size of an avocado pit) and informed us that it was not a cyst but probably some form of lymphoma. That tumor mass went to the pathologist lab in Las Vegas where they thought it was some form of lymphoma cancer, so they sent it to the UCLA Medical Labs for confirmation. UCLA results showed LCS, so they sent the tumor sample on to Harvard for another opinion, which was confirmed LCS. My ENT surgeon and Medical Oncologist recommended I have the neck surgery done at UCLA and referred me to Dr. Eilber.

October 2013, I had the LCS tumor removed by Dr. Eilber. Radiation treatments began in November and concluded in early January. I went through six weeks of daily radiation treatments which went well, according to the doctor, and the nurses said I did “phenomenal.” The Lord held me close during this period and heard the prayers of my family and dear friends as the side effects were very minimal. The pain was similar to a mild sunburn and itching…even today. But the long term side effects were minor as I did not lose my hearing or taste and my esophagus completely healed up. I did lose feeling on the right side of my neck and face above the scar line and up to the bottom of my ear but this numbness may fade with time and healing (on the bright side, I don’t have to shave my neck as the hair has stopped growing).

My next body scan was February 13, 2014. That report was “NED” – No Evidence of Disease. What a relief! Thank you Lord! WOW! The news and feeling was similar to the news of getting cancer; your mind goes numb and you are simply overwhelmed. Tears of joy flow and emotions are all confused but it’s all good.

The doctors don’t know why we get cancer but there are many contributing factors that impact the probability of contracting this illness at some point in our lives. I’ve researched long and hard, and am still learning how I can reverse the odds of getting cancer and create the maximum opportunity for my body to beat this nasty illness. I searched the internet for all I could learn about LCS and cancer in general. Although there are tons of sites with cancer info, there’s almost nothing on LCS. Through my research, I really began gaining knowledge and an understanding by viewing health documentaries on Netflix like The Gerson Miracle, Fat Sick and Nearly Dead, Forks over Knives, Beautiful Truth, The Engine 2 Kitchen Rescue, Foodmaters, etc. There are also short documentaries on You Tube like Ted Talks that are helpful as well. In addition to the net, some health books made a big impact for me, like the Gerson Therapy and the Hallelujah Diet and vegetarian cookbooks and, of course, the Bible and inspirational and spiritual books like, “There’s no place like HOPE”.

I made several major life changes to combat this LCS cancer, the biggest was my diet. I am now pretty much an organic vegetarian. I also installed a good reverse osmosis and alkaline home water system, a HEPA air filtration system, a humidifier; shower water filters (removing chlorine), removed my mercury tooth fillings, tossed the aluminum cookware pots, pans and cookie sheets, and even deodorant with aluminum and toothpaste with fluoride. I added some vitamin types of supplements like liquid B12, niacin, and Juice Plus supplements and even implemented some therapeutic elevated body temperature treatments by sitting in a 105°F spa.

Migraine headaches, which used to be part of my normal life averaging two to three a week, have completely vanished! Since August 2013 on my new diet I no longer get headaches. NONE!!! I attribute my new diet to curing those migraines as the Gerson Therapy predicted. Many other digestive-type issues, like acid reflux, indigestion, heartburn, upset stomach, constipation, etc., are gone! My blood work is now perfect and I’m off ALL medications (used to be on Lipitor for high cholesterol). I used to think my diet was okay and in moderation, so I would enjoy anything I chose. Apparently my body was not okay with my definition of moderation. The more I learn about proper eating and nutrition, the more I realize that the American (my) diet is so very far away from healthy. The main issues for me were too high of an intake of meat, caffeine, salt, sugar, dairy, and tons of chemicals and preservatives in the processed boxed, canned, and frozen foods.

I switched my diet quite radically after being informed of the cancer and now I'm on a strict fruits and vegetables regimen. Someday I will add wild, lean meats and wild caught fish, but only to a small percentage of my diet (like around 10 %.) I have lost weight (~25 lbs.) and feel healthy, giving my body the absolute best fighting chance to keep the immune system healthy and beat this cancer for life. I have given up all meats, caffeine, alcohol, most oils (except Flaxseed and coconut), nuts, dairy, salt, soy, pasta (except sometimes wheat or veggie), processed sugar, chocolate, candy, snack foods, and pretty much anything boxed, canned, or frozen. Now, I eat as much as possible fresh, organically grown fruits and vegetables. I now own a juicer and juice apple, carrot, beet, and other fruits and veggies, and consume a large amount of food via juicing. I make healthy, homemade smoothies of fruits and veggies, enjoy nice salads, cooked veggies, and even dessert (I make ice cream from frozen bananas and fruit (really good) and have my own oatmeal raisin cookies and apple pie recipes, or just have some apple sauce).

I beat one of the rarest, deadliest cancers and I thank God for directing me in the right way to treat my body. Of course, tons of prayer and love from our family and friends have been absolutely overwhelming and are an enormous blessing and have lifted us up in more ways than we will know on this earth. It was very humbling to know that people shared my story with others and that people I did not directly know were praying for me and in fact many small groups at churches and schools lifted me up in prayer.

This kind of support was so appreciated and lifted us up with a peace beyond understanding. So please, share your story with others who can also lift you up in a time of need. There are many survivors and people struggling themselves or with someone they know with cancer at this very moment and they would love to lift you up in their thoughts and prayers. Don’t go through this alone as there is power in numbers and power in prayer.

I hope this information helps you through this overwhelming time. May God bless you and lift you up during your battle.