Last January I found a lump in my armpit. It was a swollen lymph node. I knew what it was, but I didn’t know why it was swollen. I’m a very health-conscious person. I work out, I eat clean, I’m a trainer, and I own a gym. I know what to do to stay healthy. So this felt very off, very wrong for my body. I just knew something wasn’t good.
I immediately started investigating. I went to see my functional doctor. We did blood work, and she ordered an ultrasound. My blood work came back perfect, even my cancer markers were normal. I thought that was interesting because I personally suspected lymphoma or breast cancer. Everyone else said it could be an infection or something minor, but I hadn’t been sick in five years. It wasn’t an infection.
The appointments kept going. After the ultrasound, they recommended a mammogram. At the mammogram appointment, they found two different spots on my right breast that they wanted to biopsy. In February, I had those biopsies done, and on February 13th of last year, I was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma breast cancer.
I’m 48 years old, and like I said, I’m a very healthy person. I don’t get sick. It was a shock. I’ve always been aware of toxins in the world, endocrine disruptors, and how harmful they are. I’ve switched out so many of my products and things in my home to avoid them. I really tried to prevent this, so I was honestly mad at first, really mad.
Back in January, when I first suspected cancer, I immediately reached out to Dr. Connealy in Irvine, California. She has an integrative cancer clinic there. I had followed her after hearing her on a podcast about six months before my diagnosis. I thought, “Wow, this lady is so smart, I’m going to follow her.” I even told myself, “If I ever get cancer, that’s where I want to go.” It aligned with my values, I’m a holistic person.
So in January, I called her clinic just to get information. I hoped I wouldn’t need it, but I wanted to know exactly what to do if I did. When I got the cancer diagnosis phone call, I was at my parents’ house, thankfully surrounded by them. I immediately called Dr. Connealy’s office again to get set up as a patient.
The scary part was they couldn’t get me in until April. That freaked me out, what could I do in the meantime? I worked with them and my local doctors. I had to get all the tests done: breast MRI, X-rays, genetic testing, more blood work, everything. Eventually, they were able to get Dr. Connealy herself to add me as a new patient in March.
In the meantime, I met with a local oncologist and a breast surgeon. Both recommended surgery, chemo, and radiation. Even though I knew that’s what they recommend to everyone, hearing it was shocking and emotional. Sitting in an oncology department made it all very real.
I was fine with surgery. I opted for a double mastectomy and removal of the affected lymph node. They explained the sentinel node biopsy process, how they inject dye into the breast right before surgery to watch the lymphatic drainage pathway. It lights up the path, so they know which node is affected and any others along the same route or that look suspicious. That made me feel better, I didn’t want them taking out all my lymph nodes, they’re so important.
My surgery was April 2nd. Before that, I went to California for two weeks and stayed at the Cancer Center for Healing, Dr. Connealy’s clinic in Irvine. She has a preventative side and a cancer side. I told them back in January that I was coming either way, to optimize my health or for cancer treatment. Unfortunately, I ended up on the cancer side.
During those two weeks, Dr. Connealy did extensive testing to find the root causes, not just the things I already knew about, but mold, candida, parasites, heavy metals, emotional stress (which I hadn’t realized affected me so much at a cellular level). I had a lot of unresolved things in my life.
We started treatments: high-dose vitamin C IVs, curcumin IVs, acupuncture, lymphatic massages, the Biocharger, EBOO (where they take your blood out, clean it, and put it back in), and more. I did as much as I could to prepare my body for surgery and understand why this happened.
After surgery, I learned about coffee enemas from Dr. Connealy and several providers in her office. My chiropractor also suggested them for detoxing. I’d never done an enema before, it was intimidating, but I bought a kit and started in April once I was healed enough to be more mobile. At first, I did one a week.
In May, I began low-dose fractionated chemotherapy with Dr. Connealy. I declined the heavy, high-dose regimen my local doctors recommended. I couldn’t do that to my body after working so hard to stay healthy. Her approach was 10 to 15% of a standard dose, much more manageable. I still had fatigue, nausea, and some hair loss, but compared to what others go through, it was milder. I felt guilty even complaining.
I flew to California every Tuesday for 10 weeks. I stayed at a hotel within walking distance, pool, gym, and groceries delivered. Wednesdays were full chemo days using Insulin Potentiation Therapy (IPT): fasting to drop blood sugar, insulin to lower it further, then chemo when cancer cells were “starved” and hungry for glucose. On chemo day, we got a high-glycemic treat, cookies, fruit, juice. They called me the “cookie girl” because I always brought a chocolate chip cookie.
Thursdays I’d get supportive IVs and liver flushes, then fly home. I’d rest, sit by the pool, or sometimes walk the beach to ground and get sunshine. Nature was healing.
Three days after chemo, I’d do a coffee enema and sauna to detox once the chemo had done its job. I started enjoying the enemas, I felt clearer, lighter, more productive. After finishing chemo in early August, I increased to multiple times a week. I joined the Happy Bum 21-day coffee enema challenge last fall and did 20 out of 21 days. Now I do them about four times a week, it’s part of my routine. Dr. Connealy is happy I’ve stuck with it.
I’ve been cancer-free, no evidence of disease, since my surgery in April last year. Scans (bone scan, full-body CT) showed it hadn’t spread beyond the lymph nodes. They removed four nodes, three were positive, one negative. It was staged as stage II.
I’ve been sharing my story on social media since April because my path is different from standard care. I want people to know they have choices, they don’t have to follow the conventional route. Doctors are there to guide, but it’s your body and your decision. I trust my intuition, my research, and my body more than blind trust.
I’m creating a digital course on making your home non-toxic, coming out soon. Cancer is often more preventable than we think, lifestyle, environment, and giving your body what it needs to heal.
The most common questions I get from people reaching out are about supplements, what I’m doing to stay cancer-free, and how to prevent recurrence. I talk a lot about coffee enemas, saunas, diet, nutrition, fitness (I’m rebuilding strength slowly), movement, nature, fresh air, and sunshine/vitamin D.
It’s your choice, 100% medical, completely natural, or in between. More options are opening up, and that’s fantastic.
Thanks for sharing my story
Maggie
