I am Gloria Isabel from Columbia in South America. I have lived in Langley for 4 years. I am happily married with Alejandro and we have two boys. 3 years ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer after I found a lymph node in my right breast. It was stage II breast cancer. After undergoing chemotherapy, a right-side mastectomy and radiation, I was feeling so great I ran a half-marathon a year later. But it was always my concern that there was no test my doctor could offer me to know that I was clear of cancer.
After 1.5 years, I started to feel back pain. I went to my family doctor who did some blood tests and x-rays and said “everything is OK”. I thought it was my bed, maybe my shoes….I went to massages, physio and chiropractic care. The pain resolved initially but then came back even stronger than before. 8 months later, I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in my bones and liver. I received some palliative radiation to my back to relieve the back pain. I wasn’t able to eat, I was vomiting and I lost 20 lbs. I was swollen from my stomach to my feet and my belly was so distended, I looked 6 months pregnant. My sister Maria came to help me and my family, because I could not do anything on my own. Then I started oral chemotherapy. I developed a severe wound on my lower back due to the radiation, but the doctors and nurses did not pay any attention to it.
I knew I needed something other than chemotherapy alone to survive this. My sister Maria and my husband Alejandro heard about Dr. Gurm and Port Moody Health clinic from my friend Luisa. Her friend had a friend who’s husband was seeing Dr. Gurm for integrative cancer treatment. When I spoke to the secretary at Port Moody Health, she understood that my situation was urgent and I was able to see Dr. Gurm within a week. It was a light on the horizon for my family and I.
The moment we arrived, everyone was very loving and caring. We spoke with Dr. Gurm at length and she had already reviewed all my history. She explained the treatments they offer at the clinic that will help the chemotherapy to work better and improve my chances for beating this. Even though my health was not good and the cancer had compromised most of my liver, she was willing to work with us and said “don’t worry, we still have time to turn it around”. Not only was Dr. Gurm extremely knowledgeable, she was also compassionate and kind. Dr. Gurm not only treated my cancer, she took care of my overall health.
Dr. Gurm referred me to a new family doctor and a new medical oncologist. I immediately began IV therapy with high-dose vitamin C, DCA and ALA, along with local-regional hyperthermia in addition to my chemo. That afternoon, I was already going to washroom, drinking small sips of water and felt a little more energy. She and her nurses also took care of the deep wound on my back to prevent it from becoming infected.
Dr. Gurm gave us hope. My life has changed since then. My liver was 95% compromised by the cancer and after 5 months, it was 90% healing. The cancer in my bones is disappearing and my body and spirit is feeling strong again. Now it has been 7 months since I began seeing Dr. Gurm. I am getting stronger and healthier every week and I am feeling blessed and thankful for finding Dr. Gurm and her team.
If you think that you need a second option contact our cancer centre Vancouver services. Read more about early cancer detection tests, the ONCOblot test, cancer biomarker testing and circulating tumor cell tests also known as ctcs.
