Several months later, we finally got the diagnosis. Follicular lymphoma with an enlarged lymph node next to the clavicle. That was a pretty dark weekend. I remember God impressing me with Isaiah Fear thou not, for I am with thee; Be not afraid for I am thy God.
I will strengthen thee. I will help thee. I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. There were treatment plans but no cures. There were clinical trials but none within driving distance. The doctor we finally selected advised us to wait before starting treatment.
In the meantime, what? We were already eating healthy. That summer we both went on a modified raw diet plan. We both lost a few pounds but the lymph node grew. Green smoothies. Raw vegetables. The lymph node kept growing. That winter we did a prayer and anointing service with our church elders. I got in the habit of buying them, especially when they went on sale.
And we started eating them almost every morning. And it was also about that time that Rocco discovered some amazing research on strawberries and esophageal cancer. Patients with precancerous changes in the esophagus were treated with freeze-dried strawberries — the equivalent of over a pound a day of fresh berries.
And half of the treated subjects walked away completely disease free. Now, what Rocco had was completely different from esophageal cancer. But why not try it? We were already eating strawberries after all. One morning while Rocco was putting his shirt on, I noticed something.
