Stage 4 Breast Cancer:
Healing Without Chemotherapy
October 2011
Cancer-Free
After being told I had only months to live.
Thank you for visiting and reading my story.
In 2010 I was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer and told I had only months to live. After surgery, radiation, serious infections, and more complications than I can count, I was too weak for chemotherapy. Facing impossible decisions and a future that felt uncertain, I chose a different path and went to CMN Hospital. Against all odds, I found healing there.
Many people are surprised that I am still here today without recurrence since 2011. I’m glad to share what I personally did, knowing that every person’s situation is different. I also want you to know I am not the only one who has found healing through CMN Hospital. My prayer is that if sharing my story brings even a little light, then I am glad you are here.
This is the story of that journey — the fear, the faith, the hard choices, the treatments and their success, and the hope and faith in God that carried me through.
Personal Conversations
Sometimes it's easier to hear a story than read it. These two conversations share my experience with stage 4 breast cancer and the unexpected journey of my fraternal twin sister, who faced the same diagnosis five years later.
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July 19, 2006
This was the day my life changed forever. I was sitting at the UW Medical Center in Seattle when I heard the words no woman is ever prepared for—I had been diagnosed with stage 3 hormone-positive, HER2-negative invasive ductal breast cancer. There were three tumors in my left breast, and another—the largest—had already spread into the lymph nodes under my left arm.
October 2006
I went through a bilateral mastectomy, believing it was the step I needed to move forward. What I wasn’t prepared for was what came after. The emotional impact hit me in a way no one had talked about. It felt like something had been taken from the core of who I was as a woman, and I had to process that on my own. The recovery itself was difficult. I developed a serious staph infection, and everything became more complicated than I expected. During that time, I began looking at other ways to support my body. I was never strong enough to go through chemotherapy or radiation, and after surgery, things seemed stable for a while.
May 2008
About a year and a half later, I was told everything looked clear based on my lab results. I remember feeling relief, like I could finally breathe again. But not long after, something didn’t feel right. I developed a persistent cough and pain in my ribs that I couldn’t ignore. Even when the tests didn’t immediately show answers, I knew I had to keep pushing for them. That season taught me to listen closely to my body and to pay attention when something feels off, even when everything on paper looks fine.
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June 2010
In June of 2010, everything changed again. The cancer had returned, and this time it was stage 4. I went to UCLA searching for answers, but it wasn’t the tests that first told me something was wrong—it was my body. I was dealing with chest pain, swelling in my sternum, and a cough that wouldn’t go away. When the testing was done, it confirmed what I was already feeling. The cancer had spread to my sternum, ribs, lungs, lymph nodes, and clavicle.
There were more procedures and more decisions to make, and everything started moving very quickly. I went through surgery to address severe pain, and I also received radiation to my sternum and clavicle. Complications followed, including a serious staph infection and pneumonia, and I wasn’t able to complete the full course of treatment that had been planned. It was physically exhausting, and emotionally, it was just as heavy trying to take it all in.
September 9, 2010
This is a date I will never forget. I was told I had three to twelve months to live. My daughter Jessica recorded the appointment so I could listen to it later. I remember sitting there, hearing those words, and trying to understand what that meant for my life. I was encouraged to begin preparing—to put my affairs in order and focus on being comfortable. I walked out of that appointment carrying something no one is ever ready to hear.
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Late 2010
After that appointment, everything became very real. I went home carrying the weight of what I had been told, knowing time suddenly felt limited. But something in me wasn’t ready to accept that as the end of my story. I began searching, asking questions, and looking for something that might give me a chance.
That’s when I found CMN Hospital in San Luis, Sonora, Mexico, and learned about Dr. Payán and his approach. It felt different from anything I had heard before, and I knew I needed to try. The reality was, I didn’t have the financial means to go, but I wasn’t alone. My best friend Heather and an incredible group of friends stepped in beside me. Together, we worked to raise what was needed. It took five months, and every bit of it mattered.
February 7, 2011
On February 7, 2011, I was admitted to CMN Hospital as a patient under Dr. Payán’s care. Walking through those doors, I didn’t know exactly what was ahead, but I knew I had made a decision to keep going. That moment marked the beginning of something I will always carry with me.
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2011: CMN Hospital
The care I received at CMN Hospital was very different from anything I had experienced before. By that point, my body had already been through so much. After radiation and a serious infection, I was too weak for chemotherapy, and I had been told I only had months to live. I made the decision to trust Dr. Payán and his approach because I knew I needed something different.
What I experienced there was comprehensive. It wasn’t just one thing—it was the way everything worked together, day after day, supporting my body when it needed it most. It gave me a sense of strength I hadn’t felt in a long time.
If you’re interested in learning more about the treatments themselves, you can take your time reading through them here: https://cmnadvancedcancertreatment.com/treatments. What worked for me is part of my story, and every person has to decide what feels right for them.
Today
Today, I am cancer-free. By August 2011, my symptoms had resolved, and on October 15, 2011, a PET scan confirmed there was no evidence of cancer in my body.
When I look back, I see how many decisions had to be made along the way, and how much my faith carried me through each one. I believe God had His hand on my life through all of it. There is still hope, even when someone is told there is very little time left, and I hold onto that every single day.
For more than 15 years, I've had the privilege of answering questions from people around the world who were facing cancer, supporting someone they love, or simply searching for hope. Before you read my story, I've gathered the questions I'm asked most often in one place. My hope is that you'll find the answers you're looking for a little more quickly.
If there's something I haven't answered, I'd be honored to answer your question personally.
What People Most Often Ask Me
What type of breast cancer did I have?
I was diagnosed with stage 3 Hormone Receptor-Positive (HR+), HER2-Negative Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC) breast cancer that later returned and spread to my bones, lymph nodes, and all lobes of my lungs.
When was I diagnosed?
I was first diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in 2006. In 2010, it returned as stage 4 breast cancer, and I was given a prognosis by UCLA that I had 3–12 months to live.
Did I receive chemotherapy, radiation, hormone blockers or surgery?
I underwent a bilateral mastectomy in 2006. After surgery, I developed a staph infection that prevented me from receiving chemotherapy. In 2010, when cancer caused excruciating pain in my sternum and collarbone, I began radiation treatment. I completed 22 radiation sessions before another infection forced treatment to stop. I never received chemotherapy or took hormone blockers.
Where did I receive alternative cancer treatment?
I received treatment at CMN Hospital in San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora, Mexico, under the care of Dr. Edgar Payán. When I received treatment in 2010, the hospital did not yet offer its extended treatment program, so I returned for additional treatment. Today, patients receive 28 consecutive days of treatment during a single stay, so there is no need to return for additional treatment as I did.
What treatments did I receive at CMN Hospital?
My treatment plan was personalized by Dr. Edgar Payán based on my diagnosis, medical history, and how I responded to treatment. Because every patient with advanced cancer is different, no two treatment plans are exactly alike. Care is provided in a private inpatient suite with around-the-clock licensed physicians and nurses. Learn more about the therapies offered at CMN Hospital.
Am I still cancer-free?
Yes. I completed treatment at CMN Hospital in February 2011. In October 2011, my PET scan showed no evidence of disease. I have remained free of any recurrence of breast cancer since then.
Did my twin sister also have breast cancer?
Yes. Five years after my stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis, my fraternal twin sister was diagnosed with the same type of breast cancer. Like me, she did not receive chemotherapy, radiation, or hormone blockers. She was also treated by Dr. Edgar Payán at CMN Hospital. Today, we have both remained free of any recurrence of breast cancer. We later shared our journeys in a candid conversation you can listen to on YouTube: Twin Talk.
How am I doing today?
I am grateful to be here. My life today includes my family, my faith, my writing, coaching women, and sharing what I learned with people who need to know that one diagnosis does not erase every possibility.
My Story
The interviews shared on this site are only part of the story. If you'd like to know what happened before the cancer diagnosis, during treatment, and afterward, you may read more here.
CMN Hospital
Learn more about CMN Hospital's Advanced Alternative Cancer Treatment (ACT) Program and the treatment I personally received.
Journey of the Heart Coaching
Sometimes we simply need someone who's been there. If you feel I can help, I'd be honored to walk alongside you.