This story is somewhat inspired by documentaries such as Cut Poison Burn and Food Matters and somewhat inspired by the mere idea of looking for alternate solutions to complex problems. As a technician I once stayed up for days trying to fix a complex Radar system while at sea. In the end the problem was solved when I talked through the fault with a steward on board, someone with no formal electronics training. Sometimes problems just need that outside eye to come up with a solutions that would never have arisen on its own. I hope you enjoy reading it, if you do please share it with someone and leave a comment. Thank you for your time.
Leave it to the Professionals
“Vitamin C. Do you know what it does?” Posed the somewhat unkempt man at the Feed your Soul nutrition store. To say the store wasn’t corporate would be a massive understatement.
“Well, it prevents Scurvy, so that’s good.” Replied Laura Shandler, a 45 year old confirmed bachelorette with no children who had been called kooky so often, she had begun to intentionally embody the term.
“We only know that because Vitamin C deficiencies lead to Scurvy. Fact is, that is how we know what all vitamins do. Deprive the body of any nutritional metric and you will start to see it break down. In the case of Vitamin C you lose enzyme reactions, one such reaction leads to an inability to make new collagen or heal wounds, that’s what leads to the symptoms of what we call Scurvy.”
“Okay…”
“But that doesn’t really answer our question does it? The AMA would have you believe that process elimination is enough to understand the true nature of something. Without nutrients we die, without certain specific nutrients, specific bodily functions start to breakdown. Therefore, we assume the positive benefits of a substance to be the inverse of the negative side-effects produced by its deficiency. It’s all a bit of a loop really, the piece that we are still missing is what these vitamins do for us, their real purpose. We can only discover that by taking huge doses of one specific vitamin at a time, scientific method.”
“Doesn’t that lead to Vitamintosis?”
“So they would have you believe.”
“They?!?”
“The AMA, Big Pharm, you name it. The real drug dealers. Medicine is a huge industry, imagine what it would do to the bottom line if people could live healthy and disease free by simply giving their bodies the tools it needs to be strong through proper nutrition. Sure, too much of a good thing can be bad in some cases and overdoing certain nutrients can have adverse side effects, but not all of them. The best of the bunch is good old Vitamin C. Megadose Vitamin C can turn you into a real life superhero: Your wounds will heal faster, your circulation will be improved and contained allowing the delivery of all other essential nutrients to be far more efficient, you will reform new collagen like a growing child, lubricating joints and freeing up range of motion, allowing for pain free movement. Best of all, your immune system will better protect you from disease. I don’t just mean colds however Vitamin C has you covered there too, I am talking about the big stuff: Diabetes, Neurological problems, Viral infections like HIV/AIDS and of course the grand daddy of them all, Cancer. Here’s the kicker, there are no adverse side-effects of any kind… none!”
“Wait, you’re suggesting that taking some extra Vitamin C tablets can help you ward off Cancer.”
“Wrong on both parts. As to the former, a normal Vitamin C tablet is about 500mg, when I say megadose I mean it. I am talking about 250g, 500g, even up to 750g of Vitamin C, per day. At 500mg each you would need to take 1500 tablets to get to 750g, that isn’t practical. I’m talking about an IV drip of Vitamin C. As to the latter, we are not talking about simply “warding off Cancer”, although that would be a modern day miracle in its own right, what I am saying is you could dose a 12 year old girl, whose body is covered in tumours and she will start to fight back faster than you’d think, before long she would be back to doing whatever 12 year old girls do rather than losing her hair because the AMA would rather pump poison in her veins.”
“You’re talking about Chemotherapy”
“You called it, awful concept to begin with. Your body is riddled with infection, let’s replace your blood with toxic chemicals, that should help things along.”
“Well Sir, I must go now, thank you for your words, I will think on them a great deal.”
“Be well and stay healthy, thank you for your patronage and for lending you ear.”
——
Laura walked with a skip in her step for this was the first glimmer of hope in a long struggle. Her niece Matilda was dealt a difficult hand of cards. A mere 7 years old and she suffered from a voracious invasion of Cancer. She was quite a little fighter but the effects of the treatments were almost as pervasive as the disease itself and together they seemed to joined forces to create hardship for little Matilda.
Her mother Jane, was a strong woman but that strength has limits and watching your only child fight something like that for years would take its toll on any parent. Jane was still holding on to threads, her marriage however wasn’t so fortunate. Jim Weaver, Matilda’s Father, was a boastful man but despite his outward machismo, he could not handle the mere notion that a portion of his life could be so flawed. Matilda took it in stride when her father left but Jane was never quite the same again.
Matilda was the youngest child of a large extended family, all of whom served as part of a strong support system. The family took Matilda to events within her physical capabilities, they organized fundraisers to help fund the costly treatments she needed and most helpfully they took Matilda for sleep-overs and weekends here and there when it was clear that Jane needed some time to mend.
Laura had always been the oddball in the family, helpful to Jane and supportive of Matilda but rarely in ways the rest of the family endorsed. She was always working some fringe, homeopathic angle or reading curative books written by hemp laden hippies who think they know more than professional doctors. At first the family was happy to get the help where they could get it, but you only get so many warm welcomes before they wear out.
When Laura excitedly shared what she had learned about the curative prowess of Vitamin C, Jane was cautiously optimistic, Jane was however fairly certain that she was faking the optimism part. She did however write down the specifics and promise to ask Matilda’s oncologist about it at their next meeting.
——
Dr. Slater had worked in oncology for longer than anyone else at the hospital, he has seen and heard it all and acted accordingly. His full head of pure white hair was always trimmed to a meticulous flattop which gave him a stern bearing, his personality didn’t offset that. Working with a 7 year old girl like Matilda didn’t seem to phase Dr. Slater or alter his matter-of-fact bedside manner. He was, by all reports, the best at what he does, so everyone put up with his minor personality quirks in order to benefit from his wisdom.
“… so Dr. Slater I guess what I am asking is, have you ever heard of this concept of “megadose Vitamin C” and what it can do for Cancer?”
“Mrs. Weaver, is it still Weaver?”
“Well, we’re apart but we haven’t had a chance to deal with all the legalities of that… plus I can’t find him so…”
“Right then, Mrs Weaver, I have never in all my years as a physician heard of a medical professional giving three quarters of a kilogram of Vitamin C to a patient in a single day, much less a child. I have seen no formal studies to show that it would have any effect at all on Matilda’s Cancer. I fully understand a mother’s need to do everything she can for her child and investigate any possible lead for hope but you need to leave it to the professionals. I have dedicated my life to the study of medicine and been on the front lines of the fight against Cancer for over 30 years. Your daughter’s best chance of remission lay with me and with the treatments I prescribe.”
“I understand Dr. Slater, I had to ask.”
“Not at all.”
——
Laura was crushed when Jane told her what the doctor had said. She wasted no time after visiting her sister to go talk with the proprietor of the Feed your Soul nutrition store and scold him about giving people false hope.
“…Right, right, sorry. I should have told you the other part about Vitamin C, doctors aren’t allowed to talk about it.”
“I have never heard anything so ridiculous in all my…”
“Look, I don’t want to get all conspiracy theorist on you but think about the currently available cancer treatments right now. They all fall into three categories and most of them are not covered by standard medical insurance. You choices are things like chemotherapy, a.k.a. Poison, invasive biopsies and other surgeries a.k.a Cut and finally the nuclear response, radiation therapy a.k.a. Burn. Everyone knows that Big Pharm is in bed with the AMA. It’s built right into the medical schools, right from the start doctors are taught who to trust and where the money is. Do you think someone goes to school, studies and sacrifices for nine years just to be a nice person and heal the world? Even if that was their initial intent, they come out of school with $300,000 in student loans, I would like to see you turn down a bonus from a pharmaceutical company with that hanging over your head.”
“Not all doctors are that desperate for cash, surely if this stuff worked so well it would be documented somewhere, someone would take notice. If it made even one person, even mildly better there would be a social upheaval and people would be demanding it from their doctors.”
“Here’s the thing, it has happened and it does work. Take a moment to search it online, look around, the info is out there. You will however notice that it isn’t happening in the US. The American Medical Association restricts doctors or medical researchers from pursuing avenues of Cancer research that don’t conform to the Poison, Cut, Burn paradigm. Worst still, they can’t qualify to receive any cancer research funding if they investigate anything deemed “alternative medicine”. There is no profit in Vitamin C, therefor there is no reason to investigate, research or document any finding relating to the use of Vitamin C to treat Cancer.”
“So where would someone go to receive more formal information, or treatment for that matter, with Vitamin C?” Replied Laura while looking up from the screen of her phone, after reading about some very positive results of megadose Vitamin C.
“Cuba… or Canada. However, if you are going through a stressful life event like Cancer why not have some time in a nice beach chair to help you relax while you’re there?”
Laura left the shop unsure what she was going to tell her sister, but if there was even an off-chance that this could take the edge off the disease and gave Matilda a fighting chance, it was worth everything she had. Financially speaking and in terms of opinions that she was sure this would form in the family.
——
“It would be my treat”
“I don’t know Laura, Dr. Slater was pretty clear that he was doing what needed to be done.”
“Ok, I know I have come to you in the past with all sorts of ideas about how to help Matilda, and I know that I am not a medical expert like Dr. Slater but look, just look. I have shown you cases of people getting better, documentaries that mention the treatment and even very sound reasoning as to why Dr. Slater would not be able to talk about this treatment even if he wanted to. When is there a gap in Matilda’s treatments that would allow us to go to Cuba for three weeks? I will put us up at a resort and pay for the treatment, there is no down side, what do you say? We have to try!”
“Well..”
——
“I will say one last time Mrs. Weaver that I can not recommend that you go through with this treatment in Cuba, there is simply no documentation to support that Vitamin C will help your daughter, I fear you are being taken in by a hoax and wasting your money.”
“But there are no medical problems or side effects from taking large doses of Vitamin C right? It isn’t going to harm her?”
“Well, no. Vitamin C doesn’t appear to have any adverse effects, even for rather larger doses but again I have never seen studies on the effects of doses of this scale, 750g per day, my goodness.”
“My sister is paying for it all, there is actually some buzz online about this, we are going to go through with it. If nothing else some time on the beach in the sun will help take Matilda’s mind off her situation.”
“I… If you must.”
——
On the flight to Cuba Matilda sat quietly, she was told that they were going on vacation and that they would visit with a Doctor friend while there. Matilda had been in and out of so many Doctor’s offices that the concept of another visit didn’t even phase her excitement about seeing the beaches of Cuba. Her friends were so jealous when she was taken out of school for an extra week before spring break so she could go to Cuba with her mother and aunt.
The plane was filled with Americans looking for an escape to a tropical getaway and a few connecting passengers from farther abroad. Across the aisle from Laura however, there was a sad but determined looking woman with a bald and rather frail looking husband. Being a compulsive conversationalist Laura opened a dialog with the couple only to discover that their trip to Cuba had a similar purpose. Martha’s husband Frank, had rather advanced prostate Cancer and was not given favourable news from the medical community in the States. They were looking for an alternate opinion and found hope in an alternate treatment. They were heading to Cuba to see a specialist called Dr. Florez and were happy to share his contact information once they heard about Matilda. They set up a date to meet for lunch and an introduction to the good Doctor.
——
Dr. Florez was a tiny man but he seemed to fill a room. As if his personality was trying to compensate for his diminutive stature, and succeeding. He was very reassuring and even corrected Laura by offering to be called Hector rather than the more formal Dr Florez. Jane couldn’t remember ever calling Dr. Slater by his first name, come to think of it she couldn’t even remember being told Dr. Slater’s first name, he was always just Dr. Slater.
Cuba was a welcomed refreshment and Jane felt her shoulders slowly ease from their constant stress laden shrugging position. For what it’s worth Matilda was having a great time as well. The daily treatments were easy and left her with a full day’s energy to spend on the beach and seeing the sights. Jane had never seen Laura quite so happy, the idea that her sister believed in her enough to go along with this idea of getting treatment in another country. The two sisters were closer now that they had been since their own childhood.
After a week the colour had returned to Matilda’s skin and she seems to remember what it was like to be a kid. In the treatment room they often met with Frank and Martha, Frank seemed to have restored quite a bit of vigour as well.
Two weeks on Matilda was laughing a giggling like any 7 year old should and having the time of her life. They even went snorkelling with Frank and Martha. Martha told them through tears of joy that Frank used to be an excellent swimmer but he hasn’t been strong enough to go in the water in years. She was just amazed at the results so far.
At the end of the three weeks there was a series of scans to be done and Matilda’s age defying experience allowed her to endure them with a resolve that most adults couldn’t muster. In the end she was asked to bring her mother and aunt to Dr. Hector Florez’ house for a last supper in Cuba and a proper send off.
Hector’s house had a nice open concept but it wasn’t palatial, he had a lovely rear garden stocked with grown vegetables and a nice seating area. At a long table sat, Hector, his Wife, Laura, Jane, Matilda, Martha, Frank and another couple they had met in the treatment rooms. Hector stood up.
“I know you have all come a long way for something you were struggling to get in your own countries… hope. I know it must have been difficult to leave your known medical system and seek help outside of the comfort of what they can offer. I thank you for trusting me with the care of your loved ones and I am humbled by your faith in me. I am here however, to tell you all that your trust was not misplaced, all three of your scans show no signs of the dreaded Cancer. I am proud to say that all three of you are beyond remission now, you are officially Cancer survivors. All I ask is that you share your story. Let others that are struggling know that there is hope and there are options. Thank you all.”
The small gathered crowd erupted with joy and thanks, food was brought out and eaten, wine was drunk, farewells were spoken and in the end just Hector and his wife Helena remained, cleaning the last of the mess and getting ready for bed.
“Hector my dear, how many of these dinners have we eaten now?”
“I couldn’t venture a guess my love.”
“Have I ever adequately expressed how incredibly proud I am to be your wife?”
“Well Helena my dear, you can show me right now if you like…”
“Oh Hector”
——
Returning to US soil Jane couldn’t wait to tell Dr. Slater the good news, but he insisted on a battery of his own tests. When they yielded the same result he wasn’t as forthcoming as Jane or Laura would have hoped.
“He said what?”
“He said it must have been the change of environment and latent effects of his treatments, a little sunshine and a positive outlook can do wonders for the human body, then he reminded me about the placebo effect. He still doesn’t believe in even the slightest medicinal benefit of megadose Vitamin C”
“Some people may never change, the important thing is we now have confirmation and a second opinion proving that Matilda is cancer free, the treatment worked and she gets to be a kid again.”
“Laura, I can’t thank you enough, without you, we would never have gone down that road, would never have pursued or likely even heard of this treatment. Megadose Vitamin C, who’d have thought?”
“Jane, I am just so glad that you trusted me and believed in me. I know I have come forward with quite a bevy of ideas, I am just glad that one of them panned out before you thought I was lost or truly crazy.”
“When it comes to your child Laura, nothing is off limits, everything is an option. Thank you again.”
“Don’t thank me, thank Dr. Hector Florez, thank the guy at the Feed your Soul nutrition store, whatever his damn name is, and most of all, thank Vitamin C.”
Multiversal Yarns 