Ivelisse Page, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Believe Big says, “I was exhausted, more than usual, and started being unable to function without taking three-hour naps during the day. Other than fatigue, I felt fine. I never suspected colon cancer because I knew the symptoms well. I have a family history, and so, I was being monitored by my doctors regularly with colonoscopies and such and had no issues, not even a polyp.”
Ivelisse couldn’t shake the extreme fatigue, and now she was feeling weak. Her husband, Jimmy, a health and wellness professional, knew this wasn’t normal and encouraged Ivelisse to get to her physician to find some answers.
The answer they got was unexpected. Ivelisse was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer, and surgery to remove a portion of the colon and lymph nodes soon followed. However, at the post-surgery follow up appointment, tests showed that it had spread to the liver, changing her level to stage four cancer.
“Prior to my liver surgery, I was asking questions of and interviewing three different oncologists. Each wanted me to have radiation and chemo, which gave me a 10% chance of survival. To me, doing that was like burning down the whole forest for one rotten tree, and if I did have six months to live, I was going to live it out with my family- not in a bed, weak and sick,” Ivelisse says.
“Just before my liver surgery, I got in touch with Dr. Peter Hinderberger. He told me about mistletoe therapy and homeopathy therapies for cancer. He said to me, ‘You have cancer and need something stronger that will attack the cancer cells.’ At the same time, Jimmy had been researching food and herbs as medicine and put me on a different diet with supplements to help fight cancer.”
“I want to emphasize that mistletoe is not a magic bullet, but it is a large piece of the puzzle. It is not a stand-alone therapy. Surgery, homeopathic remedies, diet, reducing stress levels, and prayer-all those factors contributed to my being here. The amazing thing about mistletoe is that it doesn’t have the side effects or negative effects of many drugs. It’s a natural substance, and we are celebrating 100 years of mistletoe therapy this year,” says Ivelisse.
She continues, “I had my colon resected in September, and liver resected in December. It took three months before I could drive again. My oncologist said that 75% of the time it’s back within two years, and only 8% of the people are alive, even with cancer. So, the fact that it wasn’t back and that it didn’t come back months and years later is a testament to God’s power and healing, and all the things we did to contribute to that process.”
Ivelisse continues to be followed by her team of doctors and is on a maintenance dose of mistletoe twice a week. But that’s not where her journey ends.
“After I was well, I wanted to share it. For me, I found something that was so helpful and isn’t well-known, and I really wanted to make others aware that there are other options,” Ivelisse says. “That’s why Jimmy and I started Believe Big. We wanted to have a place where patients and families could come and get information to help them on their journey. Over the years, we heard about other physicians who were trained in mistletoe therapy, and we began to build a network of physicians all over the United States.”
“One of the arms of Believe Big is fundraising for clinical trials for mistletoe. I relied on Johns Hopkins to do their part. On December 18, 2015, 4,500 pages of documentation were sent to the FDA for the trial. The FDA responded on Christmas Eve that they approved the start of it. In 2016, we got the Hopkins Review Board approval and patient accrual, and in 2017, the first cohort of the trial began,” says Ivelisse.
Jackie Guidera, Director of Operations at Believe Big, says, “We believe conventional and complementary treatments together are our best way to overcome cancer. At Believe Big, we focus on four things:
- Educate to give a comprehensive approach to cancer prevention and treatments.
- Connect with physicians trained in mistletoe, oncology nutritionists, and the resources necessary to help patients advocate for their own health.
- Provide Believe Mugs and offer prayer for every patient. Offer spiritual support to help patients overcome fear and anxiety.
- Overcome cancer by developing mistletoe trials and collaborating with Johns Hopkins and the Believe Big Institute of Health.
“Painting mugs for patients with the Believe Mug program is a good entry point for people to get to know the organization,” says Jackie. “If someone you know has cancer, an easy way to give them hope is to send them a Believe Mug.” Jackie continues, “An army of volunteers paints the mugs, and many corporations and nonprofits partner with us. Each mug given to a patient includes the card with ‘I will have no fear’ prayer and a little bit about Believe Big and is prayed over by the creator. See the website for more details on hosting or painting a mug.”
Cancer survivor Maru Fava says, “You have everything to gain and nothing to lose by complementing your current treatment. People are experiencing incredible quality of life. I think that going through something difficult and also having great quality of life is important, and I encourage them to look at our resources.” BelieveBig.org
