Dear Diary,
Last week I told you about going vegan and I also told you a story about my friends dad. What my friend did for me was well beyond what I could have imagined. She interviewed her dad about his cancer and going vegan and sent that to me.
She said I could use names so her name is Elizabeth Plimmer and her dad is Richard. The interview is about 10 minutes long so I have just used the parts of the interview that relate to the cancer and going vegan and what he feels it has done for himself. Here is a dialogue.
Elizabeth: When you first found out you had cancer what was your first thing that you wanted change and what steps did you want to take?
Richard: I just knew I needed to stop sugar. I thought, well we went to the moon 50 years ago, this is only cancer. I knew I could beat it with food.
E: You said you wanted to cut out sugar, but what made you want to cut out meat and stuff like that?
R: I guess I always wanted to but I was sick enough to actually do it now.
E: Do you think by doing that, that made a huge impacted on your recovery process?
R: That is exactly what did it.
E: And besides the food for the cancer, what has the food done to your body besides ridden the cancer?
R: I have never felt better. I have no aches and pains. I noticed that when my wife would ask me if I could get her purse and I would reach in the back seat, I would think "Oh I need to work on my shoulder" and now that pain is gone. I had back pains, leg pains, shoulder pains and now I have no pain.
E: Do you think you will continue to do the program? Or how do you feel. I know the word Vegan isn't something you like to use. But what is your approach to your diet post-cancer?
R: If it has a label on it and I have to figure what's in it, I am not eating it. I eat fresh foods, I am going to juice everyday and I will continue to have no pain. And I found the best way is to eat right because we are what we eat.
E: If you someone came to you that didn't have cancer or a serious illness, what would be your approach to them?
R: I can't decide that for you but I will share information with you. There are all types of videos and information and I did everything anything that anyone suggested that had good success and if it worked I continued and if it didn't I stopped.
E: When you were diagnosed with your cancer, you were scheduled to have 8 chemo treatments but at the end, you left with 5. Do you think the food played a big part in keeping you healthy and not feeling ill or weak?
R: By all means. I had no side effects or evil things happen to me after chemo. Except for hair loss. And there were no side effects. After 3 or 4 chemo's I was starting to feel full of chemicals and got tired. I just had to make friends with it and take lots of nap. I try not to eat after the sun goes down. That's the time my body needs to rest and it can't rest if its digesting a piece of meat.
E: Are you against meat or just have changed the way you approach the products?
R: I love meat. I love corn beef sandwiches. I just won't have one. Not that I won't ever have one but I've learned that if I want to live long, feel better and not take medications, that I am going to eat correctly.
I can't thank both Elizabeth and Richard enough for this. After I heard this, it was just the cherry on top of our decision. It's one thing to hear stories, but for it to happen to someone you know, it just hits close and makes you think.
Love, Me
