Outcome of neoplastic metastases of breast cancer
Outcome of neoplastic metastases of breast cancer - Mrs. Myriam Infede
Below a complete transcription and video
Alessandro: Myriam, now tell us about your experience!
Myriam: Good evening everyone, thanks for being here and I also thank Alessandro for having me. So, I bring my testimony that is certainly not pretty, in some respects. For the way it ended.
It is a sad story that began in 2009 when I found out I had breast cancer while I was pregnant.
The baby had to be born before her time, it’s a girl, the third of my three children. So, the baby had to be born before her time, we anticipated the delivery and while the child was in intensive care in the hospital in Foggia, I left for Milan.
This was obviously the worst part: be separated from my daughter, for 20 days and I left for Milan because they told me I had to do a mastectomy and perhaps also one axillary dissection.
I had a mastectomy and axillary dissection, and I also did chemo. At the IEO I was assured, because it is there that I was treated.
VOICE OFF SCREEN: Where?
Myriam: at Veronesi’s IEO, They assured me that I was healed: "Madam you are healed, you are clear. Do the chemo and will see that you'll be fine, will have no more problems!".
I did chemo, with three children, one of which very small, just born. I was ill, I was not able to go to work: I teach in secondary schools. So I had to give up a part, perhaps the most beautiful, of my life which was supposed to be raising my daughter, because unfortunately I was sick, so did not feel like laughing and joking as I did with the other kids, with my other children and I had to give up work. But for me it was fine, as long as I could put an end to this experience.
We are therefore in 2009. In April 2010 I finish chemo. I do the half-yearly checks, it seemed everything was fine, except that from a blood test, tumor markers had gone slightly altered, those that CA 15-3, those indeed related to the breast.
I call my oncologist who tells me: "Look do not worry, it’s definitely nothing. But since you're very apprehensive, to give you peace of mind, let’s do a PET scan!". Here is the PET!
Dramatic, my situation. The doctor did not even want to tell me the whole truth, he first spoke to my husband, he said: "Let’s not tell her anything, better not to tell her!". My husband said: "No! My wife needs to know!".
And so the doctor told me: "Look you have metastasis... ...several... ...two at the liver... ...16!". It’s no use to list them all. They were 16!
They are all documented here. Obviously what happened to me? I felt really desperate, and desperate does not say it all, because rather than thinking about myself I thought of my children.
I wanted to repeat the chemo because in Milan they proposed it to me, at IEO, they said: "Let’s do a bone biopsy!", I also submitted to that, paying. It was not a pleasant experience. And then they said: "Let’s repeat the chemo, much stronger than before, had to be of monoclonal antibodies!", ...right?
HUSBAND: Also!
Myriam: And they said: "Let’s make the disease chronic. To make it chronic!". I was very happy, I said: "Gianluca, they will make it chronic. It means that it stops there and I'll be fine, who knows how long I will be able to live!".
Although in reality they had told me: "Madam, you will not get rid of what you have! That is yours metastasis to the liver, to the spine, and to the hips. Nobody will take them away!". But, it’s okay, it doesn’t matter. The important thing is that I go on, that I’m here.
My husband, however while I was deciding to have chemo, every night would check out all the web sites found on the internet talking about the Di Bella Method. And he began to tell me about it: "Myriam, you know, there's the Di Bella Method". He had already told me in 2009, but I had already rejected it in 2009. Tell me: "Do you want to hear what it is about?".
Not me, I have to do chemo. Even my mother did it. I have to do it myself. Everybody does it. It is normal to do chemo, right? We are accustomed to think so, even I was accustomed to think this way. Why break the mold? It is easier to be guided by others. To think outside the box is difficult!
I tell you, I refused his proposal. Then he, a bit at a time, a bit at a time got me involved: "But look, but listen how many cases, he begins to read. Just read!".
I started reading something on internet and then I went to Bologna, and I followed Dr. Di Bella during one of his conferences, I've followed all his documented testimonies and I said: "Yes Gianluca, let's try!".
Moreover I did chemo, I did everything they told me to do and it has come back! I want to try. Everybody was against me, even my mother did not agree. She said: "You have to do chemo!". I said: "No mom, this time we do it differently!".
And I started the Di Bella Method!
I've asked Dr. Di Bella if I could do something else, in addition to the cocktail of retinoids, vitamin C, galenic preparations, somatostatin, longastatin, melatonin, etc., I said: "Can I do anything else, in addition to this, to have a faster healing?”.
And he said to me: "Yes, you might try the stereotactic radiosurgery. They do it only at Humanitas in Milan". I said, "Okay, let's go!".
We left, I spoke to the radiologist. He said: "Oh yes, madam, I've seen all the documentation, all right, let's do chemo!".
I said, "No, no, no, no. I won’t do chemo!".
There they started with the psychological pressures: "Why, you have three children and want to leave them so soon?! You are crazy!" These were the words, the exact words! I said: "No, doctor, I'm not crazy, I'm aware of what I’m doing and I want to do it!". "Okay,", the doctor tells me, "Let us begin by doing a CT scan and a centering PET scan. And then we'll see!". Done the PET, we saw a little movement.
We saw the doctor speaking with other doctors, after 37 days of Di Bella treatment... ...after 38, 37 days of Di Bella therapy, my husband noticed a bit of movement and said: "What is going on? Has my wife’s situation worsened? Has it further degenerated?!".
Doctor: "No, no, everything as before, it’s only that there are no longer all the metastasized lymph nodes that the lady had before!".
Myriam: "Ah!", I said, "Well, then it means that the Di Bella Method is working!".
Doctor: "No madam, certainly prior exams were wrong! Where did you do the tests?".
Myriam: I told him that I did them in San Giovanni Rotondo, however I did them also at the IEO and they both said the same thing!
Doctor: "Oh well, try another two months with this therapy, carry on, get in touch, let us know".
Myriam: In the meantime I contacted Dr. Di Bella and told him: "Doctor, my lymph nodes have disappeared. Should I still do stereotactic radiosurgery?". He said me: "No madam, stop! Do not do anything! It means that you are responding very well to the treatment!".
I continued to do the Di Bella Method with greater enthusiasm. With the ever-increasing conviction that things were going in the right direction. In September I had a check-up... ...and there we met... ...he got to see a preview of my reaction because the doctor came...
VOICE OFF SCREEN: "Where did you do them?".
Myriam: In San Giovanni Rotondo, I've always done the following ones there, because I never went back to Humanitas.
They brought me the PET and told me: "Madam, it’s amazing,", you can see it with naked eye. "It's amazing!", he said, "you got rid of almost everything!".
There is almost no trace left, a very small one has remained at the level of the liver. A very small lesion at the level of the liver. In the meantime I went from a SUV (Standardized Uptake Value) of 23 to a SUV (Standardized Uptake Value) of 3.7.
VOICE OFF SCREEN: In how long?
Myriam: Three months. After three months of treatment. And I was left with two small, very small ones at the hips. At precisely the iliac spines. I continued the treatment, another 3 months, another PET in December.
The department manager of San Giovanni Rotondo checks: "I have looked and looked, but there is just nothing!". Almost annoyed! Because he was looking for. He wanted to find something: "Nothing lady not one thing, there is nothing left!".
Well, it’s no use to tell you what I felt because it was the greatest joy of my life. I came back to life for the second time, they gave me back my life.
Then I did another CT scan because Dr. Di Bella wants to publish an article on my case and he asked me for a CT scan and the CT scan showed that the tissues previously diseased, are pretty much healed. That is, at the level of the liver one scar is left. What do they call it Gianluca?
HUSBAND: Cicatricial area, outcome of neoplastic metastases of 12 mm in the process of final resolution.
Myriam: Instead where I had them to the bones not even their signs are visible, not even the scars. That's the beauty of my story, the happy ending.
And yet, unfortunately, it is not so good because of the financial problems that we are facing, because since June we are paying… until March right? Until January. Until January we paid Di Bella's therapy out of our own pockets which costs 2000 euros... - VOICE OFF SCREEN: a month? ... Yes, and sacrifices have not been few. Many privations and many sacrifices. Now my husband will tell you about the legal issue.
