9 Health Tips From Woman Who Beat Breast Cancer With No Chemo, 25 Years in Remission

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Ann E. Fonfa has been in remission from breast cancer for over 25 years. Today, she shares her personal journey of confronting and overcoming the disease to help others.

As per CHIPSA Hospital, an alternative cancer treatment center in Tijuana, Mexico, Ann was diagnosed with breast cancer in January 1993 at the age of 44. Owing to “extreme chemical sensitivities,” Ann decided not to pursue conventional cancer treatment; she turned her efforts toward an extreme diet and lifestyle overhaul instead.

Ann adopted an organic, plant-based diet, started taking nutritional supplements, and began exercising for a minimum of 60 minutes per day. Inertia, doing nothing, Ann reflected, was perhaps the biggest danger of all.

“I was told I had early stage disease,” Ann explained in an interview with CHIPSA representative Sarah Peterson, “and I joined a support group, which I thought was fabulous.” Ann, feeling empowered by her chosen holistic route, decided to become as educated as possible on her condition.

“I also felt it was very important to share my upbeat and optimistic spirit with other people,” Ann continued.

Ann endured multiple tumors and eventually two mastectomies. Her holistic treatment plan, however, under the guidance of CHIPSA’s Gerson Therapy program, eventually reaped incredible results.

Gerson Therapy involves a strict organic vegetarian diet, nutritional supplements, and enemas to treat the cancer. Ann went into remission in 1995 and has remained cancer-free ever since.

Turning her desire to help others into a tangible reality, Ann, now 71, started an online resource called the Annie Appleseed Project in 1999, which became a volunteer-run non-profit in 2003, to educate and advocate for complementary therapies in the treatment of cancer.

Ann’s project was inaugurated in order to “challenge the existing treatment paradigm.” As such, Ann has become the proponent of a 9-step lifestyle plan for anyone wishing to keep their body healthy and beat the illness. Her plan is as follows:

1. You Really Are What You Eat ...

“I believe that what we eat is the number one most important thing,” Ann explained, advocating no artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, or chemicals of any kind.

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2. ... So, Eat Organic

Ann also advocates an organic, vegetarian diet. “I moved to vegetarian beginning in 1974,” she explained to Nutraceuticals World, “and steadily changed things step by step. Now I call myself ‘vegan with mercy.’” The 71-year-old consumes mostly raw foods and upward of 10 fruits and vegetables per day.

3. Take Pleasure in the Little Things

“Not letting the fear of cancer overwhelm you so that there’s nothing else left” is tremendously important, Ann advised, as per CHIPSA. “You have to find joy on a daily basis, and it’s doable.”

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4. Smile

Smiling is contagious, Ann says, and it’s particularly beneficial to share a smile and a positive attitude in group settings.

5. Stay Active

Ann regaled how her mother became her companion while having treatment at CHIPSA Hospital in Tijuana, Mexico. The pair enjoyed walks in the hospital grounds every single day. For Ann, a healthy body is a healthy mind, and a healthy mind helps facilitate faster healing.

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6. Educate Yourself

Lectures, classes, and self-motivated research are empowering, says the 25-year cancer survivor.

7. Practice Positive Thinking

Holistic medicine believes that the psychosomatic element of healing is not to be underestimated. Positive speech, visualization, and an optimistic attitude, Ann believes, may help expedite the healing and recovery process.

8. Detox

Ann swears by coffee enemas, even going so far as to say that the cleansing practice has changed her life.

9. Stay Resolute

“Many have done it before you,” Ann assured others, as per CHIPSA Hospital, “and it’s now your turn.”

Ann’s recovery from cancer without the aid of chemotherapy or radiation is known in the medical community as “spontaneous remission,” and it remains controversial.

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“For every person we hear about who refuses cancer therapy and lives, there are additional people who refuse standard medical therapy and die,” said cancer specialist and breast cancer survivor Dr. Rebecca Johnson, as per the Chicago Tribune. “There’s no way to count the latter number.”

“Without formal scientific studies,” Johnson continued, “it’s impossible to generate statistics on the efficacy of alternative treatments.”

Ann, however, has always maintained that the stronger and healthier she got, the better able she was to deal with her cancer. For Ann, the 9-step lifestyle plan is a no-brainer.

“Even if you don’t have cancer,” she said, as per CHIPSA Hospital, “it’s a good idea to make moves [to change your lifestyle].” For Ann E. Fonfa, the results of her lifestyle overhaul were nothing short of lifesaving.