Determined Dawn Down flew to Mexico to undergo a revolutionary new regime at the Oasis of Hope Hospital when chemotherapy failed to kill her ovarian cancer.
She ate raw vegetables, downed pints of
carrot juice and was injected with large doses of vitamin B17. She was also given melatonin, ozone therapy, ultra-violet blood irradiation and even shark cartilage enemas.
"The idea is that you rid the body of toxins and flood it with vitamins to boost the immune system to incredible levels in order to fight off the cancer cells," explains 40-year-old Dawn, whose children are aged 16, 14 and 12.
A piano teacher married to a Christian book publisher, she had always "lived life in the fast lane" and resolutely refused to be pessimistic when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer five years ago. A scan showed a tumour measuring 10 cm – the size of a baby's head.
"I had stage three cancer, which was pretty bad. There were nodes in my abdmominal area and it was veering towards stage four, which is generally terminal," she says matter-of-factly.
Months of chemotherapy left her feeling grim but it was worthwhile when scans revealed the tumour had gone.
Just three months later though it was back and Dawn once again faced her consultant, Gill Stewart, to discuss more chemotherapy.
But by then she had discovered a new cancer-fighting eating plan, called the Hallelelujah diet.
"Basically it involved drinking carrot juice and eating tons of raw vegetables... I asked my consultant if I could have just one month's grace, before the chemotherapy began again in order to try this diet. She agreed, so I went to Tesco's and bought up the entire organic fruit and veg section!"
Four weeks later tests shown Dawn's tumour marker count had fallen. She begged for one month more on her diet.
"We went for two years like that, with me saying 'just one more month' and avoiding the chemo," she grins.
Then Dawn, who lives on Crownhill, found out about the Oasis of Hope but discovered it would cost £10,000 to be treated there. The cash problem was solved by husband Malcolm, who raised the money by running the London Marathon.
Finally, two weeks ago she heard the words she had been dreaming of: 'You are all clear'.
"I want to tell everyone with cancer not to give up. While there is still a breath of life there is hope."
Dawn's consultant Gill Stewart said: "Dawn continues to amaze us – we don't understand why her treatment works but it seems to have produced a remarkable result."
sally.murrer@mkcitizen.co.uk