Chris Wark received a brutal diagnosis, but he didn’t want to go down the chemotherapy road.
TO Cancer diagnosis can be devastating news. But once you get past the shock and fear, you long for the guidance and support that can put you on the path to healing.
For cancer survivor Chris Wark, his path was paved with faith and food.
Wark was only 26 years old when he was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. He had no science or medical background. He just had the idea that, with the right nutrition, he could be cured.
“I was a very typical clueless cancer patient, and I didn’t know what to do,” Wark said. “I was mostly operating on instinct, intuition and the belief that there had to be a way to recover, to heal, to increase the odds in my favor.”
It all started with a dull pain in the abdomen. Wark initially thought it might be an ulcer, but turned to medical professionals to rule out anything more serious. What they found was a golf ball-sized tumor in his large intestine. Doctors called for immediate surgery.
When Wark woke up in the hospital after surgery, his guts felt like they were going to explode and his situation was worse than the doctors anticipated. His tumor had spread to surrounding lymph nodes. Much of this cancerous tissue was removed during surgery, but Wark was told that he would need about a year of chemotherapy to treat the cancer that remained in his body.
However, Wark began to doubt this path with his first meal served at the hospital. After his abdomen was cut open and dozens of lymph nodes removed, he received the worst cafeteria food imaginable: a sloppy Joe.
Gazing at loose ground beef on an institutional-grade white bun, Wark wondered why he wasn’t buying something healthier, or at least more digestible.
Wark was puzzled by what he saw as an obvious disconnect between health care and healthy eating.
She asked her surgeon if he had any nutritional advice to treat her abdominal cancer. “No, just don’t lift anything heavier than a beer,” the surgeon replied.
Although medical experts did not recognize the influence of food, Wark still imagined that he could heal his body simply by eating better. But when he shared his ideas with family and friends, they thought he was crazy, so he reluctantly went to see an oncologist.
His oncologist told him he had a 60 percent chance of living five more years if he received chemotherapy. When asked if there was any alternative, the doctor replied: “There is none. If you don’t do chemotherapy, you’re crazy.”
Wark agreed to try chemotherapy and scheduled a start date. But the closer he got to his date, the more apprehensive he became.
“I wanted to understand why he was sick. I wanted to get to the bottom of that mystery. I wanted to do everything in my power to help myself heal, and what I discovered was that the conventional medical system offered me no hope,” said Wark. “The idea of poisoning my way back to health made no sense to me.”
So Wark missed his chemotherapy appointment and prayed for guidance. Two days later, he received a book in the mail from a friend of his father. The author was a man diagnosed with colon cancer in 1976, and his story was about how he opted out of conventional treatment and managed to cure himself through diet and lifestyle He was still alive and in good health 30 years later, which made Wark think that the path he envisioned might have some merit.
Seeking a community of like-minded people, Wark soon sought out other books written by cancer survivors and holistic practitioners that told similar stories. The common thread in all these stories of survival against all odds was that food proved to be a healing force. It inspired Wark to adopt a raw food diet Only plants. All organic.
“It went back to the Garden of Eden,” Wark said. “I was just eating food straight from the land in its pure, natural state. I had never heard of a raw food diet before, but I was very intrigued and excited about this idea, and wanted to know what would happen to my body if all I ate were raw fruits and vegetables. It was so strange and strange and radical to me. I loved.”
Wark then began looking for doctors who also saw food as a tool for healing. His mother introduced him to a clinical nutritionist, and the nutritionist referred him to an experienced surgical oncologist, a doctor who had been practicing conventional cancer treatments for years but had decided to switch to a more natural, non-toxic approach.
With the help of his team and his own hard work, he managed to beat cancer. Eighteen years later, he remains cancer free. He recounts his journey and the limitations of conventional cancer treatment in his book “Chris beats cancer.”
Wark’s story was featured in the award-winning documentary, “The C Word” and in the series “Truth About Cancer.” But he maintains that he’s not lucky or special, he’s just a regular guy who listened to his instincts and took massive steps to help his body heal.
“I eliminated everything in my life that could have contributed to my illness,” he said.
One reason a cancer diagnosis can be so frightening is the number of deaths associated with the disease. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States and the leading cause of death worldwide.
But cancer wasn’t always such a frequent killer. In the early 20th century, indoor plumbing and medical advances did much to lower overall death rates. But by the end of the century, cancer deaths had mostly increased. President Richard Nixon famously called for a war on cancer in 1970, but for decades, doctors and patients seemed to be losing the battle.
The cancer death rate in the US peaked in 1991, but has since dropped 27 percent. The American Cancer Society credits improvements in the ways we can prevent, find, and treat cancer, but states that “the decline in the death rate is largely due to fewer people smoking.”
Wark says this detail points to a path that more cancer patients should be encouraged to follow. Those hoping to reduce their risk of cancer can also benefit from this path.
“It’s not because treatments have made these great strides. It’s because we’ve had a massive decline in cigarette use, and cigarettes are the number 1 cause of cancer,” Wark said. “My mission is prevention. If we could educate the public about the diet and lifestyle choices that cause chronic disease and the ones that prevent it, then we can see a change in the health of the population.”
Wark’s own path to healing may have been a leap of faith, but he later learned that there is plenty of science to substantiate his experience. Several years after he was cured of cancer, he wanted to understand exactly how his healthy food journey made him better.
“I was wondering if my story could be a fluke. Maybe I was just lucky. Was there any science to support natural healing methods, evidence-based nutrition, and holistic health? I learned that there was more science than I could read in my entire life.”
With each study he read, Wark became more and more inspired. He learned that the most powerful anti-cancer vegetables were the ones he ate every day: garlic, onions, leeks, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and mushrooms, as well as fermented foods like sauerkraut and kimchi, and spices like turmeric. , oregano and cayenne.
Science validates the anticancer properties of these foods, but the heart of the concept is common sense.
“You don’t have to have a science degree, be a doctor, or even have a high school diploma to understand that eating fruits and vegetables will only do you good. Exercise and forgiveness will only do you good. These are things that are so powerful that most people underestimate their value,” he said.
Wark is inspired to pass on what he has learned to others and shine a light on the many successes found in a natural approach to cancer treatment. He is an advocate for patients and has a blog detailing his journey for over a decade. It features interviews with other cancer patients who have chosen natural medicine to cure their disease and holistic doctors who provide care along this path.
The path to healing that Wark describes requires a lot of dedication. Contrary to the magical concept of health care, natural healing is more than a miracle herb or a few appointments with a functional medicine doctor. It’s a 24/7 lifestyle, a self-empowerment mindset, and a long-term commitment.
Wark’s book is critical of the modern cancer industry and conventional cancer treatment, but he does not reject patients who choose to take this path. He says that the power of food is available to anyone who is willing to harness it.
“If you improve your immune system, you are protecting yourself from life-threatening infectious diseases and debilitating life-threatening chronic diseases,” he said. “Nutrition is ammunition for your immune system. Without nutrition, you are fighting without weapons, without an army.”
In addition to encouraging a better diet, Wark says that the mental, emotional, and spiritual side of healing is an important part of the practice, yet often overlooked. He mentions patients who do everything right, eat all the anti-cancer foods, do all the beneficial routines, but still can’t seem to get better.
“They don’t address their emotional pain. They carry a lot of anger, bitterness, and resentment towards people from their past. The stress of these unresolved emotional conflicts can outweigh anything else you do. It may be the only barrier to healing.”
Unforgiveness may be the block that stops healing, he said.
“I am constantly encouraging everyone in our community to forgive every person who has ever hurt you. Let go of anger and resentment, fear, worry and anxiety. Embrace life, health, joy and peace.”
Of course, tackling complex problems like these is often much easier said than done. But there are many examples that show that it can be done.
“Cancer taught me gratitude,” Wark said. “I had to learn during the process to give my fears and concerns to God, release them. Not letting fear consume my mind and heart.”
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