Bill's Journey using Human Milk Therapy for Throat Cancer
The Milk of Human Kindness:
Human Milk Therapy
Written by Cheryl Scott RN, PhD, IBCLC
Rudolph Ballentine, MD, in his book Diet and Nutrition, states: “In many cultures, milk is, in fact, a symbol of the willingness to give, to sacrifice, and to put the welfare of another above that of oneself. Expressions such as “the milk of human kindness” are to be found in many languages[1]
As a lactation consultant for the past 15 years, I find myself in continual awe at the special qualities a mother’s milk provides to her baby. Much is known about the nutritional and protective qualities of human milk. Human milk provides antibodies and other protective substances for both a mother’s child as well as adult recipients. Recently, I have discovered a new dimension, a deeper look at the unique sacrifice and gift of life breastfeeding women provide for humans, big and small.
Personal Benefits Bill Experienced from Donated Human Milk
This story began in July of 2009, when my Sweetheart, Bill, was diagnosed with Stage 4 Tonsil cancer, which had metastasized throughout his throat. Initially Bill sought surgical treatment from the Mayo Clinic using a robot to remove 7 tumors in his throat. Despite the reputation of an 80% success rate with the Mayo Clinic’s trans-oral robotic surgery, 1 year later, we received a new diagnosis of 4 more aggressive tumors in his throat and base of his tongue. The most troublesome tumor was very large and was encasing his carotid artery. This explained Bill’s frequent episodes of passing out. A second surgery was not an option for Bill since his blood flow to his brain was strangulated by this very aggressive tumor. Bill’s only hope from his new doctors was aggressive radiation and chemotherapy. Bill had already been utilizing about 10 holistic anti-cancer protocols, which strengthened him, however these holistic methods did not stop the post-surgical metastasis of his tumors.
Bill’s physicians mapped out a very aggressive radiation and chemotherapy course as his last hope to destroy the cancer and restore proper blood flow to his brain. Sadly, the toxicity from radiation and chemo made Bill very, very sick. Thankfully, the doctors had placed a feeding tube called a peg tube into his stomach since his throat would be too swollen to eat for months. However, he threw up the formula that was fed through his feeding tube as well. We tried every type of anti-nausea medication under the sun without any relief. He soon dropped his weight from 175 to 115. It was so sad to see this vibrant, strong man reduced down to skin and bones. I feared the treatments might kill him before the cancer. And then a miracle happened.
I received an email from a colleague of mine, a nurse who works at the same hospital where I work. She wrote: “Just thought I would offer some breastmilk for Bill and his n/v. I could donate and I think I would be able to get some other donors as well. Obviously I'm not sure about what the total volume would be but we could try. Let me know and I will start a milk collection campaign.” Blessings, Jackie
My friend and colleague, Jackie was breastfeeding her 8-month-old baby and was blessed with the ability to make more milk than her baby actually needed. She told me she was just about ready to stop pumping at work since her baby had more milk than he needed at home. However, when she heard of Bill’s trouble with keeping any food down, she wanted to offer her milk, knowing the immense healing properties of Mother’s Milk. She said she would be more than happy to continue to pump when she was at work and she could split her milk supply between her baby and Bill. What a blessing!
I asked Bill if he would like to add Human Milk Therapy to his treatment plan and he broke down crying when he heard of Jackie’s kind offer. The very next day, I was able to pick up Jackie’s first donation of the Milk of Human Kindness. When we returned home, we infused 1 ounce into Bill’s GT tube. He didn’t throw it up! It was the first time in over 2 weeks that he did not vomit what we placed into his stomach. We added another ounce and then another ounce to reach the therapeutic dosage range of 3 ounces of Human Milk which is the suggested dosage as an anti-cancer treatment. Bill was able to keep the 3 ounces in his stomach. A lot of rejoicing was going on in our household that day!
When Bill woke up the next morning, he had a small bedsore developing on the tip of his tailbone secondary to his severe state of malnutrition from his radiation and chemotherapy toxicity. I placed some drops of Mother’s Milk onto the small bedsore and I was amazed to see the bedsore disappeared within 4 hours. That is unheard of! (When my late husband developed a bedsore in his frail state with his paralysis from his brain tumor, we were never, ever able to heal the bedsore despite a myriad of medications and concoctions from his doctors and hospice nurses. Once skin breakdown from malnutrition occurs, it is very hard if not impossible to stop the process.) I was ecstatic to see the healing power of mothers’ milk at work once again!
God works in amazing ways! The day after I received Jackie’s initial email offering her gift of breast milk for Bill’s healing, I received another email from a lactation consultant who is in charge of Sacramento’s WIC Breastfeeding programs. Amelia had an employee who was making an abundant amount of milk for her baby and had large amounts of excess breastmilk stored in her freezer. She asked if we would be interested in using some of her donated milk to help heal Bill! Again, there were tears of joy streaming down Bill’s face from his grateful heart for these dear mothers who wanted to share their healing milk.
As a lactation consultant I had heard about donor breast milk used to treat cancer patients when I attended lactation conferences. It is known as Human Milk Therapy. The use of Mother’s Milk to treat conditions such as immune deficiency and cancer is commonly known as Human Milk Therapy. However, I had never personally known anyone who used breast milk to treat cancer.
Bill received donations of human milk from three other donors, including his niece, Aleia. Through the generous donations of human milk, we were able to provide Bill with the recommended therapeutic dosage throughout his acute phase of aggressive radiation and chemotherapy. It was amazing to see the many health benefits for Bill's recovery from cancer.
I truly wonder if Bill would have survived the severity of the aggressiveness of his radiation and chemo if he had not had the life supporting properties of mother’s milk. I remember one day, Bill was just released from the hospital for his severe nausea, vomiting, malnutrition and dehydration. His oncologist told us to get Bill immediately to the emergency room if he spiked a fever greater than 100. Well, his first day home from the hospital, he became really red, hot, feverish, felt really lousy and his temperature was rising to over 100. We had just began using human milk therapy a few days before, so I doubled his dose to 6 ounces via his GT tube and his fever came down within the hour and we did not need to take him to the emergency department. This was so wonderful!
Bill was in immense pain from the aggressive radiation to his entire throat region. He was on large doses of pain relievers to
We did not tell his doctors initially about using human milk therapy until Bill’s third hospitalization for hydration and pain control. For a few weeks, the only nutrition he received was his IV fluids and human milk in his GT tube. He would throw up everything else up. At the end of his third hospitalization, the doctors began Bill back on a special formula to boost his calories. This is when we told his nutritionist about the doses of human milk therapy we were giving to Bill. She was fine with human milk therapy as long as we were not relying on this for his caloric needs. We assured her we were primarily using human milk therapy for it’s anti-cancer therapy. The doctors and nutritionists appeared just fine with this.
Another great benefit we noticed human milk provided for Bill was the protective benefits to the sensitive mucous lining of his mouth and throat that were receiving enormous amounts of daily radiation. Bill’s oncologist kept expecting large holes and burns in the back of his mouth and throat. He couldn’t understand why his tissues weren’t full of sores. We just smiled REALLY big at each of our visits with his radiologist who was so happy with Bill’s progress.
The best news came at Bill’s 3 month PET scan revealing Bill to be cancer free! This journey through tonsilar and throat cancer has been a very long, hard and painful journey for Bill, however the gifts of mothers’ milk from each of these loving mothers blessed Bill and I beyond words. Our hearts are very grateful for the wonderful care Bill received from his health care team and the loving donations of life giving milk from these wonderful mothers.
[1] Ballentine, Rudolph, Diet and Nutrition: A Holistic Approach, 1978. Pgs. 124-124.
2 ADULTS TURN TO BREAST MILK TO EASE EFFECTS OF CHEMOTHERAPY by Michael Day, Health Correspondent, telegraph.co.uk
(Update: August 1, 2012: Bill is celebrating 2 years of being Cancer Free in Hawaii today!)
Human Milk Therapy
Written by Cheryl Scott RN, PhD, IBCLC
Rudolph Ballentine, MD, in his book Diet and Nutrition, states: “In many cultures, milk is, in fact, a symbol of the willingness to give, to sacrifice, and to put the welfare of another above that of oneself. Expressions such as “the milk of human kindness” are to be found in many languages[1]
As a lactation consultant for the past 15 years, I find myself in continual awe at the special qualities a mother’s milk provides to her baby. Much is known about the nutritional and protective qualities of human milk. Human milk provides antibodies and other protective substances for both a mother’s child as well as adult recipients. Recently, I have discovered a new dimension, a deeper look at the unique sacrifice and gift of life breastfeeding women provide for humans, big and small.
Personal Benefits Bill Experienced from Donated Human Milk
- Protected and supported his immune system
- Natural Tranquilizer: Assisted him to sleep soundly after his doses
- Healed his bed sore (secondary to severe malnutrition) within 4 hours
- Destroyed his cancer cells
- Minimized mucositis (sores in throat and oral region from radiation)
- Supported his T cell count and leukocyte count during chemo & radiation safeguarding Bill during his hospitalizations from nosicomial infections
- As of April 2013: He is cancer free for over 2.5 years! His doctors are amazed and happy at how strong and lively he is!
This story began in July of 2009, when my Sweetheart, Bill, was diagnosed with Stage 4 Tonsil cancer, which had metastasized throughout his throat. Initially Bill sought surgical treatment from the Mayo Clinic using a robot to remove 7 tumors in his throat. Despite the reputation of an 80% success rate with the Mayo Clinic’s trans-oral robotic surgery, 1 year later, we received a new diagnosis of 4 more aggressive tumors in his throat and base of his tongue. The most troublesome tumor was very large and was encasing his carotid artery. This explained Bill’s frequent episodes of passing out. A second surgery was not an option for Bill since his blood flow to his brain was strangulated by this very aggressive tumor. Bill’s only hope from his new doctors was aggressive radiation and chemotherapy. Bill had already been utilizing about 10 holistic anti-cancer protocols, which strengthened him, however these holistic methods did not stop the post-surgical metastasis of his tumors.
Bill’s physicians mapped out a very aggressive radiation and chemotherapy course as his last hope to destroy the cancer and restore proper blood flow to his brain. Sadly, the toxicity from radiation and chemo made Bill very, very sick. Thankfully, the doctors had placed a feeding tube called a peg tube into his stomach since his throat would be too swollen to eat for months. However, he threw up the formula that was fed through his feeding tube as well. We tried every type of anti-nausea medication under the sun without any relief. He soon dropped his weight from 175 to 115. It was so sad to see this vibrant, strong man reduced down to skin and bones. I feared the treatments might kill him before the cancer. And then a miracle happened.
I received an email from a colleague of mine, a nurse who works at the same hospital where I work. She wrote: “Just thought I would offer some breastmilk for Bill and his n/v. I could donate and I think I would be able to get some other donors as well. Obviously I'm not sure about what the total volume would be but we could try. Let me know and I will start a milk collection campaign.” Blessings, Jackie
My friend and colleague, Jackie was breastfeeding her 8-month-old baby and was blessed with the ability to make more milk than her baby actually needed. She told me she was just about ready to stop pumping at work since her baby had more milk than he needed at home. However, when she heard of Bill’s trouble with keeping any food down, she wanted to offer her milk, knowing the immense healing properties of Mother’s Milk. She said she would be more than happy to continue to pump when she was at work and she could split her milk supply between her baby and Bill. What a blessing!
I asked Bill if he would like to add Human Milk Therapy to his treatment plan and he broke down crying when he heard of Jackie’s kind offer. The very next day, I was able to pick up Jackie’s first donation of the Milk of Human Kindness. When we returned home, we infused 1 ounce into Bill’s GT tube. He didn’t throw it up! It was the first time in over 2 weeks that he did not vomit what we placed into his stomach. We added another ounce and then another ounce to reach the therapeutic dosage range of 3 ounces of Human Milk which is the suggested dosage as an anti-cancer treatment. Bill was able to keep the 3 ounces in his stomach. A lot of rejoicing was going on in our household that day!
When Bill woke up the next morning, he had a small bedsore developing on the tip of his tailbone secondary to his severe state of malnutrition from his radiation and chemotherapy toxicity. I placed some drops of Mother’s Milk onto the small bedsore and I was amazed to see the bedsore disappeared within 4 hours. That is unheard of! (When my late husband developed a bedsore in his frail state with his paralysis from his brain tumor, we were never, ever able to heal the bedsore despite a myriad of medications and concoctions from his doctors and hospice nurses. Once skin breakdown from malnutrition occurs, it is very hard if not impossible to stop the process.) I was ecstatic to see the healing power of mothers’ milk at work once again!
God works in amazing ways! The day after I received Jackie’s initial email offering her gift of breast milk for Bill’s healing, I received another email from a lactation consultant who is in charge of Sacramento’s WIC Breastfeeding programs. Amelia had an employee who was making an abundant amount of milk for her baby and had large amounts of excess breastmilk stored in her freezer. She asked if we would be interested in using some of her donated milk to help heal Bill! Again, there were tears of joy streaming down Bill’s face from his grateful heart for these dear mothers who wanted to share their healing milk.
As a lactation consultant I had heard about donor breast milk used to treat cancer patients when I attended lactation conferences. It is known as Human Milk Therapy. The use of Mother’s Milk to treat conditions such as immune deficiency and cancer is commonly known as Human Milk Therapy. However, I had never personally known anyone who used breast milk to treat cancer.
Bill received donations of human milk from three other donors, including his niece, Aleia. Through the generous donations of human milk, we were able to provide Bill with the recommended therapeutic dosage throughout his acute phase of aggressive radiation and chemotherapy. It was amazing to see the many health benefits for Bill's recovery from cancer.
I truly wonder if Bill would have survived the severity of the aggressiveness of his radiation and chemo if he had not had the life supporting properties of mother’s milk. I remember one day, Bill was just released from the hospital for his severe nausea, vomiting, malnutrition and dehydration. His oncologist told us to get Bill immediately to the emergency room if he spiked a fever greater than 100. Well, his first day home from the hospital, he became really red, hot, feverish, felt really lousy and his temperature was rising to over 100. We had just began using human milk therapy a few days before, so I doubled his dose to 6 ounces via his GT tube and his fever came down within the hour and we did not need to take him to the emergency department. This was so wonderful!
Bill was in immense pain from the aggressive radiation to his entire throat region. He was on large doses of pain relievers to
We did not tell his doctors initially about using human milk therapy until Bill’s third hospitalization for hydration and pain control. For a few weeks, the only nutrition he received was his IV fluids and human milk in his GT tube. He would throw up everything else up. At the end of his third hospitalization, the doctors began Bill back on a special formula to boost his calories. This is when we told his nutritionist about the doses of human milk therapy we were giving to Bill. She was fine with human milk therapy as long as we were not relying on this for his caloric needs. We assured her we were primarily using human milk therapy for it’s anti-cancer therapy. The doctors and nutritionists appeared just fine with this.
Another great benefit we noticed human milk provided for Bill was the protective benefits to the sensitive mucous lining of his mouth and throat that were receiving enormous amounts of daily radiation. Bill’s oncologist kept expecting large holes and burns in the back of his mouth and throat. He couldn’t understand why his tissues weren’t full of sores. We just smiled REALLY big at each of our visits with his radiologist who was so happy with Bill’s progress.
The best news came at Bill’s 3 month PET scan revealing Bill to be cancer free! This journey through tonsilar and throat cancer has been a very long, hard and painful journey for Bill, however the gifts of mothers’ milk from each of these loving mothers blessed Bill and I beyond words. Our hearts are very grateful for the wonderful care Bill received from his health care team and the loving donations of life giving milk from these wonderful mothers.
[1] Ballentine, Rudolph, Diet and Nutrition: A Holistic Approach, 1978. Pgs. 124-124.
2 ADULTS TURN TO BREAST MILK TO EASE EFFECTS OF CHEMOTHERAPY by Michael Day, Health Correspondent, telegraph.co.uk
(Update: August 1, 2012: Bill is celebrating 2 years of being Cancer Free in Hawaii today!)