By ALESHA CADET
Tribune Features Reporter
acadet@tribunemedia.net
IT WAS when she was 14 and entering the more demanding years of high school that Ashley Moree’s mother became diagnosed with stage one breast cancer.
Her mother, Judy Moree-McDowells, urgently received eight rounds of chemotherapy which left her cancer free, or so they had thought.
“At that time my two younger brothers, Ashton and Kelvin, were four and two, respectively. Five years has now passed and that period what should have been my mother’s remission years were her progression years. Doctors diagnosed my mother with stage four breast cancer in the summer of 2014 and she continues her fight today,” said Ashley.
The cancer has since metastasised to Judy’s lung, liver and lymph node. Sharing her story with Tribune Health, Judy remembers her terrible experience undergoing chemotherapy following the removal of her right breast.
“I wanted to do a more natural healing process so I told the doctors I won’t be doing chemo. In 2013, I went away to Alabama to this gentleman who had been treating people holistically for cancer. I went there to learn how I can better take care of myself. When I came back I started that regime but I couldn’t keep up with it due to money challenges and going through a divorce battle. Since then I have been doing the best I can without trying to depend so much on my daughter, Ashley.”
Last year she took a second trip to Alabama, where she became educated in what she calls “herbal chemo”, a natural cancer treatment practice which encourages the use of herbs like molasses, bladderwrack, selenium, prickly ash and more.
“The Alabama doctor was also treating some people so he didn’t have enough accommodation to house me. So what he did was make medicine for me, and my friend who lives in Alabama treated me at her home knowing what to do. I came back home to the Bahamas when my time was up and I have just been making the medicines that he showed me when I attended the classes. What these herbs do, they help move the waste from your digestive organs, it helps you to pass so you don’t experience that heavy bloating that a lot of cancer patients have around their diaphragm area. With cancer patients, just how they are slow and tired on the outside, it is even more so on the inside so you need a way to take that out of your system,” said Judy.
Why the natural route? Judy said education is key. Over the years she learned that while the chemo was assisting in killing the cancer cells, it was also killing the vital cells that she needs in order to survive.
“It is just something wrong with that to me. I just decided that I didn’t want to go through that. And the way it left my legs and feet at the bottom, I didn’t have a feeling in that area. At first when I went through some of the challenges I faced, I started to doubt myself going the natural route, but when I learned more and looked back at everyone that I have met during this journey since I have had cancer, a lot of them have fell by the wayside. I have seen a lot of people die, so whether it is God keeping me or me trying to take care of myself, I would say I haven’t regretted going the natural way,” said Judy.
At this point the difficutly is finding the monies to continue the journey, to properly take care of herself and not depend on her daughter.
For Ashley, a positive attitude is everything. She said past experiences have brought her family close to what was suppose to be “the end” but things keep working out. The 21-year-old has recently launched a GoFundMe Campaign to raise money to assist her mother in travelling to North Carolina to receive natural cancer treatment.
“She is a fighter with a soul stronger than anyone I’ve ever known. Even now, at her lowest point in life, she still finds strength to give what little she has. A donation of any kind will help give my mother the fighting chance she deserves. She deserves to see her two youngest children graduate elementary school, at the very least. And maybe, hopefully, see her first grandchild, too. Please help make this possible. Any assistance is necessary and much appreciated,” said Ashley.
With tears filling her eyes, she said: “I know it would be naive to not think about death but my biggest issue with everything is, I would accept her death had she had the chances that other people in her position get. If she had the money to go and just do the natural treatment that we are trying to get her to do now and it doesn’t work, then I would be okay because we honestly did everything. The only thing that keeps me hopeful is to try and just give her the fight she needs.”
• A donation to the family can be made to accounts at Scotiabank via 107801-1065, RBC via 05165-6002265 or www.gofundme.com/judy-morees-medical-fund.
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