When Tanya Sayer of Olds arrived in Mexico for cancer treatments on Nov. 13, there were a number of familiar faces there to greet her.
When Tanya Sayer of Olds arrived in Mexico for cancer treatments on Nov. 13, there were a number of familiar faces there to greet her.
Sayer, 36, was diagnosed with Stage 3 esophageal cancer in October and, on a recommendation from fellow Olds resident Andrea Barker, decided to attend Dr. Isai Castillo's clinic in Tijuana.
Barker, who started attending the clinic in the summer to battle follicular lymphoma, was again at the clinic for a second round of treatments from November 11 to 23 and Sayer spent her first six days at the clinic with Barker.
"She kind of showed me the ropes. She showed me the procedures, introduced me to people. I mean it made it very comfortable," Sayer said in a telephone interview from San Diego on Dec. 3, adding she had learned of Barker's experiences at the clinic through the Moms' Time Out program at the Word of Life Church.
When the two women met, Barker, who was first diagnosed with cancer nearly three years ago, told Sayer about the terrible cancer treatment experiences she had endured in Canada and said the treatment program at Castillo's clinic was not as hard on her body.
That endorsement, along with the fact that Barker was only given months to live in January following several rounds of chemotherapy and a self-donated stem cell transplant in Canada, was enough to convince Sayer to head south for treatments at the clinic.
"She's a walking testimony of it because obviously she's lived past what they said she would live," Sayer said.
Sayer also has her family, including husband Graham and her two daughters and two sons, with her while attending the clinic.
And as if that weren't enough hometown support, she said there are three other people from the Olds-Didsbury area at the clinic.
Most of the rest of the patients at the clinic, Sayer added, are from Alberta or other parts of Canada.
"I think word of mouth is spreading it."
At the time of her interview with the Olds Albertan, Sayer said the only side effect she was experiencing from the treatments was nausea.
"Other than that I'm feeling really good."
A typical day for Sayer at the clinic involves an hour in a hyperbaric chamber to receive oxygen, followed by vitamin and chelation therapy where heavy metals are removed from the body and then, on certain days, chemotherapy, which usually takes about two hours.
When she returns to Canada on Dec. 13, Sayer will undergo a gastroscopy, which is an examination of the stomach, to see if the cancer has responded to the treatments.
If the tumour has shrunk, there's a chance Sayer may not need major surgery to deal with the tumour.
Whether surgery is necessary or not, she plans to return to the clinic in three months for 10 more days of treatment, which is the same program Barker is following.
Sayer hopes the treatments will shrink the tumour so that, if surgery is required, it "isn't so drastic."
"That would be awesome," she said. "The smaller the tumour, the easier it is for the surgeon."
Regardless of what's next in terms of fighting the cancer, Sayer said she plans to return to her normal life when she comes back to Olds.
"I would like to resume enjoying my life with my kids, watching my son play hockey, watching my daughter at dance," she said. "You'll see me at the pool swimming with the kids."
And, she added, she'll have to rest for the next three months.
"I may have to slow down more than I'm used to. I can't go, go, go. I may have to make a concerted effort to slow down but I'll still just enjoy what I can with the kids."
Upon her return to Canada, Barker said she was in good spirits following her second round of treatment.
"It went really well," she said. "It was a lot less stressful (this time). I feel really good."
Barker had half of a lymph node removed in August, the last time she went to the Mexican clinic.
From the portion that was removed, medical personnel used half of that for a future treatment and the other half to help lessen the effects of chemotherapy, should she need chemotherapy in the future.
Castillo told Barker her cancer has diminished as a result of the latest round of treatment, Barker said, which included dimethyl sulfoxide treatments designed to ease inflammation along with a regimen of vitamins and chelation therapy.
"We're not out of the woods yet, but we are heading in the right direction, so I just need to keep on being vigilant on the medicines and vitamins (Castillo) sent home and the diet," she said. "The key ingredient in my opinion, to this whole thing is definitely diet along with the (regimen) of vitamins and supplements."
Barker's diet involves avoiding acidic foods such as tomatoes, carbonated beverages, white flour and alcohol and she said she is convinced the treatments are helping.
"I think it's a good path to be following and I feel good about the outcome so far and Dr. Castillo says it's not about curing the cancer, it's about managing it and making it so that it's not overtaking your body. And right now that seems to be what's going on."
An email request to Castillo for an interview was not returned before press time.
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