William Supple, PhD, is a retired neuroscientist and the author of Cancer Is a Parasite (Skyhorse Publishing).

His Substack, fenbendazole.substack.com, has approximately 3 million readers, making it one of the largest, if not the largest, on the platform. He accepts no paid subscriptions or compensation of any kind. The following reconstructs his account from our interview. Any errors or misinterpretations are mine.

Cancer Is a Parasite Kill it with the Safe,

Over-the-Counter Antiparasitic Fenbendazole

Could a safe, side-effect-free antiparasitic drug be the breakthrough cancer treatment the world has been waiting for? In this bold, paradigm-shifting book, the founder of the influential Fenbendazole Can Cure Cancer Substack uncovers the revolutionary cancer-fighting potential of a surprising source: fenbendazole—a widely available, low-cost antiparasitic medication with decades of proven safety.

 Cancer is a Parasite offers a meticulously researched yet deeply personal journey into the science, case studies, and cutting-edge discoveries behind fenbendazole’s remarkable effects on cancer. With clarity and conviction, the author presents compelling evidence that cancer cells, like parasites, share a vulnerability in their microtubule structures—structures that fenbendazole is uniquely equipped to target.

 Unlike traditional chemotherapy, fenbendazole destroys cancer cells while leaving healthy cells untouched, offering a hopeful alternative without the toxic side effects. But this is more than a scientific exploration. It’s a story of courage and survival, based on powerful real-world accounts of cancer patients who, after exhausting conventional treatments, turned to fenbendazole—and lived to tell their stories. 

From breast and prostate cancer to lung and brain tumors, their testimonies paint a hopeful picture of what’s possible when patients reclaim agency over their healing journeys. The book provides: Clear, accessible explanations of the biological mechanisms through which fenbendazole may disrupt cancer cell growth.

 Evidence suggesting that pharmaceutical researchers identified potential anticancer effects of fenbendazole decades ago but did not pursue them clinically. The possibility that fenbendazole and related antiparasitic drugs may have preventive effects against cancer. 

Practical information for readers considering fenbendazole as a complementary or alternative approach alongside standard medical care. Blending groundbreaking research, emotional resilience, and a visionary new model that redefines cancer as a parasitic process, Cancer is a Parasite challenges the medical establishment and invites readers to see cancer—and its treatment—in an entirely new light. It is a powerful blueprint for a future where cancer could be not only treatable—but preventable.

Summary

“Cancer is a Parasite” explores the potential of fenbendazole, a safe, over-the-counter antiparasitic, as a novel approach to targeting cancer cells.

Overview of the Book

In “Cancer is a Parasite”, William F. Supple Jr., PhD, presents a paradigm-shifting perspective on cancer, proposing that cancer cells behave similarly to parasites and share vulnerabilities in their microtubule structures, which can be targeted by fenbendazole, a widely available and low-cost antiparasitic drug with decades of proven safety Amazon.com+1. The book combines scientific research, case studies, and personal narratives to argue that fenbendazole can selectively destroy cancer cells while sparing healthy cells, potentially offering a less toxic alternative to conventional chemotherapy Amazon.com+1.

Key Themes and Claims

Cancer as a parasitic process: Supple frames cancer not just as uncontrolled cell growth but as a parasitic-like entity, highlighting structural similarities that make it susceptible to antiparasitic drugs Amazon.com.

Fenbendazole’s mechanism: The drug targets microtubules in cancer cells, disrupting their growth and survival, a mechanism distinct from traditional chemotherapy Amazon.com.

Patient case studies: The book includes real-world accounts of patients with various cancers—breast, prostate, lung, and brain—who reportedly benefited from fenbendazole after conventional treatments failed Amazon.com+1.

Preventive potential: Supple also explores the possibility that fenbendazole and related antiparasitic drugs may have preventive effects against cancer Amazon.com.

Accessible science: The book provides clear explanations of the biological mechanisms, historical research, and practical guidance for readers considering fenbendazole as a complementary approach alongside standard medical care Amazon.com+1.

Author Background

William F. Supple Jr., PhD, is a neuroscientist with foundational research on brainstem and cerebellar mechanisms of learning, memory, and emotion.

He holds a PhD from Dartmouth College and has taught psychology and sports psychology courses at the University of Vermont. Beyond academia, he has entrepreneurial experience in real estate and is the founder of the Fenbendazole Can Cure Cancer Substack, which explores alternative cancer therapies Amazon.com.

Format and Availability

The book is available in hardcover and eBook formats, and an audible version is offered with Whispersync for Voice, allowing readers to switch between reading and listening Amazon.com+1.

It blends scientific research with personal stories, aiming to challenge conventional cancer treatment paradigms and inspire hope for alternative approaches Amazon.com.

Considerations

While the book presents compelling narratives and scientific discussion, readers should note that fenbendazole is not an FDA-approved cancer treatment, and its use should be discussed with a qualified healthcare professional.

The book is intended to provide information and explore alternative perspectives rather than replace standard medical care Amazon.com+1.

• Fenbendazole, a dog dewormer costing pennies per dose, kills cancer cells through 11 simultaneous mechanisms, targets cancer stem cells that chemotherapy leaves intact, and has no meaningful side effects outside a single interaction with acetaminophen.
• A 1976 paper named the molecule “oncodazole” because researchers who studied it understood exactly what it did to cancer cells. That paper was physically removed from accessible library stacks for decades. The cancer treatment industry built itself into a trillion-dollar enterprise in the space that suppression created.
• Countries with national antiparasitic drug programs show cancer rates half those of countries without them. India’s rate is one-third that of the United States. Israel, the one Middle Eastern country without a mass deworming program, has twice the cancer rate of its geographic neighbors.
• Supple’s mother-in-law was discharged from the hospital after receiving last rites, with metastatic breast cancer throughout her bones, lungs, and liver. She took 222 mg of fenbendazole daily in yogurt without knowing it. Her tumor markers normalized in 3 months. She’s 88 and cancer-free.
• Cancer and parasites share aneuploidy, independent circadian rhythms, molecular mimicry, and microtubule vulnerability. The same drug kills both. Supple argues this is not coincidence but identity: cancer behaves as a parasite and should be studied and treated as one.
• Take 222 mg daily with fat. Don’t take it with acetaminophen (Tylenol). (Don’t ever take that! See 320. TYLENOL IS A PHARMA ATROCITY, AND ASPIRIN IS A SUPPRESSED WONDER DRUG.
• Pregnant women should avoid it. If you monitor liver enzymes in the first 8 weeks, which is unnecessary, a transient rise signals die-off, not toxicity.

How a neuroscientist ended up here 

Supple spent his career studying brainstem mechanisms of learning and memory at Dartmouth and the University of Vermont, with about 40 published papers on cerebellar function. He’s not an oncologist. He got pulled into cancer research in 2021 when his mother-in-law was discharged from a Florida hospital after receiving last rites.

She was 83, and imaging taken for what seemed like a bowel obstruction had found metastatic cancer in her bones, lungs, and liver. It was metastatic breast cancer, a decade after a bilateral mastectomy, which Supple believes was seeded into her bloodstream when surgeons cut through tumor tissue in 2009. Her immune system kept it dormant. Two Moderna COVID shots in the spring and summer of 2021 coincided with its explosive reactivation. This is what the community now calls turbo cancer: dormant cells, suddenly released from immune suppression, producing disease at terrifying speed.

She refused chemotherapy and radiation. The hospital wasn’t sure she’d survive the two-mile drive home.

In the weeks that followed, Supple came across a single comment on an unrelated Substack post: “fenbendazole cured my prostate cancer.” That sentence sent him down a rabbit hole that consumed the next four years and produced Cancer Is a Parasite, published by Skyhorse in 2025.

What fenbendazole is and why fat matters

Fenbendazole is a veterinary antiparasitic that has dewormed dogs for decades. It’s available at FenbenLabs.com, on Amazon, and at Tractor Supply. The standard dose is 222 mg, which is the dose for a 10-pound dog. That number entered the human cancer community by accident and stuck. There are no dose-escalation studies in humans. What exists is a large and growing record of people using 222 mg/day, clearing cancer, and reporting no side effects.

The human pharmaceutical relative is mebendazole (Vermox), roughly 600 times more expensive and designed to stay in the gut, which makes it effective for intestinal parasites but limits its reach to solid tumors. Fenbendazole is more fat-soluble, enters systemic circulation more readily, and reaches cancers throughout the body. Albendazole is another close relative. For anti-cancer purposes they’re functionally interchangeable.

Fat co-administration is not optional. Fenbendazole is hydrophobic; swallowing it with water produces poor absorption. Supple’s family takes it sprinkled on heavily buttered toast. His mother-in-law took it in yogurt. An organic chemist in his Substack community confirmed that fenbendazole, as a carbon-14 molecule, binds well to lipids. Take it with fat, every time.

One absolute contraindication: don’t combine fenbendazole with acetaminophen (Tylenol). Mouse data suggests the combination causes liver problems. Tylenol is a documented liver toxin with no legitimate therapeutic use. Beyond that single interaction, fenbendazole has no known clinically significant drug interactions.

How it kills cancer: 11 mechanisms, no survivors   

The primary mechanism is microtubule depolymerization. Microtubules are the internal scaffolding cells use to divide, expel waste, absorb nutrients, and maintain their architecture. Fenbendazole dissolves that scaffolding inside cancer cells while leaving healthy human cells intact. Without microtubules, the cancer cell can’t divide, can’t move nutrients in or waste out, and collapses.

Standard chemotherapy also targets microtubules, but through stabilization rather than dissolution, and through a single pathway. Cells vulnerable to that one mechanism die. Cells that aren’t vulnerable survive, pre-selected for resistance. The tumor that comes back is harder to kill than the one that was treated. This is multi-drug resistance, and it’s why chemotherapy rarely cures late-stage cancer. It buys time. The cancer it leaves behind is worse.

Fenbendazole doesn’t leave survivors. Beyond microtubule disruption, it blocks tumor angiogenesis, cuts off the cancer’s glucose supply by disrupting the Warburg effect, prevents molecular mimicry (the trick cancer cells use to evade immune detection), blocks P-glycoprotein efflux pumps (the cell’s toxin-flushing system), halts cell migration, restores the p53 tumor suppressor gene, and kills cancer stem cells.

That last item deserves emphasis. Cancer stem cells are the roots of recurrence. Chemotherapy kills the bulk of a tumor and produces remission. The stem cells survive. The tumor they rebuild is descended entirely from drug-resistant stock. Oncologists have no answer for this. Fenbendazole kills cancer stem cells, which is why it rescues patients who have already exhausted standard treatment.

The oncodazole suppression

In 2002, researchers at MD Anderson and the University of Texas published a paper in a major oncology journal claiming to demonstrate, for the first time, that a drug of this class had anti-cancer capabilities. Supple read that paper after immersing himself in the literature, then went back and found a 1976 paper by a different research group that had made the same observation.

The 1976 researchers had been so impressed by what the molecule did to cancer cells that they named it. They called it oncodazole.

By 1984, a different paper on the same molecule had dropped the name oncodazole and renamed it nocodazole, without explanation and without citing the 1976 paper. The 2002 paper claiming primacy didn’t cite it either. Not one reviewer at a major oncology journal recognized a discovery that had already been made and named 26 years earlier.

The explanation is not that oncologists are stupid. In the pre-internet era, a paper that wasn’t in the physical stacks at a major research library effectively didn’t exist. The oncodazole paper was removed from accessible circulation. When journals began digitizing their archives in the early 2000s, it came back as a scanned PDF image rather than indexed searchable text, which is why it remains hard to find today. Supple found it by accident. He paid $125 for the copyright to preserve a documented paper trail.

In 2025, after his book’s publication, someone sent him a CIA document released under the Freedom of Information Act in 2016. The document, dated 1951, described a CIA assessment that the Soviet Union had determined in the 1930s that antiparasitic drugs cured cancer.

The Soviets knew in the 1930s. The CIA knew in the 1950s. American researchers knew in 1976 and named the molecule for what it did. The chemotherapy drugs that made Big Pharma what it is, the Vinca Alkaloids and the Taxanes, operate in the same biological space as fenbendazole. They’re mechanistic knockoffs, doing the same thing sloppily, incompletely, and with catastrophic side effects. The patients who could have been saved in the decades between 1976 and now died of cancer or of the treatments designed to replace a cheap, available, safe cure with expensive ones.

The epidemiology

The World Health Organization (WHO) collects cancer incidence by country. India’s rate is 93 cases per 100,000 people per year. The United States’ rate is 333. India runs a national deworming program, administering antiparasitic drugs to the population on February 10th and August 10th every year. The US has nothing comparable.

Supple extended the analysis using WHO data for the entire world. Countries with mass drug administration programs for antiparasitic agents show cancer rates half those of countries without such programs. The 123-plus deworming nations differ from each other in genetics, diet, geography, and every other measurable variable. The one thing they share is antiparasitic drug use. Half the cancer rate.

The most striking data point comes from the Middle East and North Africa, a region of roughly 23 countries with broadly similar climates, diets, and genetic backgrounds. One country in that group has no mass deworming program: Israel. Israel’s cancer rate is twice the regional average.

No career epidemiologist who looks at this data and declines to publish a paper on it is making a simple oversight. The data is not subtle.

We all have parasites

Americans have been told they don’t carry parasitic infections. This is a lie, and not a well-intentioned one.

Parasites arrive through food, soil, and pets. If you have a dog, you’re almost certainly infected. The same parasites that cycle through dogs cycle through the humans who kiss them, let them lick their faces, and sleep in the same bed. We deworm our dogs twice a year. We don’t deworm ourselves at all. Sushi, undercooked meat, and organic vegetables grown in soil where animals defecate are all transmission routes. Adult parasites can be killed; their eggs are everywhere and survive.

Parasites persist by making themselves invisible, modulating the immune response to their presence and dialing down the alarm so they can remain without triggering full-scale attack. The result is subclinical, chronic, low-grade inflammation. Inflammation drives cancer. A sustained parasitic infection producing constant inflammation that the host never detects is a sustained, unrecognized cancer risk factor.

Two mechanisms, one cheap intervention, half the cancer rate. First, antiparasitic drugs directly kill incipient cancer cells by targeting the microtubule vulnerability they share with parasites. Second, antiparasitic drugs eliminate the chronic parasitic inflammation that is a primary unrecognized driver of malignancy. The answer has sat in a 50-pound bag at Tractor Supply for less than the cost of a cup of coffee per dose.

Cancer is a parasite

Supple’s book argues that cancer doesn’t merely share vulnerabilities with parasites. It is one, or at minimum behaves so identically that treating them as distinct categories has cost science a century of understanding.

The pharmacological evidence is the starting point: the same drug kills both through the same mechanism. If one intervention clears two diseases, there’s a shared biological substrate, not a coincidence.

Parasites and cancer cells are the only two cell types in the body that exhibit aneuploidy: a disorganized, chaotic karyotype in which chromosomes are mismatched, fragmented, or duplicated in bizarre ways. Normal cells carry 23 matched chromosome pairs. A normal karyotype looks orderly. A parasite’s karyotype, and a cancer cell’s, looks like a junk drawer of chromosomal fragments. Both need to evolve rapidly within the lifespan of a single host organism, adapting to whatever defenses the host deploys. The disorganized extra genetic material is their toolkit for rapid adaptation.

Both also develop biological clocks not synchronized to the host’s circadian rhythms. Normal cells are entrained to the host’s clock. As tumors mature, cancer cells develop their own rhythms. Parasites do the same thing. A cancer cell that starts as a rogue host cell and ends up on its own biological clock has transitioned into something effectively non-self, an independent biological entity that has broken from the host’s regulatory systems. That is precisely what a parasite is.

Both exploit molecular mimicry to evade the immune system, disguising themselves as normal tissue. This is the biological basis of the immune checkpoint inhibitors like Keytruda that have attracted billions in investment. Fenbendazole disrupts molecular mimicry directly, without the cost or the side effects of immunotherapy.

The practical implication is that we can study parasites to understand cancer. They’re in a dish. There are no ethical constraints on what researchers do to them. Our knowledge of parasite biology is far more advanced than our knowledge of cancer biology. If the two are expressions of the same phenomenon, that gap can be closed. Parasitologists and oncologists have never been in the same room. They need to be.

His mother-in-law’s recovery

His wife was in Florida with her mother when Supple started sending fenbendazole. Before giving it to her mother, his wife took it herself, reasoning that a 50% genetic match was a reasonable safety screen. No side effects. Her father mixed it into her mother’s yogurt every day. 222 milligrams. She didn’t know she was taking anything. No placebo effect, no expectation, no psychology.

Within 2 weeks, she began to rally. She started eating. Her appearance, activity, and demeanor changed visibly. At 4 weeks, she discharged hospice. At 8 weeks, she returned to her oncologist.

Her CA27-29 tumor marker, which measures metastatic breast cancer burden, had been 316 when she left the hospital. Under 100 is metastatic; under 38 is normal. It had fallen to 131. The oncologist had expected never to see her again. He told her: keep doing whatever you’re doing.

She continued. The spinal cord lesions that required targeted radiation resolved faster than the radiologist expected, consistent with published data showing fenbendazole potentiates radiation. By 3 months, all tumor markers were normal. She’s been cancer-free since. She celebrated her 88th birthday.

That result, a woman given last rites who walked out of hospice and cleared stage-IV metastatic breast cancer in 3 months, is why Supple launched a Substack. He now has approximately 3 million readers, the largest fenbendazole community in existence, and charges nothing.

The liver enzyme question

A paper warning about fenbendazole and liver damage appears first on most search results for the topic. Search ranking at that scale doesn’t happen by accident when money is at stake.

Supple tracked his mother-in-law’s alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) alongside her tumor markers throughout treatment. When she started fenbendazole, her liver enzymes were normal. As her tumor markers dropped sharply over the first 2 months, her liver enzymes rose to around 150 for both, well above the normal ceiling of roughly 30. Then, while she continued taking fenbendazole, they returned to normal and stayed there.

If the drug were hepatotoxic, the enzymes would have stayed elevated for as long as she took it. They didn’t. The transient spike coincided precisely with the active cancer-killing phase and resolved without stopping the drug. The most likely explanation: as fenbendazole killed billions of cancer cells, their cellular debris flooded the bloodstream and passed through the liver for processing. The liver was working hard. It wasn’t being poisoned.

A transient ALT and AST rise in the first weeks of fenbendazole treatment is probably a good sign. The liver is clearing the dead. Oncologists who have never used a drug that actually clears all the cancer have no framework for interpreting what that looks like in the labs. Supple now does.

Dosing

For cancer treatment, 222 mg/day continuously with fat is the protocol with the most case report support. The 3-days-on/4-days-off schedule that circulates in the community has no pharmacological basis Supple is aware of; the continuous daily dose worked in his mother-in-law’s case and in the majority of his 22 documented case reports.

For cancer prevention, Supple and his wife take 222 mg/day for 3 consecutive days once every 3 months, which exceeds India’s twice-yearly national program. That twice-yearly program, if the WHO data is right, cuts cancer incidence in half.

Don’t take it with Tylenol. Pregnant women should avoid it. Monitor liver enzymes at 4 and 8 weeks; a transient rise is expected and indicates activity, not damage.

A note from the author

I’m a 72-year-old physician with Parkinson’s disease, confirmed Lyme disease from a tick-borne infection I missed for years, documented heavy metal burden, and gut dysbiosis. I’ve been taking 222 mg of fenbendazole daily with fat since starting my current treatment protocol, which also includes chlorine dioxide and methylene blue.

Supple’s epidemiological case is the most persuasive I’ve encountered for routine antiparasitic use in a Western population. He says that chronic low-grade parasitic inflammation is an unrecognized driver of cancer and neurodegeneration, which fits my own clinical picture with uncomfortable precision. The same vectors that gave me Borrelia miyamotoi carry other passengers. The gut dysbiosis that has resisted months of restoration efforts is exactly what a parasite-driven chronic inflammatory state produces.

The oncodazole story is the one that should end careers. In 1976, researchers watched this molecule annihilate cancer cells and named it for what it did, but the paper was buried. The chemotherapy industry that rose in its absence costs American patients hundreds of billions of dollars a year and produces survival curves that haven’t meaningfully improved in decades. The answer was in a 50-pound bag at a farm supply store the entire time.

If you have cancer, take fenbendazole. If you know someone with cancer, send them this post. If your oncologist threatens to drop you for asking about it, ghost them.

Synthesis

The suppression of fenbendazole as a cancer treatment is not a conspiracy theory. It’s a documented sequence of events: a molecule named for its cancer-killing properties in 1976, a paper physically removed from accessible library stacks, a CIA assessment in 1951 that the Soviets had already reached the same conclusion, and a trillion-dollar chemotherapy industry built in the space that suppression created. The Vinca Alkaloids and Taxanes that define modern oncology are mechanistic knockoffs operating in the same biological territory as fenbendazole, doing it incompletely and lethally.

What Supple adds that goes beyond the fenbendazole community’s existing case-report evidence is an epidemiological argument that demands a response from mainstream medicine. Half the cancer rate in countries that deworm. One-third the cancer rate in India. Twice the cancer rate in the one Middle Eastern country that doesn’t deworm. This is not a signal buried in confounded data. It screams.

The implications extend beyond cancer. If chronic, subclinical parasitic infection is a primary unrecognized driver of the inflammatory substrate that produces malignancy, it is almost certainly also contributing to neurodegeneration, autoimmune disease, and the metabolic disorders that define Western morbidity. The American medical system doesn’t look for parasites because it decided they aren’t there. That decision has never been examined. It should be.

Fenbendazole is pennies per dose, universally available, and has a safety profile that few supplements match. The only reason not to take it is that no one told you to. Consider yourself told.

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Informed Life Radio: Cancer is a Parasite – Children’s Health Defense Washington Chapter

Is Cancer a Parasite? A Radical New Perspective with William F. Supple PhD – Unstress Health with Dr Ron Ehrlich – Omny.fm

Is Cancer a Parasite? A Radical New Perspective with William F. Supple PhD – Unstress with Dr Ron Ehrlich | Podcast on Spotify

Cancer as a parasite: What patients should know – America Out Loud News

Cancer as a Parasite: A New Perspective – YouTube || Bing Videos

Waist size is a powerful indicator of health risks, researchers find

Selected references 

1. William Supple’s Substack: fenbendazole.substack.com

2. Cancer Is a Parasite by William Supple (Skyhorse Publishing, 2025) — Amazon

3. FenbenLabs.com — pharmaceutical-grade fenbendazole supplier

4. Dogris N. et al., “Mebendazole as a candidate repurposed drug against cancer” — the 2002 MD Anderson paper

5. WHO Global Cancer Observatory: cancer incidence by country

6. Dogris N. et al. on fenbendazole and microtubule disruption in cancer cells — PubMed

7. 320. Tylenol Is a Pharma Atrocity, and Aspirin Is a Suppressed Wonder Drug — Robert Yoho, MD

8.FLCCC Alliance: Fenbendazole in post-vaccine injury protocols

Hot off the press from Mr. Supple’s Substack: 

This past week saw a firestorm of controversy and revelation regarding the anticancer actions of antiparasitics. First, the publication of my book, Cancer is a Parasite, showed readers that cancer cells behave in just about all respects, just like parasites, with the most practical takeaway being that the antiparasitic fenbendazole kills both parasites and cancer. Cancer is a Parasite shows that antiparasitics like fenbendazole are legitimate cures for many cancers, and my book proves that statement on the molecular, mechanistic, biochemical, genetic, preclinical, clinical (human self-treatment), epidemiological, and theoretical (epistemological) levels.

Cancer is a Parasite proves unequivocally with the published scientific record that pharma knew fenbendazole cured cancer in the 1970s, actively covered it up, and repurposed its mechanism into “standard of care” oncology drugs.

Second, these revelations gave meaning and context to a previously unappreciated CIA memo from 1951, declassified in 2014. In it a CIA analyst writes that Soviet scientists in the 1930s noted the striking similarities between parasitic worms and cancerous tumors. They both thrived under similar metabolic conditions, surviving in low-oxygen environments and storing large glycogen reserves. The memo also described how the Soviets found that anti-parasitic drugs killed both the parasites and cancer cells. Which is exactly what this Substack is all about, starting with my mother-in-law self-treating her metastatic breast cancer with fenbendazole in 2021 and now getting ready to celebrate her 88th birthday next month.

Yoho note: Act now by clicking the link in the title above to be the three millionth and first subscriber.

Parting Shot #1 from Bill Supple

Hi Bob,
One topic I forgot is the use of fenbendazole for non-malignant growths, such as desmoid tumors and skin lesions. Topical application of 10% fenbendazole cream (available on Amazon or mixed into a skin cream) eradicates basal and squamous cell lesions. I personally use it on SCC. Place a dab of the cream on the spot, and cover with a bandaid. Replace the cream and band-aid every day for about 28 days. The lesion will turn red, dry up, flake off, and new skin will appear. No more cutting or Mohs surgery!
Best wishes,
Bill
PS, trying fenbendazole for your Lyme infection might be worth a shot. Low risk/ potentially high reward.

I wrote him back that I’m now buttering my toast with 222 mg daily.

Parting Shot #2 from an AI: Does fenbendazole have any effect on Lyme disease?

The short answer: there’s theoretical plausibility and substantial anecdotal interest, but no clinical trial data supporting fenbendazole as a treatment for Lyme disease. Here’s what the evidence actually shows:

The theoretical mechanism

Fenbendazole binds to β-tubulin, blocking microtubule polymerization and disrupting intracellular transport and cell division. There is a related bacterial protein called FtsZ involved in bacterial cell division, including Borrelia (Lyme), and, in theory, fenbendazole binding to this protein could disrupt Lyme, malaria, toxoplasmosis, and other pathogens. Howirecovered This is a biologically interesting hypothesis, but it remains theoretical.

Immune modulation

Peer-reviewed studies support the premise that fenbendazole affects bone marrow and the immune system. In mouse models of autoimmune encephalitis, fenbendazole reduced disease incidence, clinical onset, duration, and severity in 75% of treated mice compared with controls — though the effect reversed 3 weeks after treatment was stopped.  PubMed Central. Since much of chronic Lyme’s damage involves immune dysregulation, this is worth noting.

The parasite co-infection angle

One clinical perspective holds that Bartonella, Babesia, and Borrelia may persist, in part, because of underlying helminth (worm) infections that suppress immune function. Fenbendazole is used alongside ivermectin and other antiparasitics to address these worm co-infections, which may then allow standard Lyme treatments to work better. Lymebook: This is an integrative framing with some logic behind it, though again, no controlled trials.

The hepatotoxicity risk

This is real and documented. A case report describes a 46-year-old woman who developed acute hepatitis with jaundice, scleral icterus, and markedly elevated liver enzymes (AST 529, ALT 470) after self-treating chronic Lyme disease with internet-purchased fenbendazole. She had switched to a formulation with 10 times the potency two weeks prior. Lymescience This case gets cited frequently as a warning, and other benzimidazoles have known hepatotoxicity precedent.

Bottom line

There’s no peer-reviewed clinical evidence that fenbendazole treats Lyme directly. The community interest likely stems from three overlapping ideas: (1) the FtsZ bacterial tubulin hypothesis, (2) its immune-modulating properties, and (3) the possibility that undiagnosed helminth co-infections are complicating chronic Lyme cases. The hepatotoxicity case is a genuine caution, especially at higher doses. Anyone exploring this would want baseline liver function tests and careful dose management.

Parting Shot #3 from Mark Grenon about chlorine dioxide, which I would use to treat any tumor, along with fenben?

Mark is available for consultations at Gmark777@gmail.com. His fees are modest.

Disclaimer: I have to tell you to seek medical advice here, but if you don’t take your own counsel, you are an idiot.

SOURCE  READ COMMENTS HERE 418. IS CANCER A PARASITE? AN INTERVIEW WITH THE ELUSIVE WILLIAM SUPPLE, PHD, WHO WRITES THE FENBENDAZOLE SUBSTACK

Is Cancer a Parasite? A Radical New Perspective with William F. Supple PhD by Unstress with Dr Ron Ehrlich | Podchaser

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Book Review: Cancer Is a Parasite: Kill it with the Safe, Over‑the‑Cou – Dr. Clark Store

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Cancer Is a Parasite: – William Supple, Jr. Ph.D.

1,991 views Premiered Apr 21, 2026 #CancerResearch #AlternativeMedicine #Fenbendazole

In this thought-provoking episode, Dr Ron Ehrlich speaks with neuroscientist and author William F. Supple PhD, who challenges the conventional understanding of cancer. Drawing from personal experience and scientific exploration, William introduces a controversial hypothesis – that cancer behaves like a parasite – and explores the potential of repurposed antiparasitic drugs as a treatment pathway. The conversation dives into overlooked research, systemic barriers in modern medicine, and the implications of low-cost, widely available treatments that could transform how we approach cancer care.

Is Cancer a Parasite? A Radical New Perspective with William F. Supple PhD

Gone Too Soon: Dr. Neil Spector Passes Away (1956-2020) – The Cancer History Project (Photo credit: Dr. Neil Spector)

Lyme: The Infectious Disease Equivalent of Cancer, Says Top Duke Oncologist

Chronic LYME: It’s A Thing

Lyme news ·4͏h͏ ·

Chronic Lyme disease can be a more difficult ordeal than cancer. Cancer is understood by everyone in the world and has clear diagnostic criteria and treatment protocols, while patients in severe conditions receive palliative support. Instead, people with chronic borreliosis are left alone with chronic pain and are treated as malingerers, drug addicts, or mentally ill. As one American doctor said: ‘I used to think there was no disease.

Dr. Neil Spector is a leader in applying translational research to the clinical development of molecularly targeted personalized cancer therapies. Here, he shares his story, explains what Lyme and cancer have in common, and encourages us with his vision for the future.

By Dana Parish, Contributor

Singer/ Songwriter/ NY’er/ Dog-rescuer/

Champion for those suffering with Lyme and associated diseases

 Dr. Neil Spector, whose long-undiagnosed Lyme Disease resulted in irreversible heart failure and ultimately, a heart transplant. Dr. Spector, author of Gone in a Heartbeat: A Physician’s Search for True Healing, is the Sandra Coates Associate Professor of Medicine and Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology at Duke University School of Medicine. As the Director of Developmental Therapeutics at the Duke Cancer Institute, he’s a leader in applying translational research to the clinical development of molecularly targeted personalized cancer therapies.

Here, Dr. Spector shares his story, explains what Lyme and cancer have in common (hint: a LOT), and encourages us with his vision for the future.

Like so many of us, your Lyme was missed by multiple physicians.

What were your symptoms?
I don’t recall a tick bite, but I first started having symptoms in 1993, mostly cardiac arrhythmias. I had unprovoked palpitations that lasted fifteen to twenty seconds. There was something ominous about the way they felt and came on, but they were never captured because by the time I got to the ER, they’d resolved. And because I had just moved to a new state and was extremely busy with my career, the easy diagnosis was that I was just stressed. Doctors were saying I looked and seemed fine, but I wasn’t.

I also had an early episode of brain fog that came on out of the blue. I gave a lecture at University of Miami School of Medicine for an hour, and afterward, I had zero recollection of anything I’d just said. It felt like I’d taken a hundred Benadryl. The feeling lasted for three weeks and then spontaneously lifted. Then in 1996, I developed arthritis in my wrist–it was really sudden and severe. 

I couldn’t hold utensils or do anything with my hands. I was put on doxycycline for an independent reason that had nothing to do with Lyme, and within twenty-four hours, the arthritis completely resolved. That’s when I felt I definitely had Lyme. At this time, my arrhythmias were getting worse and more complex. I was extremely fatigued, had burning in my heels, and night terrors. 

The night terrors and burning in your heels sound like classic Bartonella.
They do. The weirder my symptoms became, the harder it was for my physicians to piece together. I didn’t have my first Lyme test until four years after my first arrhythmia.

Wow. And how many did you have until it came back positive?
I had three at a major lab considered negative. Then I found a great ILADS doctor from North Jersey and she ordered the fourth test and sent it to a lab called IGeneX. That test was positive.

How many doctors did you see before you found your Lyme-literate doctor?
I had about five ER visits with my heart issues. I saw a cardiologist and my internist, who is very caring and really tried to help. Then I went to a rheumatologist who ran a whole auto-immune panel–Lupus, Sjogren’s, you name it.

Did the Rheumatologist test you for Lyme?
No, he didn’t.

Wow, that’s mind-blowing.
Yeah, it is.

Do you feel that ruling out Lyme should be imperative before diagnosing a patient with an auto-immune disease like MS, Fibromyalgia, or Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Absolutely! And Alzheimer’s. Something has to trigger an autoimmune disease. It doesn’t matter if this occurs in one percent or seventy-eight percent of the patient population–to allow people to go down a path of progressive neurodegeneration when they could be treated is unconscionable.

You have famously compared cancer to Lyme. What are their similarities?
To me, Lyme is the infectious disease equivalent of cancer. We don’t talk about cancer as just one disease anymore, and we should stop talking about Lyme this way. There are so many strains and co-infections. When you’re bitten by a tick, you can get five or ten different infections at the same time. 

I also find it ludicrous to call all tick-borne diseases, Lyme Disease. In breast cancer, we don’t just say, “You have breast cancer,” because that simply doesn’t mean anything anymore. Language is important because it has a bearing on treatment.

With cancer, we know that administering one algorithmic form of treatment doesn’t work. You have to understand the wiring that drives those tumors–the nuances, the mutations–and target them specifically. I think we need to start thinking this way about Lyme.

What else?
I also think it’s ridiculous that nobody in the mainstream Lyme research world has given too much thought to the whole resistance issue. In cancer, it’s been known for decades. We are always trying to figure out how tumor cells evade the immune system or resist chemotherapy, so the fact that persisters are such a new phenomenon to them, is shocking. Why wouldn’t this bacteria figure out how to evade the immune system and antibiotic therapy? We already know this is true for syphilis; they’re sister diseases. 

We need to understand the molecular biology of the bacteria, too. Part of the whole metastatic infectious nature of Lyme is the changing of shapes–the classic screwdriver verses the cystic form–and cancer cells are the same way. They change shapes and become less sensitive to chemo; they become more aggressive, mobile, and invasive. And so in cancer, we aim to target the new shape to our therapeutic advantage.

We also need to think out of the box with treatments, the way we have with cancer. I feel there’s too much reliance on antibiotics. Antibiotics will be the mainstay, like chemo is in cancer, but we need more targeted therapies. There’s very good animal data from the Lyme literature suggesting why some strains end up in the heart versus joints versus brain. Those are not random events, just like they’re not caused by cancer. It’s not karma or bad luck. There are biological reasons for this. It’s important to understand that because there may be ways to block it, and the answer may not be antibiotic-based.

You’ve talked about how both Lyme and cancer feed on sugar, as well.
Yes. Their metabolic requirements are very similar. In cancer, we have taken advantage of that by trying to develop treatment strategies to starve people of carbohydrates for several days and then treat them with glucose pneumatics that look like glucose but aren’t, and so are taken up by tumors and essentially kill the tumor’s metabolic pathways.

Interesting. Could that work for Lyme?
It could, potentially. I think we should at least start testing in laboratory models to consider whether this works for Lyme. I don’t know that it would be a standalone treatment, but maybe it sensitizes the bacteria and makes them more susceptible to antibiotics.

What’s your take on the recent study linking Lyme Disease to glioblastoma, the deadly brain cancer that took the life of VP Joe Biden’s son, Beau.
Throughout the years, there’ve been a lot of links made between infectious agents and cancer. For anyone who says it’s impossible, I’d ask, who would have ever thought thirty years ago that H. Pylori was the causative agent for stomach cancer? 

Or that HPV virus can cause cervical and head and neck cancers? Or that Epstein Barr can cause lymphoma? So it is not far-fetched to say that a bacteria that causes inflammation can cause the perfect storm for developing a tumor.

I think to say Lyme is causative for glioblastoma will require more studies, but I think it’s interesting. There should be money available to do this research to determine the link, and if it is determined to be the cause, then as with H. Pylori, we should be treating aggressively with anti-borrelia treatment.

It seems like oncologists would have the right kind of thinking to unravel some of these mysteries.
Absolutely.

What other areas of medicine should we be pooling from?
I would start with cancer biologists and basic immunologists. They figured out the immune system is not recognizing tumor cells and killing them because these cells have hijacked and usurped a normal response in the body that shuts down the immune system to their advantage. Once this was discovered, we saw a transformational change in the treatment of cancer where people with metastatic melanoma are now going into remission and living years cancer-free, whereas it was a death sentence 5 years ago.

You have to ask yourself, if you have this persistent inflammation from Lyme that isn’t eradicated, is this putting the brakes on the immune system.  

What do you make of the fact that animal studies in this field are virtually ignored, when they are given so much credence in other areas of medicine?
If we threw out animal studies in cancer, we’d be nowhere. So I don’t quite understand the distinction here. If we say we see persistent infections in dogs, and we also see the same in humans, what’s the relationship there?

 It seems scientifically ignorant that in the other ninety-nine percent of science, outside of Lyme, people are very willing to accept data that comes from animals. Not as the Holy Grail, but it does provide valuable information. It helps you to figure out what to more insightfully study in humans.

A lot of existing Lyme research has involved population studies using western blots, which are lousy, antiquated tests. And that’s what a lot of “name” researchers consider valuable! It’s not valuable research in my mind or in the minds of a lot of scientists. When I speak to eminent cancer biologists or world-class immunologists, they don’t get why people are hanging on to 1950s research.

Thankfully, there are scientists from outside the Lyme field who have gotten into it because they see a tremendous need. They are lending remarkable insight that will lead to the next breakthrough. The more people we bring in who haven’t drunk the Kool-Aid, the faster we’ll turn this around. 

Dogmatic thinking doesn’t belong in medicine.

Is there hope to eliminate these infections completely?
Absolutely. I think so. If we can take people with metastatic cancers who had 6 months to live, and we can eradicate their cancers, I find it really hard to believe we can’t eradicate Lyme.

What do you say to people who are in the black hole and fear they’ll never get better?
I tell them we’ve only just begun to fight and to hang in there. I tell them what I tell my cancer patients- to do what you can to stay healthy because better treatments are just around the corner. I honestly believe that, because we are going to repudiate the dogmatic approach that has led to a lot of suffering.

And I know how hard it is when you’re suffering to see any light and to not know how you’ll get through another moment, but many of us have been there and there will be better times ahead. There’s no question in my mind.

Dr. Neil Spector remembered – in the hearts of Lyme disease community

TOUCHED BY LYME: Community grieves loss of Dr. Neil Spector

CHOIR! of 2500 sings “ANGEL” with Sarah McLachlan

Neil Spector, MD – Bay Area Lyme Foundation

Dr. Neil Spector Lyme Disease – Search Videos

Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable – YouTube

Dee Mani

 is in Koh Samui, Thailand.

A͏u͏g͏u͏s͏t͏ ͏9͏ ͏a͏t͏ ͏6͏:͏4͏8͏ ͏A͏M͏ ·

August 8, 2026, marked 9 years since I was declared cancer free… and I completely forgot the date. It was only when a memory popped up that I realised. I’d been so busy living my life that a date which once meant so much had simply passed me by.

I actually think there’s something quite beautiful about the fact that I forgot.

We’ve been programmed to fear cancer so much that many people can’t even bring themselves to say the word. We call it “the Big C”, and I completely understand why.

From a young age, most of us have known somebody who had cancer or somebody who died from it. So without even realising it, we begin associating cancer with death. Then one day, if you’re the person hearing “you have cancer”, all of that fear comes flooding in.

When people contact me after a diagnosis, sometimes they’re so frightened they can barely say the word cancer. I would never tell somebody not to be scared, but I do try to help them understand that their diagnosis doesn’t have to define everything that happens next.

For me, cancer became one of the most life-changing experiences of my life. It made me ask WHY. It made me look at my health, my life and the unresolved trauma I had carried since I was far too young to have experienced it in the first place. I thought I’d dealt with it because I’d got on with my life, but I hadn’t. I’d simply learnt how to live with it.

Facing and releasing that trauma changed me completely. Cancer made me understand my body differently, question everything I thought I knew about health and ultimately changed the direction of my life. That journey also enabled me to go on and help others through their cancer journeys.

I know not everybody gets to tell the story I’m fortunate enough to tell today, and that is never lost on me. But nine years ago, cancer occupied such a huge part of my life and now, I’ve been too busy living to remember such a poignant date.

Cancer happened to me, it taught me and it changed me.

But it never got to define me. #cancer #cancerfree

Nine years cancer free… when told I would be dead within a year

Dee Mani was diagnosed with Grade 3 Triple Negative Breast Cancer in 2017 and achieved full recovery through natural therapies, including cannabis oil, lifestyle changes, and holistic wellness practices.

Diagnosis and Personal Tragedy

In March 2017, Dee Mani discovered a lump and was diagnosed with Grade 3 Triple Negative Breast Cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease deemani.com+2. She was initially advised to undergo a year of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but after witnessing her sister’s death from chemotherapy side effects, Dee made the difficult decision to refuse conventional treatment deemani.com+2. Oncologists warned her she might have as little as one year to live if she chose this path deemani.com+1.

Alternative Healing Approach

Dee Mani pursued a natural healing protocol that focused on holistic wellness.

Key components included:

• Full-Extract Cannabis Oil (FECO/RSO): Central to her healing, used for its reported anti-cancer properties solitarius.org+2.
• Dietary Changes: Adoption of a plant-based diet and nutritional supplements to support the body’s healing processes solitarius.org+1.
• Lifestyle and Emotional Practices: Meditation, detox salt baths, trauma work, and emotional wellbeing strategies deemani.com+2.
• Spiritual and Mind-Body Focus: Practices aimed at mental and emotional resilience, complementing physical healing deemani.com+1.

Recovery and Outcome

Despite skepticism from the medical community, Dee reports that she achieved complete recovery within five months of her diagnosis solitarius.org+2. She emphasizes that her approach addressed the root causes of illness, rather than just the symptoms, and credits her recovery to a combination of cannabis oil, nutrition, lifestyle changes, and emotional healing deemani.com+2.

Advocacy and Career

Following her recovery, Dee Mani became a best-selling author with her book My Way: Following the Cancer Brick Road, which chronicles her journey and natural healing methods mywaycbd.com+1. She also founded My Way CBD and My Way University, focusing on cannabis education, natural health, and wellness. Dee contributes as a Senior Writer for Brainz Magazine, delivers educational talks, and mentors individuals navigating cancer and holistic health choices deemani.com+2.

Key Lessons from Dee Mani’s Story

• Trust the Body’s Healing Ability: Dee emphasizes that with proper nutrition, mindset, and natural remedies, the body can heal itself solitarius.org.
• Question Conventional Medicine: Her experience highlights the importance of informed decision-making and exploring alternatives solitarius.org.
• Holistic Wellness Matters: Physical, emotional, and spiritual health are interconnected in recovery deemani.com+1.
• Empowerment Through Knowledge: Dee’s story encourages individuals to take an active role in their health journey deemani.com+1.
  Dee Mani’s journey is widely regarded as a testament to resilience, empowerment, and the potential of natural therapies, inspiring many to explore holistic approaches to health and wellness deemani.com+2.

Core takeaway: Dee Mani‑Mitchell’s refusal of chemotherapy wasn’t a rash, rebellious act — it was a psychological survival strategy. Her decision emerged from trauma, fear conditioning, identity protection, and a deep need for control in a situation where she felt powerless. Below is a structured, layered analysis of the psychological forces shaping her choice.

 The Psychology Behind Dee Mani‑Mitchell Refusing Chemotherapy

1. Trauma Imprinting

Her sister’s death after chemotherapy created a powerful emotional imprint. In psychology, traumatic medical memories often override statistical reasoning.

This imprint likely produced:

• Associative fear — chemo = death
• Catastrophic expectation — “If I do chemo, I will die like she did.”
• Emotional reasoning — feelings treated as facts

Trauma doesn’t argue; it protects. Her refusal was a trauma‑driven attempt to avoid reliving her sister’s fate.

2. Fear of Loss of Control

Cancer strips people of agency. Chemotherapy, with its schedules, side effects, and medical authority, can feel like surrendering autonomy.

By choosing cannabis oil, she:

• Reclaimed control
• Became the agent rather than the patient
• Turned a passive experience into an active one

Psychologically, control is one of the strongest predictors of coping. Her decision restored a sense of personal power.

3. Identity Protection

Chemotherapy threatens identity — hair loss, fatigue, visible illness. For many women, especially those who see themselves as strong, independent, or holistic, chemo can feel like an assault on selfhood.

Refusing chemo allowed her to preserve:

• Her sense of self
• Her physical appearance
• Her role as a mother
• Her belief in natural healing

Identity protection is a major driver in medical decision‑making.

4. Cognitive Dissonance Reduction

When faced with a terrifying diagnosis, people seek coherence.

Two conflicting realities confronted her:

• “I have an aggressive cancer.”
• “I cannot emotionally tolerate chemotherapy.”

To resolve the dissonance, she embraced a narrative that made sense emotionally: “Cannabis oil can cure me.”

This belief reduced psychological tension and allowed her to act decisively.

5. Hope‑Seeking & Meaning‑Making

Humans need hope to survive existential threats. Alternative therapies often offer:

• Certainty
• Simplicity
• A sense of empowerment
• A story of healing rather than suffering

Cannabis oil became a symbolic lifeline — a hopeful path that aligned with her worldview.

6. Distrust of Medical Institutions

Her sister’s experience likely created:

• Suspicion of oncologists
• Fear of medical error
• Belief that conventional medicine causes harm

This distrust is common among people who have witnessed traumatic medical outcomes.

7. Community Reinforcement

Online communities that promote cannabis as a cure provide:

• Validation
• Testimonials
• Emotional support
• A sense of belonging

Social reinforcement strengthens conviction, especially during fear‑based decision‑making.

 The Deepest Insight

Her refusal of chemotherapy wasn’t about rejecting science — it was about protecting her psyche. She chose the path that felt survivable, coherent, and empowering in the face of overwhelming fear.

Over the past few decades, life expectancy in the United States appears to have stalled,Research News & Latest Pictures From Newsweek.com

Researchers from multiple institutions, including the University of Oxford and the University of Toronto, took a closer look at the trend, which shows that life expectancy has worsened among people with lower levels of education and stalled among people with middle levels of education.

The culprit? According to the researchers, the smoking gun may be… smoking.

The ‘Main Driver’

The study found that the risk of a lower-educated 30-year-old white man dying before the age of 80 increased from 65 percent to 79 percent over the past three decades, while the risk rose from 44 percent to 67 percent among lower-educated women.

Meanwhile, the risk for higher-educated individuals fell across both genders.

According to the study, nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of the deaths were attributable to smoking-related causes.

“Much of the public discussion about rising mortality in the USA has focused on opioids and ‘deaths of despair,’” the study’s senior author Prabhat Jha of Oxford Population Health said in a release.

“Our findings show that smoking is the main driver of premature death.”

In an email to Newsweek, Jha said while opioids remain important, the “conventional wisdom of ‘diseases of despair’—while a clever title—did not seem to explain anything.”

‘Highly improbable’

Notably, while some have argued that cigarettes appear to be enjoying a cultural resurgence among America’s youth, the actual habits of young people continue to eschew cigarettes.

A 2022 study found that 11.6 percent of Americans are smokers, but that number appears to be in freefall.

“The downward trends in youth smoking are quite encouraging, as uptake rates have become quite low,” Jha said.

“This is good news, but only for the second half of the 21st century, because to kill yourself from smoking, start early, don’t quit, and wait a few decades.”

However, not everyone is taking advantage of the drop, according to the recent study, which noted that “the benefits of lifelong never smoking appear predominantly in highly educated individuals.”

The researchers called it “highly improbable” that “speculative” factors such as ultra-processed foods, air pollution, drugs, pesticides and microplastics could be the cause of the drop in expectancy.

That explanation is improbable for two reasons, the researchers said: First because the exposure to harmful agents is not increasing, and second because the difference in exposure between the two groups wasn’t large.

In fact, as the researchers pointed out, “Attention to nonzero but small absolute risks from such exposures may confuse public understanding and divert policy attention from the largest avoidable risks, particularly those from smoking.”

Jha added: “Absent sharp increases in cessation, the gaps between higher and lower education groups will likely persist or even increase.”

Complete State-by-State Prices (2026 Averages)

The full sortable table, including state tax and annual cost, lives on our interactive prices page. Below is the static snapshot for reference.

State	Avg Price per Pack	Annual Cost (1 pack/day)
Alabama	$5.85	$2,135
Alaska	$9.55	$3,486
Arizona	$7.25	$2,646
Arkansas	$6.45	$2,354
California	$9.61	$3,508
Colorado	$6.25	$2,281
Connecticut	$11.00	$4,015
Delaware	$7.00	$2,555
Florida	$6.65	$2,427
Georgia	$5.67	$2,070
Hawaii	$9.85	$3,595
Idaho	$6.10	$2,227
Illinois	$10.50	$3,833
Indiana	$6.15	$2,245
Iowa	$7.10	$2,592
Kansas	$6.85	$2,500
Kentucky	$6.25	$2,281
Louisiana	$6.55	$2,391
Maine	$8.50	$3,103
Maryland	$9.00	$3,285
Massachusetts	$10.55	$3,851
Michigan	$7.85	$2,865
Minnesota	$9.95	$3,632
Mississippi	$5.95	$2,172
Missouri	$5.21	$1,902
Montana	$6.85	$2,500
Nebraska	$6.40	$2,336
Nevada	$7.10	$2,592
New Hampshire	$7.65	$2,792
New Jersey	$9.25	$3,376
New Mexico	$7.25	$2,646
New York	$12.85	$4,690
North Carolina	$5.95	$2,172
North Dakota	$6.55	$2,391
Ohio	$7.15	$2,610
Oklahoma	$7.05	$2,573
Oregon	$8.95	$3,267
Pennsylvania	$9.10	$3,322
Rhode Island	$11.20	$4,088
South Carolina	$5.95	$2,172
South Dakota	$7.05	$2,573
Tennessee	$6.25	$2,281
Texas	$6.51	$2,376
Utah	$7.50	$2,738
Vermont	$10.25	$3,741
Virginia	$5.85	$2,135
Washington	$9.75	$3,559
West Virginia	$6.40	$2,336
Wisconsin	$8.15	$2,975
Wyoming	$6.20	$2,263
District of Columbia	$11.50	$4,198
US Average	$9.83	$3,588

Open the interactive table → Sort by price, tax, or region. Click any state for the full breakdown.

How Much Is a Carton of Cigarettes in 2026— Prices by US State | SmokeCalc

How Much Do Cigarettes Cost in 2026? State-by-State Breakdown

Solutions

The study found that the best way to get life expectancy trends moving in the right direction again would be to find ways to get lower-educated populations away from smoking.

Jha said his solution would be a $2 excise tax on packs of cigarettes.

“Taxes are the closest thing to a silver bullet against smoking, and taxes have a greater impact on the poorer/lower education groups than the upper groups,” Jha said.

“Paired with cessation programs to the lowest social groups, this would lead to the most rapid health gains in the U.S. among all available interventions.”

‘Ridiculously effective’

Jha added that family members should remind smokers that quitting is “ridiculously effective.”

“Those that quit by age 40 (and preferably earlier) avoid 90 percent or more of the risk of continued smoking,” Jha said. “And the benefits of quitting are FAST. About half of the long-term benefit of being an ex-smoker appears within three years.

“But even quitting by age 60 gains back an average of 4-5 years of good life, so quitting at any age is the best thing any smoker can do to enjoy more birthdays ahead.”

Effects of Smoking a Pack of Cigarettes a Day on Your Body

Smoking a pack of cigarettes daily causes immediate and long-term damage to nearly every organ system, increasing your risk of cancer, heart disease, lung disease, and other serious health problems.

Immediate effects

Within seconds of inhaling smoke, nicotine reaches your brain, raising dopamine levels and creating a sense of calm or alertness. At the same time, carbon monoxide displaces oxygen in your blood, reducing oxygen delivery to your heart, brain, and muscles scienceinsights.org. Your heart rate and blood pressure rise, and blood vessels constrict, reducing blood flow to extremities scienceinsights.org.

Short-term changes

• Lungs: Smoke irritates airways, increases mucus production, and damages cilia that clear debris Healthline.
• Skin: Tar and heat can cause premature wrinkles, age spots, and discoloration Keck Medicine of USC.
• Teeth and gums: Heat and tar can stain teeth, gums, and lips Keck Medicine of USC.
• Senses: Nicotine can reduce smell and taste Keck Medicine of USC.

Long-term health risks

Respiratory system: Chronic exposure leads to chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and COPD, with irreversible lung tissue damage Healthline+1.
Cancer: Smoking is linked to cancers of the lung, mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, pancreas, and more. Smokers are up to 20 times more likely to develop lung cancer Healthline.
Cardiovascular system: Damage to blood vessel linings accelerates atherosclerosis, increasing the risk of heart attack, stroke, and peripheral artery disease biologyinsights.com.
Other systems: Smoking can harm the digestive tract, weaken the immune system, impair vision (increasing risk of cataracts and macular degeneration), and contribute to diabetes complications Healthline.

Cumulative damage

Even a single cigarette contains thousands of chemicals, many toxic or carcinogenic. Daily smoking compounds this exposure, leading to DNA damage, chronic inflammation, and progressive organ dysfunction biologyinsights.com. Life expectancy for smokers is reduced by at least a decade compared to nonsmokers biologyinsights.com.

Quitting benefits

Quitting reduces exposure to toxins, allowing the body to repair some damage. Within weeks, carbon monoxide levels normalize; within months, lung function improves; and over years, cancer risk declines significantly Healthline.

Bottom line: Smoking a pack a day is a major health hazard, affecting nearly every organ and dramatically increasing the risk of preventable diseases. Quitting is the most effective way to reduce harm.

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Life expectancy in the US has stalled—science may have found a culprit

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Pancreatic cancer remains one of the least survivable forms of the disease and worryingly its on the rise. 

Pancreatic cancer breakthrough as experts discover key lifestyle factor is linked to deadly disease

Story by Zoe Hardy • Updated 1mo ago

Harmful bacteria and fungi living in your mouth could triple your risk of developing pancreatic cancer, a new study has suggested. 

Experts have long believed that people with poor oral hygiene are more vulnerable to a host of diseases—including cancer—than those with healthier mouths. 

But now scientists from NYU School of Medicine, have discovered which bacteria could increase the risk, theorising that the harmful bugs originating in the mouth can be carried by saliva into the pancreas. 

Writing in the journal JAMA Oncology, Dr Richard Hayes, expert in population health and study co-author, said: ‘It is clearer than ever that brushing and flossing your teeth may not only help prevent periodontal disease but may also protect against cancer.’

The oral microbiome—the community of bacteria and fungi that live in the mouth—is increasingly being studied for its potential role in disease. 

In the current study, researchers found for the first time that a type of yeast called candida—which naturally lives on the skin and throughout the body—may play a role in pancreatic cancer. 

In the largest study of its kind, researchers examined data from two ongoing investigations tracking 900 American participants to better understand how lifestyle factors, such as smoking, and medical history are involved in cancer development. 

At the beginning of the study, participants—from the American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Study II and the Prostate, Lung Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial—rinsed with mouthwash and provided saliva samples. 

Yixuan Meng, PhD, study lead author, said: ‘Our findings provide new insight into the relationship between the oral microbiome and pancreatic cancer.’ 

Researchers then followed the participants for around nine years to record any presence of cancerous tumours. 

The researchers then compared the bacterial and fungal DNA from saliva samples of 445 pancreatic cancer patients to that of another 445 randomly selected cancer-free participants. 

After accounting for confounding factors known to increase the risk of the disease, such as smoking, age and race, the researchers identified 24 species of bacteria and fungi that either increased or slashed pancreatic cancer risk. 

Another three bacteria linked to the cancer were already known to cause a nasty gum infection that can eat away at the jawbone and soft tissue surrounding the teeth, known as periodontal disease. 

Altogether, the entire group of harmful microbes increased the risk of developing the cancer by more than threefold. 

By assessing the makeup of each participant’s oral microbiome, the researchers were able to develop a tool that could estimate individual cancer risk. 

Professor Jiyoung Ahn, study co-author, said: ‘By profiling bacterial and fungal populations in the mouth, oncologists may be able to flag those most in need of pancreatic cancer screening.’

However, the researchers emphasised that at this point, their findings cannot confirm a direct cause-and-effect link, but rather a correlation between cancer risk and certain microbes in the mouth. 

They now plan to explore whether oral viruses—like oral thrush—could contribute to cancer and how the mouth’s microbiome could affect a patient’s prognosis. 

Pancreatic cancer—dubbed a ‘silent killer’ due to its subtle symptoms—kills just over 10,000 patients every year, about one death every hour. 

And by 2040, cases are expected to hit record highs with 201,000 cases of the deadly cancer expected to be diagnosed. 

Pancreatic cancer is typically caught at late stages, as warning signs are easily mistaken for other problems. 

When spotted early, before it has spread throughout the body, around half of patients will survive at least a year. 

But if the cancer has already spread beyond the organ—as happens for the majority of patients—only one in 10 patients will survive. 

While pancreatic cancer is most likely to strike people over the age 75—younger groups can also get the disease.

Last year the Daily Mail highlighted a ‘frightening‘ explosion of young women developing the disease.

Rates of pancreatic cancer have soared by up to 200 per cent in women under the age of 25 since the 1990s.

Why has Rates of pancreatic cancer have soared by up to 200 per cent in women under the age of 25 since the 1990s.

Short answer: Rates of pancreatic cancer in young women have risen sharply because the biology of the tumors is changing (more adenocarcinoma), lifestyle‑linked risk factors are increasing, and diagnostic patterns have shifted — but no single definitive cause has been proven. The surge is real, but the mechanism is still being investigated.

 What the data actually shows

Multiple U.S. time‑trend analyses confirm a disproportionate rise in pancreatic cancer among younger women:

• A nationwide study found that the increase is specifically in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) — the most aggressive form — not neuroendocrine tumors.
• Another analysis shows incidence rising in women aged 15–49, while rates in men have remained flat or declined.
• The Lancet notes a broader global trend of early‑onset pancreatic cancer increasing since the 1990s.

So the pattern is well‑documented: younger women are experiencing a faster rise than any other demographic group.

 Why is this happening?

Researchers do not yet have a single causal explanation, but several evidence‑supported factors are emerging.

1. Rise in adenocarcinoma specifically

The MDPI study shows the increase is driven by PDAC, which has distinct molecular features and risk profiles. This suggests a biological shift rather than random variation.

2. Obesity and metabolic dysfunction

Obesity — especially visceral fat — is a major pancreatic cancer risk factor. Rates of obesity and insulin resistance have risen sharply in young women since the 1990s. Mayo Clinic identifies obesity and diabetes as key contributors.

3. Earlier onset of Type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes used to be rare under age 40; now it is common. Diabetes is both a risk factor and sometimes an early sign of pancreatic cancer. Cleveland Clinic confirms diabetes as a major risk factor.

4. Environmental exposures

Young women today have higher cumulative exposure to:

• endocrine‑disrupting chemicals
• pesticides
• petroleum‑derived compounds These exposures are recognized risk factors.

5. Smoking patterns

Although overall smoking rates have declined, vaping and intermittent smoking increased among young women in the 2000s–2010s. Smoking remains one of the strongest pancreatic cancer risks.

6. Diagnostic improvements

Better imaging and more frequent abdominal scans may detect cancers earlier in younger patients. This does not fully explain the rise, but it contributes.

7. Possible hormonal or sex‑specific factors

Several studies note sex‑specific disparities, with women showing faster increases than men. The MDPI analysis suggests biological differences in tumor type and growth patterns. This aligns with broader research into estrogen, progesterone, and metabolic‑hormonal interactions — but no hormonal mechanism has been proven.

 What is not yet supported by evidence

You mentioned a theory about luteinizing hormone (LH) surging after age 50. Current pancreatic cancer literature does not identify LH as a causal factor in early‑onset pancreatic cancer. The rise in young women occurs well before the LH surge of menopause, so this theory does not match the epidemiology.

 The emerging consensus

Across studies, the most supported explanation is a convergence of metabolic, environmental, and biological factors, with PDAC biology shifting in ways that disproportionately affect younger women.

Researchers emphasize that this is an urgent and still‑unfolding area of investigation.

Potential symptoms of pancreatic cancer include jaundice, where the whites of the eyes and skin turn a yellow hue, alongside itchy skin and darker urine.

Other possible signs include loss of appetite, unintended weight loss, constipation or bloating.

While these symptoms are unlikely to be cancer it is important that they are checked out by a GP early just in case, especially if people have had them for over four weeks.

The pancreas is a tadpole-shaped organ that forms part of the digestive system and also performs a crucial role in hormone regulation.

It is located just behind the stomach and is about 25cm in length.

In its digestive role, it helps produce enzymes that help the body break down food into the nutrients it needs.

SOURCE:  Pancreatic cancer breakthrough as experts discover key lifestyle factor is linked to deadly disease

Read more

• Could your lifestyle be putting you at risk? Discover how obesity could increase your pancreatic cancer risk!
• Is the UK’s soaring rate of pancreatic cancer among young women tied to a mysterious surge in obesity, or is something more sinister at play?
• Why are young women facing a dangerous surge in pancreatic cancer rates while men remain unaffected?
• Why are rates of pancreatic cancer soaring, and what role does the mysterious rise in young women play?
• The Fungus Among Us: How Candida Albicans Might Be Playing a Role in Cancer Development
• Frontiers | The research progress in the interaction between Candida albicans and cancers
• Could your ‘harmless’ tummy troubles be a deadly warning sign of pancreatic cancer? 
• Can Candida Cause Cancer? Exploring the Scientific Evidence – Biology Insights
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• Can candida cause cancer? | CANCER active
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She was known by numerous names, including the “Whittling Fiddler” and the “Stradivarius of the Ozarks.” 

Violet Hensley was born on October 21st, 1916 during World War I in Mount Ida, Arkansas to George Washington Brumley and Nora Springer Brumley. When she was young, her mother passed away, and so she was mostly raised with her two sisters by her father, who taught the young Violet Brumley how to both build fiddles by hand by a whittling technique, as well as how to play them. She was already a respected luthier and fiddle player when she married Adren Hensley in 1935. Violet proceeded to give birth to nine children, and spent 27 years away from music as she raised them.

In the country music realm, she was the oldest living legend, and by a mile. The Arkansas Art Council where Hensley was originally from designated her as a “Living Treasure.” Forget country music, Violet Hensley was one of the oldest living individuals in all of arts and entertainment. And when she passed away on August 7th at the age of 109, she was one of the oldest Americans alive.

But in 1961 as her children began to grow older, she started making fiddles again. It was as a fiddle maker where her fame began. But she ultimately became the symbol of a bygone era of rural America, and a fascination swirled around her as a living link to old time fiddle music, and the craft of handmade instruments. She was in her 50s when she became a cult celebrity. Hensley started working at the Silver Dollar City theme park in Branson, Missouri, fitting perfectly in with their late 1800s theme. In the off season, she would tour all around the United States.

A prominent profile in National Geographic helped raise Violet Hensley’s profile nationwide and around the globe. In 1969 Violet Hensley was featured, The Beverly Hillbillies S8E03 Silver Dollar City Fair (October 8, 1969) which helped raise her profile again. She was said to have struck up a friendship with Irene Ryan who played Granny on the show during the filming. Hensley would go on to appear on The Art Linkletter Show in 1970, Captain Kangaroo in 1977, as well a To Tell The Truth hosted by Alex Trebek.

As time went on, the stature of Violet Hensley as a living piece of American history only grew with her age. She was featured by Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., Charles Kuralt profiled her for his On the Road series for CBS, On October 21 2015 Violet Hensley became 99 years old she still plays the fiddle and entertains. What an inspiration to all of us to see someone do so much at such a wonderful age she is a true Living Heritage of the Ozarks.

She learned how to make fiddles from her father while she was a teenager living in Arkansas. She started playing at the age of 12. She was a featured artist On the Road with Charles Kuralt in 1973. Little did Charles Kuralt know the violent would still be playing at 99 years of age. She plays in this video on her birthday in 2015 at Silver Dollar city in Branson for 50 years for hundreds of guests and tourist.

She even appeared on Regis and Kathy Lee in 1997. All of these opportunities finally led to Violet Hensley making her Grand Ole Opry debut on August 6th, 2016. She was 99 years old at the time. Though she was considered a living piece of history all the way back when she was in her 50s, the fact that she lived to be so old only made her legacy and its ties to the past that much stronger. The death of Violet Hensley truly marks the end of an era, and the end of a legacy of handmade fiddle making that started with her father who made his first hand carved instrument in 1888.

A Violet Hensley-made fiddle is considered a treasure and a masterpiece. She also released three albums, Old Time Fiddle Tunes (1974), The Whittling Fiddler and Family (1983), and Family Treasures (2004). Violet continued to play and craft fiddles nearly all the way up to her death according to the most recent profile on her from November of 2025.

Who is the oldest living country music legend now that the venerable Violet Hensley has passed away? Western Swing pianist Lucy Dean Record is reportedly still performing at the age of 102. Of more recognizable names, Leroy Van Dyke of “The Auctioneer” and “Walk On By” fame is still alive at 96. You also have Willie Nelson, who might outlive us all at 93.

But nobody truly embodied being a living piece of country music history like Violet Hensley. Farewell to the Whittling Fiddler.    Still Fiddling In The Ozarks (CBS News)

BONUS: Watch a 90-year-old pilot spin a 70-year-old classic airplane | Watch

Biological aging may be slowed by eating this nutrient

– – – – – – – –

Legendary fiddle player, crafter celebrates 100th birthday

Violet Hensley’s Secret to Longevity and Health

Hensley’s longevity and vitality were closely tied to her lifelong dedication to her craft, strong family bonds, and a life of purposeful work and community connection.

Lifelong Craft and Purpose

From childhood, Hensley learned whittling and fiddle-making from her father after her mother’s early death. She returned to the craft in her 50s, and for over 50 years she worked at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri, crafting fiddles and performing for visitors Global Supercentenarian Forum+1. This consistent, meaningful work provided her with a sense of identity and daily purpose, which is often linked to healthy aging.

Strong Family and Community Ties

Hensley raised nine children and maintained deep connections with her family throughout her life Global Supercentenarian Forum+1. She was also a beloved figure in her community, earning honorary citizenship from the City of Leslie, Arkansas, and being honored with “Violet Hensley Day” in 2025 American Songwriter. Her friendships—such as with The Beverly Hillbillies cast and national TV personalities—showed her ability to connect with people across generations, a social factor known to support longevity.

Humility, Kindness, and Resilience

Silver Dollar City described her as embodying “genuine kindness, quiet humility, and an unwavering love for others” Global Supercentenarian Forum. These personal qualities, along with her resilience in returning to her craft after a long break, reflect emotional and mental health that can contribute to a long life.

Cultural and Artistic Engagement

Hensley’s career spanned decades, with appearances on The Art Linkletter Show, Captain Kangaroo, To Tell the Truth, and the Grand Ole Opry Global Supercentenarian Forum+1. Staying engaged in creative and cultural activities throughout her life is a well-documented factor in healthy aging.

Summary of Her “Secret”

While there’s no single medical “secret,” Hensley’s longevity appears to have been the result of:

• Purposeful, lifelong work in a craft she loved.
• Strong family and community relationships.
• Humility, kindness, and emotional resilience.
• Active cultural and artistic engagement into her later years.

These elements combined to create a life rich in meaning, connection, and joy—qualities often associated with both physical and mental well-being.

Violet Hensley Obituary (1916 – 2026) – Yellville, AR – Baxter Bulletin

Country Music’s Oldest Living Legend Dies at 109 – American Songwriter

The Incredible Life of Violet Hensley, the Whittlin’ Fiddler (1916–2026)

Violet Hensley, the ‘Whittlin’ Fiddler’ and Silver Dollar City legend, dies at 109

Legendary Fiddler Violet Hensley Has Died At 109

The feat marks Bromage’s sixth wing walk, with her first completed at the age of 87.

She had previously set the Guinness World Record four years ago and has now reclaimed the title by surpassing her own achievement.

Betty Bromage, a 97-year-old grandmother and Guinness World Record holder for the oldest female wing walker, Having discovered the adrenaline-fueled hobby at age 87, she has no intention of stopping.

Bromage, a resident at Pegasus Homes’ Latheram House in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, first tried wing walking–the act of moving along an aircraft’s wings during flight–in 2016. She turned to extreme sports after moving into an assisted living facility following the 2004 death of Donald, her husband of 51 years. The facility’s fully catered lifestyle removed the burden of household chores, allowing her the freedom to pursue new challenges.

Since that first experience, she has completed four additional wing walks, including one to mark her 90th birthday. Her adventurous spirit has also led her to tackle a zip wire in Snowdonia and a 161-foot abseil down Cheltenham’s Eagle Star building. She now aims to surpass the World Record she set at age 93 with her upcoming summer flight.

“I remember, donkey years ago, seeing a Crunchie bar advert, and there was a lady standing on the top of a plane,” Betty told PA Real Life, recalling a 1991 Cadbury’s advert. “I moved to a retirement house, where they do all the cooking for you and everything, and I thought: ‘What I’m going to do There’s no shopping, there’s no chores’.

“I was 87 then, and then that came to me — I thought I’d like to have a go at wing walking. My daughter-in-law took me to the airfield at Staverton now Gloucestershire Airport, and I did my first flight there when I was 87.”

By the following year, Betty decided that a straight-forward wing walk was “a bit boring”, and asked the pilot to do “something different”. She said: “He did what they called a figure of eight, and I thought, oh gosh, we’re getting a bit near the ground.”

During the Covid-19 pandemic, at age 90, Betty completed her third wing walk. She did it to raise funds for a summer house in her care home’s garden, providing a shared space for residents during lockdown.

Betty’s current penchant for extreme sports is a surprising departure from her younger self. She laughingly describes having been a “townie” with no interest in the countryside. At one time, she quipped, she barely knew what a cow looked like. It was only later in life that she felt the urge to seek out adrenaline-fueled experiences, a shift inspired, in part, by her experience with disability.

In her 60s, Betty was left paralysed for three months after a spinal injury, explaining: “I had to challenge myself, then, to walk and push myself. It’s what I want, because I can’t do so many things,” she added, referring to her adventurous hobbies.

“I’m nearly blind, so that doesn’t help, and I can’t read — messages come on my phone, and I can’t see who they are from. It’s frustrating. I know if somebody helps me up onto a plane, I can get up there. My grandson helped me before: I rang him, and he said, ‘I’d rather you didn’t do it, Gran, but yes, I will help you’.”

In 2022, at the age of 93, Betty officially entered the Guinness World Records as the oldest female wing walker after performing daring stunts–including a loop-the-loop and a barrel roll–to raise funds for Sue Ryder. However, in August 2025, Betty suffered a stroke that resulted in a fractured pelvis.

While she has largely recovered, the lasting impact on her mobility means she now leads a quieter life. She enjoys lunches out with friends, visiting her local social club, and staying active at home, where she keeps busy by moving furniture and tending to her balcony garden.

Despite these changes, Betty hasn’t hung up her flying goggles quite yet. She is preparing to take to the skies once more on August 4 at the RFC Rendcomb Airfield in Cirencester. This sixth wing walk will not only mark another adventure but will also see her reclaim her title as the oldest female wing walker in the world.

This time, she is flying to raise money for the “marvellous” stroke unit at Cheltenham General Hospital, which cared for her when she was sick. Betty said: “The last thing on earth I want to do is lie in bed and have people run around after me.”

Pegasus Homes’ CEO Steve Bangs said: “Betty is a truly inspirational individual and living proof that later life should be about new experiences, with age being no barrier to adventure.

She is a testament to the spirit and active curiosity we aim to foster across our independent living communities.

We are all looking forward to cheering her on again in her next record-breaking endeavour, though most of us were happy to do so from slightly closer to the ground.”

The 97-year-old grandmother holds the Guinness World Record for being the oldest female wing walker.

At an age when most people slow down, 97-year-old Betty Bromage has once again taken to the skies, this time to break her own Guinness World Record as the oldest female wing walker.The Cheltenham resident completed the daring challenge by being strapped to the top of an aircraft as it flew through the sky, raising money for the stroke unit at Cheltenham General Hospital, where she received treatment after suffering a stroke in 2025.

Betty Bromage is 97 years old. She is a British retired nurse from Cheltenham, England, who recently broke her own Guinness World Record as the world’s oldest female wing walker at age 97 Yahoo+1.

Bromage first began wing walking at 87 and has since completed six flights, including the record-breaking one on August 4, 2026, at RFC Rendcomb Airfield near Cirencester Yahoo+1. Despite suffering a stroke in 2025, which affects her speech, she remains active and determined, using her stunts to raise funds for Cheltenham General Hospital The Economic Times+1.

Her latest achievement not only extended her record but also highlighted her refusal to let age or health setbacks define her life. She has said she plans to continue pursuing challenges if her health allows, hinting at another attempt in the future Yahoo+1.Wing walk comes after recovering from stroke

Bromage suffered a stroke in 2025, which continues to affect her speech, but she said she was determined not to let it stop her from doing what she loves.

“They treated me so well,” she told BCC, referring to the hospital staff who cared for her. “It affects my words, but the rest of me is fine.”

Her latest wing walk was organised to raise funds for the hospital’s stroke unit as a way of thanking the medical team that helped her during her recovery.

According to the hospital’s charity, donations from the fundraiser will help purchase equipment that will benefit both patients and healthcare staff.

‘I’d just get bored otherwise’

Despite approaching her 100th birthday, Bromage says she has no plans to give up adventurous challenges.

“I’d just get bored of life otherwise,” she said. “I can’t drive, I can’t see very well and I get a bit frustrated. So, I want to do the things I can do.”

Known for her fearless spirit, Bromage joked that the most difficult part of wing walking isn’t flying through the air, it’s climbing onto the aircraft. Motorcycle (Daily Mail)

“The only problem is getting up on the wing because I’m quite short. Once you’re up there, no problem. The fairground is a lot worse,” she said with a laugh.

Inspired by a message from her nursing days

A former nurse, Bromage said her passion for fundraising was inspired by a quote she once saw displayed on a hospital wall.

“We pass through this world only once. Any good we can do, any kindness we can show, do it now. Do not defer or neglect it. You will not pass this way again,” she recalled.

She said those words have stayed with her throughout her life and continue to motivate her charitable work.

Already planning a challenge for her 100th birthday

Hospital charity representative Imogen Sims praised Bromage’s extraordinary determination, saying staff were grateful for her support.

“To take on such a daring challenge to support our team is amazing,” Sims said, adding that the funds raised would make a real difference for patients and staff alike.

As for what’s next, Bromage is already thinking ahead.

“I’ll have to think of something when I’m 100,” she said. “Something special.”

Her latest record-breaking wing walk has once again proven that age is no barrier to adventure, or to giving back to the community.

Bromage has said she refuses to let age or health limitations define her life, stating, “I’d just get bored of life otherwise” and that the phrase “I can’t” is not in her vocabulary.  People+1.

Despite approaching her 100th birthday, she has hinted at possibly attempting another wing walk in the future if her health allows Yahoo.

Betty Bromage is a 97‑year‑old grandmother from Cheltenham, England, best known for holding the Guinness World Record as the oldest female wing walker, a title she first set at age 93 and has repeatedly broken through multiple wing‑walking flights since 2016.

Early Life and Background

• Betty Bromage lives in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, at Pegasus Homes’ Latheram House later‑living development. The Independent
• She was married to her husband Donald for 51 years until his death in 2004. The Independent
• After becoming a widow, she moved into an assisted living facility, which freed her from household chores and inspired her to seek new challenges. The Independent

Introduction to Wing Walking

• Bromage first tried wing walking at age 87 in 2016 at Gloucestershire Airport’s Staverton airfield. gloucestershiredaily.co.uk
• Her inspiration came from a 1991 Cadbury’s Crunchie advert featuring a woman standing on a plane’s wing. The Independent
• After her first flight, she quickly embraced more daring maneuvers such as figure eights, loops, and barrel rolls. gloucestershiredaily.co.uk

Guinness World Record Achievements

• She became the oldest female wing walker at age 93 and has continued breaking her own record. gloucestershiredaily.co.uk
• At age 97, she completed another wing walk on August 4, 2026, again becoming the world’s oldest female wing walker. Indiatimes.com
• She is preparing for her sixth wing walk, scheduled for August 2026. The Independent

Health Challenges and Resilience

• Bromage survived a stroke in 2025 and fractured her pelvis but continued training for future wing walks. gloucestershiredaily.co.uk
• She is nearly blind yet remains determined to continue her extreme‑sport pursuits. gloucestershiredaily.co.uk

Other Adventures

• Beyond wing walking, she has:
  • Tackled a zip wire in Snowdonia, including the fastest in the world. Yahoo
  • Abseiled 161 feet down Cheltenham’s Eagle Star building. gloucestershiredaily.co.uk
• She has used her stunts to raise money for charity, including her care home and the Sue Ryder charity. gloucestershiredaily.co.uk

Personal Philosophy

• Bromage frequently says the “last thing” she wants is to lie in bed, emphasizing her commitment to staying active and adventurous. Free Online Library

Betty Bromage’s biography is defined by her extraordinary late‑life achievements, resilience, and dedication to adventure well into her nineties.

Dr. Susan Marra has made it possible for both my kids to live normal lives.

As I am typing this, my daughter is practicing her dance team choreography.

She dances 7 hours a week and is preparing for a competition. Just a couple years ago, she could not walk longer than one block without triggering a Lyme flare. For her, that meant sudden shin, sole, stomach, and head pain so bad, it stopped her in her tracks. She had to relearn how to ride a bike, run, and do typical gym activities.

Dr. Marra chose to take on her very complex case.

Before Dr. Marra, my daughter was home for 2nd grade because she had 26 chronic pain areas, and we almost lost her to a flare-induced seizure when she was 7. It was New Years Eve, and we were in a hotel surrounded by noise makers and drunk people. I have been to hell, and it’s called Lyme, but we are back. The doc that mentored Dr. Marra for years saved her life, and we are forever grateful we have her in our lives to finish the job.

When my son began showing signs of Lyme disease, she put him on a protocol that, a year and a half later, has just one residual symptom of minor facial tics. Dr. Marra prevented the big decline that we didn’t know how to stop with our daughter.

What is it like to see Dr. Marra?

First, she interviews me, the mom. It is an intensive interview, which I appreciate. Next, she interviews my child. After that, Dr. Marra performs a thorough Lyme exam, EVERY visit. I am not kidding! I have had docs that never even turn around to look at my daughter sitting on the exam table, and not even look up from note taking. That had left the burden of discovery on me, and I am not a doctor!

Every visit is different, and every visit I learn something new. I appreciate the frequent visits, as I know I am shortening our Lyme time by the personal monitoring we are getting from Dr. Marra. She is available in emergencies and even quick questions. I walk out being thankful I have scrounge up the money to pay for this expensive disease(s).

I may be sweating as I write out that fat check, but I am thankful for the bag of gold (supplements/test results) and knowledge I walk out with. I know I am one step closer to a full recovery.

I have never had more personal care from ANY doctor in my life. Amazingly, she KNOWS my kids! I don’t have to reiterate and do a life history each visit. She picks up where we left off, takes their cases, and tinkers sometimes in a minor way, or major way with their protocol.

That is the nature of Lyme.

These dynamic changes are the reason my kids are doing so well. She sees the big picture, and also the most minute detail, and factors that in to my bi-monthly master plan. Both my kids open up to her and tell her things that I cannot get out of them. They adore her, and find her office to be a very special sanctuary.

Better yet, I appreciate the fact I am not getting a boiler plate protocol. I have two sick kids, and their protocols continue to be extremely different (other than core nutritionals). They do have intensity and variety in common.

Dr. Marra is one of the brightest people I have ever met. Scary bright. She embraces her calling with enthusiasm and no B.S. I am sure there are plenty of other ways she could be using that science brain of hers. But, she has chosen one of the hardest specialties there are, a political/orphan disease with no cure. I mean hello, I would run as fast as I could and hide under a rock. She has chosen to help us, when western medicine has turned away from us.

I can see how some people can be turned off by her direct approach. She tells it like it is, and knows her stuff, which I prefer. I don’t care for the hand-holding/babysitting style, but hey that is me. I am busy dealing with 3 people with Chronic Lyme, I drive 3 hours away, so I am in no mood for dancing around.

I know it’s not for everyone to be accountable for their wellness, and just want a doc to take over and fix it. For those that get better, I have observed the following characteristic: It’s a team effort by everyone involved. Patient, doctor, family/community. After all, there is no cure for this disease.

And speaking of teaching, from what I have observed, she attends or speaks at all of the major seminars – Lyme, and other health related conferences.

She is extremely well connected because of her east coast roots. Given the type of disease this is, it is more important than ever to tap into your doc community, just as it is for us parents to turn to other parents for support and advice.

I found Dr. Marra through word-of-mouth back in CT, ground zero for Chronic Lyme Disease. Two years ago, my family and I were fleeing the war zone for a safer life for my children. I knew that moving to the NW was possible – an east coast doc with a “pedigree” that no other doc could match.

My daughter had done very well with the cutting edge docs that are at the forefront of research and treatment guidelines back in the trenches. The top dogs. These guys trained Dr. Marra. She was mentored by them, and watched them work. I felt like I had won the lottery having access to the caliber of these east coast docs, but right here in the NW.

We look forward to walking with Dr. Marra’s guidance for as long as it takes. 🙂

Pearl said…

Um, why do you say “there is no cure” for Lyme disease?

In my short experience since I first suspected Lyme (I’ve since been diagnosed, thanks to IGeneX testing), I’ve encountered quite a few people who have been cured. My highly regarded LLMD says the vast majority of his patients are cured, and he mostly gets the tough cases that other docs failed to diagnose. He says only about 10% of his patients seem resistant to treatment. He’s big on antibiotics as it’s the only thing that will have a chance of eradicating it from the body, but he’s also big on supplements and nutrition to help heal the body.

I’m very sad when I see people saying, “There is no cure” as it ignores the many people who HAVE been cured, AFTER hefty doses of abx (usually via IV). I will not hesitate for a moment to take IV abx long term if it will get me out of the hell of Lyme disease.1:51 AM

AshleyLeo said…

 Woah Pearl! We are on the same page here, and share the same struggle.

You’ve made several inaccurate assumptions about me and what our Lyme journey has been all about. This blog post is not about Lyme and if there is a cure or not.

This post, as with many of my posts, is about hope and good news. The good news that my children have normal lives, and that I have a good doctor. And great news that you have one too!

If you look further, you will see that you have actually posted on an autism blog that is all about hope and the unthinkable – autism recovery. Yes, autism, the epidemic that pediatricians say there is no cure for. So, I have been around a long time (11 years actually) in the chronic health problem world 🙁

To answer your question: The term “cure” is a matter of semantics. Technically, and I am sure your doc would agree, there is no cure for Chronic Lyme Disease. No magic pill anyone can take and be rid of it. Hopefully that day will come, and this disease will have a cocktail like AIDS. There’s exciting stuff coming down the pike that I’ve learned about at the many conferences I’ve attended.

The acute version is a different story!

If it is caught right away and given the right antibiotic protocol, one says goodbye.

HOWEVER, people can “recover” from Chronic Lyme Disease and once again lead normal lives, and actually part of the point to my post. I would put my kids in this category.

Isn’t that wonderful news?

Patients in recovery remain on a protocol and are perhaps susceptible to colds, viruses, and other maladies. These patients may have made some permanent lifestyle changes. The bugs are still there but may be a small/manageable population controlled by a healthier immune system. They may be dormant, but cause a few problems when the opportunity arises.

I too have met many recovered patients, and no two patients are alike. I know one that considers herself recovered because she can work again, which is wonderful news. But, she has chronic fatigue, pain now and then, and must be on a very strict sleep and food schedule. Who’s to say who is correct and who isn’t? We are all in the same boat and benefit from supporting each other. Fellow patients and parents (like me) are not the enemy.

Not enough time has gone by with this disease to demonstrate that patients once plagued by Chronic Lyme 10 or 20 years later haven’t had relapses or chronic problems that are credited to Chronic Lyme.

It also heavily depends on the disease(s) makeup of the individual. Some are plagued with co-infections (like my daughter with 6 diseases total), while others have none or a less virulent strain, etc. Not to mention the individual’s immune/GI strength.

I couldn’t agree with you more about your antibiotics philosophy and treatment of the whole body. From your response, it appears you’ve incorrectly assumed we don’t use antibiotics. On the contrary, antibiotics, and I mean TONS of antibiotics, are what saved my daughter. Both my kids have been on at least two at a time, along with immune/GI supplements, nutritionals, and special diets. I have many blog posts about Lyme disease and what we have used to combat it and crossroads in our journey to health.

I feel for you and get where you are coming from. It’s tough at the beginning, but know that things get better, and I am sure with your passion you will conquer Lyme disease. Congratulations on finding a great doc and figuring out Lyme. Not an easy feat! Here’s to health and happiness for the New Year.

Take care, Ashley 🙂

Ashley’s Leo Hidden Recovery Environment Blog: Dr. Marra, Our Lyme Doc

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Influencer  Sydney Towle – Search Images  dies at 26 after sharing cancer journey

ByYi-Jin Yu

Sydney Towle, a 26-year-old who documented her battle with a rare bile duct cancer on social media, died on Wednesday.

Towle’s death was announced in a post on her social media channels Thursday.

“An endless ray of sunshine. A daughter, sister, friend to so many,” the post read in part.

A message in the post’s caption added, “We will always love you so much Sydney.

I am so proud of how hard you fought. I love you.”

Sydney Towle speaks onstage at “Connection in the Age of Disruption” – MonicaSchipper/Getty Images

During The Business of Beauty Global Forum 2025, June 10, 2025, in Napa, Calif.

Towle first began documenting her health journey on social media in 2023:

sharing at the time that she had been diagnosed with a rare cancer called intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, where cancer cells grow in the liver’s bile ducts, according to the National Cancer Institute.

The NCI notes that there are no routine screening tests for bile duct cancers prior to exhibiting signs and symptoms, which can include yellowing of the skin or jaundice, dark urine, clay colored stool, abdominal pain, fever, itchy skin, nausea, vomiting or unexplained weight loss.

Towle began sharing her experience undergoing cancer treatment across her social media accounts more frequently starting in 2024, posting regularly about her chemotherapy and surgery in the years that followed.

Related  Adolescent and young adult cancers increase risk of developing future cancers – Good Morning America

Her battle with cancer went viral. After her death, Natasha’s advocacy lives on
In May this year, she revealed her doctor had told her she was nearing the end of her treatment options.

“This week, my oncologist who I’ve been seeing for about 2 years walked into my hospital room and told me I’m at the end of my rope,” Towle wrote in part in an Instagram caption. “I don’t think there’s a way to process that sort of statement when internally you feel so full of life.”   

More recently, Towle shared several videos of herself from a hospital bed, including one on July 22, in which she stitched a previous video of herself saying “It’s a great day to have a great day.”

Towle shared her final video on July 23, writing in the caption that she had been in the hospital for “exactly one month.”

“It doesn’t quite feel that long I think because I’ve been in and out of hospitals for a lot longer than that,” she wrote, adding, “Everything feels like a dream in a lot of ways. I’m constantly asking myself what is real and what isn’t, which is both a struggle and also sometimes really good.”

Related Her battle with cancer went viral. After her death, Natasha’s advocacy lives on – Good Morning America

Front page of the New York Times, Friday, August 7, 2026. Your positive impact around the world cannot be understated

Is there any Cholangiocarcinoma Survivors – Search
The Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation, which Towle partnered with as a community champion, remembered her this week as an advocate who wanted to help others.

“Syd had a genuine sense of how sharing her life could help others, and she used that to promote understanding of how isolating a rare disease can be, of young adults facing cancer, of the importance of research funding, and of the value of living in the moment,” the foundation said in a statement to ABC News. “She could have stayed isolated in her experience, but she invited the world in, so no one had to be alone in their struggles.”

Sydney Towle | TikTok Influencer | Her Final Cancer Battle, Family, Tribute & Biography!

Sydney Towle will always be remembered for her candid nature.

Three years after the influencer began documenting her health battle with cholangiocarcinoma, a rare bile duct cancer, she died at 26 years old, her family shared Aug. 6.

“We will always love you so much Sydney,” the caption of an Instagram post shared to her profile read. “I am so proud of how hard you fought. I love you.”

Before her death, Towle entered hospice care, her brother Austin Towle shared in an Aug. 4 TikTok, noting she was “surrounded by her friends and family.”

“Thank you all so much,” he captioned the social media post. “Your love and support does not go unnoticed.”

Indeed, Sydney built a supportive online community over the years, keeping her over 1 million TikTok followers updated on her health struggles. Like in June 2025, when she shared she was being treated with a hepatic pump that would deliver chemotherapy directly to the liver. But even then, she and her doctors were aware of the risks. 

“It’s the first time that I’ve gone in and they’ve said, ‘This isn’t good,'” Towle said in a TikTok at the time. “It’s obviously not what you want to hear when you have cancer.”

“We have been able to provide resources to and support so many because of Syd’s advocacy,” the organization added. “We will always honor her legacy by being even more committed to supporting patients and caregivers and finding a cure. … Syd wouldn’t want anyone to go this alone.”

Why Are So Many Young People Getting Cancer – Search

Cancer rates among people under 50 are rising globally due to a combination of lifestyle, environmental, and biological factors, with gastrointestinal and reproductive cancers showing the sharpest increases.

Rising Incidence of Early-Onset Cancer

Since the 1990s, the incidence of cancers diagnosed before age 50 has increased dramatically worldwide. In the United States, adults born after 1980 are four times more likely to develop rectal cancer than those born around 1950, and the risk of colon cancer has more than doubled for the same comparison group Science News+2.

Globally, early-onset cancer cases are projected to rise by 31% by 2030, with deaths increasing by 21% Science News+1. This trend affects both men and women, though women under 50 now have higher incidence rates than men in the same age group Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Contributing Factors

Lifestyle and Diet

Modern lifestyle changes, particularly the adoption of a Western diet, are strongly implicated. High consumption of ultra-processed foods, sugary drinks, and red or processed meats, combined with low intake of fiber, fruits, and vegetables, can disrupt the gut microbiome and trigger chronic low-grade inflammation, which increases cancer risk scienceinsights.org+1. Rising obesity and metabolic dysfunction in younger populations further exacerbate this risk.

Environmental Exposures

Researchers are investigating environmental factors, including pollutants, chemicals, and other exposures that may accumulate over a lifetime, contributing to early-onset cancers Harvard University+1. These exposures may interact with genetic predispositions and lifestyle factors to accelerate cancer development.

Biological and Genetic Factors

Some early-onset tumors may progress more aggressively than those in older adults, leading to later-stage diagnoses in younger patients Science News. While family history plays a role, many young patients develop cancer without known genetic risk, suggesting other biological mechanisms, including potential microbiome influences, may be involved Harvard University.

Specific Cancer Types Affected

The cancers showing the most significant increases among young adults include:

• Colorectal cancer – now the leading cause of cancer death for men under 50 and second for women in the U.S. scienceinsights.org+1
• Breast cancer – particularly in women under 50, with incidence rising sharply Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center+1
• Uterine, kidney, pancreatic, and stomach cancers – all showing notable increases in early-onset cases Harvard University+1

Implications and Preventive Measures

The rising trend has prompted changes in screening guidelines, such as lowering the recommended age for colorectal cancer screening from 50 to 45, which has improved early detection Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle—balanced diet, regular physical activity, and avoiding obesity—remains a key preventive strategy Harvard University. Awareness campaigns and research into environmental and genetic factors are ongoing to better understand and mitigate these risks.

In summary, the increase in cancer among young people is a multifactorial issue involving diet, lifestyle, environmental exposures, and biological factors, with certain cancers like colorectal and breast cancer rising most sharply. Early detection and lifestyle interventions are critical to addressing this growing public health concern Science News+4.

Influencer Sydney Towle dies at 26 after filming cancer journey: ‘So proud of how hard you fought’

This week I sat down with Sydney Towle. Episode available everywhere you get podcasts

Amish cancer rates on the rise as they adopt to the Standard American Diet – Search

TikTok star Sydney Towle, who shared her cancer journey online, dies aged 26

TikTok influencer Sydney Towle dead at 26 following rare cancer diagnosis

Cancer warrior rocked bikini in Miami Swim Week. Now, she’s gone

Influencer Sydney Towle’s family speaks out after her death at 26

TikTok star Sydney Towle dead at 26 after filming cancer battle

TikTok Star Dies at 26 Following Rare Cancer Diagnosis

https://www.youtube.com/@sydtowle

Violet Hensley dead at 109

Sydney Towle – Wikipedia

Climate Change – Acadia National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

Stonington, located on the end of Deer Island in the Gulf of Maine,

is the state’s top lobster-producing town, with a fleet of around 300 boats and annual landings exceeding 11 million pounds Mashed. Its position in cold, nutrient-rich waters gives lobsters here a distinct flavor profile — “minerality, temperature, and cleanliness” — that many chefs and seafood lovers prize Mashed.

Lobster Migration Patterns

While Connecticut’s Long Island Sound lobster fishery collapsed in 1999 due to warming waters and disease, Stonington’s Gulf of Maine location has allowed its lobster population to remain robust CT Mirror+1. Lobsters in this region migrate seasonally:

Spring–Summer: Lobsters move into shallower, warmer waters near shorelines and estuaries to spawn and feed.

Fall–Winter: They migrate back into deeper, colder Gulf of Maine waters to avoid predators and harsh conditions.

Migration triggers include water temperature changes, lunar cycles, and food availability. In the Gulf of Maine, these migrations are influenced by the region’s stable, cold currents and abundant prey.

Stonington’s Lobstering Tradition

Lobstering in Stonington is a generational industry. Families like the Grimshaws operate boats such as Lady Lynn, setting hundreds of traps weekly and hauling lobsters directly to market WJAR+1. The town’s Lobster Trap Tree — a winter art exhibit of 460 painted buoys representing fishermen, community members, and local history — is a symbol of the industry’s cultural importance www.lobstertraptree.com.

Economic and Environmental Context

Market impact: Despite the Long Island Sound collapse, Stonington’s Gulf of Maine lobsters remain a key regional product, supplying restaurants, markets, and export buyers www.lobstertraptree.com+1.

Climate concerns: Rising Gulf of Maine temperatures could still threaten lobster migration patterns and survival, as seen in southern New England Mashed.

Sustainability: Some Stonington fishermen, like Empire Fisheries, use sustainable methods to protect both the lobsters and the marine environment www.lobstertraptree.com.

In summary: Stonington’s lobster migration is driven by seasonal temperature and food shifts in the Gulf of Maine, allowing its lobsters to thrive in cold, productive waters. The town’s deep-rooted lobstering culture, combined with its unique marine environment, makes it a vital hub for Connecticut’s remaining lobster industry.

Lobsters in Stonington, Connecticut, exhibit seasonal movements influenced by water temperature, breeding cycles, and environmental conditions, with peak fishing occurring before and after the state-mandated seasonal closures.

Seasonal Patterns and Migration

Lobsters in Long Island Sound, including the waters off Stonington, generally migrate in response to temperature changes and reproductive cycles. During warmer months, lobsters move to shallow coastal areas to feed and molt, while in colder months, they retreat to deeper waters for shelter. The Connecticut Department of Agriculture enforces a 90-day seasonal closure to protect lobsters during molting and breeding periods, which typically occurs in late summer and early fall, reflecting the times when lobsters are most vulnerable and concentrated near the coast ctmirror.org.

Historical Context

The lobster population in Connecticut has faced significant challenges. In 1999, a massive die-off decimated the Long Island Sound lobster fishery, reducing landings from 3.8 million pounds in Connecticut in 1998 to just 181,000 pounds in 2024 ctmirror.org. This event drastically altered local lobster distribution and abundance, and the population has never fully recovered. Local lobstermen in Stonington now operate on a much smaller scale, often setting only a few dozen traps compared to the hundreds previously used ctmirror.org.

Current Lobstering Practices

Despite the decline, Stonington remains home to the last commercial lobster fleet in Connecticut, with families maintaining the tradition across generations lobstertraptree.com. Lobstermen like Talina Roderick and Roderick Grimshaw actively fish year-round, using hundreds to thousands of traps in areas where lobsters are still abundant WJAR+1. Lobsters are typically caught in coastal waters where they aggregate during feeding and molting, reflecting their natural seasonal migration patterns.

Environmental Influences

Lobster migration and abundance in Stonington are influenced by water temperature, salinity, and habitat quality. Rising sea temperatures and environmental changes have affected lobster distribution along the New England coast, with southern populations declining while northern areas like Stonington and the Gulf of Maine remain productive Mashed. Lobsters tend to concentrate in rocky bottoms and areas with ample shelter, which also guides where traps are set.

Summary

In Stonington, Connecticut, lobster migration is primarily seasonal and temperature-driven, with lobsters moving to shallow coastal areas in summer and deeper waters in winter. Historical die-offs and environmental changes have reduced overall populations, but local lobstermen continue to harvest lobsters in accordance with seasonal closures and conservation measures. The town’s lobster industry, though smaller than in its peak, remains a vital part of the community and reflects the ongoing patterns of lobster movement in Long Island Sound ctmirror.org+3.

Maine has more than 3,400 miles of coastline once you count the bays, islands, and inlets, and almost none of it looks like the postcard. In this episode of Meeting Maine, we skip Bar Harbor and Portland and drive the coast from the New Hampshire border to the Canadian line, stopping in four communities that rarely show up in a travel brochure. Wide sandy beaches, a peninsula with no real downtown, one of the busiest lobster ports in the state, and a stretch of cliffs where the forest drops straight into the Atlantic.

Skip Bar Harbor: 4 Hidden Gems Along Maine’s Coast

The four stops:

WELLS, MAINE. About 12,300 year round residents across more than 52 square miles, settled in the 1640s as a farming and fishing town. Home to the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, the Wells Reserve at Laudholm, Drakes Island Beach, and a working harbor that still sends boats out every morning. Eat at Fisherman’s Catch. Get the lobster roll and the chowder.

GEORGETOWN, MAINE. Just over 1,000 year-round residents on the southern end of Arrowsic Island, where the Kennebec River, the Sheepscot River, and the Atlantic all meet. No traditional downtown. Instead you get Reid State Park, Georgetown Pottery, the village of Five Islands, and a tour at Eros Oyster on Robin Hood Cove, where the tide creates what the owners call an underwater thunderstorm twice a day.

STONINGTON, MAINE. Just over 1,000 residents on about ten square miles at the southern end of Deer Isle, and one of the busiest lobster fishing harbors in Maine. Crockett Cove Woods Preserve, seafood right on the water at Bird Cove Boil, and a passenger ferry to Isle au Haut, a remote unit of Acadia National Park.

CUTLER, MAINE. Under 500 year-round residents near the eastern edge of the country. The Cutler Coast Public Reserved Land protects more than 12,000 acres with no roads and no development inside the trail system, and the Bold Coast Trail runs along cliffs looking out toward the Bay of Fundy and Grand Manan Island. We also talk with Bold Coast Charter Company about puffin trips, Little River Island Light, and what winter actually looks like in a fishing town. We finish at the Quoddy region and Lubec, the easternmost incorporated town in the United States.

COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS EPISODE

What is the best part of the Maine coast to visit if you want to avoid crowds?

Downeast Maine, roughly from Stonington east to Lubec, has the fewest visitors and the most undeveloped shoreline. Can you live in these towns year round?

Yes. All four have year round populations, though services, schools, and commute times vary a lot between southern Maine and Washington County. How long is the Maine coastline?

About 228 miles in a straight line, but more than 3,400 miles once you include bays, islands, and inlets. Where can you see puffins in Maine?

Boat trips run out of Cutler to Machias Seal Island from late May through mid August. Is Reid State Park worth it?

It was Maine’s first state owned saltwater beach, opened to the public in 1946, and protects roughly 770 acres of sand, dunes, granite ledge, and salt marsh.

Bonus:  Coastal Maine – Samantha Brown’s Places to Love FULL 4K EPISODE  

Climate Change in Maine – Search Videos

Maine is experiencing significant climate change impacts, including rising temperatures, sea level rise, warming oceans, and shifts in ecosystems, affecting communities, industries, and public health.

Temperature and Precipitation Trends

Maine has warmed roughly 3–3.4°F since 1900, with projections of 2–4°F increase by 2050 and up to 10°F by 2100. Winters are shorter and warmer, while the growing season is longer, affecting agriculture and forest ecosystems. Precipitation has increased, with more frequent heavy rainfall events, leading to flooding and drought stress in different regions of the state Wikipedia+2.

Sea Level Rise and Coastal Impacts

The state has already experienced 8 inches of sea level rise, with projections of 1.5 feet by 2050 and 4 feet by 2100. Rising seas threaten coastal infrastructure, drinking water systems, and emergency routes. Coastal erosion, loss of beaches, and salt marsh flooding are expected to intensify, impacting tourism and local economies maine.gov+2.

Marine and Fisheries Impacts

The Gulf of Maine is warming faster than 97–99% of the world’s oceans, causing ocean heat waves, acidification, and shifts in marine species. Iconic species like lobster are moving northward, while invasive species such as green crabs are increasing. These changes threaten Maine’s $637 million commercial fishing industry and the livelihoods of nearly 30,000 workers maine.gov+2.

Ecosystems and Biodiversity

Climate change is altering Maine’s forests, wetlands, and freshwater systems. Warmer temperatures and changing precipitation patterns have increased tick-borne diseases, affected maple syrup and blueberry production, and delayed fall foliage. Wildlife, including moose, Arctic char, and migratory birds, are experiencing range shifts, population declines, and increased vulnerability to invasive species Wikipedia+2.

Agriculture and Food Systems

Farmers face extreme heat, intense rainfall, and unpredictable yields, leading to economic stress. Some crops benefit from longer growing seasons, but others, like maple syrup, require adjustments due to shifting seasonal patterns. Wild blueberry yields have increased, but climate variability continues to challenge farm management Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel+1.

Public Health

Warmer winters and increased humidity contribute to tick-borne illnesses such as Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, and babesiosis. Heat waves and extreme weather events pose additional health risks, particularly for vulnerable populations maine.gov+1.

State Policy and Climate Action

Maine has implemented the Maine Won’t Wait climate plan, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, expand renewable energy, and enhance resilience. Achievements include 30% reduction in emissions from 1990 levels, widespread adoption of electric vehicles, and conservation of 22.5% of state land. The plan also addresses adaptation for communities, infrastructure, and natural systems maine.gov+1.

Climate Change in Maine: A Conversation with the State Climatologist – Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners

Future Outlook

Without mitigation, Maine faces continued warming, sea level rise, and ecosystem disruption. The state’s climate trajectory will influence fisheries, agriculture, tourism, and biodiversity. Adaptation strategies, including resilient infrastructure, conservation, and clean energy transition, are critical to reduce risks and protect Maine’s communities and natural resources maine.gov+2.
Maine’s climate challenges are already evident, and proactive measures are essential to safeguard its environment, economy, and public health.

Climate Impacts | Maine Climate Plan

Home | Maine Climate Plan

For more than 40 years I have dedicated my professional career to protecting and improving the lives of our sacred wildlife. For nearly as long, I have been aware of the threats that a warming world poses to wildlife, the environment, and humankind.

But I never imagined I would witness the dramatic changes we have seen these past few years quite so soon. Like many others, I falsely thought “ok it’s probably going to get worse, but we have time.”

More recently, as I watched the west and north go up in flames, the south hammered with hurricane winds and rains, the Midwest suffer from droughts, and the Caribbean coral reefs disappear from bleaching, I thought Maine would be relatively “safe” compared to these other areas.

Sadly, I was wrong: changes are upon us now, here in Maine, as we all know from having experienced hotter days and nights, less snow and ice, warmer waters, and devastating, destructive rainstorms, windstorms, and marine storm surges.

How much has changed and what will the future bring? That’s what I and 45 other professionals have set out to discover over the past five years. We poured through the latest scientific data, studies, and technical literature to help inform the recommendations of the Maine Climate Council for how to help Maine reduce its carbon emissions, mitigate the worst effects of a warming climate, and simultaneously adapt to the changes. I focused primarily on the section on Biodiversity.

We released our first report, Scientific Assessment of Climate Change and Its Effects in Maine, in 2020, which helped inform the four-year climate action plan, Maine Won’t Wait, issued by the Maine Climate Council in December 2020.

That was followed by a short update the following year, Maine Climate Science Update 2021. Our latest report, Scientific Assessment of Climate Change and Its Effects in Maine: 2024 Update, describes new and updated information collected from the past two years that was not in the previous report, and clearly documents how changes are escalating in both scope and scale, especially on the wildlife front.

Not only have the four years since our first report each ranked among the top ten warmest on record, but the global loss of biodiversity has skyrocketed, with the first documented extinctions due directly to climate change, and projections for the mass spread of invasives and additional extinctions.

Here in Maine, we are also seeing declines, with eight new species recently added to the threatened and endangered species list–most of which resulted from climate change–and notable declines in nearly all birds, amphibians, and reptiles, and anecdotal declines in insects overall.

The entire report can be viewed on the Maine Climate Council website, but here are some highlights taken directly from the latest update, organized by chapter. Refer to the report for full references.

Climate

• Maine now receives 1–2 additional days per year with 2+ inches of precipitation, and 2–3 more days per year with 1 inch of precipitation.
• The 2020 growing season was the driest on record, and summer 2023 was the wettest, creating challenges for farmers and others.
• As temperatures rise, the warm season is getting two weeks longer and the winter season is 5°F warmer and two weeks shorter compared with the previous century.
• Temperature projections for Maine are for a 2–4°F increase by 2050 and up to 10°F by 2100.

Sea Level Rise and Coastal Storms

• The rate of sea level rise has nearly doubled in the past 30 years, with record highs in 2023 and 2024.
• Rising sea levels have caused increases in coastal flooding, such as the record-breaking storm events of January 2024.
• Carbon-rich salt marshes are being flooded more frequently and deeper, including high marsh grass where endangered Saltmarsh Sparrows nest.

Marine

• The Gulf of Maine is warming faster than 97% of the world’s ocean surface with near-constant ocean heat waves, affecting the size and quality of the marine food web, causing species to shift, become less abundant, and grow faster but mature at smaller sizes.
• Warming is affecting the timing of food availability and migrations of iconic and endangered species. The migration of certain diadromous fish, including Atlantic Salmon and alewife, have advanced to earlier in the year, while other events are occurring later, including spring and fall phytoplankton blooms, fledging of Atlantic Puffin chicks, and the appearance of certain larval fish.
• Under the highest emissions scenario (RCP 8.5), the Gulf of Maine will experience ocean acidification conditions that are unfavorable for shell growth for most of the year by 2050. 

Biodiversity

• The pace of change to natural systems over the past 50 years is unprecedented and accelerating, in part a function of climate change, causing significant losses in biodiversity and ecosystem function and health. A recent study of population trends of over 71,000 species from all five vertebrate taxonomic groups plus insects across the globe found declines in 48% of those species.
• Climate change impacts on biodiversity are expected to increase, but are currently less impactful than habitat loss. 
• The globe experienced its first documented climate-driven extinctions of this era, along with widespread localized extirpations: a quarter of all species on earth are at risk of extinction, often driven by increases in annual high temperatures. 
• Eight new wildlife species were added to the Maine State List of Endangered and Threatened Species in 2023, many of which are additions driven in full or part by climate change. New species are the Saltmarsh Sparrow, Bicknell’s Thrush, Blackpoll Warbler, Marginated Tiger Beetle, Cliff and Bank Swallows, the Tricolored Bat, and Ashton’s Cuckoo Bumblebee.
• Additional species not listed but vulnerable to climate change include bats, amphibians, turtles, salmonid fish, and moose.
• A quarter of Maine’s at-risk butterflies are threatened by climate change.
• Climate warming is expected to facilitate the establishment and spread of more invasive species in the Northeast, and Maine’s biodiverse river shores and floodplains are particularly vulnerable. Invasive species contributed to 60% of global extinctions, and were the primary driver in 16%. Examples in Maine include Common and Glossy Buckthorn (see below) and Green Crabs, which flourish in warmer winters and are a significant contributor to the decline in native soft-shell clam populations. River shores and floodplains are particularly vulnerable to the proliferation of invasive plants. Compounded by sprawling impervious development, increasing climate-associated flood severity can exacerbate the downstream colonization of aggressive exotic plants such as Japanese Knotweed. 
• Due to climate change, Maine birds are on the move, expanding or shifting their ranges. Two-thirds of short-distance migrants and one-third of long distance migrants are projected to decrease. The Boreal Chickadee is already moving north, and Bicknell’s Thrush, which nest in high-elevation forests, are especially vulnerable because such forests are limited in their ability to move upslope.
• Many of Maine’s insects, foundational to most ecosystem food webs, will respond to climate change by altering their flight periods, causing a mismatch between flowering and pollination and predator and prey. 
• Changes in precipitation and hydrology, especially of ephemeral or vernal pools, are likely impacting the state’s amphibians. Hydroperiod of vernal pools is particularly important, as drought and high temperatures can cause pools to dry. Along with changes in seasonal emergence, highly variable late winter and spring freeze-thaw events are negatively impacting regional amphibians.
• Old growth (older than 170-year old) forests support the largest carbon pools of all Northeast forest types while concurrently supporting the highest biodiversity, but comprise less than 1% of the state’s forests.
• Maine needs to add approximately 200,000 acres of conserved land per year to reach the national and state goal of 30% of land conserved by 2030. The state is projected to reach 30% land conserved in 2047 and would need to triple the current rate of conservation to meet the 2030 goal.
• Climate change is predicted to cause unprecedented species loss and range shifts. As climate drives species movements, conserving diverse geophysical settings and strategically located resilient and connected landscapes can protect biodiversity.

Freshwater

• Maine’s wetlands are a bright spot for biodiversity and carbon storage, with some of the highest quality and quantity of these types of ecosystems across New England, but remain at risk from poorly planned development and climate impacts.
• In Maine’s streams and rivers, intense flooding and increased temperature will impact fish species by eroding stream banks, reshaping stream channels, accelerating the spread of invasive species, and increasing sedimentation.
• For coldwater fish species, earlier onset of ice-out conditions means a longer open water season, more opportunity for water temperature increase and a longer duration of stressful or lethal high summer temperatures.

Forests and Forestry

• Treelines, the growing season, and foliage timing in Maine’s forest are all shifting; peak fall foliage is now occurring almost two weeks later than it did in 1950.
• Climate change, coupled with increased pressure from non-native pathogens, insect pests, and invasive species, will change Maine forests. Cedar and fir may be particularly sensitive to future temperature and precipitation changes. Certain tree species are especially vulnerable to pests that target only one or a few tree species (such as the Emerald Ash Borer or Hemlock Wooly Adelgid). Invasive Common and Glossy Buckthorn are replacing native understory plants.
• Maine forests and wood products store a lot of carbon and are the largest contributor to the state’s carbon neutrality target. Forests and wood products are estimated to have acted as a net carbon sink between 2017 and 2021, offsetting about 101% of Maine’s total gross greenhouse gas emissions. Keeping these forests as forests into the future will be key to continuing to provide these benefits.

There is much more info in the report, including additional information under each heading and for each bullet. We encourage you to check it out and learn more about these changes. There is also a section on hope. Having an accessible roadmap, such as Maine Won’t Wait, is a key strategy for nurturing hope. Hope helps people cast a vision of what future success will look like. Every success is an opportunity to show that the future we want is possible. 

Finally, while this report was limited to the latest science, and does not include recommendations for how to address any identified concerns, the report will be used by the Maine Climate Council to develop and recommend strategies, policies, and actions that the state, communities, landowners, businesses, and individuals can take to help mitigate and adapt to the changes already underway. Some of these strategies are already happening and making a difference, as illustrated by the successful transition of many businesses and residences from oil heat to electric heat pumps, the expansion of solar power, and numerous community resilience projects underway or completed over the past four years. Yet there is much more that can and should be done, and we all have a role to play. Please join us in supporting the important work of the Maine Climate Council.

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