Davina McCall, 59, has revealed she has been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease (CVD) — a group of conditions affecting the heart and blood vessels — following her 2024 brain tumor surgery and 2025 breast cancer treatment,
How she shared the news
McCall announced the diagnosis on her Begin Again podcast, speaking with heart attack survivor Louise McGill to stress the importance of women’s cardiovascular health.
She said:
“I wanted to let you know, I also have cardiovascular disease, and this is a very important conversation to have” .
She noted that she had long-term high cholesterol, which was previously thought to be offset by her “good” cholesterol, but now she has a confirmed CVD diagnosis Yahoo News Singapore+1.
Health journey
2024: Underwent surgery to remove a rare 14 mm benign brain tumour (colloid cyst) Yahoo News UK.
2025: Diagnosed with breast cancer; received a lumpectomy in October and five days of radiotherapy Yahoo News UK.
April 2025: Received the “all clear” from breast cancer Oxford Mail.
McCall described feeling more vulnerable after her cancer experience and urged women, especially post‑menopausal, not to “brush things off” when symptoms appear AOL+1.
What is cardiovascular disease?
According to the NHS, CVD covers conditions like coronary heart disease, peripheral arterial disease, aortic disease, and strokes. It is often caused by fatty build‑up in the arteries, restricting blood flow Yahoo News Singapore+1.
Risk factors include smoking, excess alcohol, obesity, inactivity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and certain ethnic backgrounds Yahoo News Singapore.
Symptoms and advice
Common signs include chest pain, pressure, shortness of breath, dizziness, fatigue, and in women, more subtle symptoms. McCall and the British Heart Foundation are urging regular health checks, monitoring blood pressure and cholesterol, and staying proactive about heart health www.newsminimalist.com.
Key takeaway
McCall’s disclosure highlights that heart disease is a major risk for women after menopause and that awareness, early detection, and lifestyle management are vital AOL+1.
She has partnered with the British Heart Foundation to promote these messages www.newsminimalist.com.
Davina McCall’s current fitness and nutrition plan blends short, focused strength sessions, daily movement, and balanced, whole‑food meals — with a focus on muscle maintenance and enjoyment rather than extreme restriction.
Workout Routine
Davina, now 58, has shifted from her younger‑years HIIT and long cardio sessions to strength‑first trainingCosmopolitan.
Her current approach:
30 minutes running (often a brisk walk or jog) followed by 20 minutes of strength workCosmopolitan.
Strength training focuses on form over rep count — she avoids high‑repetition HIIT to prevent sacrificing technique Cosmopolitan.
Post‑2024 brain surgery, she rebuilt muscle slowly: daily walks, then 15‑minute gym sessions, gradually increasing intensity Cosmopolitan+1.
She uses her Own Your Goals platform for structured, under‑30‑minute workouts, mixing functional fitness, light cardio, and resistance training Women’s Health.
Daily movement includes walking her dog Bo and occasional boxing sessions with her trainer Women’s Health+1.
Key tips:
Start in sportswear to prime your mind for exercise Yahoo Life UK.
Keep sessions short and manageable to avoid stress hormone spikes Women’s Health.
Prioritise technique, not just numbers.
Diet & Nutrition
Davina’s diet is balanced, flexible, and not overly restrictiveHELLO!:
Breakfast: Tea with collagen powder, granola and milk, or occasionally a crumpet (1.5–2).
Lunch: Main meal of the day — pasta, courgetti, eggs, or fish with vegetables and carbs; she loves Philadelphia Light cream cheese as a sauce.
General approach: No strict sugar ban — she avoids refined sugar when possible but allows occasional treats.
She emphasises whole foods, variety, and cooking at home for family meals.
Key tips:
Eat after workouts when possible.
Use lighter versions of favorite condiments for flavor without excess calories.
Stay flexible — if you’ve indulged, return to your usual plan the next day HELLO!.
Takeaway
Davina’s “body many of us would kill to have” comes from consistent, enjoyable movement and nutritious, balanced eating — adapted to her age, health, and lifestyle. You don’t need to copy her exactly, but you can borrow her focus on strength, form, daily activity, and whole‑food meals to support your own health and fitness Cosmopolitan+2.
Television presenter Davina McCall has revealed she has cardiovascular disease (CVD) in a health update following her battles with breast cancer and a brain tumour.
The former Big Brother presenter has faced a number of health setbacks in recent years; in 2024, she received brain surgery to remove a rare 14mm benign tumour, shortly after which she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“I wanted to let you know, I also have cardiovascular disease, and this is a very important conversation to have,” she said on her podcast, Begin Again.
The 59-year-old spoke with heart attack survivor Louise McGill to highlight the vital importance of women’s cardiovascular health.
But what actually is cardiovascular disease (CVD)? Here, The Independent takes a look at the conditions’ main symptoms and risk factors.
What is cardiovascular disease (CVD)?
According to the NHS, CVD refers to the “group of conditions that affect your heart and blood vessels”.
It notes there are different types of cardiovascular disease (CVD), including coronary heart disease, peripheral arterial disease (PAD), aortic disease and strokes.
There are different types of cardiovascular disease (CVD) (Getty/iStock)
The NHS says CVD is often caused by a build-up of fat in the arteries, making it hard for blood to flow through the body. It can be prevented through a healthy lifestyle or medication if required.
Who is most at risk?
Different lifestyle and biological factors can lead to an increased risk of CVD, according to the NHS.
For example, those who smoke, consume excessive amounts of alcohol, are overweight or not active may be more likely to get CVD.
The condition also “mainly affects people over 50 years old”, while “men are more likely to get CVD than women” and “you may be more likely to get CVD if you’re from a South Asian, Black African or African Caribbean ethnic background”.
‘Men are more likely to get CVD than women,’ according to the NHS (Getty/iStock)
Meanwhile, those who have relatives diagnosed with CVD could face a heightened risk, alongside patients with conditions like high cholesterol or high blood pressure.
What are the main symptoms of cardiovascular disease?
The NHS says the “symptoms of cardiovascular disease (CVD) will depend on the condition you have”, while patients might not experience any symptoms for “some conditions”.
It notes that the first signs of CVD for some may include chest pain, stroke or a heart attack.
Specifically, for coronary heart disease (CHD), patients may experience symptoms such as angina (chest pain) alongside feelings of faintness or nausea.
Symptoms of coronary heart disease (CHD)
NHS
The main symptoms of coronary heart disease are:
Chest pain (angina)
Shortness of breath
Pain in your neck, shoulders, jaw or arms
Feeling faint
Feeling sick (nausea)
What can I do to help prevent CVD?
According to the NHS, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the leading causes of death in Britain.
Those with an elevated chance of CVD might be told to take statins, which help to lower cholesterol levels in the blood.
However, the NHS says there are also a number of “lifestyle changes” that could help lower the risk of CVD, or prevent it from worsening.
These include having a balanced diet, minimising the consumption of fatty foods, participating in regular exercise, maintaining a health weight, quitting smoking and reducing alcohol intake.
The Independent is the world’s most free-thinking news brand, providing global news, commentary and analysis for the independently minded. We have grown a huge, global readership of independently minded individuals, who value our trusted voice and commitment to positive change. Our mission, making change happen, has never been as important as it is today.
Billy Crystal opens up to PEOPLE in this week’s cover story after losing his home in the 2025 Los Angeles fires
Crystal’s solo show 860 opens Oct. 21 and uses comedy to process the fire and recent losses
The actor says he and his wife Janice plan to rebuild the Pacific Palisades home where they raised their two daughters
One week after the January 2025 wildfires in the Pacific Palisades destroyed his family home, Billy Crystal returned to his neighborhood.
Where once stood the 1930s ranch house that he and his wife, Janice, 77, had bought in 1979 to raise their daughters Jenny, now 53, and Lindsay, 48, only rubble — and memories — remained.
“All you could see were skeletons of trees and chimneys, the ones that hadn’t fallen, stuff blowing in the streets, nobody around,” Crystal, 78, tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story. “It was like an episode of The Walking Dead, like this thing had just come through and wiped out everything.”
As all four surveyed the ruins together, Lindsay spotted a rock from their garden that had survived the flames. On it was engraved one word: “Laughter.”
“That’s what’s gotten me through tough times starting when I was 15 when my father died,” says Crystal on a recent rainy afternoon at New York City’s Imperial Theatre, where his new one-man show 860, named for the street address of his beloved home, opens on Oct. 21.
Writing the script and stacking it with some of the funniest moments of his life and career was a way to cope with the devastation.
“It wasn’t just, ‘Oh, I’m going to make a play out of this,’ ” he says. “No, it was healing me at the same time.”
Billy Crystal shot at the Imperial Theater in NYC on Sept. 28, 2026.CREDITMartin Schoeller
Rob Reiner, whom Crystal calls “the friend of a lifetime,” encouraged him as he put the show together. Then, 11 months after the fires, came further heartbreak, the shocking murders of Reiner and his wife, Michele.
Crystal had written about profound loss before, in his Tony-winning show 700 Sundays, about growing up on Long Island and coping with his father’s sudden death from a heart attack. “The pain of those moments was a little further removed,” he reflects. “This is still fresh and still ongoing.”
Although his new show opens at the start of what he calls “the worst year of his life,” it is — as with virtually every performance by the comedian — a means of spreading laughter.
Billy Crystal shot at the Imperial Theater in NYC on Sept. 28, 2026.CREDITMartin Schoeller
After all, that’s what has defined him, from his 1977 breakthrough role on Soap to the eternal charm of When Harry Met Sally . . ., nine memorable turns as an Oscars host and an outing as a lovable lime-green cyclops in Monsters, Inc. Says Crystal: “Laughter made my life possible.”
He and Janice are planning to rebuild on the property. Still, he says, “It’s not just about our home. This is a story about resilience, about family, about laughing, loving, support, moving forward, facing things you never thought were possible and coming to grips with it. And then turning it into something that feels beautiful to do every time I do it.”
Read on for a conversation with Crystal, condensed and edited for clarity.
Take us back to Jan. 7, 2025.
CRYSTAL We were awakened early with low-flying helicopters, and then a lot of fire trucks, sirens, and there’s already a lot of smoke in the sky and then turning on the TV and seeing friends abandoning their cars and running for their lives. Then it became really real, and you think, “It went from 20 acres to 200 acres in 15 minutes. Let’s get out of here.” Then the alert went off. We never heard that sound before. We took photo albums, wedding albums, photographs of our parents’ weddings. So that’s what we had and the clothes we were wearing, thinking we’ll be back in a day.
Billy Crystal’s Pacific Palisades house after the 2025 fires. Courtesy Billy Crystal
Where did you go?
CRYSTAL We got to my daughter Jenny’s house. Our security cameras, all you could see were the flying embers. Then the cameras went out, and we started watching the [news] coverage from the Palisades. And your life there, for 46 years, the stores, where you eat, pick up your prescriptions, it’s disappearing. Oh boy, it’s blocks from the house. Then you sort of know: you’re doomed. The beautiful part was being with my daughters and their husbands, my grandchildren, my brother and sister-in-law and everyone else around the country who we’re related to, texting, watching. It was a vigil, just trying to get us through the night.
How did you learn your house had burned down?
CRYSTAL In the morning we still didn’t know, except that the National Guard had moved in, and it was a war zone. Then our neighbor called, hysterically crying to say, “It’s gone.”
When you found the rock with “Laughter,” what did that mean to you?
CRYSTAL When I was 15, being there with a grieving mother and watching her put her life back together at 49, my job was to keep her laughing. That word made my life possible. So the fact that was the first thing [we found], we’ll be okay.
Billy Crystal Found One Key Item After Losing His Home in the L.A. Fires
The rock Billy Crystal found that survived the fire. Courtesy Billy Crystal
The show also addresses the loss of Rob and Michele Reiner. How did you meet Rob?
CRYSTAL There’s a lot of themes in this show about luck and fate. [As a] young comedian, I came out to California and ended up at the Comedy Store. I did 20 minutes. Norman Lear happened to be in the audience. He just introduced himself, “Hi, I’m Norman Lear.” Two weeks later I got a call that Norman wanted me to play Rob Reiner’s best friend in this episode of All in the Family: “I think you and Robbie will be great together.”
First impression?
CRYSTAL He’s tall and he’s in charge. He looked at me, a new guy, and said, “Billy, what do you think we should do there?” Inclusive right away. So many times we couldn’t keep a straight face. I knew it from that first week that this is going to be a forever thing. It’s not something you can define, which makes the loss even more profound.
His dad,Carl Reiner, and Mel Brooks also had a big influence on you.
CRYSTAL Carl taught me how to step back and make someone else funny and also how to be a mentor. His house was an open invitation to young comedians. The most touching thing about Carl and Mel, and I’m in touch with Mel all the time, they would have dinner together every night and watch a movie, and more than likely they’d fall asleep, and then they’d have to watch it again the next night. I said, “Mel, what movies do you watch?” [He’d say] “We watched Bourne Identity, and I still don’t know his identity because I fell asleep. Who is he?”
Take PEOPLE with you! Subscribe to PEOPLE magazine to get the latest details on celebrity news, exclusive royal updates, how-it-happened true crime stories and more — right to your mailbox.
How’d you get the part in When Harry Met Sally . . .?
CRYSTAL I was not Rob’s first choice for Harry. I said, if he wants me, then he wants me, but I know he’s seeing other people. Then the call came: “I always knew it was you.” He said, “Please read it.” I said, “Someone snuck it to me. Guess what? I don’t like it.” We laughed and laughed. He said, “We’ll start tomorrow.”
Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally. Castle Rock/Nelson/Columbia/Kobal/Shutterstock
By the way, who was first choice?
CRYSTAL I think it was Albert Brooks, Tom Hanks, Michael Keaton. [He pauses, then grins.] Doesn’t matter.
Are there times when you still see something and want to tell Rob?
CRYSTAL It happens a lot. We had the first run-through on this stage, and I felt so good. I ran upstairs to the dressing room, and my first thought was, “I’ve got to call Rob.” I don’t know if I don’t want that to keep happening or I do want it to keep happening. He encouraged me. I had told him what I was doing, and he said, “What are you calling it?” I gave him these [different] titles, and he said, “I think 860. That’s the one. I love that.” So he’s there for me in that way too. What can I tell you?
The show is also a love letter to your wife, Janice.
CRYSTAL We just realized the other day our first date was 60 years ago, as we always joke, during the Johnson Administration. When you can’t describe someone, that’s how big it is. Hilarious, charming, beautiful, loving, nurturing, honest, compassionate, tough, assertive, not just with me. Strong-willed. The greatest grandmother.
Billy Crystal with his wife Janice and daughters Jenny and Lindsay. Courtesy Billy Crystal
How’d that first date go?
CRYSTAL Good! I hope Yankee fans don’t get mad at me, but we went to a Mets game. First time I saw her, I knew. She walked by me in a bikini. She had a great walk, and I said to my friend, “Steve, I’m going to marry her.” And I still walk behind her going, “You’re looking good, kid.”
What have you learned about marriage and love?
CRYSTAL Oh God. It’s possible. I’ll leave it at that.
In the show, you say, “Grief sped up my life.”
CRYSTAL You sense the reality of time, and you start measuring it. I hate the term “bucket list” because that assumes you’re going to kick it. But you sense choices become more important. How do you stay loving? How do you stay optimistic?
How doyou stay optimistic?
CRYSTAL It’s that [“Laughter”] rock. It’s hard to, seeing what’s happening in the world. It’s crazy out there, but okay, surround yourself with people who love and care about you and you care about them. And as Mel Brooks would say, never eat fried food.
Where’s the rock now?
CRYSTAL I brought it with me. It’s my touchstone.
Crystal’s one-man show 860 opens on Oct. 21 and will run for a 14-week limited engagement through Jan. 3. Bing Videos
A Guide to Care: Parkinson’s Disease Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is one of the fastest-growing neurological disorders in the world, with around 60,000 Americans receiving a Parkinson’s diagnosis each year and nearly 1 million Americans currently living with the disease, according to the Parkinson’s Foundation. The condition usually affects people over age 65: Approximately 1.6% of seniors have some form of the disease, according to a 2013 study in Missouri Medicine. However, there’s a lot we know about the disease and a lot a caregiver can do to help ensure their loved one receives the best support possible.
What is Parkinson’s disease?
Parkinson’s disease is a neurological disorder that affects a specific area of the brain and leads to tremors, stiffening of the limbs and regions of the body, and difficulty moving. General coordination is affected, with walking and balancing becoming difficult, which brings an increased risk for falls and injuries. Eventually, Parkinson’s may affect a person’s speech.
Parkinson’s is progressive — meaning it worsens with time — and is not curable. Beyond its effects on movement, the disease may alter a person’s sleep, memory, and behavior.
Parkinson’s disease causes
Parkinson’s disease occurs when certain neurons in the brain die or become impaired. These nerve cells are located in a midbrain structure called the basal ganglia, a structure that controls muscle movement and produces dopamine — a chemical responsible for coordinated muscle function. While researchers don’t know how many neurons must die for Parkinson’s-related motor symptoms to appear, estimates range from 50% to 70%.
As to what causes the onset of Parkinson’s, there’s still no single, clearly identified cause. Currently, evidence supports both genetic and environmental factors in the cause of Parkinson’s, with environmental toxins playing a significant role in the disease’s progression, according to a study published in the journal Annals of Neurology.
The prevalence of Parkinson’s varies by region, and it affects men more than women — both facts that add to the complexity of the disease. Research is underway to determine the reasons for these new discoveries.
Symptoms of Parkinson’s disease in older adults
Persistent body tremor is one of the most readily observed symptoms of Parkinson’s disease in elderly adults. However, Parkinson’s patients early in their diagnosis also indicate the following as the most troubling symptoms, in order:
Frozen facial expressions or decreased facial movement
Hand cramps
Muffled speech
Shuffling
How is Parkinson’s disease diagnosed?
Parkinson’s disease in the elderly is not easily diagnosed, as no screening or tests readily reveal the condition. However, some screenings and tests may rule out other conditions and help your loved one’s physician proceed in their evaluation.
Because there’s so much variability among patients in how the disease progresses, doctors can’t accurately predict how quickly symptoms will worsen or even which specific symptoms will develop for each patient. This makes it difficult to say which symptoms of onset of Parkinson’s disease will actually result in a diagnosis.
“How one person displays symptoms may be quite different from another patient,” explained Ruth Hagestuen, former director of field studies at the National Parkinson Foundation. “However, the sooner a patient visits a neurologist, the better. That way, a treatment regimen can be implemented, because this is a chronic illness and will require many modes of treatment over time to maintain life quality.”
To further complicate diagnosis, the onset of Parkinson’s symptoms doesn’t necessarily mean a patient has the disease. Parkinsonism, the term for displaying symptoms without actually having Parkinson’s disease, was found in 35% of those patients monitored in a 2002 study. Parkinsonism can be caused by medication complications, blocked blood vessels in the brain, or other chronic conditions like dementia.
To properly diagnose Parkinson’s disease in older adults, a neurologist or other qualified physician must complete a neurological examination and evaluate the patient’s complete medical history. Most importantly, your loved one’s doctor must also observe as many physical symptoms as possible.
Conditions that mimic Parkinson’s
Early detection is crucial in managing PD effectively. Early-stage symptoms of Parkinson’s include slight tremors, changes in handwriting (micrographia), and reduced facial expressions. However, other diseases can obscure early diagnosis of PD, which is another significant reason why a neurology appointment should be scheduled as soon as possible in the diagnosis process.
Many elderly people experience essential tremor disorder. These tremors are different from Parkinson’s tremors in that they affect both hands and result in shaking of the head and voice.
Progressive supranuclear palsy
Progressive supranuclear palsy typically affects people after the age of 50, usually worsens more rapidly than Parkinson’s, and results in imbalance, falling, stiffening of the midsection, and difficulty with eye movement.
Corticobasal degeneration
Corticobasal degeneration is an uncommon condition that affects speech, balance, and posture and also leads to slowness of movement. Affected limbs often become severely or completely disabled as this condition progresses.
Multiple system atrophy
Possibly the most difficult disease to distinguish from Parkinson’s, multiple system atrophy has an earlier onset (mid 50s) and rapid progression, which are two key characteristics of this neurodegenerative disease. As this condition intensifies, more symptoms arise and may indicate that other systems of the body are compromised.
Vascular parkinsonism
Caused by a series of small strokes, vascular parkinsonism usually leads to mobility challenges and is located more often in the legs than the arms. Though treatment is the same for PD, it’s much less successful for vascular parkinsonism.
Lewy body dementia (LBD)
Lewy bodies are round protein structures that develop among brain cells and displace them, disrupting their functioning. Patients with LBD will typically exhibit parkinsonism in addition to cognitive impairment similar to Alzheimer’s disease. Vivid hallucinations are also possible.
How is Parkinson’s disease treated?
While Parkinson’s disease remains irreversible and progressive, a range of treatment options can help manage symptoms. Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy can all be beneficial. Some medications are very effective at helping people live with Parkinson’s, and your doctor may even suggest surgical options.
Parkinson’s medications
Because symptoms vary with each patient, the choice and dosage regimens of medications need to be customized and adjusted as the disease progresses. The past decade has seen the development of new medicines that have “significantly improved the quality of life for people with the disease,” according to Cleveland Clinic.
If medications seem like the right path for your loved one, review those listed on Cleveland Clinic’s website (linked above), and discuss your loved one’s options with their doctor.
Several surgical techniques have been developed for Parkinson’s, although it’s important to emphasize that none of them offers a true cure — and there are risks. While treatments can sometimes slow the progression of some symptoms, no treatment can reverse the course of the disease. Here are two of the more common and extensively researched techniques:
Brain lesioning procedures, including thalamotomy and pallidotomy, destroy different regions of brain tissue involved in Parkinson’s disease. This permanent effect on the brain is not recommended for both sides of the brain, and the improvements don’t always last. Thalamotomy is only effective at reducing severe tremors, while pallidotomy may also help to reduce the dyskinesia side effects that can result from long-term drug therapy.
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an alternative treatment to brain-lesioning surgery. A metal electrode is placed in the targeted area of the brain, and a pulse is generated to alter the abnormal function of that region. No brain tissue is destroyed in this procedure. The patient’s general health often determines the success of surgical treatment. DBS may be conducted on both sides of the brain if symptoms warrant it, but only if the patient is in good health.
Living with Parkinson’s
A patient with Parkinson’s disease benefits from a multidisciplinary approach to therapy, including physical, occupational, and speech, as well as psychological counseling. Creating an exercise plan, improving diet, and redesigning daily routines may improve your loved one’s well-being significantly. There is even promising evidence showing acupuncture can help relieve discrete symptoms of Parkinson’s and help with sleep. Seniors with Parkinson’s disease commonly find that they need long-term care.
“Parkinson’s disease will definitely impact every facet of a person’s life,” Hagestuen explained. “But a closely monitored treatment regimen including medication, exercise, and therapy proves tremendously beneficial in most cases.”
Hagestuen also recommended water exercise, Pilates, tai chi, and even dance therapy as ways to stay active and keep the muscles moving. Walking is also essential.
“Many people become much more physically active after they have received a Parkinson’s diagnosis,” she says. “And many people live healthier lives and function quite well.”
However, patients with Parkinson’s often feel a great deal of anxiety knowing that the progression of the disease is irreversible. Shielding themselves from what they perceive to be their future state, patients often turn inward and avoid others with the disease, Hagestuen noted. This obstinacy can make it difficult for family and caregivers to persuade their loved one to join Parkinson’s support groups and other activities with peers.
The first step a recently diagnosed patient should take, according to Hagestuen, is to talk with someone who really understands the disease.
“Often people don’t hear what they don’t want to hear and so continue onward in less than beneficial ways,” she explained. “Finding a care team that really listens and provides good feedback will really help the patient maintain a good quality of life.”
Melody Morgan of Western Tennessee was shocked to learn she has stage 4 colorectal cancer.
I have stage 4 cancer at 44. I wish I hadn’t ignored these early warning signs
Story by Melody Morgan, as told to Newsweek
Key takeaways
Diagnosis & Symptoms: Diagnosed in 2026 with stage 4 colon cancer, Melody initially ignored signs like blood in stool, abdominal pain, fatigue, and unexplained weight loss, attributing them to everyday life.
Faith & Support: Her faith, family, and church community provided emotional and practical support, helping her navigate hospital stays and treatment.
Awareness & Advocacy: She shares her story on TikTok to raise awareness that colon cancer is rising among young people, emphasizing the importance of early detection through colonoscopies.
Melody Morgan is a 44-year-old seamstress and single mom to an 11-year-old son in Western Tennessee. In 2026, she was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer and began sharing her story on TikTok. As colon cancer rates continue to skyrocket among young people, Morgan spoke with Newsweek about what she wants people to learn from her experience, and how her faith and family have helped her through it all.
Gracious. This is a thing that I say when I’m overwhelmed or upset or scared or in awe of God’s kindness to me, in the way that He uses my circumstance—in this case stage 4 colon cancer—for my good and for His glory. The first night in the emergency room was a blur, and one of those nights where you experience the full spectrum of emotions. I thought I was going in to get some IV fluids for a pesky stomach bug that wouldn’t go away. A friend had to practically drag me there, because I don’t have time to go to the ER. Who does? She sat with me while I got the IVs and we thought, “We’ll be out of here in a couple of hours, feeling better!”
She sat with me while they did some bloodwork, which I was hesitant to do, because I don’t have health insurance. She sat with me while a doctor said, “There’s something bigger going on here. We need to do an abdominal CAT scan.” They did it, and that’s when they saw the mass in my colon and a mass in my liver. I was dehydrated and anemic; I had all these problems I had been pushing through. Problems that I had just chalked up to “middle age” and “being tired,” because who isn’t? My friend sat with me as we MarcoPolo’d her husband to keep him updated—at the beginning of the evening it was all laughter and hot goss. By the end it was tears and, “I might have cancer.”
They gave me a blood transfusion right away and kept me in the hospital for three days. It was zero to 60, right there. It was a shock. It was three days of letting my church know, letting my small group know, feeling God’s comfort, and knowing people were praying for me and caring for my family in tangible ways. Church members and family members brought me food and watched my son and…loved me…in ways that my pride previously would not have allowed. It was three days of rolling around in the gradations of “I might be fine” to “I might die, and what will happen to my son?”
I had to put my “God is sovereign” money where my mouth was.
A colonoscopy confirmed I had cancer. Later the doctor scheduled a liver biopsy to confirm that the mass in my liver was indeed metastasized cancer. I was shocked. I’m very active and I’ve always been healthy. Looking back, I can see that I had some symptoms, but they were all things that were easy to brush off as something minor. Now, in hindsight, I see that I ignored a lot of things. But they didn’t interfere with my day-to-day life. I believed what I wanted to believe, because when you’re a self-employed single mother, you’re never “off the clock.”
Colon cancer is the cancer of the young; more young people are getting colon cancer and dying from it, and the reason is they are ignoring their symptoms. Caught early, colon cancer is one of the easiest cancers to treat. That’s one of the reasons I started talking about this on TikTok. I’m looking at the possibility that I could die. Had I gone in for a colonoscopy even six months before I did, I could have caught my cancer at stage 2 or stage 3, which is much easier to treat, and also doesn’t have the long-term consequences of stage 4 cancer.
The No. 1 symptom I ignored (which is horrifying to write about in Newsweek—gracious!) was blood in my stool. It’s easy to say, “Oh, it’s hemorrhoids, or oh, it was something I ate.” I’ve been telling people, “You should not be actively bleeding. If you see blood in your stool, go to the doctor.” For me, I would be sitting on the toilet and there would be blood in my stool, and I would look it up on my phone: “What causes blood in the stool?” And the internet would tell me, “Either you have colon cancer or you have hemorrhoids.” I didn’t want to have colon cancer. So I would tell myself, “Oh, it’s hemorrhoids,” and I would get on with my day. And I think a lot of people do that.
Another symptom I had was abdominal pain, but it wasn’t bad. I just thought, “Oh, my stomach hurts from time to time in that same spot.” Fatigue is another symptom, but that one’s also difficult because everybody’s tired, everybody works hard. The last symptom I had was unexplained weight loss. I, like most American women, have been trying to lose weight and over the past year, it was really easy to do so. I thought, “Well, look at me, I’m doing super.” Now I see that losing weight shouldn’t have been so easy.
Morgan, seen here with one of her dogs, began sharing her story on social media to educate others about the early warning signs of colorectal cancer.
Looking back at all these things together, I think, “Gracious, how did I miss all this?” But I know how I missed it: I was busy. This diagnosis has helped me slow down a little bit (OK, a lot…I’m fighting cancer) and appreciate my son, my friends, my family and my church. I was talking with my sister recently and said, “If I die today, what would my son remember about me? It would be, ‘My mom worked, my mom was out in the garden, my mom was busy, busy, busy.’” And I thought, I need to sit down and play Uno with him. I need to focus more of my attention on him. In a way, this diagnosis has given me a restart.
How can a person learn to be grateful for a cancer diagnosis? It’s hard, but only possible because of the Lord.
My church family has blessed me so much. They have brought meals, they have mowed my grass—you name it, they’ve done it. It’s humbling to look outside and see a random kid mowing your lawn and look upstairs and have a random church lady scrubbing your bathroom. I’m grateful. And receiving that love and care from my church family is also a gift that I wouldn’t have had if I didn’t have cancer. Having cancer has changed me mentally and emotionally, and it’s helped me to be kinder and gentler toward people. And I’m grateful for the common grace of medication, and doctors who know things.
So far, I’ve done six rounds of chemotherapy. The goal was to try to shrink the softball-sized tumor on my liver enough for surgery, then do another round of chemotherapy to make sure the cancer is gone. I started off strong, but with these last two treatments, I’ve been really sick. My doctor said, “You know what?
The cancer is being killed by the chemo, but the chemo is also killing you, so we’re going to take a break.” So, I have the month of October off from treatment, and then I’ll do a PET scan to see if I’m ready for surgery. The surgery would remove the tumor from my liver as well as the top part of my colon, where the other tumor is located.
My son has been a great motivator. Chemo is brutal, and the thought of this major surgery is terrifying, but my son is 11 and I’m not done raising him and that has been a motivator to get up and fight. Sitting down and explaining to him, “Mom has cancer,” is one of the toughest things I’ve ever done. And I’ve done some tough things.
An 11-year-old doesn’t understand everything, but they understand the big, heavy words. He formed this idea in his brain that if I die, life will simply go on like normal for him. “I’ll live in this house all by myself and mow the grass and take care of the dogs and make the spaghetti.” One day he said, “Mom, you need to tell me how to write a check.”
And I said, “Gracious, what do you need to write a check for?” And he said, “So if you die, I can pay the bills.” That’s the gut-wrenching, hard part. But there’s also something sweet about seeing my son lean into, “I’m going to be OK, too.” He’s a tough kid and I love him so much. I want to be here for him.
I’m grateful that God is using my cancer to encourage others. Even in suffering, I want to be faithful, and be salt and light to the people in my life. Only a good God could take something like cancer, which is evidence of sin and death in the world, and use it for good.
I’m typically a very positive, cheerful person, but my attitude toward this diagnosis is a reflection of my faith. My good. His glory. I very strongly believe that God is in control, and because of that I can rest and have peace, even with cancer.
All views expressed in this article are the author’s own.
Melody Morgan, a 44‑year‑old seamstress and single mother from Western Tennessee, was diagnosed in 2026 with stage 4 colon cancer and has shared her story widely on social media and in interviews, highlighting both the medical and emotional realities of her illness Yahoo.
Diagnosis and Early Symptoms
Morgan’s journey began when she went to the emergency room for what she thought was a stomach bug. After bloodwork and an abdominal CT scan, doctors discovered a mass in her colon and a mass in her liver, indicating metastatic disease Yahoo. She had been experiencing fatigue, dehydration, and anemia, which she initially attributed to “middle age” and general tiredness Yahoo. A colonoscopy confirmed the cancer, and a liver biopsy confirmed metastasis Yahoo.
She has said that early warning signs she noticed included persistent digestive issues, weakness, and unexplained fatigue Newsweek. She urges others not to ignore such symptoms, noting that colon cancer rates are rising among younger people Yahoo.
Medical and Treatment Context
According to her TikTok updates, stage 4 colon cancer often involves chemotherapy regimens such as FOLFOX, a combination of drugs used to target and shrink cancer TikTok. Her treatment plan includes surgery, chemotherapy, and a long recovery period, alongside the emotional and logistical challenges of being a single parent TikTok.
Personal and Spiritual Impact
Morgan has described her experience as a mix of “zero to 60” shock, gratitude for community support, and a deep reliance on her faith. She has spoken about “gracious” as a guiding word during overwhelming moments, trusting that her circumstances are being used “for my good and for His glory” Yahoo. Church members, friends, and family provided meals, childcare, and emotional support Yahoo.
Community Support
A GoFundMe campaign, “The MELathon: Blessing Melody in Her Cancer Battle,” has been launched to help cover medical costs and living expenses during her treatment and recovery GoFundMe. Supporters have described her as a generous, creative, and beloved member of her church community GoFundMe.
Key Takeaways
Awareness matters: She emphasizes that early symptoms should not be ignored Yahoo+1.
Support systems are vital: Faith communities and friends have been instrumental in her care Yahoo.
Treatment is complex: Stage 4 colon cancer often requires aggressive chemotherapy and long-term management TikTok.
Resilience through faith: Morgan’s spiritual outlook has been a source of strength Yahoo+1.
For more, her story on TikTok under the handle @melodytennesseeTikTok, and in fundraising efforts GoFundMe.
Research shows early‑onset cancer (under age 50) is rising globally due to factors like increasing obesity, lifestyle changes, environmental exposures, and earlier-life risks; for example, colorectal cancer in young adults has been rising nearly 2% per year since the mid‑1990s.
Overview of the Trend
Multiple studies confirm a global increase in early‑onset cancers, affecting people under 50 across many countries. Anglia Ruskin University – ARU
At least 14 cancer types have shown rising incidence in younger adults between 2010 and 2019. Harvard University
Forecasts predict early‑onset cancer cases could rise over 12% by 2050 if trends continue. Anglia Ruskin University – ARU
Excess body weight is now the second biggest preventable cause of cancer after smoking.
Obesity is occurring earlier in life, exposing younger generations to long-term hormonal and inflammatory effects. Anglia Ruskin University – ARU
2. Lifestyle Shifts Across Generations
Researchers describe a “birth‑cohort effect”: people born in the 1990s have much higher early-life cancer risk than those born in the 1950s.
Diet changes (more processed foods, less fiber)
Sedentary lifestyles
Increased alcohol consumption
Poor sleep patterns These early-life exposures may have cumulative effects. Columbia University
3. Environmental Exposures
Experts suspect widespread environmental changes may contribute:
Pollutants
Endocrine‑disrupting chemicals
Changes in the microbiome (gut bacteria) These factors are still under investigation. Harvard University
4. Earlier and Better Detection
Improved screening (e.g., colorectal screening age lowered from 50 to 45) has increased detection rates. However, this does not fully explain the rise, because many cancers in young adults are being found at more advanced stages, indicating a true increase in occurrence. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
5. Possible Genetic and Biological Factors
While genetics alone cannot explain the rapid rise, researchers are studying:
Genetic predispositions
Interactions between genes and modern environments
Getting recommended screenings (especially colorectal screening starting at 45) Harvard University
Summary
The rise in cancer among young people is real, accelerating, and driven by a combination of lifestyle, environmental, metabolic, and possibly biological factors, with obesity and early‑life exposures playing major roles.
Evie Clair | America’s Got Talent 2107 Wiki | Fandom Evie Clair was 13 years old when she auditioned for AGT. At the time, her dad was struggling with cancer and was given a 5% chance to live. The song she chose was dedicated to her dad and his continued fight. Her performance left everyone speechless.
Evie Clair sang Christina Perri’s “Arms” for her America’s Got Talent Season 12 audition
During her first appearance in 2017 at age 13, Evie chose “Arms” as a heartfelt tribute to her father, Amos Abplanalp, who was battling stage four colon cancer at the time, She explained that she would sing it for him to give him comfort and strength during difficult days. Her performance was deeply emotional, earning a standing ovation and “Yes” votes from all four judges — Howie Mandel, Mel B, Heidi Klum, and Simon Cowell agt.fandom.com.
The song, originally written by Christina Perri, is a folk‑pop ballad about love and support, which matched perfectly with Evie’s personal story. Simon Cowell praised her for delivering “the best vocal you’ve ever done” and for being “really unbelievably brave” for sharing her journey.
Evie’s audition was so moving that it became one of the most talked‑about moments of Season 12, and she went on to progress through the competition, though her father passed away just two weeks before her final performance The Music Man.
Evelyn Clair Abplanalp, who is from Florence, Arizona, has been playing piano and singing since she was two. Evie got her public start as Molly in Anne at Hale Theater at eight years old. She performed the National Anthem at a Diamondbacks game, released two original pop singles, won in her category at the 2014 Arizona’s Rockin’ with Talent, and received one of three Judges Choice awards in a world-wide contest for her cover of “Glorious.” Her music video cover of “Take On Me” was awarded by the Arizona Interfaith Movement for promoting the Golden Rule and presented at the Parliament of the World’s Religions.
Evie recorded with Rob Gardner for the soundtrack of “Cokeville Miracle” and recorded as a soloist on an album produced by Arizona Golden Rule Educational Experiences called “Stars Shine Brightly.” Evie enjoyed opening for the world-famous Duttons and working with classmates to create a music video promoting kindness and forgiveness. Evie won a contest to sing the theme song for “Once I was a Beehive” and was able to perform it live for the official movie premier.
She also had an original song featured on the movie soundtrack. In 2015 and 2016 Evie Clair was invited to participate in the world wide Mormon.org special Christmas initiatives and has recently released her latest pop single “Love You One More Time” on iTunes and Amazon, Pandora, Spotify and other online music outlets. [1]
On September 7th, 2017, Evie’s father, Amos Abplanalp passed away due to Stage IV cancer. [2]Stairway to Heaven
Following her America’s Got Talent appearance, Evie has continued to build her music career. A year after her appearance on the show, she dropped her debut album Okay Day, which featured 10 songs, all with Evie as the sole or lead songwriter.
She has continued to build her profile through her socials, and she currently uploads several videos a week to her YouTube channel, which has 157k subscribers and 19 million total views. Her videos are a mix of musical content, including covers, her original music as well as quirky content such as her latest video, which features her singing Disney songs while cooking lasagna. If you would like to see more from Evie Clair, you can subscribe to her YouTube channel .
Jalen Hurts Out for Season After Blood Clot Diagnosis
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts will miss the rest of the 2026 NFL season after doctors discovered multiple blood clots in his lungs, with a good prognosis for full recoveryKOCO 5 News+1.
Diagnosis and Medical Details
Hurts was initially sidelined in early October after taking a cleat to his left calf during the Oct. 4 game against the Los Angeles Rams KOCO 5 News. Early specialists diagnosed a superficial vein thrombosis in his calf, but further testing revealed a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and bilateral pulmonary emboli — blood clots in both lungs KOCO 5 News+2.
According to the Eagles and Hurts’ agent, he is clinically stable with no significant functional limitations. His treatment involves anticoagulation (blood thinners), and he is not allowed to participate in any contact activities, including football, while on this medication KOCO 5 News+1.
Prognosis
The team and medical staff expect a full recovery with no long-term effects. Hurts is anticipated to return to contact football once he is off blood thinners KOCO 5 News+2. He will remain active with the team and continue conditioning during his recovery.
Career Context
Hurts, drafted by the Eagles out of Oklahoma in 2020, has led Philadelphia to five straight playoff appearances, three NFC East titles, and two Super Bowl appearances, including a 2024 win over the Kansas City Chiefs KOCO 5 News. He is in the midst of a five-year, $255 million extension through 2028 KOCO 5 News.
Jalen Hurts is expected to miss the remainder of the 2026 NFL season after doctors discovered multiple blood clots in his lungs, diagnosed as deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary emboli on October 19, 2026.
What Happened
Medical evaluations revealed deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary emboli, meaning clots traveled from his leg to his lungs. E! Online
He is clinically stable and undergoing treatment with anticoagulants (blood thinners). Fox News
While on blood thinners, he cannot participate in contact activities, including football. Yahoo
Timeline and Season Impact
NFL Network and ESPN report a minimum three‑month recovery, effectively ending his 2026 season. ESPN
The Eagles placed him on injured reserve, confirming he will miss significant time.NFL.com
Prognosis
His agent, Nicole Lynn, states his prognosis is very good, and he is expected to make a full recovery with no long‑term effects anticipated. Parade
Jalen Hurts’ recovery timeline and medical restrictions make his return this season impossible, but reports consistently indicate a strong long‑term outlook.
Team and Coach Response
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni emphasized that the decision to have Hurts play in London was made with input from medical experts and that the team “cares deeply” about player safety CBS News. The Eagles released a statement affirming their commitment to his health and recovery KOCO 5 News.
In summary: Hurts’ season is over for 2026 due to serious but treatable blood clot issues. Medical staff are confident he will recover fully and return to play when medically cleared KOCO 5 News+2.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES QUARTERBACK Jalen Hurts is out for the rest of the 2026-27 NFL season. Originally, the Super Bowl MVP was diagnosed with a superficial blood clot in the left calf. However, an official statement issued today announced multiple blood clots in his lungs.
While the 28-year-old is “clinically stable” and with a “very good” prognosis, he is not allowed to participate in any contact sports—including football. Hurts is currently undergoing treatment with blood thinners. But what does it all mean to have a blood clot—and can it happen to anyone? We asked the experts to break it down for us.
What Is a Blood Clot?
BLOOD CLOTS, ALSO known as coagulation, are a natural healing process we’ve all experienced. When you cut yourself, blood clots—platelets, proteins, and cells stuck together—over the injury to keep you from bleeding excessively. Once the injury heals, your body naturally dissolves the clot.
Where Can a Blood Clot Form?
A BLOOD CLOT can form anywhere in your body.
Sometimes, blood clots form in your blood vessels or arteries without an injury, and they don’t naturally break down. Blockage of blood vessels and restrictive blood flow can cause a life-threatening condition called thrombosis.
“Thrombosis is responsible for about one in four deaths worldwide,” says Erich De Paula, MD, PhD, vice dean and associate professor of hematology at the University of Campinas School of Medicine in Brazil.
How a Blood Clot Feels in Different Parts of the Body
A BLOOD CLOT in your arm and the leg veins is known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT). There are also different types that can appear in your lungs and brain. Each type has its own set of symptoms.
Blood Clot in Your Lungs
WHEN BLOOD CLOTS in your legs break off and travel to your lungs, it can cause a pulmonary embolism (PE). A PE is “the worst-case scenario” when you have a DVT, says Bibhu Mohanty, MD, cardiologist and associate professor of medicine at the University of South Florida. DVT and pulmonary embolism affect about 900,000 Americans every year.
Symptoms can vary depending on your overall health and the size of the blood clot, but as blood flow to your lungs becomes more restricted, you might experience:
Coughing that might produce bloody mucus
Dizziness
Heart palpitations
Leg pain or swelling
Sudden shortness of breath
Sharp and sudden chest pain
Sometimes PE has no symptoms, says Dr. De Paula. In other instances, “a severe and acute PE can be experienced with symptoms from sudden death to near-fainting, severe chest pain, and abrupt shortness of breath.”
“It’s sometimes hard to describe,” says Dr. Mohanty. “It’s like I feel pain that won’t go away, but I didn’t pull a muscle or hurt myself. I feel something that’s tight and just hurts.”
DVT often happens after long periods of being sedentary—such as taking a long-haul flight, lengthy car trip, or sitting for long periods of time, he says. Smoking, being over 60, and being overweight can increase your risk.
Blood Clot in Your Heart
BLOOD CLOTS CAN form in the arteries of your heart and block blood flow, causing a heart attack. Symptoms might include:
Chest pain, pressure, or discomfort
Shortness of breath
Arm or neck discomfort
Fainting
Abnormal heart rate
Loss of consciousness
“It is common that patients do not point to a specific area of the chest, but rather to a more extensive and poorly defined area of the chest when asked to identify the pain point,” says Dr. De Paula.
The symptoms can occur gradually or suddenly.
Dr. Mohanty says you might also experience sweating, gas, and bloating, and it might feel like acid reflux or heartburn. Vary depending on which artery of the heart is affected and the size of the artery.
Blood Clot in the Brain
BLOOD CLOTS CAN also block blood vessels to the brain, which can cause an ischemic stroke, the most common type of stroke.
A stroke can happen when a blood clot forms within a blood vessel that supplies blood to the brain, known as cerebral thrombosis, according to the American Stroke Association. It can also occur when a blood clot forms in the heart or another part of your circulatory system, breaks loose, and travels through the brain’s blood vessels. This is known as a cerebral embolism.
Numbness, confusion, trouble seeing, difficulty walking, and severe headaches can also signal a stroke.
“Basically, if you’re noticing a marked change in your face, your ability to talk and move your hands or arms, one compared to the other, it is extremely important to go to the hospital,” Dr. Mohanty says.
When to Seek Emergency Care
THE INDIVIDUAL SYMPTOMS of different types of blood clots can vary, but anytime you have chest pain or discomfort that’s radiating to the upper limbs or neck, shortness of breath, or a cough, seek medical attention, Dr. De Paula says. Also don’t disregard any unexpected pain or cramping in your leg that’s not related to an injury.
Basically, any time “something isn’t right and is different from your human experience, and it won’t go away, it’s definitely time to seek a professional opinion.
While taurine itself is not a known pro‑thrombotic agent, energy drinks that contain high doses of taurine plus caffeine and other stimulants have been linked to a hypercoagulable state in some studies American Blood Clot Association.
These drinks can raise blood pressure, cause dehydration, and impair blood vessel lining (endothelial dysfunction), all of which can promote clot formation American Blood Clot Association.
This risk is tied to the combination of ingredients, not taurine alone.
Her story is one of resilience, courageous and nothing short of inspiring — it is by every definition, as her New York Times bestseller states on its cover, a story of “Unmeasured Strength.” Just months ago, Lauren Manning stood before the Democratic National Convention. Her path there, however, was not an easy one.
Manning was one of the most severely injured survivors on 9/11. More than 82 percent of her body was burned. On that day, she believed she would die but found the strength to hold on.
“For that day the most poignant thing that I will come away with is being in flames and this interminable, incalculable pain and looking upward screaming to my son, I won’t leave you. No, I can’t leave you now. I haven’t had you long enough,” recalled Manning
Manning was newly married at the time, for about a year to her husband Greg. The two had a beautiful son Tyler, who was only 10 months old when the U.S. was attacked that 2001 day.
Their son witnessed it all — from Lauren’s infections, lung collapses, amputations and every step of her physical therapy and recovery. Much of this was even chronicled by Greg Manning through emails he wrote to friends, family and supporters all over the world.
Those emails even chronicled and published in a book entitled “Love, Greg and Lauren.”
As the country commemorates 25 years since 9/11 — since this country lost 2,996 innocent souls — Lauren Manning, along with her husband will be where they always are on 9/11, with her Cantor Fitzgerald family, remembering the colleagues and friends they lost.
Never, for a moment, Manning says, has she forgotten the power of her survival.
After all, with permanent scars and constant pain across her body, she can’t:
“I am doing as well as can be expected. I am happy I open my eyes every day and take that breath and can get out of bed. I aimed to blow out any stat that said I couldn’t, wouldn’t, shouldn’t or wouldn’t and I defined myself by what I wanted. I look down and say I’m actually able to do this. I feel like the richest woman in the world,” said Manning with a smile across her face.
Lauren is a managing director and partner at Cantor Fitzgerald. Her firm fills floors 101 to 105 high above her.
Moments earlier, American Airlines Flight 11 tore into floors 93 to 99.
Burning jet fuel pours down the elevator shafts. It explodes into the lobby.
The flames catch her back and arms.
She does not wait.
She runs.
Still on fire, she crosses all six lanes of West Street. She reaches a strip of grass. Two strangers help her drop and roll until the flames go out.
She is in terrible pain. But her mind is clear. She shouts: “Get me to Weill Cornell, now!”
She knows the city’s best burn center is there.
But she is first taken to another hospital. It has no special burn unit.
That night. Ten hours later.
Lauren is moved across a locked-down city to the burn center at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell.
Seventeen other survivors fill the intensive care unit that night. Many will not live.
The doctors see the damage.
Burns cover 82.5 percent of her body. Her lungs are badly hurt.
She needs a machine to breathe. Her chance of dying is put at 90 to 95 percent.
Across town, her husband Greg is frantic. At home is their son, Tyler. He is just 10 months old.
Here’s what makes it worse:
Lauren’s company is gone. Of the people she works beside every day, 658 are killed.
Friends. Partners. Faces she has known for years.
Lauren has made it out. But her fight is only beginning.
Doctors put her into a deep sleep. She stays under for almost two months.
The team, led by Dr. Roger Yurt, performs 11 major surgeries. Each one holds several procedures.
They use donor skin. They take what healthy skin she has left, stretch it, and graft it piece by piece.
She battles severe infection. She loses parts of some fingers. Some joints must be fused.
Greg stays close. He talks to her. He reads her poems. He plays her songs.
September 19, 2001.
Eight days after the attack, Greg sends an email to 30 of Lauren’s friends. It is a simple update.
Then he keeps writing. Day after day.
The emails spread. Soon, about 100 messages a day pour in, many from strangers.
Late October. Lauren wakes up. She believes she will go home by the end of the week.
She has no idea how hurt she is.
Doctors explain. There is no release date. There may be months ahead.
Therapists have been moving her arms and legs for weeks. Now she must work with them.
November 12, 2001.
The goal for the day is a chair. It sits about 4 feet from her bed.
Lauren thinks it will be easy. It is not.
She cannot sit up alone. Her grafted legs hold weight for the first time in two months. The pain nearly knocks her out.
But with help, she drags her legs to that chair.
She is crying.
She later jokes that she looked like a walking mummy.
Three days later.
She stands again. This time she aims for the nurses’ station, 30 feet away.
Step by step, she gets there.
Doctors, nurses, and therapists crowd around. One therapist runs into the hallway. She tells Lauren’s waiting parents that their daughter is walking.
The walls of that hallway are covered with cards from strangers all over the world.
Everyone is clapping. Everyone is crying.
But one fear still haunts her.
Will her son know her?
Tyler is kept away for 67 days. The risk of infection is too high.
At that time, he turned 1. He learns to walk. He grows into a toddler she has never seen.
On the day of the visit, he walks right past her.
He does not know his mother.
Lauren’s breathing tube has just been removed. Her voice is weak. But she sings him the little lullaby that used to calm him.
Tyler stops. He turns. He smiles at her.
Lauren later says everything she fought for lived in that one moment.
December 2001.
After 91 days, she leaves the burn center. She spends three more months in a rehab hospital.
March 2002.
Lauren goes home.
Recovery does not end there. For years, she returned to the hospital five days a week for therapy.
In the early years, she had an operation about every 9 weeks.
The same month she comes home, Greg’s emails become a best-selling book. Its title is Love, Greg & Lauren.
2009. Lauren becomes a mother again. Her second son, Jagger, is born with the help of a gestational carrier.
A survivor’s awe-inspiring story of how she overcame tragedy and re-created herself as a wife, mother, and woman.
She was a hardworking business woman, had a loving husband and an infant son, and a confidence born of intelligence and beauty. But on 9/11, good fortune was no match for catastrophe. When a wall of flame at the World Trade Center burned more than 80 percent of her body, Lauren Manning began a ten-year journey of survival and rebirth that tested her almost beyond human endurance.
Long before that infamous September day, Manning learned the importance of perseverance, relentless hard work, and a deep faith in oneself. So when the horrific moment of her near-death arrived, she possessed the strength and resilience to insist that she would not yield–not to the terrorists, not to the long odds, not to the bottomless pain and exhaustion.
But as the difficult months and years went by, she came to understand that she had to do more than survive. She needed to undergo a complete transformation, one that would allow her to embrace her life and her loved ones in an entirely new way.
Fleeing the burning tower, Manning promised herself that she would see her son’s face again. Courageous and inspiring, Unmeasured Strength tells the riveting story of her heroic effort to make that miracle–and so many others–possible.
“Unmeasured Strength is a gripping tale of [Lauren Manning’s] long fight back from a devastating injury that easily could have killed her… She has valuable lessons to impart about the personal challenges of overcoming physical and emotional adversity.” —The Wall Street Journal
“Intense, humbling, Manning’s story is, above all, amazing.” —Parade
“With the steadfast love of her husband, Greg… and her own unwavering focus, Manning’s inspiring memoir records an extraordinary path of resilience and willpower.” —Vogue
“All the emotion in her voice that’s necessary shines through as she reads…Because of the way Lauren tells her story, even those who might normally be squeamish about hearing someone tell about medical procedures shouldn’t worry. She speaks of her lengthy return to health tactfully and with grace, and I highly recommend this audiobook to anyone.” —Bookloons
“You are brave and courageous and a hero to all of us.” —Hillary Rodham Clinton, Senator from New York, 2001
“Your essence defines what it means to be a survivor.” —Oprah
“This is a very inspiring book.” —Barbara Walters, The View
“I have found my new hero. Her name is Lauren Manning…Her determination is awe inspiring. She is the most remarkable woman I think I’ve ever met.” —Katie Couric
“One of the most extraordinary books I’ve read in a long time. I recommend everyone to go and read this, because it’s a tale of inspiration and courage.” —Piers Morgan, CNN
“It’s a powerful book … There are so many 9/11 remembrances and so many 9/11 stories as we commemorate, celebrate, this tenth anniversary, but this one is the one that everybody’s talking about.” —Tavis Smiley, PBS
“Unmeasured Strength is an extraordinary book. It is heartbreaking and shocking, compassionate and uplifting. It is a testament to determination and to love. Manning shows that life has things worth fighting for, if you have the clarity to see them and to fight unwaveringly until the end.” —BookReporter.com
“[An] uplifting story of courage, love and compassion… With honesty and simplicity, Manning details her miraculous escapes first from the crippled North Tower; then from limb amputation; and then from death, which stalked her relentlessly for three months. … Ten years later, her life has returned to ‘normality’ thanks to the unstinting love shown to her by family, friends and strangers.” —Kirkus
“Your message of hard work and faith would resonate in the day to day difficulties that we all face … Lauren, your grace and courage are an inspiration.” –Marla Lerner Tanenbaum Principal Owner, Washington Nationals Chairperson, Washington Nationals Dream Foundation
“Unmeasured Strength is both an enduring story about the resilience of character and an ode to the human determination to defeat evil. Lauren Manning did what the mighty Greek Sisyphus could never do: push the boulder to the top of the hill and never let it roll down. She has written a brilliantly vivid, wholly empowering tour de force that makes the impossible seem possible; her inspiring example just may teach us how to reverse our fates.” —Lucinda Franks, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, author of My Father’s Secret War
“An extraordinary story of the spirit’s triumph over pain and the body’s will to stay in this world despite being literally burned alive in the fires of the Twin Towers…This is a message of hope that we can all be grateful to share.” —Vartan Gregorian, President, Carnegie Corporation of New York
One of her doctors, Dr. Palmer Bessey, later puts it plainly. The team kept her body alive.
Lauren is the one who got her life back. Lauren never forgets the 658.
She says they did not get the chance to fight that she got.
She calls it a gift.
Her lesson is simple. Every day, she says, you have a choice.
Kate Vogel Nittolo · Her story is nothing less than miraculous. The early days when she was in the fight of her life for survival and then recovery, her husband published the emails he had written to their family and friends chronicling the journey. The book is, “Love, Greg and Lauren.” What an amazing story!
Early on the morning of September 11, 2001, Lauren Manning-a wife, the mother of a ten-month-old son, and a senior vice president and partner at Cantor Fitzgerald-came to work, as always, at One World Trade Center. As she stepped into the lobby, a fireball exploded from the elevator shaft, and in that split second her life was changed forever. Lauren was burned over 82.5 percent of her body.
As he watched his wife lie in a drug-induced coma in the ICU of the Burn Center at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Greg Manning began writing a daily journal. In the form of emails to family, friends, and colleagues, he recorded Lauren’s harrowing struggle-and his own tormented efforts to make sense of an act that defies all understanding. This book is an email with detailed, intimate, inspiring messages that end, always, as if a prayer for a happy LOVE, GREG & LAUREN
We share this story day by astonishing day. Greg writes of the intricate surgeries, the painful therapies, and the constant risk of infection Lauren endured. Through his eyes we come to know the doctors, nurses, aides, and therapists who cared for her around the clock with untiring devotion and sensitivity. We also come to know the families with whom he shared wrenching hospital vigils for their own loved ones who were waging a battle that some would not win.
It was, most of all, Greg’s belief that Lauren would win her brave fight for life that kept him writing.
Through his eyes we see what she could not-their toddler’s first steps, the video of his first birthday party, the compassionate messages of hope from around the world. And we are there as Lauren gradually emerges into awareness, signaling first with her eyes, then with smiles, her understanding of the words Greg speaks to her, the poems he recites, the songs he plays.
Most miraculously, we are there when Lauren walks out of the Burn Center. The world knows all too well both the nightmare and the heroism that have marked this terrible time in history. But no account of September 11 matches the astonishing personal story Greg Manning records in these spontaneous and heartfelt pages.
It is a story that invites us to share, email after e-mail, the perilous course of a mortally wounded woman who by sheer will and courage emerges from near death because she is determined to live for her husband and her son. And it is equally the story of a man who, as he stays by her side through these long weeks and months, discovers a new depth of his love and admiration for the woman who becomes his hero. Bing Videos
Reply Patricia Moran Alvarez · Kate Vogel Nittolo , amazing…can’t believe what she had to endure..followed her story from beginning …. Reply
Karen Hinkes Levine · The fact that she was late for work saved her life. She was not in the office Reply Paul Quin · THE WILL TO LIVE WAS EVER PRESENT!!! Reply Victoria Clayton · Her book is truly a story of never giving up and fighting until the very end….when she walked out of the hospital. I couldn’t put it down. Reply Bonny Sidhu · Beyond amazing. Her steadfast desire to survive and live when most would have given up speaks volumes of her fierce determination and inner strength. Hope she has a great life ahead Reply Marianna McCown · A powerful symbol of resilience and a gift to all that may have lost their way in such a short time. She has s bit there to judge. She is only there to help those who sacrificed their independence. In my mind’s eye the whole truth is she does not deserve any entity to be overshadowed by a lesser than .. Reply Patricia Patuto · What an uplifting story!! We don’t hear a lot of survival stories. You are amazing. Your husband and son must be so grateful. God gave you another chance at life Reply Maureen Routledge · Such a remarkable woman, an inspiration. She had a tremendous will to live, even through this horrific time for her. . Reply Ann Cicatelli Corbo · I can’t imagine the pain she had to endure! The fight to live! Reply
Arlene Metrione · Such an inspiration who not only has a beautiful smile but a faithful soul that must inspire others and her story be told in our history books, lest we forget. Reply Edited Joan Ontell · I think she hasn’t been to the office yet and was in the lobby that day Reply Most Relevant is selected, so some replies may have been filtered out.
Keely Smith · Thank you for sharing this beautiful story of courage. Never forget. Reply Garilynn Cuchapin · This story made me cry. I’m glad everything worked out for you and your family.
Some good news came out from this 9/11 sadness. Reply Gloria Rosati-Culver · Blessings to Lauren and all she went through! Reply Mary Beth Babecki Cassarini · What an amazing woman! Reply Debbie Fischer Weltmann · Warrior!!!!! Reply Samantha Kostelecky · What an incredibly strong woman. Reply Maureen Placa · I have followed Lauren’s story ever since she first appeared on the Today Show.
Such a remarkable woman! God bless her and her beautiful family. Reply Julie Bump-Jacobson · I have thought of her often over these years! I’m so relieved to hear this news! I look forward to reading this book! Reply Barbara Levine · Incredible strength! Reply Elsie Rodriguez-Rizzuto · Amen & Amen… continued healing and blessings over her and family… Reply Mary Monica Callahan · Brave woman forever changed along with her family. An inspiration…. Reply Sherry Yenser · This young lady deserves a medal for courage, strength and determination. God Bless You.
What you endured is an ordeal no one should have to go through. I wish you the best in whatever you endeavor. Reply Rita Walker · What an incredible story. God bless you Reply Patricia DeMelio Easterday · You are incredible!! Reply Shelley Becker · What an inspiring story of resilience, love and strength. She resembles Marla Maples..so lovely and beautiful. Reply Rainey Foster · God bless you , Lauren and your remarkable family. You are the “win” this Country needs. Reply Cindy Patterson · Such an inspiration! Reply Mary Kay Harris · What an amazing and inspiring story! What a brave and courageous woman.
Her husband is very faithful and courageous, as well. Reply Karen Rees · I read her memoir. She’s a Warrior! Tough as nails! Reply Beth McCrink · What an amazing champion from a day of nightmares. She is inspiring! May her friends rest in peace Reply Erin Mcquade · just got her book. yesterday. She has such strength. sending her prayers Reply Chris Brown · What an incredible woman Lauren is! Reply Rain Heff · Amazing story of survival God bless her. Reply Terry Southworth · Never forget Reply Norma Navarro Aurigemma · Amazing strength & endurance. Reply Lisa Kritz Sanders · I have no words ! Wishing you a life filled with amazing new experiences. Reply Judy Gentry · Wow! What a story of survival Reply Charlotte Craver · Mary Ashleigh Yacenda. A must read! Reply Linda DeVito · Prayers you and your family will continue to heal Reply Marilyn Greene · Blessings to you and your husband that stood by you… Reply Carol Pfaelzer · Good bless her and her family and her caring doctors and nurses and therapists!!!!!! Reply Janice Leonardo Kump · Her book is amazing!!!! Reply
Kelly Spill with husband John Bonito and their three children: Jayce, Mya and Nash on Sept. 23, 2025 Credit: Kelly Spill
Mom’s rectal cancer disappears in 5 months without chemo or surgery thanks to groundbreaking new drug (exclusive)
Story by Wendy Grossman Kantor
The FDA just approved Jemperli for some adults with locally advanced rectal cancer, offering an effective immunotherapy treatment option
Key takeaways
Targeted Treatment: Jemperli (dostarlimab-gxly) is FDA-approved for adults with locally advanced MSI-H/dMMR rectal cancer, offering a non-surgical, chemo-free option.
Patient Success Story: Kelly Spill, diagnosed at 28 with stage 3 rectal cancer, saw her tumor completely disappear in 5 months through a Jemperli clinical trial, achieving no evidence of disease.
Quality of Life Impact: Unlike traditional treatments, Jemperli allows patients to avoid colostomy, radiation side effects, and early menopause, enabling normal life events like having children.
Kelly Spill was 28 when she was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. With an 8-month old baby and a new fiancé, she couldn’t imagine enduring chemo, radiation and surgery. So when biomarker genetic tests showed that she was eligible to participate in a clinical trial for a new treatment, a targeted immunotherapy: Jemperli (dostarlimab-gxly), she jumped at the chance. Five months later, the tumor was completely gone, and she was declared no evidence of disease.
“It can eradicate cancers,” saysDr. Luis Diaz, gastrointestinal medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. “It’s leading to cure — not just shrinkage of tumor, not just prolonged life, but cure in these patients where they no longer need chemotherapy, radiation or surgery, and that’s a tremendous impact.”
Traditional treatment for rectal cancers, like Kelly’s, often leave patients with bladder dysfunction, sexual dysfunction, an ostomy bag and in young women’s cases, put them into menopause, according to Diaz. But Spill was able to have two babies after completing treatment. “It never would have happened were it not for this treatment,” says Dr. Andrea Cercek, gastrointestinal medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering, who treated Spill. “It’s a cure, with a significantly better quality of life.”
In September, Spill hit her five-year cancer-free mark.
On Monday, October 19,the FDA approved thistreatment for adults with stage 2 and stage 3 MSI-H/dMMR locally advanced rectal cancer. “This drug was a miracle to my life,” says Kelly Spill, now 34, a stay-at-home mother of three children, Jayce, 7, Mya, 3 and Nash, 1, in Tinton Falls, N.J., and co-founder ofMingling Mamas, a postpartum support group. “Jemperli saved me. It saved my family too.”
She shares her story in her own words with PEOPLE’s Wendy Grossman Kantor.
When I was around eight months pregnant in February 2019, I started seeing blood in my stool. I told my partner, John Bonito and I told my mom. They both said the same thing: Talk to your doctor.
I told my OB about the blood and that I also felt constipated. It was right before I was about to give birth. My doctor’s like, “Things are moving around. This is normal.” I didn’t question it.
My baby boy, Jayce, was born on April 3, 2019. Life was good.
At my six-week postpartum checkup, I told the doctor I was still seeing blood in my stool. My OB said, “Keep an eye on it. I’m 99.9% positive you have internal hemorrhoids.”
I started to not feel well every day. I had abdominal pain in addition to blood in the stool and constipation. I thought, “Something’s not right.” I was taking ibuprofen round the clock.
My primary care doctor did a blood test and another exam and also said it’s probably internal hemorrhoids.
My partner, John Bonito, (now a 38-year-old middle school special education teacher) asked me to marry him in July.
Baby Jayce holds the ring on the day John proposed to Kelly Credit: Kelly Spill
A month later, we moved from San Diego, to Bradley Beach, N.J., to be closer to family, especially my mom, Susan Spill, a retired special education supervisor.
As time went on, my symptoms got worse. By January 2020, I was feeling more pain in my abdomen and more blood in my stool. The constipation was so awful. I couldn’t eat. I started to lose weight. I lost about seven pounds. I already weighed about 115 at the time so it looked like a lot. People were telling me, “You need to eat a cheeseburger.”
One morning I went to the bathroom and it looked like I had my period and it wasn’t. That’s when I was very concerned.
I went to a family clinic that took my limited insurance. Again, I was told it might be internal hemorrhoids. It made me feel crazy. A nurse I met there told me, “If you don’t find your answer here, keep searching because you know your body best. Nobody knows your body like you.”
I will remember that for the rest of my life. My mom looked at me and I was like, “We need to figure this out.” The next day I had the same episode where it was like I had my period and that’s when we really knew it was serious.
I finally had a colonoscopy on January 17, 2020.
That’s when they found the tumor. I was 28 years old. I was engaged to be married. Our son was 8 months old.
The doctor couldn’t determine if it was cancer until he sent it to pathology. But I knew it was something bad. I went out in the parking lot with my mom and I just lost it. I started crying.
Two weeks later, my mom and I were at Walmart when I got the call that it was cancerous. I’m thinking, “Am I going to die?”
My mom is a saint. I don’t know how anybody goes through any type of cancer not having someone next to them listening, writing things down. It’s so much information. It’s a lot of big words, and you’re so sick and scared and you don’t even know what’s going on. Having her by my side was a blessing. She helped me me figure out the next steps.
John and I got married right away so I could be on his health insurance for treatment. We got married January 27, 2020.
Kelly Spill and John Bonito on their wedding day, January 2020 Credit: Kelly Spill
On my wedding day, I walked down the stairs thinking that I was going to pass out, I felt so sick. We tied the knot and then came right back home.
My first appointment at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York was in February 2020. They told me I had stage 3 rectal cancer. They said the treatment plan would be chemotherapy and then radiation and oral chemotherapy. After that, surgery.
The doctor said I would most likely have a colostomy bag for the rest of my life. But the other news was worse: “After the radiation, after surgery, you most likely will never be able to carry another child again.”
That’s when I broke. I started hysterically crying, and that’s when it hit: This is really happening to me.
I was in my own sorrow.
Before starting chemo, we did go through IVF and we created and froze four embryos, two boys and two girls. That actually was the most painful process of my journey because I had the tumor sitting right there, a centimeter from my anal opening, and then I’m growing all these eggs and it was extremely painful.
Kelly Spill at the beach with her son, Jayce, July 30, 2020, covering her treatment port. Credit: Kelly Spill
The first week of March we had an appointment at MSK to set the chemo appointment and chat with the doctors about the treatment plan.
Thankfully, a research nurse told me about an opportunity for a different treatment plan. She told me that I had the biomarker for a clinical trial for a new type of immunotherapy called Jemperli. Only three people prior to me have been on the medication. I’d be the fourth patient in the country. I said, “Okay, I’ll try it.” I thought to myself, “What do I have to lose?” If it doesn’t work, we’ll just go back to treatment A.”
My first treatment was the third week of March 2020. I had an infusion every three weeks for 30 minutes, and by the second infusion, I had already started to feel better.
It’s kind of gross to tell, but I always feel like it’s important: I went to the bathroom a few hours after the second treatment — and I was actually able to go — I was actually concerned because of how much I had to go.
I told my doctor’s and they said, “That’s a great sign. It means your tumor’s shrinking.”
I started feeling better. I was tired, but it could have just been motherhood. I didn’t feel any serious side effects from this treatment.
Kelly Spill with her husband John Bonito and three kids December 14, 2025 Credit: Kelly Spill
By my fourth treatment, we found out that my tumor had shrank 50 percent, which was a miracle. When we heard that news, I looked at my mom, she looked me, I’m like, “Oh my God, this is amazing.” I’m also thinking, “Maybe I can have another baby.” That was always on my mind.
Leaving that appointment, a nurse pulled my mom aside and said, “The three people ahead of Kelly, they did not have to go through any radiation or chemo, their tumor just completely disappeared.”
My mom told me, she was thinking, “Do I tell my daughter this? Do I get our hopes up? What do I do?”
She told me. I was like, “Oh my God, what?” I started crying. I had hope.
We both said, “We’re not going to tell anybody. We don’t want to jinx it.”
Of course, we went home and we told everybody.
By my ninth treatment, my tumor had completely disappeared. I was declared no evidence of disease on August 19, 2020. It had only been five months.
Kelly Spill on Sept. 17, 2021 Credit: Kelly Spill
I look at my husband, he looks at me, I’m like, “This is a miracle.” And I’m thinking, “Can I have a baby?” My oncologist recommended waiting at least two years, because if the cancer’s going to come back it’s mostly likely going to come back within two years.
I thought being in survivorship would be a breeze. I thought that it’s like butterflies and rainbows, but it couldn’t be any further from that. I was having panic attacks and anxiety attacks, and I didn’t know why. I felt so lost. I didn’t know who I was at this point.
In the summer of 2021, my husband and I took my parents’ RV and we drove cross country hitting 15 national parks. We called it our elope-cation. We were already legally married, but we eloped in the rainforest in Olympic National Parks. My parents watched our little boy during that time for a month, which is crazy, and we were able to get away and just reconnect.
It was just beyond beautiful.
John Bonito, Kelly Spill, Jayce and Mya on Oct. 9, 2023 Credit: Kelly Spill
My husband saved my life too. Our relationship was very fast. We met, we got pregnant, I had cancer, and then I begged him to marry me because I needed health insurance. He wanted to do all those things. He completely saved me. He’s such a beautiful soul and he stuck by my side from day one. He hasn’t left. He’s amazing.
After two years, I got the green light from my oncologist so we could start the process of having a baby. We used one of our frozen embryos, and we were able to choose baby girl. I found out that I was pregnant November 11th, 2022. Our daughter Mya was born on July 14, 2023.
I was declared five-years cancer free in September 2025. At the time, I was 33 and pregnant with our third child.
Kelly Spill and husband and children, pregnant with her third child, in April 2025 Credit: Kelly Spill
Going through cancer completely changed my perspective on life and the way that I see this world now. It’s important for people to share their stories. I share mine on Instagram and Stand up to Cancer. It’s important for people to self-advocate and to remember that even though you’re going to a doctor and you’re asking them questions, you still have to do your own homework. You to know your body. Trust your gut.
I do like to push for colonoscopies at young age. If you’re feeling any symptoms, if you even think something might be going on, get a colonoscopy. It’s not scary. It’s okay. It could be a scarier situation if you wait. Get checked.
Kelly Spill and her husband John Bonito and three children: Jayce, Mya and Nash in September 2026 Credit: Kelly Spill
I know how much this new treatment could save somebody. The only catch is that their tumor has to test positive for a certain mutation called MMRD, and if they don’t test for that, they can’t go on this drug. But if they do test for it, they can go on this drug and they can have a majorly different outcome than going through chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery.
Dr. Pete Sulack — Education, Career, and Background
Dr. Pete Sulack is a licensed chiropractor, author, faith-based health advocate, and founder of Redeem Health and Matthew 10 International, with over 20 years of clinical and ministry experience, and a public profile shaped by his 2024 diagnosis and reported remission from Grade 4 diffuse astrocytomawww.drpetesulack.com+2.
Education and Professional Training
Dr. Sulack is a licensed chiropractor with more than two decades of clinical practice factually.co. His career has been grounded in functional and metabolic medicine, holistic wellness, and integrative health approaches Progressive Medical Center. While specific university degrees are not detailed in the provided sources, his professional background includes:
Clinical leadership in one of the largest chiropractic and wellness clinics in the U.S., managing over a million patient visits www.drpetesulack.com.
Functional medicine and metabolic protocol development for chronic conditions, later applied in his own cancer treatment Progressive Medical Center.
Public speaking and teaching in health, faith, and resilience, with a global reach through events, media, and written works www.matthew10.com+1.
Career Highlights
Redeem Health – Founder and leader, focusing on holistic, faith-informed health programs factually.co.
Matthew 10 International – Founded in 2006 as a ministry to proclaim the Gospel, serve the needy, and support pastors; has traveled internationally 25+ times www.matthew10.com.
Medical Consultant – Progressive Medical Center, advising on cancer support and metabolic health protocols Progressive Medical Center.
Author and Speaker – Co-authored Healing Prayers for Cancer and delivers talks on resilience, faith, and health www.drpetesulack.com.
Personal and Public Story
In November 2024, Dr. Sulack was diagnosed with Grade 4 diffuse astrocytoma, an aggressive brain cancer with no known cure, and a 1% eight‑month survival prognosis www.drpetesulack.com+1. He applied functional, metabolic, and holistic protocols he had developed for others, alongside faith-based practices, and reported full remission by early 2025www.drpetesulack.com+1. This experience has become central to his public mission, framing his work as an extension of lessons learned during his illness www.drpetesulack.com+1.
Faith and Mission
Dr. Sulack’s work is deeply rooted in his Christian faith, influenced by his great-grandparents’ Baptist missionary heritage in Nagaland, India www.matthew10.com. He emphasizes that faith, diet, detox, supplementation, oxygenation, and personal resilience are key to health, and that hope and spiritual conviction can transform outcomes www.drpetesulack.com+1.
In summary: Dr. Pete Sulack is a chiropractor, wellness leader, and faith advocate with a career built on functional medicine, global ministry, and public teaching, now recognized for his personal cancer survival and his mission to inspire resilience and hope in others www.drpetesulack.com+3.
“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”
3 John 1:2 expresses a heartfelt prayer from the Apostle John to his friend Gaius, wishing him prosperity and good health in every aspect of life, paralleling the well-being of his soul (NKJV) BibleGateway.com+1. The verse emphasizes that spiritual prosperity and physical well-being are interconnected, suggesting that a flourishing spiritual life can positively influence one’s overall life circumstances.
Key Points and Interpretation
Prosperity in all things: This refers not only to material or financial success but also to general well-being, success in daily endeavors, and fulfillment in life Bible Hub+1.
Health: John’s prayer includes physical health, highlighting the importance of caring for the body alongside spiritual growth Bible Hub+1.
Soul prosperity: The verse underscores that spiritual health—faith, love, and righteousness—is foundational. John implies that as the soul prospers, it can positively affect other areas of life BibleGateway.com+1.
Application: This verse is often cited in Christian teachings to encourage believers to seek holistic well-being, combining spiritual devotion with care for physical and emotional health Bible Hub+1.
After my cancer diagnosis, I stopped looking at food in terms of calories and started looking at it in terms of biology.
Every time you eat, you’re creating a biological response. Blood glucose changes. Insulin changes. Hormones and signaling pathways respond. Your gut microbiome is affected. You’re supplying your cells with fats, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and thousands of naturally occurring plant compounds.
So when someone tells me diet doesn’t matter, I simply don’t agree.
Science tells us it matters.
That doesn’t mean food alone treats cancer. It means diet is one of the most consistent ways we influence the environment our cells live in every single day.
That’s why diet became one of the five pillars of my approach, and it’s an area of my health I don’t compromise on.
Start by Getting Rid of the Food That Isn’t Food If I could change one thing about the American diet tomorrow, I would dramatically reduce ultra-processed food.
This isn’t based on opinion. In a large prospective study of more than 100,000 people, every 10% increase in ultra-processed food in the diet was associated with approximately a 12% increase in overall cancer risk. Other large studies and reviews have connected higher ultra-processed food intake with obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other poor health outcomes.
So this is where I start: eat real food.
If it came from the ground, grew on a tree, swam in the water, or had a mother, we’re generally moving in the right direction. If most of the ingredient list requires a chemistry lesson, I don’t want it making up the foundation of my diet.
You don’t need a complicated protocol to understand that.
Your Terrain Matters This is also where terrain theory becomes important.
A tumor doesn’t exist in isolation. It exists inside a person, and that person has a metabolic state, nutrient status, immune system, microbiome, inflammatory state, hormones, circulation, and an entire internal environment surrounding those cells.
That’s your terrain.
Diet has the ability to influence many of those factors. We know dietary patterns affect insulin sensitivity, glucose regulation, body composition, cardiovascular health, the microbiome, and inflammatory markers.
Cancer Has a Metabolism This became particularly important to me when I began studying cancer metabolism.
Nearly a century ago, Nobel Prize-winning scientist Otto Warburg observed that many cancer cells consume large amounts of glucose and rely heavily on glycolysis even when oxygen is available. Today we call this the Warburg Effect, and altered cellular metabolism is now recognized as one of the important characteristics of cancer biology.
That does not mean cancer is simply a sugar disease. Cancer cells can be metabolically flexible, and different cancers behave differently.
But it absolutely means metabolism deserves our attention.
That’s one reason I chose a therapeutic ketogenic diet. I restricted carbohydrates aggressively, incorporated fasting, and actually measured my glucose and ketones because I wanted to know whether I was achieving the metabolic state I was aiming for.
I wasn’t “doing keto” because it was popular. I was using ketosis as a targeted metabolic strategy.
Keto Is Not for Everyone
This is where I see people make mistakes.
They hear that I used a ketogenic diet during my cancer journey and assume they should do the same thing. I don’t believe that.
If you’re going to use ketosis therapeutically, you need to understand whether you’re actually in ketosis. Simply eating bacon, butter, cheese, and fewer carbohydrates doesn’t automatically accomplish that.
If you’re eating a high-fat diet but regularly producing enough glucose or consuming enough carbohydrate to keep yourself out of ketosis, you’re not necessarily achieving the metabolic state you intended.
There are other concerns as well. Some people with cancer are already losing weight or muscle. Others may have medical conditions, medications, treatment-related nutritional needs, or metabolic circumstances that make aggressive carbohydrate restriction inappropriate.
So I wouldn’t blindly recommend keto to every cancer patient.
Use the strategy that makes sense for your biology, and measure what you’re trying to change.
That’s also one of the reasons I’m such a believer in <u>personalized testing through Be Resilient</u>. I would rather make decisions using information than guess.
If You’re Not Doing Keto, Look at the Mediterranean Diet
For someone who isn’t pursuing therapeutic ketosis, a Mediterranean-style diet is one of the first dietary patterns I would look at.
Why?
Because unlike most trendy diets, we have decades of human research behind it.
The Mediterranean pattern emphasizes vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds, extra virgin olive oil, fish, herbs, spices, and minimally processed foods while limiting ultra-processed foods, added sugars, and processed meats. It closely overlaps with nutrition recommendations from major cancer organizations.
It also naturally delivers something I think is incredibly important: a huge diversity of biologically active plant compounds.
Polyphenols, carotenoids, flavonoids, fiber, minerals, healthy fats, and countless other compounds interact with human physiology in ways we’re still working to understand.
You don’t get that from an ultra-processed diet.
I Intentionally Eat Anti-Angiogenic Foods
A solid tumor cannot continue growing beyond a certain size without developing a blood supply. It needs oxygen and nutrients, so tumors can release signals, including VEGF, that stimulate the formation of new blood vessels. This process is called angiogenesis.
One of the strategies in modern oncology is anti-angiogenesis, or interfering with the signals tumors use to develop that blood supply. This is established cancer biology, and there are FDA-approved cancer drugs designed specifically to inhibit angiogenesis.
Nutrition is where this became particularly interesting to me. Researchers have identified naturally occurring compounds in foods that demonstrate anti-angiogenic activity in laboratory and preclinical research. These include compounds found in foods such as berries, cruciferous vegetables, green tea, garlic, tomatoes, herbs, spices, and extra virgin olive oil.
That’s why I intentionally incorporate many of these foods into my diet. I want foods that are nutrient-dense, support my overall terrain, and contain compounds being studied for their effects on biological pathways relevant to cancer.
I want as much of my diet working in my favor as possible.
What I Would Do First If you’re overwhelmed by all of this, don’t start by trying to recreate my diet tomorrow.
Start by removing what we already have a good reason to limit.
Get ultra-processed foods out of the foundation of your diet. Eliminate sugary drinks and added sugars. Limit processed meats. Start eating real, nutrient-dense foods.
Then add intentionally.
Eat colorful vegetables and berries. Eat cruciferous vegetables. Use extra virgin olive oil. Include herbs and spices. Get adequate protein so you can maintain muscle. Eat foods naturally rich in fiber and phytonutrients.
From there, get more personalized.
Look at your glucose. Look at your metabolic health. Understand your nutritional status. Determine whether a Mediterranean-style approach makes sense or whether there is a reason to discuss a more targeted strategy such as therapeutic ketosis with your healthcare team.
But please don’t make the mistake of thinking diet doesn’t matter simply because diet isn’t a cancer treatment.
Those are two completely different statements.
Food changes biology.
We have overwhelming evidence for that.
I can’t control every variable in my health, but I can control what I put on my plate multiple times every day. After my diagnosis, I decided I wasn’t going to waste that opportunity.
I want to eat in a way that supports metabolic health, provides the nutrients my body needs, minimizes unnecessary processed food, and creates the healthiest terrain I reasonably can.
Ivermectin has been shown in recent studies to inhibit cancer cell growth, impair glucose metabolism, and disrupt mitochondrial respiration—especially in aggressive tumor types.But it must be used with caution and proper terrain support.https://www.instagram.com/p/Dej0KCLTpJW/ Research: • Ivermectin inhibits WNT-TCF pathway in cancer stem cells – (Nature, 2014) • Disrupts mitochondrial function in glioblastoma – (Front Pharmacol, 2020) • Can stress detox organs if not paired with liver and gut support – (Toxicol Appl Pharmacol, 2012)I used it strategically, not casually. Cancer isn’t a one-pill problem—it’s a terrain problem.
A paper published in the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine is exploring an unconventional approach to cancer treatment that combines existing medications, nutritional strategies, and metabolic interventions to target cancer cells through multiple pathways.
Titled “Targeting the Mitochondrial-Stem Cell Connection in Cancer Treatment: A Hybrid Orthomolecular Protocol,” NEW JOM Template the paper’s authors include Dr. Paul Marik, Ilyes Baghli, William Makis, Pierrick Martinez, and other collaborators. – Search Videos
The proposed Protocol For Cancer explores repurposed medications, including ivermectin, mebendazole, and fenbendazole, alongside vitamins, dietary interventions, and strategies aimed at cancer metabolism, mitochondrial function, and cancer stem cells.
The underlying idea is that cancer may be approached not only by targeting genetic changes in tumor cells, but also by investigating how cancer cells use energy, survive treatment, and contribute to disease progression.
Instead of developing entirely new medicines from scratch, researchers are investigating whether existing medications, already known in other medical contexts, may have overlooked anti-cancer properties.
The next important step would be rigorous human studies to determine whether these approaches actually improve outcomes for patients.
There is also a legitimate conversation to be had about research funding and commercial incentives. Inexpensive medicines may offer less financial incentive for some companies to develop, and that’s why little research is done to find out what else may work. But these forward-thinking doctors are pushing the envelope on the subject.
Novel Cancer Protocol is Promising Alternative to Chemotherapy
Understanding the Mitochondrial-Stem Cell Connection in Cancer Treatment
This is a synopsis of an educational, peer-reviewed paper written through a collaboration of sixteen researchers and scientists from all over the world. It was published in the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine on September 19, 2024. The sixteen authors gathered and assimilated information from over 170 articles and studies.
Citation: Baghli I, et al. (2024) Targeting the Mitochondrial-Stem Cell Connection in Cancer Treatment: A Hybrid Orthomolecular Protocol. J Orthomol Med. 39.3
Introduction
Cancer is a complex and multifaceted disease, and understanding its origins is crucial for developing effective treatments. Traditionally, cancer has been viewed through various lenses such as the Metabolic Theory, the Somatic Mutation Theory (SMT), and the Cancer Stem Cell (CSC) theory.
In a recent study published in the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine, a new perspective called the mitochondrial-stem cell connection (MSCC) theory is introduced. This theory aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how cancer develops and progresses, proposing a novel treatment approach.
What is the MSCC Theory?
The MSCC theory suggests that cancer originates from a failure in oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) within stem cells. OxPhos is a process by which cells generate energy. When this process is disrupted, it can lead to the transformation of normal stem cells into cancer stem cells (CSCs), which are known for their ability to initiate and sustain tumor growth.
This theory integrates aspects of both the cancer stem cell theory and the metabolic theory, focusing on the role of CSCs and mitochondria at all stages of cancer. Unlike the traditional CSC theory, which often views cancer as a purely genetic disease, the MSCC theory emphasizes the metabolic dysfunctions that occur in cancer cells.
Why is This Important?
Standard cancer treatments often target the DNA of cancer cells based on the SMT. However, these treatments do not address the metabolic deficiencies in cancer cells and can sometimes worsen these issues. The focus on genetic mutations could possibly explain why new therapies only modestly improve overall survival rates for cancer patients.
Conversely, the MSCC theory emphasizes the importance of restoring proper mitochondrial function and targeting CSCs, which are believed to be responsible for cancer’s growth and spread.
The Hybrid Orthomolecular Protocol
The proposed hybrid orthomolecular protocol proposes to tackle cancer by enhancing OxPhos, reducing the availability of cancer’s primary fuels (glucose and glutamine), and directly targeting CSCs and metastasis. The protocol includes seven therapeutic recommendations that combine orthomolecules, drugs, and lifestyle interventions to achieve these goals.
Key Facets of the Protocol:
Vitamin C is known for its anti-cancer properties and can induce death in cancer cells, whilst reducing tumor weight and metastasis. It works by infiltrating cancer cells, reducing oxidative stress, and restoring normal cellular respiration.
Diet and lifestyle changes can help reduce the fermentable fuels (like glucose) that cancer cells rely on, thereby inhibiting tumor growth.
Repurposing certain existing drugs can be used to enhance mitochondrial function and target CSCs.
The Protocol Outline
Cancer cells have impaired mitochondria, which leads them to rely heavily on glycolysis, a less efficient energy production process. By improving mitochondrial function, the hybrid protocol aims to force cancer cells to revert to normal energy production methods, thereby reducing their viability.
Moreover, the protocol targets the unique tumor microenvironment characterized by hypoxia and acidity, conditions that support cancer growth and spread.
Conclusion
The mitochondrial-stem cell connection offers a promising new method for cancer treatment. By focusing on the metabolic dysfunctions at the center of cancer, this approach aims to not only halt tumor growth but also prevent metastasis. This comprehensive approach could pave the way for more effective and holistic cancer therapies, giving hope for improved patient outcomes.
The Protocol
Intravenous Vitamin C
Intermediate- and high-grade cancers:
Dose of 1.5g/kg/day, 2-3x per week
Oral Vitamin D
All cancer grades:
Dose of 50,000 IU/day for patients with an initial blood level of Vitamin D ≤30ng/mL;
25,000 IU/day for levels 30-60ng/mL;
5000 IU/day for levels 60-80ng/mL.
It is necessary to reach a blood level of 80 ng/mL of vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamine D (25(OH) D
This level is non-toxic. Once the level is achieved it must be sustained with a reduced daily dosage of ≈2000 IU/day. The concentration of vitamin D in the blood should be measured every two weeks for high doses and every month for lower.
Zinc
All cancer grades:
Dose of 1 mg/kg/day is established as a non-toxic dose for cancer patients.
The reference range for serum zinc concentration is 80 to 120 μg/dL.
Once this level is reached it must be maintained with a reduced daily dosage of 5mg/day. The zinc blood concentration should be measured monthly.
Ivermectin
Low-grade cancers:
Dose of 0.5mg/kg, 3x per week.
Intermediate-grade cancers:
Dose of 1mg/kg, 3x per week.
High-grade cancers:
Dose from 1 mg/kg/day (de Castro, et al., 2020) to 2 mg/kg/day.
All doses are known as tolerable for humans.
Benzimidazoles and DON
Low-grade cancers:
Mebendazole: Dose of 200 mg/day.
Intermediate-grade cancers:
Mebendazole: Dose of 400 mg/day.
High-grade cancers:
Mebendazole dose of 1,500 mg/day or Fenbendazole 1,000 mg 3x per week.
Benzimidazoles can be replaced or combined with DON (6-diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine), administered without toxicity; intravenously or intramuscularly: 0.2 to 0.6 mg/kg once daily;
or orally:
0.2 to 1.1 mg/kg once daily.
Benzimidazole is much easier to obtain than DON. However, for metastatic cancers, which rely heavily on glutamine, a combo of DON and Benzimidazoles should be administered.
Dietary Interventions
All cancer grades:
Ketogenic diet or low carbohydrate-high fat diet, 900 to 1500 kcal/day.
Ketone metabolic therapy consists of 60-80% fat, 15-25% protein and 5-10% fibrous carbohydrates.
Adequate hydration and single-ingredient whole food ketogenic meals are necessary to achieve a glucose ketone index (GKI) score of 2.0 or below. GKI should be measured 2–3 hours after lunch and dinner, twice a day. At-home ketone test strips are available online or at your local drug store.
Intermediate- and high-grade cancers:
The ketogenic diet should be combined with a water fast for 3 to 7 consecutive days in advanced cancers.
The water fast should be repeated several times approximately every 3-4 weeks throughout the treatment, however fasting needs to be undertaken cautiously in individuals using certain drugs and those with less than 20 BMI, to prevent loss of lean
body mass. For patients who are unable to fast, a Fasting-Mimicking Diet (300 to 1,100 kcal/day of broths, soups, juices, nut bars, and herbal teas) can be used in its place.
Additional Actions
All cancer grades:
Moderate physical activity, 3x per week. A moderate heart rate is usually between 40–59% of your maximum heart rate. Increased heart and respiratory rate for a period of 45 to 75 minutes with activities such as cycling, running, swimming, etc.
Intermediate- and high-grade cancers or individuals who are unable to engage in physical activity:
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, 1.5 to 2.5 ATA for 45 to 60 minutes 2-3x per week
Horse crazy girl Tara Coyote – Search Videos with Kaua’i, Hawaii roots, Equine Facilitated Learning Teacher, author, life coach, mother, mermaid, dancer, grief facilitator & stage 4 cancer thriver are some of the titles I identify with.
In 2013, I founded Wind Horse Sanctuary, which is currently in Kaua’i, Hawaii and am a certified Eponaquest ‘Equine Facilitated Learning’ instructor, life coach and workshop leader. I’m grateful to be currently thriving on my Hawaiian island home with my gorgeous animals: two horses, Australian Shepard and a cat. When not swimming in a mermaid tail (Mermaid IG page & Mermaid Biz page) in the gorgeous ocean surrounding the Garden Island, playing my fiddle or writing, you can find me happily scooping horse manure! About — Tara Coyote
New YouTube video! It’s so exciting for me to share this video!
On 9/22/16 I was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. A few years later, it progressed throughout my body (lungs, liver, spine, adrenal gland, hip) and in the winter of 2019 I was referred to Hospice and actively dying.
It was looking pretty dire!
Miraculously, over a period of years and a combination of allopathic (standard), non-toxic medicine and a ton of inner healing, I am elated to say I have been NED (no evidence of disease) for four years now!
Miracles are possible!
This year, in the fall of 2026, I am celebrating 10 years since my late stage diagnosis. I am so grateful to be alive!
I am also celebrating the 5 year anniversary of my best selling memoir sharing my story of healing cancer: Grace, Grit & Gratitude: A Cancer Thriver’s Journey from Hospice to Full Recovery with the Healing Power of Horses which was published in August of 2021. – Link in comments –
Publishing my book was a huge feat and took tremendous discipline and focus. When I worked so hard to self publish my book I told myself that if I helped inspire one person then I would have done my job. Since it’s publication, people from all over the globe have reached out to me sharing how much my story has helped them through difficult times! This is indeed a wondrous thing.
I hope you enjoy my vulnerable share here. I recorded this video weeks after an incredibly damaging Category 2 hurricane on the beloved island of Kaua’i Hawaii where I live, so I am a bit cracked open and extra teary sharing my story here. My story of healing involves processing a great amount of grief with the death of many of my beloveds, so sharing it in video form like this is a tender experience for me.
Tara Coyote has been declared “No Evidence of Disease” (NED) since 2022 and has been stable for nearly four yearsRadical Remission Project.
According to the Radical Remission Project, Tara Coyote was referred to hospice care in 2019 with widespread cancer throughout her body Radical Remission Project. She chose an integrative path of self‑care, complementary medicine, the healing power of horses, and the supportive environment of Kaua’i, Hawaii, which she has described as pivotal to her recovery Radical Remission Project.
By 2022, she was officially declared NED — meaning no detectable cancer evidence — and has remained stable for almost four years Radical Remission Project. This marks a significant milestone in her journey, which she has shared publicly through her Cancer Warrioress website and other platforms www.cancerwarrioress.com+1.
Tara is the bestselling author of Grace, Grit & Gratitude: A Cancer Thriver’s Journey from Hospice to Full Recovery with the Healing Power of Horses, and she continues to work as an Equine Facilitated Learning instructor at Wind Horse Sanctuary on Kaua’i www.cancerwarrioress.com+1. She has also published children’s books and ocean conservation works, often blending her personal healing story with themes of resilience and gratitude www.cancerwarrioress.com+1.
Yahoo News UK.
Oxford Mail.
Cosmopolitan+1.
Yahoo Life UK.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(799x0:801x2):format(webp)/PEOPLE-Billy-Crystal-16-cb8d8a25e8094d759f7aaf56a70d4042.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(799x0:801x2):format(webp)/PEOPLE-Billy-Crystal-01-df8cbce1cebb43a394669b7a68ff5b78.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(398x0:400x2):format(webp)/Billy-Crystal-101326-25721bdf34dc4da2b09f0c7dfec61a3b.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(399x0:401x2):format(webp)/Billy-Crystal-101326-2-fa1bf20ca74f4f9f9d61d5125ac70821.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(999x0:1001x2):format(webp)/Billy-Crystal-101326-3-f3ebba7de1bd4d08b2d89b8e50705f02.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(599x0:601x2):format(webp)/Billy-Crystal-101326-1-b07097e8c1ad4b30a6a14ea75f6947bf.jpg)
Newsweek
TikTok
GoFundMe
Anglia Ruskin University – ARU
Harvard University
Columbia University
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
agt.fandom.com
The Music Man
KOCO 5 News
E! Online
Fox News
Yahoo
ESPN
CBS News
American Blood Clot Association
Related video:
Through his eyes we see what she could not-their toddler’s first steps, the video of his first birthday party, the compassionate messages of hope from around the world. And we are there as Lauren gradually emerges into awareness, signaling first with her eyes, then with smiles, her understanding of the words Greg speaks to her, the poems he recites, the songs he plays.
www.drpetesulack.com+2
factually.co
Progressive Medical Center
www.matthew10.com+1
BibleGateway.com+1
Bible Hub+1
This is for educational purposes only. I’m sharing what I personally did in my own healing journey.
Accept Jesus TODAY! 
These are the 8 FOODS I …
I declared healing. 
I declared protection. 
Research:
The Budwig Protocol: A 70-Year-Old Cancer Protocol I Still Use Today You’ve probably never heard of it— But this …
Radical Remission Project
www.cancerwarrioress.com+1