113: Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Holistic Healing | Marlice Alves

Summary

Podcast Summary: I AM HealingStrong Episode 113

Episode Title: Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Holistic Healing | Marlice Alves
Release Date: January 7, 2025
Host: Jim Mann
Guest: Marlice Alves

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1. Introduction to Marlice Alves

In this heartfelt episode, Jim Mann welcomes Marlice Alves, a 66-year-old retired registered nurse and certified health coach, who shares her inspiring journey battling Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) and transitioning to a holistic healing approach.

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2. Early Life and Nursing Career

Marlice begins by recounting her early life in the Cape Verde Islands and her relocation to Rhode Island at age 10. As an only child, she developed a close-knit relationship with her two adult children.

Quote:
“I was born in Cape Verde Islands. I came to the United States when I was 10 years old... and I've been in Rhode Island ever since.”
— Marlice Alves [01:40]

Marlice pursued a career in nursing, dedicating 24 years to the neonatal Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Her passion for healthcare remained strong even after retirement, leading her to become a health coach.

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3. Mother’s Colon Cancer Diagnosis and Initial Research

In 2007, Marlice’s mother was diagnosed with colon cancer. This pivotal moment sparked Marlice’s deep dive into cancer research, particularly focusing on the role of nutrition in combating disease.

Quote:
“What I used to tell my oncologist at Boston, I had a great relationship with him till I stopped my chemo. I said to him, it's a cookie cutter mentality.”
— Marlice Alves [18:12]

Despite her medical background, Marlice found conventional treatments lacking in nutritional support, which fueled her quest for alternative healing methods.

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4. Transition to Holistic Healing

By 2015, after watching "The Truth about Cancer" documentary, Marlice intensified her commitment to holistic healing. She began implementing dietary changes, such as adopting a whole-food plant-based diet, juicing, and incorporating supplements like vitamin D3 and probiotics.

Quote:
“I started doing castor oil packages, coffee enemas. I started doing that because I knew I had to do some serious detoxifying.”
— Marlice Alves [26:07]

Her transformation inspired her to educate others, leading her to teach health classes at her church and eventually establish small groups focused on holistic living.

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5. Marlice’s AML Diagnosis and Conventional Treatment

In late 2018, Marlice began experiencing persistent flu-like symptoms. Initially diagnosed with mononucleosis, further testing revealed she had Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), an aggressive and fast-growing cancer.

Quote:
“I just want to choke up because I remember looking up and just saying, God, help me keep my eyes on You. Jesus, help me keep my eyes on You.”
— Marlice Alves [15:22]

Faced with an immediate treatment plan, Marlice underwent an intensive 40-day chemotherapy regimen, during which she experienced significant side effects, including weight loss and a painful rash.

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6. Choosing to Stop Chemotherapy and Embrace Holistic Methods

Despite achieving remission after the first phase of chemotherapy, Marlice became increasingly dissatisfied with the "cookie cutter mentality" of conventional treatments. Experiencing severe side effects, she made the courageous decision to discontinue chemotherapy in 2019.

Quote:
“I needed to eat some ice cream, some milkshake. I leaned back to him and I said, absolutely not. I said, what you're telling me is you're putting out the fire... let's throw some kerosene back in there.”
— Marlice Alves [21:40]

Marlice then fully embraced holistic practices, including dietary adjustments, juicing, raw food consumption, and various detoxification methods to support her body’s natural healing processes.

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7. Establishing HealingStrong and Health Coaching

By 2022, Marlice had fully transitioned into her role as a health coach, certified to guide others through similar healing journeys. In 2023, she discovered the HealingStrong community and felt a divine calling to lead a HealingStrong Crew in Rhode Island.

Quote:
“So God's talking in my heart, you should become a leader. So I did. So beginning of 2024, I started a group in Rhode Island with a church that now attend Awakening Church in Smithfield, Rhode Island.”
— Marlice Alves [27:19]

Her group focuses on preventive health measures, education, and supporting individuals navigating cancer and other health challenges through holistic strategies.

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8. Current Status and Reflections

Marlice is now in remission, with her hematologist affirming her recovery. She remains vigilant in maintaining her health through a balanced lifestyle and continuous education. Her experience underscores the importance of holistic approaches in cancer treatment and prevention.

Quote:
“Prevention is the best medicine... We have a lot of people in our group that has active cancer, but a lot of people just want to learn how to preventively walk this walk of health and wellness.”
— Marlice Alves [33:01]

Marlice emphasizes that her journey has come full circle, returning to her passion for helping others through her holistic health coaching and HealingStrong leadership.

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9. Final Thoughts

Marlice closes by expressing gratitude for the opportunity to share her story, highlighting her unwavering faith and dedication to supporting others in their healing journeys.

Quote:
“It's so rewarding. And that's something I always liked as a nurse, and now I continue to do it in a different approach, in a holistic approach.”
— Marlice Alves [30:34]

Contact Information:
For more insights and support, visit wellnesswithmarlease.com.

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Key Takeaways

• Holistic Healing: Marlice’s story illustrates the profound impact of integrating nutrition and lifestyle changes alongside or in place of conventional treatments.
• Personal Advocacy: Despite medical training, Marlice’s proactive approach in advocating for her health highlights the importance of personalized care.
• Community Support: Establishing HealingStrong groups fosters a supportive environment for individuals seeking alternative healing pathways.
• Faith and Resilience: Marlice’s unwavering faith played a crucial role in her healing process, emphasizing the mind-body-spirit connection in overcoming adversity.

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This episode serves as a beacon of hope and inspiration, demonstrating that with resilience, faith, and the right holistic practices, one can navigate the most challenging health battles toward healing and empowerment.

Transcript

[Marlise Alves]

One of the things I liked about the facility where I was at in Boston, I had my own little refrigerator, so I had my own stash of stuff in there.

[Jim Mann]

Yeah.

[Marlise Alves]

My husband would cook for me. I stayed away from the hospital foods, and I did the best I could. You can only do so much while you were in the hospital. And my husband would cook for me. He would cook organic. I could not have raw vegetables, raw fruits, anything raw. They weren't allowed. But he cooked for me the best that he could. And so I ate everything that he brought in, and I stayed away from the. The snack carts that came around in the morning and in the afternoon. And it broke my heart when I saw the other patients, people, the visitors they would have in their rooms that would come out and just stock up and nothing but sugar.

[Narrator]

You're listening to the I am Healing Strong podc, a part of the Healing Strong organization, the number one network of holistic cancer support groups in the world. Each week, we bring you stories of hope, real stories that will encourage you as you navigate your way on your own journey to health. Now here's your host, stage four cancer thriver Jim Mann.

[Jim Mann]

So happy to be talking to Marlise Alves today on our episode. How are you?

[Marlise Alves]

I'm doing well, thank you. How you doing, Jim?

[Jim Mann]

I'm doing great. You're up there in the smallest state in the whole country.

[Marlise Alves]

Yes. Beautiful small state of Rhode Island.

[Jim Mann]

Yeah. Were you raised there? Do you. Were you born there?

[Marlise Alves]

Actually, I was born in Cape Verde Islands. I came to United States when I was 10 years old.

[Jim Mann]

Okay.

[Marlise Alves]

And I'd been in Rhode island ever since.

[Jim Mann]

Wow.

[Marlise Alves]

That was 56 years ago, Jim.

[Jim Mann]

No way. You're in your 40s.

[Marlise Alves]

Yeah. That's it. I like your math.

[Jim Mann]

Yeah. I saw your website, and I said, oh, that's got to be a typo. She's saying she's 66. Nah, it's got to be 46. So maybe you can correct that. Yeah. You're still younger than me.

[Marlise Alves]

66 and going strong.

[Jim Mann]

Yeah. You are. I was looking at that state because I've never been there before, and I love that area of the country, Connecticut and Massachusetts and all that, but I've never been in that little place. Do you have, like, three neighborhoods in the state? I mean, is it. It's so small.

[Marlise Alves]

It doesn't take long to get out of Rhode Island. We can quickly be in Massachusetts and quickly be in Connecticut.

[Jim Mann]

My drive that I used to have, going to the station that I worked at, I would have to go out of state. If I was in Rhode island, just the distance I drove, I thought, yes, you would.

[Marlise Alves]

It's beautiful in the summer. The fall is gorgeous. It's beautiful right now.

[Jim Mann]

Yeah.

[Marlise Alves]

The winters, it's another story.

[Jim Mann]

But as long as you're inside, you can look out by the fireplace and. Yeah, I would like that. Wouldn't like to work in it, but I would like to live where it's snowing on the outside.

[Marlise Alves]

Yeah.

[Jim Mann]

Thought I'd throw that out there. You have a great story. I know a little bit about it, sadly. You lost your dad when you were just four, right?

[Marlise Alves]

Yeah. My dad passed away when I was four years old, so I grew up with just my mom. Yeah.

[Jim Mann]

Okay. So obviously you probably don't remember a lot about him.

[Marlise Alves]

No.

[Jim Mann]

What did he pass away of?

[Marlise Alves]

He had cirrhosis of the liver, but he was much older than my mother, too.

[Jim Mann]

Okay.

[Marlise Alves]

See, we were back in Cape Verde Islands, and he lived here in the United States, retired early, and went there and married my mom. So I never really knew my dad.

[Jim Mann]

Okay. Do you have any siblings?

[Marlise Alves]

No, I'm the only child.

[Jim Mann]

Wow.

[Marlise Alves]

Yeah. So growing up, I always wanted to wish I had a. Especially a sister. But no, I was only child. Now I have a daughter and a son. And my daughter and I and my son, we're very close, so God provided.

[Jim Mann]

And they're all still in Rhode Island.

[Marlise Alves]

My son, presently in Florida, went there because of the weather. He's been there about three or four years, but they're planning. He and his wife are planning to come back next year. I'm hoping they do.

[Jim Mann]

Yeah.

[Marlise Alves]

Now I'm planning to have children, so they want to be closer to family, and I think that's a great idea, I guess. My daughter's here in Rhode Island. She and her husband and three granddaughters.

[Jim Mann]

Yes. Florida's too hot. It's nice in the winter.

[Marlise Alves]

Yeah. Summer's hot.

[Jim Mann]

Yeah. I lived there for a short 22 years.

[Marlise Alves]

Oh, you lived there 22 years?

[Jim Mann]

Yeah, and I ran out of sweat, so I moved back up. So, yeah, I have two daughters in college down there still, and. Okay, they're enjoying it, but they both said they're moving. We went up north.

[Marlise Alves]

You're in the Carolinas, right?

[Jim Mann]

Yes, ma'am.

[Marlise Alves]

South.

[Jim Mann]

South Carolina. It's still too warm for me here. I'm probably better up where you guys are.

[Marlise Alves]

Yeah, I've never been, but here. It's beautiful weather there.

[Jim Mann]

You became a nurse, right?

[Marlise Alves]

Yeah, I'm a registered nurse.

[Jim Mann]

What made you go in that direction? You just Wanted. You were just always interested in that.

[Marlise Alves]

I. I didn't think you were going to ask me this. It's funny story because when I was about 11, 12 years old, I was in a hospital. I had a minor surgery and at that time, I fell in love with the hospital. I said, I want to be a nurse when I grow up. And then in my late teens, nursing wasn't a cool thing to do. You know, I was thinking as a teenager, you know, so I went another direction. So later on, God just had replaced that in my heart. I went back and changed Korea and became a nurse. So when my kids were little, I went back to school.

[Jim Mann]

Wow.

[Marlise Alves]

And I worked for 24 years in a neonatal ICU.

[Jim Mann]

Okay.

[Marlise Alves]

Yeah. But now I'm a retired nurse. Retired registered nurse. And I'm a health coach.

[Jim Mann]

So retired at 40 something, right? Yeah. My, my youngest daughter in college, she's going to be a nurse. Pediatric nurse is what she's.

[Marlise Alves]

Oh, yeah. I love my profession.

[Jim Mann]

Yeah. She's perfect for it. So I hope it goes well for her. Yeah. I'll just have her give you a call, get some advice anytime. I believe I remember correctly, then your mom got a diagnosis, is that right?

[Marlise Alves]

Yes, my mom got diagnosed in 2007 of colon cancer. That's when I actually started my research and looking deeper into this whole cancer, I was already a nurse. But a lot of the things I started learning, I never learned from a nursing school.

[Jim Mann]

Right.

[Marlise Alves]

But if someone was to ask me, growing up in my 20s, 30s, do I consider myself healthy? I would always say yes, because I always watch my weight. I always counted calories, was always low fat this and sugar free this. And I always did my exercises, you know, Jane Fonda days.

[Jim Mann]

Oh, yeah.

[Marlise Alves]

You know, I did Jane Fonda. I did my step aerobic, I did Tai Bow. So I was always exercising and the weight would go on. Weight will come off, but I was healthy. I didn't care about what I ate as long as it was about the calories.

[Jim Mann]

Right.

[Marlise Alves]

So it was until 2007 when my mom did get that diagnosis of colon cancer and somebody gave me VHS back then. Of Dr. Lorraine Day. I know if you ever heard of.

[Jim Mann]

Her, I don't know much about her, but I've heard of her. Yeah.

[Marlise Alves]

Yeah. Dr. Lorraine Day, she was a chief surgeon, orthopedic surgeon, and I believe it was San Francisco. So I started watching a lot of things where she was doing because she declined to have chemo or radiation. She did have surgery. And what I was learning from her, it was something that was blowing my mind because something I never heard of. The power of nutrition.

[Jim Mann]

Right.

[Marlise Alves]

With cancer or any health disease, you know, we always have a prescription for this. Prescription for that.

[Jim Mann]

Yeah.

[Marlise Alves]

So as I was taking my mom to the local hospital where she was getting her chemotherapy, I was very aware now of what they were serving her for lunch, for. For snacks. I was like, this is totally the opposite, what I'm learning from these VHS's.

[Jim Mann]

Yeah.

[Marlise Alves]

So that's when it started my interest a little bit. I don't want to keep talking unless you want to go and ask me a question. Once I start telling my story, I'll just want to keep going.

[Jim Mann]

No, that's fine. That's fine. So, yeah, that, that messes them with the mind. It messes with everybody's mind once they figure out that nutrition has a lot to do with it, but especially someone in the medical field who's been trained and. And I know, I've always heard. I don't know anything. I've always heard that you don't get a lot of teaching on nutrition in any kind of medical school, whether it's nursing or for a doctor. So you probably didn't have any either, did you?

[Marlise Alves]

No, not in the level that I was learning.

[Jim Mann]

Yeah.

[Marlise Alves]

You know, you learn about the microbe, the, the fat content, but nothing as far as helping your body. No, not at all. Not at all. So I wish I knew then what I know now with my mom.

[Jim Mann]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Marlise Alves]

So what I did, I did make some changes and I wasn't so focused on calories. I wasn't. I continued my exercise. I tried keto diet because I knew about the sugar, but I didn't make a big change. I just made some changes and I went on with my life. It wasn't till 2015 when I saw the Truth about Cancer documentary. They did a nice job. Ty and Charlene Belanger and the Global Quest. I learned so much. And this is when I really started making changes and I became very aware and knowledgeable of how we take care of our bodies and how the industry, even though I'm in the medical field, but how there was really no connection with the Western medicine and nutrition. So that's when I made a big changes and I started doing more research myself.

[Jim Mann]

Right.

[Marlise Alves]

And it got to the point that now I'm taking, I'm making big changes with diet, with Nutri, with everything and everything I was learning. I became that person that everybody would call, what. What can I do for this? What can I do for that? And I Had such a passion to help people, to help them. Once you realize you your eyes are open to something, you want to help others. So it became a passion of mine and I was trying to advocate for myself and help others go through things and started sharing. But I had. It's the passion. The passion was really there. So fast forward a little bit. In 2018 was September 2018. My church that I was attending asked me if I would do a teaching to the Christian school that we had at the church. Very small staff. I was like, yes, I would love to teach just basic. I titled it Eat to Live, Don't Live to Eat, Teach people the basics of how to read ingredients about oil change. Everybody needs an oil change. What kind of oils we use matters, additives in a food. Just the basic things. I was teaching them. And my pastor came in during that class and asked if I would do that for the congregation. It's like, whoa, okay, I'll take a step of faith because I want to educate people because it's not my strong point. So I did. It wasn't a Sunday night, Sunday morning service, was a Wednesday night service. So at least was a smaller group.

[Jim Mann]

Yeah.

[Marlise Alves]

And I did that, and I do that to the congregation. And the feedback was so great. People ask me, you know, different things. They want to know more. They want to go deep, go deeper. And we started doing a small group of where I would just teach. The church is very big, so we would have small groups or different things. So this was a small group teaching them how to eat, how to eat, how to live a healthy lifestyle. So, Jim, I was on the spiritual high. Like God is using me to, to help others, to see beyond the conventional medicine, how to live a holistic lifestyle in myself. Like I said, I was really applying other things that I had been learning. So it was 2018, and the 2018 holidays was coming on. So put it on hold. Let's start the small group in January. Well, December, I started not feeling good. Just generalized flu, like symptoms.

[Jim Mann]

Right.

[Marlise Alves]

And I was supposed to work that Christmas and was Christmas Eve. I was usually, whenever I get sick, if I have a cold, it's just a couple of days, it's gone. And this just kept lingering and I wasn't feeling better. But I was supposed to work Christmas Day at the hospital. So you. You can't call out on Christmas Day. You have to have a doctor's note.

[Jim Mann]

Right.

[Marlise Alves]

So Christmas Eve, I call my pcp. There's no way I could work because I would go down the stairs from the hospital, walking across the parking lot. And I was getting tired. It was, it wasn't, I'm full of energy. And I. At this time, I was, I was doing step anymore, but I was doing cycling, I was doing spin classes, and I was running out of energy. So I went to see my doctor Christmas Eve, the lab has all been. Have all been closed. He looked at my throat, he said, you look like you have strep throat. Put me on antibiotics and steroids. Not my favorite thing. But I had to do something. I wasn't feeling good, right? Got the note for the hospital and I was out of work for two weeks. And I started feeling a little better. And then I went back to work beginning of January, like second week of January. And I started feeling lousy again. The same symptoms again. So I called my pcp. I said, something is wrong. I think I must have mono. I mean, I never had it, but this kind of symptoms. Can you send me for a test for Epstein Barr virus? And how about just the cbc chemistry? Let's see what's going on. So I got a call later on that day after getting the lab work to come into the office. So when I went in, I was positive for mono. And I found out later the Epstein virus now is actually something that could trigger cancer. And so anyway, he says to me, he looks at me, he says, we need to get you to see Hematology. Hematologist, oncologist. So that right there tells me, okay, you're thinking cancer, blood cancer, right?

[Jim Mann]

That's scary.

[Marlise Alves]

So come to find out, I went that same afternoon, I went to see the Hema oncology. I asked him to repeat the blood work again. I wanted to make sure just in case it was a fluke. But no. Full blown aml. Acute myeloid leukemia.

[Jim Mann]

Wow.

[Marlise Alves]

Now, up to that point, from what I had learned, I always told my husband, if I have a tumor, breast cancer, if I have a tumor anywhere, I am not jumping into the conventional medicine. I'm going to do as much as I can naturally because I know the tumor doesn't grow overnight over a week. It takes a long time. But this took me for a loop. Gym. It came out of nowhere. AML is aggressive, it's fast. It's a cancer that I wasn't that familiar with. And I remember leaving that doctor's office and my husband came with me for that appointment. He wasn't with me with the first one because there was no need to. I was just going to get results of my blood work, right? So for the Hemat oncology He. That one, he was with me. And we left the office. The oncologist wanted me. It was 4:30 in the afternoon. He squeezed me. The last appointment. He wanted me to leave there and go straight to the hospital, get admitted to the hospital. I couldn't do that. I wanted to come home. So we left. I got on the elevator and my husband said, just take a deep breath. And Jim, you know, the Bible tells us God has not given us a spirit of fear, which is true. The Bible is true. Right. But fear comes. Fear comes. And I remember telling this, like, I just want to choke up because I remember looking up and just saying, God, help me keep my eyes on youn. Jesus, help me keep my eyes on youn. Because I know youw're my healer. And I know you're the one that walked me through this because I was scared. I was. I felt so powerless and defeated and because I came from this high that God is using me to help others. And here I am feeling so defeated. There goes my credibility now, right? Don't know what to do. I was one that did not never want a chemo. And here I am not knowing what to do. But I cried out to God, right? And he heard me. So came home, spoke with my children, my two adult children, and I ended up that morning going to a local hospital and get admitted. So now I'm dealing with. I can't believe I'm going to put this toxic chemotherapy into my body.

[Jim Mann]

Wow.

[Marlise Alves]

But I did. I went. I started off in a hospital in Rhode island, then I transferred myself to a fine institution in Boston. And I say that because everybody says to me, even now, people say, but you did the right thing. You went to the better, the best hospital you could get.

[Jim Mann]

Yeah.

[Marlise Alves]

I said, you know, I used to tell my oncologist at the Boston, I had a great relationship with him till I stopped my chemo. I said to him, it's a cookie cutter mentality. So I tell people, yeah, I went to Boston. The care was a little different. There were some things of the hospital I like better, but as far as the treatment, it's a cookie cutter mentality. So whether I'm in Rhode Island, Boston, Florida, North Carolina, California, it's always, it's the same. There are two phases for my aml, that the way they're going to treat it. So. So I went in, I ended up being in the hospital for 40 days. I said, 40 days in the wilderness.

[Jim Mann]

Wow. Yeah.

[Marlise Alves]

So phase one of chemo, I was for a whole month. I did it. I was praying the whole time. But God is so graceful. He started showing me, hadn't I taken care of my body? Hadn't I support my body through this? I don't think I would be here. The doctors, the oncologist used to tell me, not everybody goes into remission after the first round. The first phase, they call it the induction phase. I did. I went right into remission. They did another test called the minimal residual test that showed if there's any residual cancer cells, and that was gone after the first one. So now I'm praying, like, do I stop this? Because I was living through the nightmare that I had been seeing and hearing. Like, I'm actually living this out. I'm having conversations with my oncologist that, oh, my gosh, this is the answer they give you. For example, one of the things I liked about the facility where I was at in Boston, I had my own little refrigerator. So I had my own stash of stuff in there.

[Jim Mann]

Yeah.

[Marlise Alves]

My husband would cook for me. I tried to stay away from the hospital foods, and I did the best I could. You can only do so much while you're in the hospital. And my husband would cook for me. He would cook organic. I could not have raw vegetables, raw fruits, anything raw. They weren't allowed. But he cooked for me the best that he could. And so I ate everything that he brought in, and I stayed away from the snack carts that came around in the morning and in the afternoon. And it broke my heart when I saw the other patients, people, the visitors, they would have in their rooms that would come out and just stock up and nothing but sugar. You know, one time my doctor said to me, because after I went to the phase one, now the phase two of the treatment, they call it consolidation, which is maintenance, then I was allowed to come home after 40 days, and then I would go back in for five days, get the treatment, and then came back again. So one of my visits, he said to me, you're losing so much weight. They were very concerned about the weight. You're losing so much weight. We need you to put some weight on. He leaned over on his desk and he says to me, I need you to eat some ice cream, some milkshake. I leaned back to him and I said, absolutely not. I said, what you're telling me is you're putting out the fire. Now you're saying, let's throw some kerosene back in there. I said, well, not do that.

[Jim Mann]

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[Marlise Alves]

So I continued to do the best I could while in the hospital, and I would. Because of what I've known, what I knew at that point, I was my own advocate. I asked them, with all the blood work you're doing, can you do a vitamin D3 check on me. Why? Malice, I was asked. Everybody's vitamin D3 is low. It's the middle of the winter. I said, well, hopefully mine isn't, because that was one of the things I had in my little refrigerator. And. And also probiotic. I said, I was on probiotic, my own. Why are you on probiotic? I said, because I had antibiotic infused intravenously for 30 days straight. I'm trying to protect my gut. You know, when I asked them, is this going to destroy the stem cells? No, that it doesn't do. So I had to take control as much as I could while in the hospital.

[Jim Mann]

Right.

[Marlise Alves]

So then after the consolidation, they wanted me to do four more rounds of that. So I did one praying, just playing God, like, when do I stop? When do I stop? I know I need to stop and. But I didn't have that peace. I was waiting for that peace of God that surpasses all understanding, to just know, be at peace. To know this is it. So I did round two. And then, Jim, I started really getting sick. You know, I started getting the cumulative effect now of this toxic. Toxic stuff that I'm putting into my body.

[Jim Mann]

Yeah.

[Marlise Alves]

And I. One day, my temperature was so high, it went to 104. I developed rash all over my body. Not only was itchy, was painful at the same time, but I realized, okay, one, I got to stop. This is time to stop. My body is trying to fight in my behalf. This temperature is my body trying to fight my behalf. Yeah, the. The rash that I was having, I know is I'm detoxifying. My body's doing. What is it supposed to do? That's when I knew without a shadow of a doubt, I'm choosing to stop this. So I called my oncologist and told them that I would stop. And of course, he thought I was crazy, But I knew nobody was going to convince Me otherwise that I knew. I got to the point that I've had enough.

[Jim Mann]

Right.

[Marlise Alves]

So I stopped at the chemo and he asked me if I would like to continue being monitored by them. I said, I said yeah, I would do that. And somebody was supposed to call me to set up an appointment. I'm still waiting.

[Jim Mann]

Oh really?

[Marlise Alves]

That was in 2019. I won't have a call. So I continued to be followed from that point on with my pcp, continue my blood work. And so I ended the chemo and but some of the things I kept doing at the same time. In addition to vitamin D3 in the probiotic, I continued probiotic for a whole year. I also was doing easy acting. My husband started making easy acting and took it to the hospital. I was taking easy acti.

[Jim Mann]

Wow.

[Marlise Alves]

I was taking cursing. I was doing a multi. I was doing vitamin C again and trying to control as much as I could with food. Once I was able to come home, I had more control of the food. That's when I went into juicing. I went into raw food and I learned about becancer.org they were very helpful. From that point on I went to whole food plant based. I changed the water in the house to reverse osmosis. We fine tuned the chemical environment around the house from what we put into our bodies. I started doing castor oil packages, coffee animus. I started doing that because I knew I had to do some serious detoxifying.

[Jim Mann]

Yeah.

[Marlise Alves]

Along with probiotic for a year. And I started in a supplement called blood building supplement. And so I did as much as I could. And that was 2019. I took a total of seven months out of work to rebuild my body.

[Jim Mann]

Right.

[Marlise Alves]

And I went ahead in 2022 and got a certified now as a health coach to go back helping others. This was not the path I wanted.

[Jim Mann]

No.

[Marlise Alves]

But God saw me through that, answered my prayer when I asked him to keep his eyes on him. Keep my eyes on him. And he built me up. So I went through a time was mentally, physically, challenging and spiritually. But God was there, took me through it. I know my journey is different from others, but so I did chemo part of it. And then in 2022, in 2023, I 2022, 2023, 2022 I that's when I learned about crispy cancer. I wish I knew about Chris.

[Jim Mann]

Yeah.

[Marlise Alves]

I learned about crispy cancer and incorporated square one which is a lot what I was already doing.

[Jim Mann]

Right.

[Marlise Alves]

But I started doing a lot of his also anti cancer revolution. I learned a lot from Them too. The Dead documentary. And that's how I heard about Healing strong. And in 2023, I called one of the Zoom meetings from Massachusetts. Nancy and I joined her Zoom meeting a couple of times. And now God is really targeting my heart. These people are awesome. You know, spending time on Healing Strong's website, like, oh, my gosh. And you know, we share the same faith, and these people are awesome. So God's talking in my heart, you should become a leader. Should become a leader. So I did. So beginning of 2024, I started a group in Rhode island with a church that now attend Awakening Church in Smithfield, Rhode Island. Little Rhode Island. And I am doing away. It's Awakening. We call it Crew, but a small group. The way I was when I first got sick.

[Jim Mann]

Right.

[Marlise Alves]

So we just finished the first year of Healing Strong crew meetings, and it's just been awesome. I feel God has took me around back a full circle to where I was.

[Jim Mann]

Yeah, I can imagine. Especially with your background being a nurse and then doing all that research and then all of a sudden being sick. That must been very confusing for you, like, oh, hey, what is going on here? And then the chemo, I totally understand that because, you know, that's probably not the best route to go. But then when all of a sudden you're sick and you sick with an aggressive cancer, right. Like, wow, what direction do I go? Which is an excellent thing that makes us rely on God when we're like, totally confused and we're like, oh, I don't know what to do, even though I have all this knowledge, but sometimes God has to take us to those points to help us to realize, wow, maybe I should rely on him and get some direction.

[Marlise Alves]

Exactly. 100%. 100%.

[Jim Mann]

Yeah.

[Marlise Alves]

You know, and the script that says, lean on unto your own understanding, in all your ways, acknowledge him and he will direct your path. That's what I did because I really thought I would never do chemo. I would never do that. But I was in a situation, I was very confused. I didn't know what else to do.

[Jim Mann]

Yeah, you can relate to other people that are in that same situation.

[Marlise Alves]

Oh, for sure, for sure.

[Jim Mann]

Yeah. You don't have to say you're crazy doing that chemo. You totally understand why they do that.

[Marlise Alves]

And for sure.

[Jim Mann]

Yeah, that. That's incredible. And now you've been doing the Healing Strong since the big first part of this year.

[Marlise Alves]

Yes. That in February.

[Jim Mann]

Wow. With a state that small, you can probably get people from all corners of.

[Marlise Alves]

That state, even Massachusetts, right?

[Jim Mann]

Yeah. Connecticut that's incredible. You also have a website where, for your. What's it called? Wellness with marlise.com.

[Marlise Alves]

Yeah. Wellnesswithmarlease.com. yeah.

[Jim Mann]

And you do coaching and that kind of thing?

[Marlise Alves]

I do health coaching, yes. Yes, yes.

[Jim Mann]

Wow. Is that going well for you?

[Marlise Alves]

It is. It is. That and healing strong. I get so much enjoyment out of it.

[Jim Mann]

Yeah.

[Marlise Alves]

It's so rewarding. And that's something I always liked as a nurse, and now I continue to do it in a different. Different approach, in a holistic approach.

[Jim Mann]

That sounds great. And you physically are. Are fine now, right?

[Marlise Alves]

Oh, yeah. So I. First, I was being followed by my pcp. He. And he retired. So I said, well, let me get a hemat oncologist here in Rhode Island. And I've been seeing him for two years. March of this year, he says to me, he's looking at the chart, he says, all my, you know, records. He goes, I can look at you and tell you you are cured.

[Jim Mann]

Wow.

[Marlise Alves]

It's like. That's not a word you usually hear in a cancer oncologist. I knew that. But it's very good to hear.

[Jim Mann]

Yes.

[Marlise Alves]

But, you know, you keep your guards up. I will never go back the lifestyle I had, just counting calories. And look, it's. You never. You. You forever changed.

[Jim Mann]

Right, Right. Whatever you have to.

[Marlise Alves]

And it's still, you know, sometimes you get. If you get a pain here, there, it's like, oh, what is that? Oh, yeah, you know, that still comes. But I got to keep my guards up and take care of my body, because it's all about building the terrain.

[Jim Mann]

Right, Right. Yeah. Whatever you were doing before, something was out of balance.

[Marlise Alves]

Correct.

[Jim Mann]

And so, yeah, you got to change. That's a. That's a big part about people who do. Do chemo, who think, you know, well, whatever the doctor says I have to do. But they don't change their lifestyle. And that's why, you know, it usually comes back with a vengeance. Because anything else and. Yeah, just beyond me. And I have no medical background. I'm really bad in the medical field. But, you know, I even have the logic to realize, you know, you have to change something. You can't eat garbage and expect your body to be healthy.

[Marlise Alves]

Exactly. I like to use the analogy, like when I ask my oncologist, is this going to destroy the stem cell? No.

[Jim Mann]

Yeah.

[Marlise Alves]

I like to use analogies. Like, if you have a plant and the plant's not healthy and it's dying, so you just cut off the plant. But if you leave that root in there, you know, there's a chance that that plant is going to come back up.

[Jim Mann]

Oh, yeah.

[Marlise Alves]

Right. So you gotta. You know, it's all about the terrain in our bodies. You can't. I can't totally, you know, say that's because chemo put me into remission. No, I'm good. I'm going back living lifestyle. That'd be foolish of me.

[Jim Mann]

Yes. Yes, indeed.

[Marlise Alves]

So prevention is the best medicine. We have a lot of people in our group that. We have some that has active cancer, but a lot of people just want to learn.

[Jim Mann]

Right.

[Marlise Alves]

How to preventively, you know, walk this walk of health and wellness.

[Jim Mann]

Yeah. And you've kept your reputation on knowing what you're talking about.

[Marlise Alves]

Yeah. So I'm so grateful to God that I made this complete circle, and God is back using me. So even when I get invited to the podcast, I got to tell you, this is out of my comfort zone. But it's like, I'm gonna tell my story. Because if you can help one person.

[Jim Mann]

Yes.

[Marlise Alves]

It's so worth it.

[Jim Mann]

That's right.

[Marlise Alves]

It's so worth it.

[Jim Mann]

Anybody listening? If you ever travel through Rhode island, you'll probably see her, because it's not that big. Right. Well, Marlise, I appreciate taking the time to do this. And is there anything else you want to throw out there before we go?

[Marlise Alves]

No, I just want to say thank you for the opportunity to do this.

[Jim Mann]

Sure.

[Marlise Alves]

Because my heart. I have such a passion for health and wellness, and my heart is for people, is to help others, and they're not alone. God is always there.

[Jim Mann]

That's right.

[Marlise Alves]

And there's hope.

[Jim Mann]

That's right. Indeed. And don't Forget, go to wellnesswithmarlease.com for more information or to get a hold of you. I'm sure if people will have some questions, perhaps especially knowing that you have the knowledge, being a nurse and, you know, a certified holistic cancer coach.

[Marlise Alves]

Right, right.

[Jim Mann]

All right, well, thank you so much.

[Marlise Alves]

Oh, thank you. Thank you.

[Narrator]

You've been listening to the I Am Healing Strong podcast, a part of the Healing Strong organization. We hope you found encouragement in this episode, as well as the confidence to take control of your healing journey, knowing that God will guide you on this path. Healing Strong is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to connect, support, and educate individuals facing cancer and other diseases through strategies that help to rebuild the body, renew the soul, and refresh the spirit. It costs nothing to be a part of a local or online group. You can do that by going to our [e-mail] and finding a group near you, or an online group, or start your own. Your choice. While you're there, take a look around at all the free resources. Though the resources and groups are free, we encourage you to join our membership program at $25 or $75 a month. This helps us to be able to reach more people with hope and encouragement. And that also comes with some extra perks as well. So check it out. If you enjoyed this podcast, please give us a five star rating. Leave an encouraging comment and help us spread the word. We'll see you next week with another story on the I Am Healing Strong podcast.