Hannah’s story


Hannah lives with a less serious form of lymphoma but all forms are not good I guess. This is an update two plus years after her diagnosis. She has needed no chemotherapy, no radiation and no prednisone. I thought maybe her owner’s words would be better than mine.

“In May 2008, my husband Will was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Two months later, our 10 year-old Lab Hannah was diagnosed with lymphoma. With such devastating news, I immediately sought out as much information as I could get my hands on. I read, I did research, and I talked to as many health professionals as I could. Although I could not do away with the cancer, I knew that I could do one important thing that would help them stay as healthy as possible during the coming months — I decided to provide them with the best nutrition possible! Since I love to cook, it was a natural place for me to throw all of my energy. I educated myself on what was the best food for both of them as well as supplements that are known for boosting the immune system and helping to decrease the growth of cancer. In this regard, I received tremendous support and advice from naturopathic doctors, especially our vet Donna Kelleher.

To keep me organized, I had my “TLC” sheet for Will and another “TLC” sheet for Hannah. I put a photo of each of them at the top of the page: one of Will tanned and smiling on a recent vacation to Mexico, the other of Hannah with her favorite ball stuffed firmly between her teeth. Below their photos, I had a list and chart of the things they needed to eat every day. I pasted these sheets on my kitchen cabinet. I stopped feeding Hannah kibble and started cooking her food. We all ate mostly veggies, lots of the green leafy kind such as kale, swiss chard, spinach and parsley, as well as carrots and sweet potatoes. We stayed away from fatty foods and had mostly lean meats and fish. Hannah, being a Lab, had no problems eating whatever I put before her. On the recommendation of our vet Donna, I started giving Hannah doses of mycomedicinals along with COQ10 and Grapefruit Seed Extract. Throughout the months that followed, I committed myself to staying calm, projecting an upbeat attitude and providing the most nutritious love-filled food I could.

Two years later, we are all here, happy together! Will is now cancer free, and the lymphoma, although still present, has not progressed since Hannah’s diagnosis, which really seems like a miracle to us given the usual aggressive nature of lymphoma. She remains a beautiful sweet dog soul who amazes us with her continued energy and robust appetite. And therein perhaps lies the answer to this miracle. I can almost hear her thinking, “The food is so good here why go anywhere else.”