My WHY

My Journey with Mikah and the Inadequacies of Conventional Medicine: A Call for a Holistic Approach
 

My second son, Mikah, was born healthy and developed normally in his early years—he was a thriving child with no signs of illness. Then, in February of 2023, everything changed. He was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and our world turned upside down.

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Initially, I placed my trust in conventional medicine, following the recommended treatment protocols. Mikah underwent five rounds of high-dose chemotherapy, but after the first relapse, we were left with more questions than answers. Cancer cells were found in his spinal fluid, and no one in the mainstream medical world seemed to understand what was happening. They simply told us that cancer was "just unlucky" and suggested we move toward a bone marrow transplant. But just days before the procedure, the cancer reappeared in his spinal fluid. After his second relapse in late July 2023, the medical team told me there was nothing more they could do and advised me to take him home to die.

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As a mother, I couldn’t accept that answer. My instincts told me that this path didn’t make sense. I started to question why we weren’t offered any other treatment options, why diet wasn’t part of the conversation, and why no one was looking at the root causes of his illness.

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This led me to research alternative treatments, including books like How to Starve Cancer by Jane McClelland and The Metabolic Approach to Cancer by Nasha Winters. Both authors shared their journeys of overcoming terminal cancer, and in doing so, opened my eyes to the importance of addressing the root causes of illness, not just the symptoms.

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As I explored these alternative approaches, I realized that Mikah’s treatment was not addressing the underlying issues. Why wasn’t diet being discussed as a part of his treatment? Why was he being fed processed foods, including carcinogenic substances like processed meats and sugar-laden snacks, in the hospital?

 

Why was the role of toxins in his body never examined? This journey revealed that many of the cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, radiation, and bone marrow transplants, are designed to remove the burden from the immune system, yet they don’t investigate the root causes of cancer, such as environmental toxins, diet, and metabolism.

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One of the most shocking realizations for me was the potential role that glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup, may have played in Mikah’s diagnosis. Glyphosate is linked to cancer, yet when I mentioned the possibility to doctors, I was told that there was no evidence supporting the connection.

 

Glyphosate is legal, widely sprayed, and found in much of the food we consume, yet it wasn’t something we tested for—something that now seems like a glaring omission.

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Additionally, the medical community rarely discusses the impact of environmental toxins on cancer. For example, the immune system plays a key role in fighting cancer, yet we load our bodies with toxins—chemicals in food, chemicals in our environment, chemicals in the air we breathe—and wonder why cancer rates continue to rise. Our bodies are bombarded with toxic stressors, and they cannot mount an adequate immune response when bogged down by these toxins.

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Think about it—cancer treatments like bone marrow transplants, immunotherapies, and chemotherapy all focus on boosting or “resetting” the immune system to fight the disease.

 

But why isn’t there more focus on optimizing the immune system from the start? Why aren’t we exploring diet, detoxification, and lifestyle factors that could support immune function?

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Mikah's case was a wake-up call that the conventional medical system doesn't always provide all the answers. When we were told Mikah was "just unlucky," I began to question why there was no deep investigation into the root causes of his illness.

 

Why wasn't his terrain—the physical, environmental, and metabolic factors that could have led to cancer—explored? And why wasn’t there more focus on his body’s ability to detoxify and recover?

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As Mikah’s treatment continued, I sought out an integrative doctor who performed extensive testing to assess his terrain. The results were shocking—heavy metals, mold, pesticides, and “forever chemicals” were all present in his system. His toxin levels were overwhelming, and after starting a detox protocol, we even discovered that he had parasites in his system. Yet, conventional medicine did not explore these possibilities.

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By September 2023, I was learning that the true causes of cancer are rarely discussed in mainstream oncology. There was no mention of the metabolic approach to cancer, which looks at the body’s metabolism as the root cause of disease. The oncologists simply kept offering chemo, a treatment that, while effective in some cases, can also cause long-term damage to the body.

 

Mikah’s immune system was failing, and yet no one was looking at the big picture.

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We were close to seeing an integrative pediatric oncologist when Mikah passed away on November 5, 2023. His body had suffered too much damage from the excessive chemotherapy. His nervous system was shutting down. Mikah died from complications related to the chemotherapy used to treat the cancer-- cachexia and pulmonary embolisms, two common causes of death for cancer patients.

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In the aftermath of Mikah’s passing, I made a decision to leave behind my career in allopathic (conventional) medicine, which I had practiced for over 13 years, including seven years as a Nurse Practitioner in emergency medicine.

 

Instead, I chose to pursue a new path in integrative and metabolic approaches to health. I have finished the Metabolic Approach to Cancer program through the Metabolic Institute of Health and have joined a community of over 800 practitioners worldwide who focus on treating the root causes of illness.

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I am now committed to helping others address chronic diseases, not just with symptom management but by investigating the root causes—whether it’s toxins, diet, gut health, stress, or environmental factors.

 

The body has an innate wisdom, and when we remove the burdens placed on it, it has the power to heal itself.

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It’s critical that we ask questions and demand to know the causes of illness. Why are you sick? What are your symptoms really telling you? Why are your genes being expressed the way they are? We have more control over our health than we’re often led to believe.

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Mikah’s death has been a difficult and painful lesson, but it has also driven me to advocate for holistic, root-cause approaches to health. I’m working to educate others and to offer a better, more personalized approach to wellness through MTM Wellness.

 

By focusing on the terrain and addressing the metabolic and environmental factors that influence health, we can begin to reverse chronic disease and improve quality of life.

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As a faith-based Christian Nurse Practitioner, my journey is deeply rooted in my belief that we were created for more than just surviving. We are meant to thrive and to care for our bodies as temples. I am here to support those who seek to understand the root causes of their illness and to find solutions that go beyond the limitations of traditional medicine.

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Modern medicine is remarkable for treating acute conditions and emergencies, but for chronic diseases, we must address the causes and work to restore balance.

 

I am here to help guide you on this path of discovery, healing, and prevention.

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Welcome to MTM Wellness—where there is hope and a path toward better health.