Pink Hope

By: Stephanie Benney

Leaves of amber, cinnamon and sunshine dance their last symphony to the soon-to- be dormant ground, where they will take their final bow in closing a season of stellar performances.  The wind that was once soft and warm suddenly kisses us with a premonition of what is to come; and the sun sets earlier, signaling to us that it is time to prepare for our winter hibernation.

October is a beautiful time of the year and some of the most magnificent wonders of nature are experienced during Autumn.  I like to think that it is also one of the reasons October was chosen as “National Breast Cancer Awareness Month”, as it mimics the grace and beauty of a woman.

Breast cancer is not prejudice; it will attack regardless of race, color, religion or age.  Many of us have fought the good fight ourselves, or no someone special who has.  The strength and courage it takes for a woman to fight for her life is immeasurable.  Fear often creeps in and heavily influences decisions.

One of the biggest  decisions a woman will make during her battle with breast cancer is that of treatment.  While chemotherapy and radiation are traditional treatments for cancer, it never made sense to me.  I don’t believe that killing off good cells along with the cancer cells is the appropriate solution.  It is simply treating the cancer, not the person.  More and more women are looking to alternative, holistic means for treating their breast cancer.

In 2002, John Kanzius was diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia and decided to use his years of expertise in engineering to develop an alternative, non-invasive cancer treatment, by using radio frequency waves.   His efforts have been supported by The University of Pittsburgh, The University of North Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and the late Richard Smalley, winner of a Nobel Peace Prize for his work with carbon nanoparticles.

Kanzius was struck with his idea to use radio waves and nanoparticles to destroy cancer cells during one of his sleepless nights after a chemotherapy treatment.  The chemo had left him sick, so he wanted to develop a treatment that was not only non-invasive, but would not cause any side effects.

John Kanzius came up with a way to inject cancer with metallic nanoparticles. The radio waves were concentrated on the tumor, causing the nanoparticles to heat up and ultimately destroy the tumor.  Radio waves are not harmful to humans or animals, enabling Kanzius’ treatment not to have any repercussions. The cancers targeted with Kanzius’ treatments are liver, pancreatic, colon, prostate, breast, melanomic, lung and leukemia.

Unfortunately, on February 18th, 2009, John Kanzius lost his battle with cancer.  However, The Kanzius Cancer Research Foundation has been established and with the work of Dr. Steven Curley of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Dr. David Geller of The University of Pittsburgh, John Kanzius’ passion and research is able to continue.

People and stories like John Kanzius will be the reason why someday we will be able to watch our mothers, grandmothers, daughters and girlfriends fight cancer victoriously and without the poisoning effects of chemotherapy and radiation.  There will be many more beautiful October days to celebrate autumn and the gift of life.

For more information regarding Kanzius Cancer Research Foundation or to make a donation, please visit www.kanziuscancerresearch.com

Stephanie Benney is a “Sustainable Visionary” and also the new Pittsburgh Representative for Fuzed Marketing, where she helps companies increase their brand presence. stephaniebenney@yahoo.com