A woman who almost died trying to cure her cancer with a juice diet has warned others against ‘cutting out’ traditional medical advice and trying to source alternative information online.
Medics tried to get Irena Stoynova to use conventional cancer treatments after she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in June 2021, but she ‘shut them out’.
Instead of chemotherapy, the former model says she sought out alternatives online and took the advice of a social media influencer who claims the body can ‘heal itself’ with help of a radical lifestyle and diet changes.
Ms Stoynova, from Crondall in Hampshire, followed various diets and holistic therapies for two-and-a-half years, which left her emaciated with fluid on her lungs.
Doctors said she was on the verge of death when she was taken to Frimley Park Hospital by ambulance in May last year.
She was told by Dr Clare Rees that she would likely die without treatment for her cancer – which was stage three – but Ms Stoynova continued to refuse for a number of days before finally agreeing to receive chemotherapy.
Ms Stoynova spent 50 days in the hospital’s acute dependency unit.
She said when she was first diagnosed that she decided against traditional treatments after ‘reading about and watching many doctors and professors talk about the success rate of alternative therapies online’.
The 39-year-old, who now works in sales, said she did a juice diet for two-and-a-half years, but also tried a raw diet, intermittent fasting, boiling herbs and special teas.
Speaking about her diagnosis, she said: ‘I was devastated, the whole world just closed around me and I felt really alone.’
She said that she was advised to start chemotherapy, but instead turned to the internet to find alternative advice.
‘I found an American guy who has millions of followers who promoted holistic treatment,’ she said.
‘He had a podcast where he interviewed very knowledgeable doctors and professors who are talking about holistic treatment and they called standard treatment “outrageous”.
‘They said that people who had chemotherapy are “lazy” and don’t want to put in the hard work of holistic treatment.’
Ms Stoynova continued: ‘The guy has three or four books on how to heal cancer holistically – how to make salads, use different herbs, juicing, intermittent fasting – there were so many testimonials, so many people that did it.
‘I spent £2,000 on juicers – one for smoothies, one for carrots, one for citrus and one for everything else. I spent two to three hours a day making juice for the next day.
‘I was a fanatic. It was like tunnel vision.’
She added: ‘I didn’t stop (when I should have), I was just so weak, I had sleep deprivation and hallucinations. I didn’t even have the strength to open the door for the delivery man.
‘I couldn’t breathe due to fluid on my lungs, and I lost about 20 kilograms because of the dieting.’
She was hospitalized in May 2023, but even an emergency hospital admission did not stop attempts to treat her cancer with holistic methods.
Doctors had frustrating discussions with her, but eventually, after 10 days in the hospital, she agreed to start chemotherapy.
Dr. Rees, a haematologist at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, stated: ‘It took about 10 days from Irena’s admission until she started chemo, and there were some very frustrating conversations during that time.
‘About five days into Irena’s admission, I truly thought that, despite what we were saying, she was going to refuse and as a result die very soon, which I found quite devastating actually.’
Ms. Stoynova, who is now in remission, added: ‘I now tell people that the side effects from chemotherapy are easy compared to the side effects I experienced from trying the holistic treatment.
‘When you have Instagram, Facebook, or even Google, there will be millions of people claiming that they cured cancer holistically with organic carrots and parsley.
‘What I would say is it’s great to have beliefs, as long as they're backed by science, and please don’t disconnect from your consultants.
‘I disconnected from consultants and everything related to standard medicine and I almost lost my life.’
She added: ‘If you have cancer, you need something much more effective than organic carrot juice and celery.’
Dr. Rees continued: ‘This is an extreme situation, and within the first 24 hours of Irena’s admission, I was unsure whether she would survive or not.
‘But the issue is that misinformation often spreads faster than the truth, and obviously, if someone’s given the choice of juice versus tablets or chemotherapy and injecting drugs into their bodies, you can see why they would prefer to do something if it will give them the same result – but the problem is that it's not evidence-based practice.
‘We always encourage people to seek genuine information from Lymphoma Action or Macmillan Cancer Support.’
.
