December 3, 2024 • 30 mins
On this episode, we will hear from Jason Berger, a 20-year survivor of primary CNS lymphoma. He will share key learnings from his remarkable journey beyond a 2-year prognosis, now 20 years later. Jason is a truly inspirational human being, who will move us with his courage, tenacity and love of life.
Five To Thrive Live is broadcast live Tuesdays at 7PM ET and Music on W4CS Radio – The Cancer Support Network (www.w4cy.com) part of Talk 4 Radio (www.talk4radio.com) on the Talk 4 Media Network (www.talk4media.com).
Five To Thrive Live Podcast is also available on Talk 4 Media (www.talk4media.com), Talk 4 Podcasting (www.talk4podcasting.com), iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, Pandora, Spotify, Audible, and over 100 other podcast outlets.
Five To Thrive Live is broadcast live Tuesdays at 7PM ET and Music on W4CS Radio – The Cancer Support Network (www.w4cy.com) part of Talk 4 Radio (www.talk4radio.com) on the Talk 4 Media Network (www.talk4media.com).
Five To Thrive Live Podcast is also available on Talk 4 Media (www.talk4media.com), Talk 4 Podcasting (www.talk4podcasting.com), iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, Pandora, Spotify, Audible, and over 100 other podcast outlets.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Any health related information on the following show provides general
information only. Content presented on any show by any host
or guests should not be substituted for a doctor's advice.
Always consult your physician before beginning any new diet, exercise,
or treatment program.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
I'm Devived to Thrive Live, a podcast about thriving for
those who have been affected by cancer and chronic disease,
and doctor Lisa Schuler and I co host with my
good friend Carolyn Gazella. You can find all of our
past show podcasts on iHeart Radio, Spotify, Pandora, iTunes, Stitcher,
and any other major podcast out lit. You can also
(01:01):
find our schedule of past shows on ithriveplan dot com.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Well tonight, I am.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Going to be talking with Jason Berger about his remarkable
journey of survival against all odds, and I'm not going
to really say much more than that because i want
to give him the opportunity to share his stories. So
He's going to share his story and really give us
his insight into what some of the most important elements
are in his experience of survival. But before we talk
(01:31):
with Jason, I want to thank our sponsors.
Speaker 4 (01:33):
First.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
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(02:16):
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Speaker 3 (02:32):
Well, Hello Jason, welcome to Vive to Thrive Live.
Speaker 4 (02:36):
Hi doctor Alsha, How are you?
Speaker 3 (02:38):
I'm very good? How are you today?
Speaker 4 (02:41):
I'm remarkable. Thank you for asking.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
I had to ask that because I knew you were
going to answer. I love that that is your answer.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
It's been very consistently your answer every time I've asked
you that for many years.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
So you know, we have to start with your cancer story.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
And this all began for you in two thousand and
four at the tender age of thirty four.
Speaker 3 (02:59):
So what happened today?
Speaker 4 (03:02):
Yeah, I was thirty four years old. I was living
my best life. I had been working as a police
officer at my first apartment since ninety eighth four, and
I went next door to my second apartment in a Pennance,
and I had been playing on a police travel softball
team called the Ohio lom And that travel all over
the country to play tournaments that raise money for the
(03:24):
families of falling offices, being very competitive, winning a silver
and two gold medals in the Police of Olympics. I
had better than twenty twenty vision, I had better than
average handoue coronation, and I was top of my game.
I was also newly hired on my second apartment, and
(03:46):
I was awarded by the county and the States separately
for going above and beyond the call of duty, being
awarded the Silver and Gold War twice. I was a
good cop too, again at the top of my game,
and I was of all my second shooting a month
and a half on the job and out and over
three days later on a twelve hour night shift, a
(04:07):
life changing grandma seizure. For those who don't know what
that is, that's the big Daddy, that's the one that
you lock up. You lose consciousness, foam bit my tongue.
It was horrible. I was rushed to a local hospital.
I was then life lighted to the Clinent clinic and
I was there about a week before they get in
his diagnosis. Because in four those that had primary central
(04:29):
nervous system and fall mall either had AIDS, HIV, had
an organ transplant, or elderly that would make them all
mune compromise and I had none of these. So for
me to get this rare disease. And when I say rare,
it was less than four percent of all brain up
on was worldwide. When I say it was rare, it
(04:49):
was a complete shock to the doctor's and me. Now
hindsight being twenty twenty looking back, I grew up at
the base of a toxic landfill, and it was the
cancer case off the charts. My mom died at fifty
six at livery and colon cancer. Many others died of
other cancers. And actually Cleveland Seen Magazine, a local magazine,
(05:13):
did a four page ogup called a Tomb with a View,
and I'm the name guy in that article and the
EPA completely turn a blind eye. Now I've got a
blind Ey'm missing my left eye. That took my left eye.
And my website's called Murray roadstrong dot com because I
grew up on Murray Road, murri and Posic maybe eighty houses.
And as I staated earlier, the cancer cases are off
the charts. Now the kids I grew up with having kids,
(05:35):
those kids are having health issues being traced back to
that parent that grew up on his who streets. My
ex wife was pregnant twice eight weeks. Was probably a
blessing in his guys, because who knows what kind of
health issues they would have had.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
So two thousand and four, you got this very rare
and pretty fatal diagnosis. You know, the outlook for people
with primary central nervers system lymphoma is not good. So
tell us a little bit about the prognosis that you
were given. And I just want to context this by
letting our listeners in on a little secret, which is
(06:08):
this is many many years later.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
This is twenty years later.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
You've had five recurrences, You've managed all these differently, so
you know, you obviously survived this diagnosis in a very unusual, remarkable.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
Way, as you like to say. But take us a
little bit through that.
Speaker 4 (06:26):
Yeah, it was in four. It was a DOES Sons
and you hit the nail on ad that. Now it's
twenty years later and there are some life saving treatments
that I had for that fifth three lapse ential strangelent.
But in four it was very, uh, it was very
touch and go and very you know, it was a
DOES Sons and my first treatment I had was called
(06:47):
blood brain barrier disruption. It's every bit as barbaria as
it sounds. And I also had because the eyes are
part of the central nervous system and that's the type
of cancer that was The eyes got affected and I
got injections in my eyes of chemotherapy and Jack's needles
in the eyeball great fun. And then they wanted to
(07:10):
do Hobering radiation. I refused that and they did radiation
to my orbits. I also did systemic chemotherapy our CHOP
with target radiation in my trisup. When I had a
recurrence on my trisup, I've done timid our erac RMPBC,
and then finally the stempsel transplant where I had to
go to New York for that. Now, during all this process,
(07:33):
I also when my mom was sick and of one
with liver and colon cancer, and I watched her dwindle
down to seventy three pounds of skin and bone, vomiting
black bile, begging for the good load to take her.
I swore I was never going to take any type
of chemotherapy or radiation, And because I was so out
of it cognitively when I was first diagnosed, I wasn't
(07:54):
making any decision at all. And then i've once I
got my faculties back, I started with the alternative treatments.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
So to take us through because I think our listeners
many of them have used or are interested in, an
integrative approach. And you know by that, I mean using
the best treatments available, whether it's conventional treatments or sort
of what we call natural or sometimes alternative treatments.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
So talk us through a little bit about how you
combine those things.
Speaker 4 (08:26):
Well, between my first and second treatment with blood brain barrier,
I went and saw local faith here here in Cleveland
named Isan Nimi, and this incredible man laid hands on me.
And I'm telling you, Doctor Ashuler, it was powerful.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (08:40):
I went to a local church and at the time,
there was maybe thirty four people in the church. And
I was like, I had thretts. I was swearing like crazy,
I was rude, I had no filter, and I'm in
the back of the church. Is mf this place up
and down? Well, you see on TV in the movies,
he lay hands on these people. They go down like
a sack of potatoes. Now it's my turn to go
up there, and I'm walking up to it was him,
(09:02):
his wife Kathy, and this little irish done to his
right my left, and they're up at the altar. And
as I get about five feet away, his wife Kathy
starts losing her balance and I start yelling at her.
I said, you get the caddy Moore, you're you're a
good actor. And I tell duc Mimi, I said, you
need to work on this broad she needs you weigh
(09:22):
the more than I do. And this man had no
idea why I was there. He had no idea had
brain cancer. He goes right up to my head. All
three of them start praying over me, and I'm onto
my mouth, swearing like crazy, and Kathy grabs me by
the face and she says, you need to focus on
the crucifix. And she grabbed my face and had me
stared at the crucifix. And about ten minutes later, he
(09:46):
opens his eyes and says, you're gonna be fine. Your
brainstream is gone. I didn't go down like everybody else
went down. And I turned around and the church is
filled with Independence officers, my second apartment and their families
praying over me, and Value officers and their his brain
over me. I go to Maxwell Jen, let's get let's
get the f out of this s hole, and she's like,
(10:07):
what do you say? He said, my tumor is gone.
Let's go. And the nun comes up and says, excuse me, sir,
what brought you here today? Again? Doctor A to a
nun in a church. I said, I don't know, sister,
what the f brought to you today? And she looks
at Gen and says, what's going on? And jays, well,
he's got this horrible brain cancer. His prognosis is terrible.
(10:31):
We thought would give it a shot. And the nun says,
I knew a miracle happened today. It happened with Jason.
Please let us know what his ex MRI is. That week,
go and see my doctor at the Clevelon clinic. And
it looks like you saw a ghost. He's got my
MRI films. And if you ever saw the MRA of
a brain, it looks like butterfly wings. My butterfly wings
(10:52):
were all white. It was described as if somebody injected
a die into a gel mold and it just infiltrated
to on my whole brain. The whole brain was white.
That was last month. This month completely clear, not a
speckle white. And I said where to go? He said,
you had a tremendous response to a chemotherapy. I said,
no more chemo. He said, well, MRIs can't see microscopically.
(11:16):
We're still going to do the full twenty four treatments.
And I had such trouble anesthesia. I kept waking up early,
and I got around twenty and I said, I'm sorry.
Let me back up. About three days later, after seeing
doctor Pierreboom. I was waking up like a normal wake
up and I told Jen I said, I'm better. She goes,
(11:36):
what do you mean? I said, I know. Yesterday I
was being rude and I was saying stupid things. I said,
I'm telling you I'm better. She said, you see me
a lot more with it. And from that day on,
I got better and better and better. Now I'm at
treatment twenty and I told doctor pierrebol I said, listen,
I'm coming here for treatments for my brain cancer. Every
time I lay down, I don't know if I'm going
to wake up. I feel you guys are gonna kill me.
(11:57):
I'm done do anymore. He said, well, you have had
a lot of trouble with the anesthegio. You have had
cleanum rise since your first treatment. I wouldn't hold again.
You stopped, so I stopped, and then I was I
was ready to uh go all my life and if
I was going to die. I started partying like crazy
(12:18):
because all I knew was to get drunk and just
go crazy. I cash on my retirement and I I
was definitely uh. I was living like I was going
to die because I was. They said the same thing, right, So.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
You got a new mes on life.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
And I'm going to fast forward us a little bit
because you've, as you said, been in and out of chemotherapy.
You and I have worked together for a lot of years,
so you've done a lot with your diet, with your
exercise program, you have a very robust STATI supplement program.
You've used cannabis at various times, so you've really worked
(12:58):
hard to include other treatments along with your conventional treatment.
Your last treatment was five years ago. That was stem
cell transplantation, and that's that's a big deal. So just
just briefly describe that to our listeners, and you know
what happened as a result of that.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
Well, actually hard to believe that this April twenty fourth
will be six years post stumps of transplant. It's surreal
that I think about that maze and it was very
it was very, very powerful, and I had been working
with you for a few years now and I was
doing so well. I was very blown away when that
(13:37):
MRI came back with lesions on my brain again and
I was devastating. I was mad, and I was scared
because I'm as global Facebook group. These people are dropping
like flies. It's a very in citious disease. It doesn't quit.
And we were with your help. We were doing everything right.
I mean, Liz makes us smooth as every morning with
organic blueberries and kale and broccoli and everything you think
(14:01):
about it, it's fantastic. My diet was clean, my workout
rights was clean, and we had to go to We
spoke to you, and I really wasn't gonna get the
sums of transplant because I was doing so well, and
you showed me that it was definitely worth my time
to consider it because it was at at points and
(14:25):
I quote you, it's time to bring out the big guns.
And you showed us how to attack it from the
conventional way. And then you actually gave me supplements to
get ready for the sense of transplant and you stress exercise,
and I went to the gym and I was that
(14:47):
guy that was screaming together that last repon and I
was I'm six one, I was one hundred ninety three pounds.
I was in the best shape, I would say the
best shape my life put very good shape because I
was literally going in there for the fight in my life.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
You know, Jason, I have to say that you're one
of my most inspiring patients. And I think it's because
even when you've been facing I mean excruciating pain or
yet another loss, or having to jump into a treatment
you don't want to do, you always kind of, you know,
straighten your back and you just take your next step,
(15:25):
and you have such deep resilience.
Speaker 3 (15:28):
And I'm just wondering where does that come from? How
do you get yourself ready and willing to keep going?
Speaker 4 (15:39):
When I had this fifth relapse, I'm very blessed to
have multiple circles of friends, and I had five yrn
guys call me with the same question, how the heck
are you dealing with this? Mentally? I didn't have an
answer for him. Now, a couple of years ago, my
brother called me out of the blue and said, you
know how messed up was being raised ray Berg, which
(16:00):
is our dad. I said, I do. He said, how
many of our friends you know got the shit kicked out?
It's like united and he got out way where s
and I did? I said none? He said, I'll tell
you what though. When I was a farman, I was
in the very bad accidents where there's a lot of blood
and body parts everywhere. There are cops and farmen throwing
up and crying and didn't phase me one bit. I said,
(16:21):
same with me as a police officer. Didn't phase me
one bit. He said, Ray Burger gave you and I
a mindset to get through stuff most people couldn't get through.
And that was it. I hate to admit it, but
the way we were raised and the way he raised
us was just so crazy. It gave us a mindset
to get through stuff. Plus five dows down. My best
friend Ted's dad, Big Ted, also was big implus I mean,
(16:46):
and that's where I started working out in his nasty,
moldy basement for all flooding down there on Murray Road.
And at the end of his workout bench, handwritten two
in blueing pen were two letters and as a Nancy
QS and Queen never quit and his wife died a
brain cancer. Also like many others down there, Marine Fosdick
And when I was laying in the hospital, bet I
(17:06):
got a phone call from him and he told me
that was the time Jayson never quit. And that memory
has been out of my brain on a loop for
the last five years. But I do want to back up.
When I had this fifth ree lapse, I was scared.
I was mad, and I asked Liz, who's the best
in the world. Why can't I see him? And she
found that Mass General in Boston and Momos and Cuttering
(17:27):
in New York. We're having tremendous success with stem cell transplants.
We flew out there with the teams, and when you
read my health history and you meet me, these teams
will look at me and they would say, you're so
healthy and so vibrant, so young. You're quite the allar
which I thought was pretty bad ass, you know, the outla.
But at the end of the day, doctor ay, you
don't want to be that guy because they have no
idea how to treat you. So there I was at
(17:49):
MSK and I on this Facebook group. I spoke with
a guy named Scott Baker, and he's a couple of
years old than me. It was the second steps of transplant,
and I called I'm on the phone and spoke me
at length. I said, why I'm ask He said, because
they're the best. And he spoke to me how great
the care was there and how well he was doing,
how great he sounded. And when I was actually I
(18:10):
read his book called No One Wrises Loan and it
was just a very inspiring story. And he was what
got me over the edge to go to MSK and
we sought out multiple opinions and Doc gramis what he
gave us was options, but more importantly, he provided hope.
He was the he was the main reason why we
(18:32):
went there. He was so he was so optimistic that
he can get me. He said, I said, why do
you like this treatment for me? He said, every patient
sixty five years and younger that has a disease that
gets his treatment has an eighty to eighty five percent
chance it will not come back in five years. And
I was giving choos to live fourteen and a half
years ago. Yeah, And I said, well, you know, am
(18:54):
I going to be that five years because I had
this is my fifty three laps. He said, well, we're
taking down same clean slate we take everelse onto. I
don't see why I can't be like everybody else.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
Yeah, amazing, you know, and I think you've spoken.
Speaker 2 (19:09):
You've already just mentioned the importance of friends and relatives
just being a part of your community. You've mentioned Liz,
your partner, a couple times, and I think she deserves
another shout out.
Speaker 3 (19:18):
I mean, she has been I think in every single
one of your appointments with me.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
She's been to most, if not all, of your appointments
with your conventional docs, and I just wonder, like, you know,
how important is she to your success resilientsh.
Speaker 4 (19:37):
It's I'm not being over dramatic when I tell you
she legitimately saved my life three separate occasions. And she's
standing right next to me scrolling through the ipet err
so I can get our notes in order to answer questions.
And she's been with me every step of the way.
(19:58):
And you are one hundred percent right not overstated how
important she's been to this. She makes me and her
smoothies every morning that if we bought them someone else,
we had twenty hours smoothie every morning, all organic. And
it's been incredible. And as far as my support when
the community goes, when I got sick, because I grew
up in such a small community, tight knit, three little villages,
(20:20):
everyone knows everybody. They call it a bubble. Nobody leaves.
It's very generational. And when I got sick, I was
newly on his police department and I kept getting a
full paycheck. I went to HR I said listen, I'm
new here. I think you guys made an error. I
was actively getting chemo. I was not at work for
a whole week. I got a full paycheck. She said, oh, honey,
(20:43):
didn't tell you. I said, tell me what. She pull
up four pieces of paper with names and numbers. Not
only did the police department, the far department, the service apartment,
and every city employee doing ad sick time?
Speaker 2 (20:53):
To me?
Speaker 4 (20:53):
How incredibles that?
Speaker 3 (20:55):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (20:56):
I said, is this week? Guys do She said, we
never did this before. I said, why did you do
it for me? She said, your reputation preceded you as
being such a quality individual coming from a neighboring apartment.
This is what they want to do to help you.
Speaker 3 (21:07):
Yeah, beautiful.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
Well, I think that you've proven their generosity right in
how you flipped your life, and in fact, you've talked
about purpose and how important that too has been in
your healing. So tell us a little bit more about purpose.
Speaker 4 (21:25):
Well. When I was on the Facebook community, I wanted
to find out who the longest lived forever ever of
all time was, and I was able to speak to
the three other people that are above me, and I
spoke on the phone and they all said just live
your best life, and none of them had any relapses.
And I've been told often that my stories are inspirational,
(21:49):
and I've always been a very good storyteller. And I'm
going to take my God give to be a storyteller
and share my story with the world to never quit
and people I've been at weddings and you know, telling
story and people walk by, they'll say, Burgerstone story. I'm
sitting down. That's how people are my stories. Watch it's
it's it's very it's it's And you you know, we
(22:12):
spoke about humor or in your questions, and uh, it's
I believe humor is a huge part of my longevity too.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
Yeah, Like do you I mean, even in the face
of your losses which have been your career that you
mentioned some of your fitness you lost in an eye,
I mean, do you feel that humor.
Speaker 3 (22:30):
Helps you in those situations too?
Speaker 4 (22:34):
If I wasn't laughing, I'd probably crying. So I rather
laugh and cry.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
Yeah, there you go, there you go.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
Well, you know, I think one of the things that
really strikes me too about you is that you also
don't really rest on your laurels. Like there's times when
you're sort of skating along. Things are fine, your skins
are clear, You're doing well, and you continue. You always
ask whenever we're meeting, what else can I do? You know,
get me something else? And so I think that there's
(23:02):
this sort of drive in you too to just continue
to really make sure that you're doing everything you possibly can.
But at the same time, it doesn't seem like it's
become a job for you, Like you still strike me
as having a decent, balanced, full life.
Speaker 4 (23:18):
Yeah, uh, I'm not gonna. I'm not gonna sugar coody here.
It's it is my job. It is my job to
get up every day. And you know, I do my
eye exercises to say by one eye that I that's
I got good days, not so good as with that.
And I still do my transitentalmentation every morning. I listen
(23:40):
to all my motivational podcasts, and I get motivational text
into my phone every morning, motivational emails I get every morning.
I listen to audiobooks all positive I journal, I do
heart math, I do mindfulness, I do neural feedback, I
do exercise. I do The Miracle Morning by hell El
Rod and it's NonStop, and I get up at six
(24:05):
every morning and I do my eyes, I do a
TM transcend mementation, I do my exercise for my injured
my shoulder, and I do this brain fit at Comfort
Kitalll Center, Rocky River. And this program was designed for
early onset all summer's of mened patients who stop or
versus Kidokline and doctor Berban and such as the program
(24:27):
he expand out to TBI patients traumatic brain injury, which
I phone that category and to see these people transform
physically and mentally before me and I know personally my
brain's gotten a lot better. And I'm a huge believer
in this neuro feedback neural optimal was phenomenal for the
brain and doing everything I can too because I do
want to share with you that I think it's very important.
(24:48):
My last summer I was all clear. We do a
zoom meia doc Gramos in New York and I asked him,
I said, do you know any other patients with this
disease that's head of my treatments I've had. He said,
it to not way to sit next start the lease
is very powerful, he said, Jason. The fact that you
and I have a conversation around is truly remarkable because
the amount of treatment you had and the areas of
(25:08):
your brain that were damaged makes no logical sense. You
and are able to have a conversation. Hung with that
meeting and thought back to myself. At one point I
could not speak, at one point I could not see,
and at one point I could not walk. Yet today
I'm doing all three. I've got a lot of help
from family, friends, met a community, and the good little above.
But I've also armed with tamblic this point, and I
know to be the longest let me survive, which I
(25:30):
will be. I just stick my very strict inditional lifestyle,
including diet, exercise supplementation that you helped me with.
Speaker 2 (25:37):
You know what, I think, I'm really glad you answered
that way. I think that that's you know, you said
you didn't want to sugarcoat it. You've just gone through
a tremendous commitment on a daily basis to your health,
and you've also explained the benefits of that which are remarkable.
And of course you are indeed remarkable. So I would
(25:57):
love to give you a chance to just share whatever
you'd like with our listeners. I have one request, though,
which is that you weave into that kind of some
advice for somebody who might be listening who is also
dealing with a pretty challenging diagnosis, and if you have
any advice to that person and any other final thoughts.
Speaker 4 (26:15):
Yeah, I'd be happy to And I get phone calls
all the time for people that are new the diagnosed
of cancer, and I'm happy to help them. I'm actually
the resident. I wouldn't say guru, but I'm the go
to guy that people call when the newly diagnosed. And
when I hear somebody in the community that has cancer
and they don't call me, I'm actually surprised by it. Nonetheless,
what I do call it right off the get go.
I tell them I have zero medical training at all.
(26:37):
I tell them what I did. I asked them, can
you have an NQ attitude? Never quit attitude? And in
two thousand and four, this disease with death suns Now
there are some options. You got to be your own
best advocate, seek out options and find the experts in
your condition. Lifestyle is key. The old adage you are
(26:58):
we eat You are the Some of the five people
who spend the most time with seek out the support
of someone like you. Doctor Elschuler and support with lifestyle
supplements and overall guidance. There is definitely life after diagnosis
for sure. And I can't stress how important exercise and
(27:19):
diet is. I tell people, if you had a car,
a high in sports car, would you put junk fuel
in it or the best fuel you can? The majority
of people say the best fuel. Why is that? Because
if you put cheap fuel in it, it is going
to run poorly. Just like our bodies. Our fuel is
our food that we eat and are what we watch
on TV. I stop watching TV because if it breeds
(27:41):
leads on news because if it bleeds, it leads, and
I don't want any of that negativity. The positivity will
get in yourselves. The negativity of the two and visualations
also key. When now we get chemotherapy, I hear somebody
people say, oh, I get that poison again. Well it's
not poison. I mean it is, but can't let that way.
I would. I'm very blessed to have a very good imagination,
(28:03):
and I would vision with as much detail as possible.
The old Scrubbing Bubbles commercial where this team of bubbles
will go across the scopes, coum and clean off and
be Clear's Bell and I would picture the chemol in
my system be the scrubbing bubbles, would team up with
my immune system and create the biggest badass cancer fighting
(28:27):
army there ever was assembled, and they would seek out
and destroy cancer cells down to the smallest anto particle
and not harm any of my healthy cells.
Speaker 3 (28:37):
Amazing. I mean, you know you have so much to share.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
I'm so happy that you join me on this podcast.
So do you have anything you'd like to share as
far as where listeners can find out more about you,
either a website, social media, anything like that.
Speaker 4 (28:52):
Yeah. First and foremost, I want to thank you so
much for allowing you to be on here and share
my story, and thank you for all your health for
over the years. You've been incredible and I'm so glad
that you reached out to me and allow me share me.
Sorry for people want to get a hold of me.
I've got a website called Murray Roadstrong dot com and
on there you'll find access to my Facebook and Instagram.
Speaker 2 (29:15):
Perfect Murrayerrooadstrong dot com.
Speaker 3 (29:19):
Jason, you are a.
Speaker 2 (29:20):
Remarkable man and a miracle man for sure. I'm so
happy that you've been in my life and that you
continue to live yours and that wraps up this episode of.
Speaker 3 (29:31):
Five to Thrive Live.
Speaker 2 (29:32):
So again, I want to thank our sponsors Cognizance, Aticolin
to help enhance memory, focus and attention and News, post
Biotic for immune support, Doctor Heroes, Probatics award winning pre
and probatic formulas and pro Thrivers wellness supplements designed specifically
for thrivers and listener. I hope that you are as
inspired as I am after the show. Thank you for
(29:54):
joining us. May you experience joy, laughter and love. It
is time to throw everyone.
Speaker 3 (30:00):
I'm great nights.
Speaker 5 (30:02):
It's gonna be lots, gotta be Lovecsey go pers the
stream that Jay the City is buxtrang
Speaker 3 (30:19):
Love Live
Any health related information on the following show provides general
information only. Content presented on any show by any host
or guests should not be substituted for a doctor's advice.
Always consult your physician before beginning any new diet, exercise,
or treatment program.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
I'm Devived to Thrive Live, a podcast about thriving for
those who have been affected by cancer and chronic disease,
and doctor Lisa Schuler and I co host with my
good friend Carolyn Gazella. You can find all of our
past show podcasts on iHeart Radio, Spotify, Pandora, iTunes, Stitcher,
and any other major podcast out lit. You can also
(01:01):
find our schedule of past shows on ithriveplan dot com.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Well tonight, I am.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Going to be talking with Jason Berger about his remarkable
journey of survival against all odds, and I'm not going
to really say much more than that because i want
to give him the opportunity to share his stories. So
He's going to share his story and really give us
his insight into what some of the most important elements
are in his experience of survival. But before we talk
(01:31):
with Jason, I want to thank our sponsors.
Speaker 4 (01:33):
First.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
We have amuse a unique patented post biotic that gives
your immune system a key advantage. Amuse is an ingredient
in many immune supporting dietary supplements, so look for Ammuse
on a label or go to Immusehealth dot com. Also cognizanceticoli,
which is nature's way of keeping your brain's energy producing
centers firing on all cylinders. So if you're looking for
(01:56):
a way to enhance your brain function including memory, focus
and attention, look for Cognizant on the label or go
to Cognizant dot com. And pro Thriver's Brain is a
product that contains Cognizant as well as some other brains
supporting nutrients and herbs, and you can find pro Thriver's
Brain online at pure Formulas dot com. And finally, doctor
(02:16):
our Heroes Probiotics, a best selling probiotic for over thirty years,
contains twelve probiotic strains which are shelf stable without refrigeration
due to a unique three year fermentation process, and you
can learn more at doctor Orhroprobotics dot com.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
Well, Hello Jason, welcome to Vive to Thrive Live.
Speaker 4 (02:36):
Hi doctor Alsha, How are you?
Speaker 3 (02:38):
I'm very good? How are you today?
Speaker 4 (02:41):
I'm remarkable. Thank you for asking.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
I had to ask that because I knew you were
going to answer. I love that that is your answer.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
It's been very consistently your answer every time I've asked
you that for many years.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
So you know, we have to start with your cancer story.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
And this all began for you in two thousand and
four at the tender age of thirty four.
Speaker 3 (02:59):
So what happened today?
Speaker 4 (03:02):
Yeah, I was thirty four years old. I was living
my best life. I had been working as a police
officer at my first apartment since ninety eighth four, and
I went next door to my second apartment in a Pennance,
and I had been playing on a police travel softball
team called the Ohio lom And that travel all over
the country to play tournaments that raise money for the
(03:24):
families of falling offices, being very competitive, winning a silver
and two gold medals in the Police of Olympics. I
had better than twenty twenty vision, I had better than
average handoue coronation, and I was top of my game.
I was also newly hired on my second apartment, and
(03:46):
I was awarded by the county and the States separately
for going above and beyond the call of duty, being
awarded the Silver and Gold War twice. I was a
good cop too, again at the top of my game,
and I was of all my second shooting a month
and a half on the job and out and over
three days later on a twelve hour night shift, a
(04:07):
life changing grandma seizure. For those who don't know what
that is, that's the big Daddy, that's the one that
you lock up. You lose consciousness, foam bit my tongue.
It was horrible. I was rushed to a local hospital.
I was then life lighted to the Clinent clinic and
I was there about a week before they get in
his diagnosis. Because in four those that had primary central
(04:29):
nervous system and fall mall either had AIDS, HIV, had
an organ transplant, or elderly that would make them all
mune compromise and I had none of these. So for
me to get this rare disease. And when I say rare,
it was less than four percent of all brain up
on was worldwide. When I say it was rare, it
(04:49):
was a complete shock to the doctor's and me. Now
hindsight being twenty twenty looking back, I grew up at
the base of a toxic landfill, and it was the
cancer case off the charts. My mom died at fifty
six at livery and colon cancer. Many others died of
other cancers. And actually Cleveland Seen Magazine, a local magazine,
(05:13):
did a four page ogup called a Tomb with a View,
and I'm the name guy in that article and the
EPA completely turn a blind eye. Now I've got a
blind Ey'm missing my left eye. That took my left eye.
And my website's called Murray roadstrong dot com because I
grew up on Murray Road, murri and Posic maybe eighty houses.
And as I staated earlier, the cancer cases are off
the charts. Now the kids I grew up with having kids,
(05:35):
those kids are having health issues being traced back to
that parent that grew up on his who streets. My
ex wife was pregnant twice eight weeks. Was probably a
blessing in his guys, because who knows what kind of
health issues they would have had.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
So two thousand and four, you got this very rare
and pretty fatal diagnosis. You know, the outlook for people
with primary central nervers system lymphoma is not good. So
tell us a little bit about the prognosis that you
were given. And I just want to context this by
letting our listeners in on a little secret, which is
(06:08):
this is many many years later.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
This is twenty years later.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
You've had five recurrences, You've managed all these differently, so
you know, you obviously survived this diagnosis in a very unusual, remarkable.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
Way, as you like to say. But take us a
little bit through that.
Speaker 4 (06:26):
Yeah, it was in four. It was a DOES Sons
and you hit the nail on ad that. Now it's
twenty years later and there are some life saving treatments
that I had for that fifth three lapse ential strangelent.
But in four it was very, uh, it was very
touch and go and very you know, it was a
DOES Sons and my first treatment I had was called
(06:47):
blood brain barrier disruption. It's every bit as barbaria as
it sounds. And I also had because the eyes are
part of the central nervous system and that's the type
of cancer that was The eyes got affected and I
got injections in my eyes of chemotherapy and Jack's needles
in the eyeball great fun. And then they wanted to
(07:10):
do Hobering radiation. I refused that and they did radiation
to my orbits. I also did systemic chemotherapy our CHOP
with target radiation in my trisup. When I had a
recurrence on my trisup, I've done timid our erac RMPBC,
and then finally the stempsel transplant where I had to
go to New York for that. Now, during all this process,
(07:33):
I also when my mom was sick and of one
with liver and colon cancer, and I watched her dwindle
down to seventy three pounds of skin and bone, vomiting
black bile, begging for the good load to take her.
I swore I was never going to take any type
of chemotherapy or radiation, And because I was so out
of it cognitively when I was first diagnosed, I wasn't
(07:54):
making any decision at all. And then i've once I
got my faculties back, I started with the alternative treatments.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
So to take us through because I think our listeners
many of them have used or are interested in, an
integrative approach. And you know by that, I mean using
the best treatments available, whether it's conventional treatments or sort
of what we call natural or sometimes alternative treatments.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
So talk us through a little bit about how you
combine those things.
Speaker 4 (08:26):
Well, between my first and second treatment with blood brain barrier,
I went and saw local faith here here in Cleveland
named Isan Nimi, and this incredible man laid hands on me.
And I'm telling you, Doctor Ashuler, it was powerful.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (08:40):
I went to a local church and at the time,
there was maybe thirty four people in the church. And
I was like, I had thretts. I was swearing like crazy,
I was rude, I had no filter, and I'm in
the back of the church. Is mf this place up
and down? Well, you see on TV in the movies,
he lay hands on these people. They go down like
a sack of potatoes. Now it's my turn to go
up there, and I'm walking up to it was him,
(09:02):
his wife Kathy, and this little irish done to his
right my left, and they're up at the altar. And
as I get about five feet away, his wife Kathy
starts losing her balance and I start yelling at her.
I said, you get the caddy Moore, you're you're a
good actor. And I tell duc Mimi, I said, you
need to work on this broad she needs you weigh
(09:22):
the more than I do. And this man had no
idea why I was there. He had no idea had
brain cancer. He goes right up to my head. All
three of them start praying over me, and I'm onto
my mouth, swearing like crazy, and Kathy grabs me by
the face and she says, you need to focus on
the crucifix. And she grabbed my face and had me
stared at the crucifix. And about ten minutes later, he
(09:46):
opens his eyes and says, you're gonna be fine. Your
brainstream is gone. I didn't go down like everybody else
went down. And I turned around and the church is
filled with Independence officers, my second apartment and their families
praying over me, and Value officers and their his brain
over me. I go to Maxwell Jen, let's get let's
get the f out of this s hole, and she's like,
(10:07):
what do you say? He said, my tumor is gone.
Let's go. And the nun comes up and says, excuse me, sir,
what brought you here today? Again? Doctor A to a
nun in a church. I said, I don't know, sister,
what the f brought to you today? And she looks
at Gen and says, what's going on? And jays, well,
he's got this horrible brain cancer. His prognosis is terrible.
(10:31):
We thought would give it a shot. And the nun says,
I knew a miracle happened today. It happened with Jason.
Please let us know what his ex MRI is. That week,
go and see my doctor at the Clevelon clinic. And
it looks like you saw a ghost. He's got my
MRI films. And if you ever saw the MRA of
a brain, it looks like butterfly wings. My butterfly wings
(10:52):
were all white. It was described as if somebody injected
a die into a gel mold and it just infiltrated
to on my whole brain. The whole brain was white.
That was last month. This month completely clear, not a
speckle white. And I said where to go? He said,
you had a tremendous response to a chemotherapy. I said,
no more chemo. He said, well, MRIs can't see microscopically.
(11:16):
We're still going to do the full twenty four treatments.
And I had such trouble anesthesia. I kept waking up early,
and I got around twenty and I said, I'm sorry.
Let me back up. About three days later, after seeing
doctor Pierreboom. I was waking up like a normal wake
up and I told Jen I said, I'm better. She goes,
(11:36):
what do you mean? I said, I know. Yesterday I
was being rude and I was saying stupid things. I said,
I'm telling you I'm better. She said, you see me
a lot more with it. And from that day on,
I got better and better and better. Now I'm at
treatment twenty and I told doctor pierrebol I said, listen,
I'm coming here for treatments for my brain cancer. Every
time I lay down, I don't know if I'm going
to wake up. I feel you guys are gonna kill me.
(11:57):
I'm done do anymore. He said, well, you have had
a lot of trouble with the anesthegio. You have had
cleanum rise since your first treatment. I wouldn't hold again.
You stopped, so I stopped, and then I was I
was ready to uh go all my life and if
I was going to die. I started partying like crazy
(12:18):
because all I knew was to get drunk and just
go crazy. I cash on my retirement and I I
was definitely uh. I was living like I was going
to die because I was. They said the same thing, right, So.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
You got a new mes on life.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
And I'm going to fast forward us a little bit
because you've, as you said, been in and out of chemotherapy.
You and I have worked together for a lot of years,
so you've done a lot with your diet, with your
exercise program, you have a very robust STATI supplement program.
You've used cannabis at various times, so you've really worked
(12:58):
hard to include other treatments along with your conventional treatment.
Your last treatment was five years ago. That was stem
cell transplantation, and that's that's a big deal. So just
just briefly describe that to our listeners, and you know
what happened as a result of that.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
Well, actually hard to believe that this April twenty fourth
will be six years post stumps of transplant. It's surreal
that I think about that maze and it was very
it was very, very powerful, and I had been working
with you for a few years now and I was
doing so well. I was very blown away when that
(13:37):
MRI came back with lesions on my brain again and
I was devastating. I was mad, and I was scared
because I'm as global Facebook group. These people are dropping
like flies. It's a very in citious disease. It doesn't quit.
And we were with your help. We were doing everything right.
I mean, Liz makes us smooth as every morning with
organic blueberries and kale and broccoli and everything you think
(14:01):
about it, it's fantastic. My diet was clean, my workout
rights was clean, and we had to go to We
spoke to you, and I really wasn't gonna get the
sums of transplant because I was doing so well, and
you showed me that it was definitely worth my time
to consider it because it was at at points and
(14:25):
I quote you, it's time to bring out the big guns.
And you showed us how to attack it from the
conventional way. And then you actually gave me supplements to
get ready for the sense of transplant and you stress exercise,
and I went to the gym and I was that
(14:47):
guy that was screaming together that last repon and I
was I'm six one, I was one hundred ninety three pounds.
I was in the best shape, I would say the
best shape my life put very good shape because I
was literally going in there for the fight in my life.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
You know, Jason, I have to say that you're one
of my most inspiring patients. And I think it's because
even when you've been facing I mean excruciating pain or
yet another loss, or having to jump into a treatment
you don't want to do, you always kind of, you know,
straighten your back and you just take your next step,
(15:25):
and you have such deep resilience.
Speaker 3 (15:28):
And I'm just wondering where does that come from? How
do you get yourself ready and willing to keep going?
Speaker 4 (15:39):
When I had this fifth relapse, I'm very blessed to
have multiple circles of friends, and I had five yrn
guys call me with the same question, how the heck
are you dealing with this? Mentally? I didn't have an
answer for him. Now, a couple of years ago, my
brother called me out of the blue and said, you
know how messed up was being raised ray Berg, which
(16:00):
is our dad. I said, I do. He said, how
many of our friends you know got the shit kicked out?
It's like united and he got out way where s
and I did? I said none? He said, I'll tell
you what though. When I was a farman, I was
in the very bad accidents where there's a lot of blood
and body parts everywhere. There are cops and farmen throwing
up and crying and didn't phase me one bit. I said,
(16:21):
same with me as a police officer. Didn't phase me
one bit. He said, Ray Burger gave you and I
a mindset to get through stuff most people couldn't get through.
And that was it. I hate to admit it, but
the way we were raised and the way he raised
us was just so crazy. It gave us a mindset
to get through stuff. Plus five dows down. My best
friend Ted's dad, Big Ted, also was big implus I mean,
(16:46):
and that's where I started working out in his nasty,
moldy basement for all flooding down there on Murray Road.
And at the end of his workout bench, handwritten two
in blueing pen were two letters and as a Nancy
QS and Queen never quit and his wife died a
brain cancer. Also like many others down there, Marine Fosdick
And when I was laying in the hospital, bet I
(17:06):
got a phone call from him and he told me
that was the time Jayson never quit. And that memory
has been out of my brain on a loop for
the last five years. But I do want to back up.
When I had this fifth ree lapse, I was scared.
I was mad, and I asked Liz, who's the best
in the world. Why can't I see him? And she
found that Mass General in Boston and Momos and Cuttering
(17:27):
in New York. We're having tremendous success with stem cell transplants.
We flew out there with the teams, and when you
read my health history and you meet me, these teams
will look at me and they would say, you're so
healthy and so vibrant, so young. You're quite the allar
which I thought was pretty bad ass, you know, the outla.
But at the end of the day, doctor ay, you
don't want to be that guy because they have no
idea how to treat you. So there I was at
(17:49):
MSK and I on this Facebook group. I spoke with
a guy named Scott Baker, and he's a couple of
years old than me. It was the second steps of transplant,
and I called I'm on the phone and spoke me
at length. I said, why I'm ask He said, because
they're the best. And he spoke to me how great
the care was there and how well he was doing,
how great he sounded. And when I was actually I
(18:10):
read his book called No One Wrises Loan and it
was just a very inspiring story. And he was what
got me over the edge to go to MSK and
we sought out multiple opinions and Doc gramis what he
gave us was options, but more importantly, he provided hope.
He was the he was the main reason why we
(18:32):
went there. He was so he was so optimistic that
he can get me. He said, I said, why do
you like this treatment for me? He said, every patient
sixty five years and younger that has a disease that
gets his treatment has an eighty to eighty five percent
chance it will not come back in five years. And
I was giving choos to live fourteen and a half
years ago. Yeah, And I said, well, you know, am
(18:54):
I going to be that five years because I had
this is my fifty three laps. He said, well, we're
taking down same clean slate we take everelse onto. I
don't see why I can't be like everybody else.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
Yeah, amazing, you know, and I think you've spoken.
Speaker 2 (19:09):
You've already just mentioned the importance of friends and relatives
just being a part of your community. You've mentioned Liz,
your partner, a couple times, and I think she deserves
another shout out.
Speaker 3 (19:18):
I mean, she has been I think in every single
one of your appointments with me.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
She's been to most, if not all, of your appointments
with your conventional docs, and I just wonder, like, you know,
how important is she to your success resilientsh.
Speaker 4 (19:37):
It's I'm not being over dramatic when I tell you
she legitimately saved my life three separate occasions. And she's
standing right next to me scrolling through the ipet err
so I can get our notes in order to answer questions.
And she's been with me every step of the way.
(19:58):
And you are one hundred percent right not overstated how
important she's been to this. She makes me and her
smoothies every morning that if we bought them someone else,
we had twenty hours smoothie every morning, all organic. And
it's been incredible. And as far as my support when
the community goes, when I got sick, because I grew
up in such a small community, tight knit, three little villages,
(20:20):
everyone knows everybody. They call it a bubble. Nobody leaves.
It's very generational. And when I got sick, I was
newly on his police department and I kept getting a
full paycheck. I went to HR I said listen, I'm
new here. I think you guys made an error. I
was actively getting chemo. I was not at work for
a whole week. I got a full paycheck. She said, oh, honey,
(20:43):
didn't tell you. I said, tell me what. She pull
up four pieces of paper with names and numbers. Not
only did the police department, the far department, the service apartment,
and every city employee doing ad sick time?
Speaker 2 (20:53):
To me?
Speaker 4 (20:53):
How incredibles that?
Speaker 3 (20:55):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (20:56):
I said, is this week? Guys do She said, we
never did this before. I said, why did you do
it for me? She said, your reputation preceded you as
being such a quality individual coming from a neighboring apartment.
This is what they want to do to help you.
Speaker 3 (21:07):
Yeah, beautiful.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
Well, I think that you've proven their generosity right in
how you flipped your life, and in fact, you've talked
about purpose and how important that too has been in
your healing. So tell us a little bit more about purpose.
Speaker 4 (21:25):
Well. When I was on the Facebook community, I wanted
to find out who the longest lived forever ever of
all time was, and I was able to speak to
the three other people that are above me, and I
spoke on the phone and they all said just live
your best life, and none of them had any relapses.
And I've been told often that my stories are inspirational,
(21:49):
and I've always been a very good storyteller. And I'm
going to take my God give to be a storyteller
and share my story with the world to never quit
and people I've been at weddings and you know, telling
story and people walk by, they'll say, Burgerstone story. I'm
sitting down. That's how people are my stories. Watch it's
it's it's very it's it's And you you know, we
(22:12):
spoke about humor or in your questions, and uh, it's
I believe humor is a huge part of my longevity too.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
Yeah, Like do you I mean, even in the face
of your losses which have been your career that you
mentioned some of your fitness you lost in an eye,
I mean, do you feel that humor.
Speaker 3 (22:30):
Helps you in those situations too?
Speaker 4 (22:34):
If I wasn't laughing, I'd probably crying. So I rather
laugh and cry.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
Yeah, there you go, there you go.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
Well, you know, I think one of the things that
really strikes me too about you is that you also
don't really rest on your laurels. Like there's times when
you're sort of skating along. Things are fine, your skins
are clear, You're doing well, and you continue. You always
ask whenever we're meeting, what else can I do? You know,
get me something else? And so I think that there's
(23:02):
this sort of drive in you too to just continue
to really make sure that you're doing everything you possibly can.
But at the same time, it doesn't seem like it's
become a job for you, Like you still strike me
as having a decent, balanced, full life.
Speaker 4 (23:18):
Yeah, uh, I'm not gonna. I'm not gonna sugar coody here.
It's it is my job. It is my job to
get up every day. And you know, I do my
eye exercises to say by one eye that I that's
I got good days, not so good as with that.
And I still do my transitentalmentation every morning. I listen
(23:40):
to all my motivational podcasts, and I get motivational text
into my phone every morning, motivational emails I get every morning.
I listen to audiobooks all positive I journal, I do
heart math, I do mindfulness, I do neural feedback, I
do exercise. I do The Miracle Morning by hell El
Rod and it's NonStop, and I get up at six
(24:05):
every morning and I do my eyes, I do a
TM transcend mementation, I do my exercise for my injured
my shoulder, and I do this brain fit at Comfort
Kitalll Center, Rocky River. And this program was designed for
early onset all summer's of mened patients who stop or
versus Kidokline and doctor Berban and such as the program
(24:27):
he expand out to TBI patients traumatic brain injury, which
I phone that category and to see these people transform
physically and mentally before me and I know personally my
brain's gotten a lot better. And I'm a huge believer
in this neuro feedback neural optimal was phenomenal for the
brain and doing everything I can too because I do
want to share with you that I think it's very important.
(24:48):
My last summer I was all clear. We do a
zoom meia doc Gramos in New York and I asked him,
I said, do you know any other patients with this
disease that's head of my treatments I've had. He said,
it to not way to sit next start the lease
is very powerful, he said, Jason. The fact that you
and I have a conversation around is truly remarkable because
the amount of treatment you had and the areas of
(25:08):
your brain that were damaged makes no logical sense. You
and are able to have a conversation. Hung with that
meeting and thought back to myself. At one point I
could not speak, at one point I could not see,
and at one point I could not walk. Yet today
I'm doing all three. I've got a lot of help
from family, friends, met a community, and the good little above.
But I've also armed with tamblic this point, and I
know to be the longest let me survive, which I
(25:30):
will be. I just stick my very strict inditional lifestyle,
including diet, exercise supplementation that you helped me with.
Speaker 2 (25:37):
You know what, I think, I'm really glad you answered
that way. I think that that's you know, you said
you didn't want to sugarcoat it. You've just gone through
a tremendous commitment on a daily basis to your health,
and you've also explained the benefits of that which are remarkable.
And of course you are indeed remarkable. So I would
(25:57):
love to give you a chance to just share whatever
you'd like with our listeners. I have one request, though,
which is that you weave into that kind of some
advice for somebody who might be listening who is also
dealing with a pretty challenging diagnosis, and if you have
any advice to that person and any other final thoughts.
Speaker 4 (26:15):
Yeah, I'd be happy to And I get phone calls
all the time for people that are new the diagnosed
of cancer, and I'm happy to help them. I'm actually
the resident. I wouldn't say guru, but I'm the go
to guy that people call when the newly diagnosed. And
when I hear somebody in the community that has cancer
and they don't call me, I'm actually surprised by it. Nonetheless,
what I do call it right off the get go.
I tell them I have zero medical training at all.
(26:37):
I tell them what I did. I asked them, can
you have an NQ attitude? Never quit attitude? And in
two thousand and four, this disease with death suns Now
there are some options. You got to be your own
best advocate, seek out options and find the experts in
your condition. Lifestyle is key. The old adage you are
(26:58):
we eat You are the Some of the five people
who spend the most time with seek out the support
of someone like you. Doctor Elschuler and support with lifestyle
supplements and overall guidance. There is definitely life after diagnosis
for sure. And I can't stress how important exercise and
(27:19):
diet is. I tell people, if you had a car,
a high in sports car, would you put junk fuel
in it or the best fuel you can? The majority
of people say the best fuel. Why is that? Because
if you put cheap fuel in it, it is going
to run poorly. Just like our bodies. Our fuel is
our food that we eat and are what we watch
on TV. I stop watching TV because if it breeds
(27:41):
leads on news because if it bleeds, it leads, and
I don't want any of that negativity. The positivity will
get in yourselves. The negativity of the two and visualations
also key. When now we get chemotherapy, I hear somebody
people say, oh, I get that poison again. Well it's
not poison. I mean it is, but can't let that way.
I would. I'm very blessed to have a very good imagination,
(28:03):
and I would vision with as much detail as possible.
The old Scrubbing Bubbles commercial where this team of bubbles
will go across the scopes, coum and clean off and
be Clear's Bell and I would picture the chemol in
my system be the scrubbing bubbles, would team up with
my immune system and create the biggest badass cancer fighting
(28:27):
army there ever was assembled, and they would seek out
and destroy cancer cells down to the smallest anto particle
and not harm any of my healthy cells.
Speaker 3 (28:37):
Amazing. I mean, you know you have so much to share.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
I'm so happy that you join me on this podcast.
So do you have anything you'd like to share as
far as where listeners can find out more about you,
either a website, social media, anything like that.
Speaker 4 (28:52):
Yeah. First and foremost, I want to thank you so
much for allowing you to be on here and share
my story, and thank you for all your health for
over the years. You've been incredible and I'm so glad
that you reached out to me and allow me share me.
Sorry for people want to get a hold of me.
I've got a website called Murray Roadstrong dot com and
on there you'll find access to my Facebook and Instagram.
Speaker 2 (29:15):
Perfect Murrayerrooadstrong dot com.
Speaker 3 (29:19):
Jason, you are a.
Speaker 2 (29:20):
Remarkable man and a miracle man for sure. I'm so
happy that you've been in my life and that you
continue to live yours and that wraps up this episode of.
Speaker 3 (29:31):
Five to Thrive Live.
Speaker 2 (29:32):
So again, I want to thank our sponsors Cognizance, Aticolin
to help enhance memory, focus and attention and News, post
Biotic for immune support, Doctor Heroes, Probatics award winning pre
and probatic formulas and pro Thrivers wellness supplements designed specifically
for thrivers and listener. I hope that you are as
inspired as I am after the show. Thank you for
(29:54):
joining us. May you experience joy, laughter and love. It
is time to throw everyone.
Speaker 3 (30:00):
I'm great nights.
Speaker 5 (30:02):
It's gonna be lots, gotta be Lovecsey go pers the
stream that Jay the City is buxtrang
Speaker 3 (30:19):
Love Live
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