Research Chelation Therapy

KAHULUI – When physicians told Marion Martinez earlier this year that there were no more medical options to treat the stomach cancer that was killing her, her twin sister found one more – in Tijuana, Mexico.

It was an alternative medical treatment that conventional medicine considers unproved and risky.But sisterly love would not allow Leo Asuncion, Martinez’s twin, to give up when conventional medicine said nothing more could be done.

Along with one of Martinez’s sons, Russell, the sisters traveled to the U.S. border in June so Martinez could undergo the treatment involving tonics, nasal sprays and a strict diet offered by the Bio-Medical Center/Hoxsey Clinic in Tijuana.

The arduous and costly effort appears to be a bright spot in the twins’ lives.

“I’m still here,” Martinez said.

To help with medical bills and to pay for future trips to Tijuana, Martinez’s family and friends will hold a “Celebration of Life!” benefit luncheon from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Maui Tropical Plantation.

Asuncion said she “can’t even put a tag” on how much the alternative treatments and other medical bills will cost, but it is approaching $50,000. She also would like to repay those who already have helped her sister.

Martinez, 47, of Kahului, was diagnosed with stomach cancer in September 2004.

Since then she has undergone chemotherapy and taken several oral medications, but none succeeded in eliminating her cancer.

A former secretary at the Maui Family Guidance Center run by the state Department of Health, Martinez’s weight fell from over 120 to 94 pounds.

“I was strong; now I cannot do nothing,” Martinez said recently at a son’s home in Kahului.

Martinez is the mother of three grown children and has five grandchildren. She is also the oldest of five children.

Her sister Leo still works for the Maui Family Guidance Center as a mental health supervisor.

Before the cancer was discovered, Martinez said, she was active, doing yoga and surfing. She was able to play with her pet Rottweiler and care for the large dog.

“But I cannot do that (now). I can tell him ’hi’ and stuffs,” she said sadly.

Because of the illness, she has a hard time holding down food and gets her nutrition through a feeding tube. While Martinez is spending most of her time resting at her son’s home, Asuncion said, her condition is improved when compared to that during her stay at the hospital in the spring.

“After Marion got very sick in May, she was told there were no more options,” Asuncion said.

As Martinez lay in a bed at Maui Memorial Medical Center, Asuncion told her if she could make it out of the hospital they would go to Mexico for treatment.

Asuncion said a longtime friend, Bob Schmidt, a former Maui resident, had gone to the Bio-Medical Center/Hoxsey Cli-nic in Tijuana himself and helped finance the trip for Martinez to go to the clinic.

According to a Web page provided by The Cancer Cure Foundation, the Bio-Medical Center has provided alternative cancer treatment since 1963. The Harry Hoxsey treatment includes a liquid elixir containing a mixture of herbs and several topical salves, and also may include supplements, diet, nutrition and chelation therapy, according to the Web site.

Asuncion said the Tijuana clinic treats a variety of ailments including diabetes and cancer. When they arrived at the Hoxsey Clinic, a weak and tired Martinez went through a battery of tests and had a doctor explain all of the results.

“We are so blessed that we were able to take this journey. It leaves me speechless,” Martinez said in a statement.

She completed the treatment with what were described as all-natural medications including a tonic, spray vitamins, a special tea, a liver cleanser and a nasal spray vaccine.

“All of those things help her build her immune system and strengthen it,” Asuncion said.

Martinez also was placed on a strict diet and has a follow-up appointment in October.

At the clinic, Martinez and Asuncion said, they met cancer survivors, including a girl from Kauai who had lupus and a man from California who beat stomach cancer.

“The doctors in the clinic looked Marion in the eye and said, ’You are not going to die … you are going to enjoy your life,’” Asuncion said.

Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.