Moving Forward: Chemo and Port
After weeks of weighing impossible choices while Ben recovered from surgery, gathering second and third (and fourth) opinions, reading all the available research, and talking with everyone from researchers who study Ben’s exact tumor pathway to a family friend who is the Chief of Oncology at Stanford… we made the call.
Ben is doing chemo. We don’t want to leave anything on the table that could even slightly reduce his risk of recurrence.
As Andrew, a family-friend/oncologist, summed it up perfectly:
“It’s definitely a trade-off, and the hardest part is that we will almost certainly never know for sure what the right answer was.”
Every expert we spoke with, including Ben’s oncologist on the rare tumor board who specializes in lung cancer and is currently running a trial on the exact pathway altered in Ben’s tumor, supported our decision to move forward even though he truly didn’t know what he would choose for himself if in Ben’s shoes.
We’re arriving at the tail end of the most effective window for chemo (typically 4–8 weeks after surgery, with a max effective start date of 12 weeks after surgery), and we didn’t want that window to close without knowing we tried.
Port Placement — Tomorrow
Tomorrow Ben gets his port placed.
It’s a small device that sits under the skin and gives them safe, repeat access to a central vein. With the type of chemo he’ll be getting, a port is really important because:
cisplatin can irritate smaller veins
infusions are long and frequent
it reduces risk of complications
it makes the whole process easier on his body
It’s a short procedure, but he’ll be sedated. Recovery is usually quick, and the port stays in for all four cycles. Ben hates needles, and this whole process has already had so many needles involved. He is looking forward to not getting poked while they try to find a good vein during his chemo infusions.
Chemo Starts the First Week of December
Treatment is scheduled to begin in early December (exact date coming soon). Before that, we have a mandatory “chemo class” on Monday, where they walk us through the medications, safety steps, side effect tools, and what to expect day by day.
Ben will also start the medications they want on board before chemo begins, like Vitamin B12 and anti-nausea meds.
The regimen Ben will receive is:
Cisplatin + Pemetrexed
Every 3 weeks, for 4 cycles.
What to expect:
Fatigue — especially days 3–7 of each cycle
Nausea, though the anti-nausea meds today are supposed to help a lot
Temporary hair-thinning (cisplatin doesn’t cause total baldness for most people, but some hair loss is expected)
Immune vulnerability — staying healthy between infusions is really important
Kidney monitoring — cisplatin can be tough on the kidneys, so hydration and regular labs to monitor them are key
We’ll all be on high alert to avoid illness, especially with kids in school.
What We’re Doing to Support Him During Chemo
We’re taking a multi-layered approach to help his body tolerate treatment and hopefully strengthen its response:
Using Fasting to Support Chemo
One thing we’re adding to support Ben during treatment is Prolon, a clinically studied fasting-mimicking diet.
There’s solid research showing that short, controlled fasting periods can help:
protect healthy cells
make cancer cells more vulnerable to chemotherapy
reduce side effects like nausea and fatigue
support faster recovery between cycles
Prolon is a way to get many of those same benefits without true fasting—meaning Ben still gets nutrients, electrolytes, and steady blood sugar, while his cells enter the same protective “fasting state.” This also protects him from muscle loss, which is very important in cancer treatment.
He’ll use Prolon around each chemo cycle, timed when it’s been shown to be most effective: starting 4 days before chemo and ending the day after his infusion. The deepest fasting-mimicking cellular state occurs on Days 3–5. That’s exactly when chemo is delivered → cancer cells are more vulnerable. Healthy cells enter a protective “slow down and repair” mode → less damage, better tolerance. The transition day after chemo supports refeeding, electrolytes, and recovery.
It’s another layer of support for his body — giving healthy cells a shield, and making the cancer’s already-damaged DNA even easier for chemo to target.
High-Dose Vitamin C Infusions
This is not the same as taking vitamin C as a supplement.
At high doses (only achievable through IV), vitamin C behaves completely differently in the body:
1. It creates hydrogen peroxide — selectively inside cancer cells
High-dose vitamin C (75g infusions) generates hydrogen peroxide in tissues. Healthy cells can neutralize that quickly; cancer cells generally cannot.
This makes them more vulnerable to stress and more sensitive to chemo.
This isn’t theoretical—multiple lab, animal, and early-phase human studies confirm this mechanism.
2. It increases chemo susceptibility
For drugs like cisplatin, there’s evidence vitamin C can:
increase tumor cell kill
protect normal tissues
reduce inflammation and oxidation caused by chemo
reduce side effects (fatigue, nausea, appetite loss)
help preserve immune function
These benefits can meaningfully improve how he tolerates treatment.
3. It supports healthy tissue, kidneys, and energy
Cisplatin is effective but taxing, especially on kidneys. Vitamin C supports:
mitochondrial function (energy)
collagen repair (post-surgery)
antioxidant reserves
glutathione (one of the body’s main detox molecules)
Our oncologist is fully aware of the plan, and we’ve timed dosing so it’s safely coordinated <24 hours before and after his infusions.
Mistletoe Therapy
Mistletoe is one of the most studied integrative cancer therapies in Europe and is widely used in German cancer care centers.
Here’s how it works:
1. Immune activation — gently, but meaningfully
Mistletoe helps activate immune cells like:
NK cells (natural killer cells)
macrophages
T cells
These are the cells responsible for recognizing abnormal or precancerous cells (Ben’s clearly suck at it so far). During chemo, immune function takes a dip — mistletoe can help counterbalance that.
2. Reduction in inflammation and symptoms
Research shows mistletoe can improve:
appetite
sleep
mood
nausea
overall energy
resilience during cycles
Patients using mistletoe often report better quality of life and fewer severe chemo side effects.
Supplements
All reviewed and approved by our oncologist, including:
sulforaphane (supports detox + cell protection pathways)
medicinal mushrooms for immune support
vitamin D3/K2
omega-3 with CoQ10
B-complex
and a few others we’ve added slowly and carefully. See them all here.
Nothing is taken lightly—every supplement is cross-checked to make sure it’s beneficial and safe with Ben’s chemo type and kidney needs.
Where We Are Emotionally
It feels good to have a decision. We don’t love ambiguity and we feel steady about the path the we chose. There’s a peace that comes with that.
We’re nervous. We’re hopeful. And honestly, we’re ready to be on the other side of this.
But Ben is in a remarkably solid headspace. Understanding the biology of his tumor: that its danger comes from DNA that’s already badly damaged and endlessly copying itself without checkpoints, has actually given him clarity and focus.
Chemo takes that same weakness and pushes it past the breaking point. It drives the damaged DNA so far that the cancer cells can’t replicate anymore. Ben’s mindset has become, essentially:
“If this thing thrives on broken DNA and wants to try to take me out with it, then we’ll take that weakness and push it past the point of collapse. I can recover. The cancer can’t.”
There’s something grounding and empowering in that. It’s the same grit that’s carried him through every other challenge in his life, those he chose and those he didnt. It’s that Hard to Kill spirit that refuses to fold even when the climb steepens.
Thank you for loving him, loving us, and continuing to hold our family up. The check in texts, meals and little gifts dropped off, playdates with our kids so we can go to his appointments, sending Ben book recommendations, driving to our house just to join Ben on his daily neighborhood walks–it means more than we can say.
- Sharee
