Latest / BECOME Empowered / She Was Given 18 Months. She Booked a Flight Instead.
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- Emma Victoria Johnson: It's a journey that's happened. think God has put this in front of me. I don't think it wasn't a path that I was following or made. I kind of just fell into it. When I did close my business, I was thinking, what am I going to do again? SabineKvenberg.com: Welcome to another fantastic show of Become Empowered. And my guest today is Emma Victoria Johnson. I invited her because her story is so amazing. And I know that there are listeners out there that can relate to it or at least maybe know someone who has gone through what she went through. Welcome, Emma. Emma Victoria Johnson: Thank you Sabine for having me on your show today. It's a pleasure to be here. SabineKvenberg.com: And I can't wait to hear your story. but first of all, you're chiming in from the world down under, right? Australia. Emma Victoria Johnson: I sure am yes SabineKvenberg.com: And it it's always challenging with the time differences when we record it. but here we are, we made it work. And so tell me, where in Australia do you live? Emma Victoria Johnson: live near Sydney. I always say we're in the future because you guys are kind of like back to the future. you know, it's my 10 a.m. and I think it's your nighttime almost. So, yeah, SabineKvenberg.com: Yes, yes. Emma Victoria Johnson: so I live near Sydney. I'm in Australia. SabineKvenberg.com: Very good. Well, Sydney is still on my bucket list, so here you have it. So I might be one Emma Victoria Johnson: Hey SabineKvenberg.com: day knocking at your door. Emma Victoria Johnson: Come and visit. SabineKvenberg.com: when I heard your story, I was touched by it. And I'm also very much into alternatives when it comes to life, when it comes to your health, when it comes to your recovery. And just as a reminder for our listeners, This is a podcast, this is a conversation. We are not giving any medical advice. We not say anything that treats or cures. We're simply sharing our experiences and our story. And your story began when? Emma Victoria Johnson: So my journey began March 2025 last year. SabineKvenberg.com: And what happened on march twenty five? Emma Victoria Johnson: I got diagnosed with stage four incurable breast cancer SabineKvenberg.com: Wow. And that's exactly why I wanted to have you on the show. Because so often this is giving up, there's no cure. And when a woman faces a diagnosis like that to begin with, it's hard enough to say, hey, we may have to do this and and radiation and and chemo and whatnot, or you know, take your breasts and for women that is that that can be so devastating and I'm sure it was for you as well. So take us back to that moment where you heard that diagnosis. Where were you? Emma Victoria Johnson: So I was sat with the surgeon at the time and we were going to do surgery and when they found out that it had spread into my liver, surgery was taken off the table because they couldn't take the breasts off, the lymph nodes and the liver all together. I would not have survived the operation. I got offered no chemo, no surgery and no radiation in the end. They just offered me two tablets for palliative care and said that I'd probably live for about 18 months with the tablets. Devastating news, I would have probably taken the surgery. You know, I would never have second guessed the doctors, but when I got written a death sentence, I did go looking for help. And that's when I found Oasis of Hope, the clinic that I'm at that is curing my body and helping me survive. SabineKvenberg.com: Wow. I this is for me always one of the things when you come to this crossroad to say, okay, what am I gonna do? Somebody told me you have maybe 18 months to live, or I'm not accepting that. And you didn't accept that sentence. You did something that very few people do. They take responsibility. For their health and do everything to find a solution. So take us back once you heard that. So you searched for it and you searched for alternatives. Did somebody told you about the alternative and what is this alternative? Emma Victoria Johnson: Honestly, at first I had no idea there was an alternative. I went home, I went searching for two or three days online and found quite a few different places. Oasis of Hope actually got recommended to me from a friend of mine who had cancer. So that's how I ended up there. But at that stage I had nothing to lose. I'd been given a death sentence. So it was either I get on the plane and fight for life or I accept what the doctors told me over here. And I guess my inner warrior kicked in and I got on the plane and got to Oasis, which I'm so thankful for now. You know, at the time it was really scary. I wasn't sure I was going to survive. I wasn't sure whether it would work. But I'm sat here today, you know, a year and a half on still alive and healthier than ever, which sounds crazy. Yeah. SabineKvenberg.com: Yeah. So you're totally cancer free. Emma Victoria Johnson: No, I'm not actually cancer-free just yet, but my breast is clear, my lymph nodes are clear, we're still just dealing with a little bit left in my liver, which has been a little bit stubborn. But, you know, the fact that I started with breast cancer and my breast is clear of cancer and my lymph nodes is a big win for me and I'll accept that. So we're still a tiny little bit to go, but I do believe with a bit more posh... Bit more fight left in me, I will be cancer free. I've got no doubt of that whatsoever. I think I've done the hard, the hard bits. SabineKvenberg.com: Yeah, and what you just said is so super important that we have that belief within us. Emma Victoria Johnson: Mm-hmm SabineKvenberg.com: And when we have a strong belief and do everything in our power to work towards a solution, and in in your case, of course, it's it's total health and get totally rid of the cancer, then we are taking the right steps towards it. And that Emma Victoria Johnson: Mm-hmm. SabineKvenberg.com: makes a big difference. Now, what was different as far as how this clinic dealt with it? Was it medication? Was it food? Was it exercise? Was it something different? Emma Victoria Johnson: So at Oasis of Hope, they don't just fixate on one thing. It's about treating the whole patient, the whole body. So your mind, your spirit, your soul. We do treatments. We do vaccines. And when I say vaccines, I don't mean like COVID vaccines. And we do immunotherapy vaccines that build up our immune systems because cancer basically, you know, starts in the body from our immune system switching off. So when a patient goes into the clinic, you are receiving to eight different IVs a day, you're going into treatments, there is a low dose chemo therapy treatment that some patients do, some patients do get surgery. So you know, the clinic works individually with each patient with their diagnosis and SabineKvenberg.com: huh. Emma Victoria Johnson: how to stop feeding the cancer. They teach you diet. So my cancer is hormone driven. So I actually do have a hormone blocker that stops estrogen from being produced and then we target the cancer. So it's a lot of things thrown into one, not just one treatment that works. I just think the clinic have this. a magical way of giving a patient hope. They believe in you and they don't just look at you as like a number on a board or another patient in another room. And I love that every single patient is tailor-made treatment. You you're not just going there having the same as everybody else. They look at your body individually and they're saving people's lives. I've met so many people at the clinic who are cancer-free, which is amazing. SabineKvenberg.com: Hmm. Now let's go back before all of that happened. First of all, I'm so happy for you that you are almost cancer free and that you are Emma Victoria Johnson: Thank you. SabineKvenberg.com: on the mend. But before you you shared very briefly with me that before you were diagnosed, you had your own business. Tell us about the business that you had. Emma Victoria Johnson: So I had a business here in Australia, a hair salon that I'd had for nearly 10 years. And I loved my work and I loved my business and you know, not many people say they enjoy working but I loved the business that I created and my brand and I loved my clients and the staff. But unfortunately, fighting cancer and running a business with staff and going away every couple of months or so, I had to end up closing the doors just for my own health reasons. I just couldn't keep up with it all and you know. A business doesn't run itself without a manager or without the owner being there. So unfortunately I did have to close the doors, which is a very hard time for me. But I believe that was the right thing for my health to do. SabineKvenberg.com: Mm-hmm. Yeah. You know, it's it's interesting that you said that because we have a lot of entrepreneurs who listen to the show and we all are faced with situations in life. And in your case, obviously it was the the health reason, and you made a decision that it didn't work. Now, I was also for some years an absentee owner. I had my school in Virginia and then I moved to Florida and I went back and forth and I had staff in play. I didn't have any health challenges that put stress on it. But just being an absentee owner is stressful because you are Emma Victoria Johnson: you SabineKvenberg.com: not there. You cannot take care of any situations that are arising and it gets very tiring. So I can only imagine when you also have to deal with your own health and because you don't want to have stress, because stress Emma Victoria Johnson: yes SabineKvenberg.com: is is the worst thing that can happen, right? Emma Victoria Johnson: and stress is the worst for cancer as well, because cancer loves stress. So yeah, I even remember Dr. Contreras saying to me, you you can't do both. You can't cure your body. And like every time I was going over to the hospital, you know, I was getting messages from work and problems that were happening. So it was taking my concentration away from healing. SabineKvenberg.com: Mm. Emma Victoria Johnson: And it did take me, it took a lot to come to that decision to close the door, but Dr. Contreras did say, you cannot do both. So I'm grateful for the advice and I'm grateful that I listened and you know it was a very tough time just before Christmas and I felt like I was letting my staff down and my clients down but you know life is more important than a business so I did choose myself over that yeah. SabineKvenberg.com: Yeah, yeah, so so true. sometimes when one door closes, another one opens. I believe there's always a reason for anything. just for you to be here and share your story gives others hope that there might be something an alternative that they can do. And I'm looking for different alternatives too. I'm very much into healthy living, and I know I'm using a a device which is a non invasive device that basically works with light. It's like a light therapy, but very, very easy. And one of the things I've learned is when we can turn on our good cells, right? Because cancer is basically cells that got out of control, and as you mentioned. because our immune system is so weak. I don't know how it is in Australia. I know where I live right now in the United States, there are a lot, a lot, a lot of chemicals and our food is is not as clean as it should be. And so we have to boost our immune system. And that is using one of those patches is one one of the things that helped me. I haven't been sick for for years now. And so I have a strong immune system. knock on wood hopefully it will stay this way. So what else do Emma Victoria Johnson: Hehehehehe SabineKvenberg.com: you do to keep a strong immune system? Emma Victoria Johnson: So diet is 80 % of what I follow because cancer loves sugar and all the foods that we probably love to eat. So I do have a very clean diet. I do keep fit. I walk every day. I go to the gym. I do saunas weekly, maybe two a week, infrared saunas. I do a red light therapy every day for 20 SabineKvenberg.com: Good. Emma Victoria Johnson: minutes on a red light mat. I do have an oxygen machine at home. an hour of oxygen a day. So you know there's supplements that I take, I juice, I green juice, I have berries every day because berries and strawberries and raspberries are really good for killing cancer cells. So I basically follow everything that the clinic tells me to do when I get home and I guess my daily routine is keeping my body as healthy and as fit as possible to keep fighting the cancer. SabineKvenberg.com: Yeah. Now, maybe when somebody's listening now, they say, Well, it's it's great to doing all those things. I would love to do this too, but I cannot afford it. And I don't know how the healthcare system is in Australia. it's different in different countries, but unfortunately here in the United States, the healthcare system and support is not as as good or Doing what you are doing now, doing the exercises, eating, having red light, having the oxygen, everything else, that is an investment not only in time where you cannot go to work, but also investment in all these devices and of course treatment and whatnot. how did you deal with all of that? Emma Victoria Johnson: Well, I actually, I don't, so there's oxygen chambers that you can go to. I cannot afford those. That's why I bought my own machine, which actually wasn't expensive at all. And my red light machine that I've got wasn't expensive. So I couldn't afford to go to a clinic every single week or twice a week to get those therapies. So I decided to invest in them and I've saved a lot of money by having my own equipment at home. Is it as good as? probably not as strong, but hey, it's still working. And you know. I don't have the money to spend to go and get treatments outside of my home. So I made my home a little wellness clinic, you know, with the options that I could afford. And yeah, our healthcare would not have paid for any of those things. But there's so many things online nowadays that you can buy and use at home if you're going to use them regularly. Like I said, like an oxygen chamber over here is $200 maybe for an hour. And you know, if you're doing that twice a week or three times a week, some, that's a weekly wage. SabineKvenberg.com: Yeah. Emma Victoria Johnson: So, you know, there are machines and, you know, red light, muck therapies that you can buy online that they're affordable. And, you know, if you're using them every day. you know, they don't become expensive in the end. So I guess I just invested in what I could afford to use. I'd love to go to a clinic every day and be able to afford to be treated and, you know, go under the red lights and the oxygen and have the full treatments, but I just bought my home versions and they're working. So I'm happy with that. SabineKvenberg.com: Yeah, and and that is exactly right. It's is like how we allocate our our resources. one of the things I know is true is when we are doing what we love, the work that we that we love, we are passionate about it gives us a purpose. Now that you closed your salon that you were passionate about. What keeps you going now? Emma Victoria Johnson: Well, the moment I'm concentrating on curing cancer. I do a little bit of help with OASIS. So I do, when I go into the clinic, help some patients that struggle with treatments. I do social media for myself, which I talk to people every day who have got cancer or who need to talk about the diagnosis. By far am I not saying that they need to do a certain thing. It's just advice how I deal with my day. If they want to go to Oasis, then I pass them on to them. My Instagram, started as a journey for myself, and I guess it's just become a public platform now. You know, I wake up every morning, I have over a hundred and fifty messages a day from people all over the world, and that gives me hope, and that gives me, that keeps me going, and I'm doing this now not only for myself, but I'm doing that for them. And I'm hoping, when I am cancer free, that Oasis might give me a job. SabineKvenberg.com: Ha. Emma Victoria Johnson: and I might be able to become some sort of patient care and work in the clinic. I've been through the journey. I have become the ambassador for them, which that just means I'm in the clinic and helping clients that are struggling. It's a journey that's happened. think God has put this in front of me. I don't think it wasn't a path that I was following or made. I kind of just fell into it. When I did close my business, I was thinking, what am I going to do again? You know, when I'm cancer free, would I have gone back into the industry? No, I would never have gone back into what I did. Those doors closed for a reason and new doors opened for a reason. SabineKvenberg.com: Yeah, I love what you just said. It is very true. Door closes for a reason and others open. And your journey is now a lifeline for others who watch you, for others who get some advice from your journey who are looking for alternatives. And this is. Something that gives us new purpose in life because of what you do and helping at the clinic, because you went through it, all of these things, and and just knowing that you can make a difference, and you have online do you have a hundred messages a day that gives you that sense of I can help, I can serve, and that in and of itself is important and vital t for your healing journey. Emma Victoria Johnson: It's very rewarding. It is very rewarding to give someone happiness or hope or if someone's going for a PET scan, I always tell them how I feel because I've been through it. yeah, it's a journey that I have been blessed to have met so many beautiful people online. SabineKvenberg.com: Yeah. And I will make sure to put your link in the show notes so people can reach out if they have a question, either on social media or to you directly, and anything else that we that we have are will be visible in the show notes. Now, if you could give one piece of advice to the listeners who might go through a similar situation or know someone who has cancer, if you can give one piece of advice to them, what would that be? Emma Victoria Johnson: Well, my one piece of advice would be to have a consultation with Oasis of Hope because that clinic has saved my life. But I would generally say to believe in yourself and to listen to yourself. because God has you and you have the power to change your body and you know I did have to turn that around but Oasis gave me that strength when I got there that just didn't happen overnight so my my advice would be to look at alternatives and have a consultation with the team at Oasis and and see if they can give you the hope that they gave me. SabineKvenberg.com: Well said, thank you so much, Emma, for being here and sharing your story. And I wish you continued recovery and full healing and stay that light that you are and make a positive difference in the world. Emma Victoria Johnson: Thank you so much for having me this morning.