A UK father who was given 18 months to live by doctors says that he managed to cure his terminal ‘incurable’ bowel cancer by turning away from conventional treatments that had sentenced him to death, and using cannabis oil instead.
David Hibbit was diagnosed with cancer in July 2012 and received all of the conventional treatments available to cancer patients: chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery.
However, when doctors finally told him he had just over one year to live, he turned to the alternative remedy of cannabis oil and made a full recovery.
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Dailymail.co.uk reports:
He is now looking forward to the future after tying the knot with his partner of six years Heather Martin, 26, at a registry office today.
Mr Hibbitt, from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, said: ‘Friends had told me about cannabis oil and I dismissed it at first. I’ve never been into drugs.
‘But in February last year I was told I only had 18 months to five years to live, and I felt I had to try everything I could.
‘I felt like the chemo was killing me and I had nothing to lose. I couldn’t accept I was going to die.’
After going online to research his options, he discovered a lot of information about cannabis oil – and decided to try it.
‘I pay around £50 for a gram from a bloke I know who makes it,’ he said. ‘That lasts me about a month usually.
‘It gets your pretty high and knocks you for six, but it’s nowhere near as bad as chemotherapy.
‘The pain just seemed to disappear and it seems to have done the job.
‘I just want to make other people aware that there are other options out there.’
Mr Hibbitt was diagnosed with stage-three bowel cancer after initially being told he was suffering from piles.
After undergoing treatment at the Christie Hospital, in Manchester, the cancer returned and he had another operation in July 2013 followed by more chemotherapy.
He was given the all-clear before Christmas that year, but a month later he found a lump, and was told the cancer was in the lymph nodes in his groin.
Mr Hibbitt, who works in advertising, added: ‘This time they told me there wasn’t a lot they could do.
‘In July, after doing a lot of research, I got some cannabis oil. I was having chemo, and I was getting to a point where I couldn’t really do much, I had no energy.
‘In August I decided I’d had enough and I was going to stop the chemotherapy.
In October, he had an operation to remove the affected lymph nodes at the Royal Stoke University Hospital.
But he chose to carry on taking cannabis oil rather than have any more treatment, deciding against further chemotherapy sessions.
Following a scan in January he was given the all-clear – paving the way for him to organise his wedding.
Mr Hibbitt, who has a five-year-old son, Ashton, said: ‘We never thought this would happen, it’s great. Fingers crossed now I will grow old.
‘I feel really good and I hope my story will help other people.’
His fiance Heather, a nursery nurse, said: ‘I didn’t want him to take the cannabis oil at first because it’s illegal, but I saw the change in him and slowly got used to it.
‘He is a determined person and did a lot of research. He wanted to live.
‘We are all amazed how well he’s done. I can’t see my life without him. We have come through a hell of a lot.’
Cancer Research UK says it is aware of patients using cannabis extracts to treat themselves but stressed there is ‘no good evidence’ to prove it was safe and effective.
The charity is supporting clinical trials into the use of the drug and a synthetic cannabinoid to treat the disease.
Dr Kat Arney, from Cancer Research UK, said: ‘We know that cannabinoids – the active chemicals found in cannabis – can have a range of different effects on cancer cells grown in the lab and animal tumours.
‘But at the moment there isn’t good evidence from clinical trials to prove that they can safely and effectively treat cancer in patients.
‘Despite this, some cancer patients do choose to treat themselves with cannabis extracts.
‘Researchers are collecting patients’ experiences to build a picture of whether these treatments are helping or not, although this is weak evidence compared to properly-run clinical trials.
‘Cancer Research UK is supporting clinical trials for treating cancer with cannabinoid-based drugs in order to gather solid data on whether they benefit people with cancer.’
