Theresa’s Journey: Primary Mediastinal Large B-cell Lymphoma
“I was 23 years old. I was very overwhelmed. I just did not understand what was going on," she remembers, "until I started talking to doctors at Hope4Cancer.”
In early 2024, Theresa, a 23-year-old from Upstate New York, went to the emergency room expecting to be told her symptoms were nothing serious, perhaps a lingering cold. Instead, doctors delivered news that changed everything: there was a large tumor in her chest measuring almost 9 inches.
She was diagnosed with primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma, and her doctors advised that she start chemotherapy immediately. She spent a week and a half in the ICU and did one round of chemo. However, the side effects were so hard on her body that she questioned her ability to continue with the treatment. She turned to her sister, a nurse with a deep interest in integrative medicine, who asked her a simple question: "Do you want to go to Hope4Cancer?" Theresa read up on Hope4Cancer’s approach, explored the website, and said “yes”. Within two weeks of her diagnosis, she arrived at the treatment center in Playas de Tijuana, Mexico.
Primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL) is a rare, fast-growing form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that develops in the mediastinum, the space in the chest between the lungs. It most often affects young adults, particularly women in their twenties and thirties. Because early symptoms are often subtle and non-specific, the tumor may grow substantially before it is diagnosed. Within the confined space of the mediastinum, it can compress the airways, heart, and major blood vessels, producing symptoms such as cough, chest pain, and shortness of breath.
Theresa's initial scan in February 2024 revealed a mass measuring roughly 9 inches (~23 centimeters) at its longest dimension. One important characteristic of this lymphoma is that it tends to respond well to chemotherapy, a fact that would later shape Theresa's integrative treatment plan.
It was way beyond anything I thought about,” he says. “The healing environment, the people, the doctors — it wasn’t harsh or painful. Everything made sense. The nutrition, the detox, the therapies, the emotional support. I felt like I was healing, not just fighting.
Theresa spent three weeks at our Playas de Tijuana treatment center, grateful for all she received. She said,
They gave me everything I needed. They look at everything in your body at Hope4Cancer. They educated me on how to heal.
Theresa returned home with her home program and tried to live by the schedule and lifestyle changes she learned at the center. Every day, she worked on the therapies, her nutrition, stress levels, and emotional health. A PET/CT scan in June 2024 (3 months after her home program) showed that the large tumor in Theresa’s chest had shrunk dramatically, and signs of cancer elsewhere in her body had disappeared. At her first follow-up visit, her care team ran her tests again and fine-tuned her supplements and home protocol. By November, another scan showed the large tumor was gone, but a smaller one had formed.
She returned for an enhanced one-week follow-up in December 2025 so her doctors could evaluate her in person. After reviewing her imaging results, her medical team determined that given PMBCL’s favorable response to chemotherapy, Theresa could complete a six-month course of treatment at home, while continuing to receive integrative support through her Hope4Cancer protocol.
The difference from her first experience with chemotherapy was striking.
Everything I was doing at Hope4Cancer made my chemo pretty much have no [negative] effects," Theresa says. She credits the foundation she had built through nutrition, detoxification, immune support, and the daily disciplines of her home program with helping her body tolerate treatment in a way it simply couldn't at the beginning of her journey. “The Home Program gave me a protocol to help my body alongside the chemo, so that I did not have the side effects, and it kept me strong. I felt amazing.
After just two rounds of chemotherapy, a scan showed the cancer was completely gone. On May 17th, 2025, Theresa was declared No Evidence of Disease (NED). A follow-up PET scan in June 2025 confirmed it: what remained of the once-massive tumor was a small area of inactive tissue with no metabolic activity, a reduction ranging from 77-93 percent across the tumor's dimensions and nearly 99 percent in its overall size compared to her baseline scan.
Today, more than a year later, Teresa remains NED and in remission.
At Hope4Cancer, we focus on identifying and addressing root causes while transforming the internal terrain so the body is less hospitable to the growth of cancer. Theresa's journey shows what that looks like in practice: non-toxic therapies, whole-person support, and, when the situation called for it, conventional treatment integrated thoughtfully into her plan, with her body strengthened and protected throughout.
For anyone beginning their own healing journey, her advice is practical and heartfelt: stay organized, stay consistent, and lean on your support system.
Consistency is really what has helped me heal as quickly as I was able to.
Her advice to anyone considering Hope4Cancer is simple:
The support here is amazing. You have to put your trust in the doctors. They look at everything in your body, and that’s the way to heal on a biological level.
If you or someone you love has been struggling with a cancer diagnosis or given little to no hope for the future, we want you to know there are other options. Reach out to our admissions department and schedule a free consultation today to learn how we can help.
Hope4Cancer Testimonials
In accordance with the FTC guidelines concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising, please be aware of the following:
The testimonials reflect the real-life experiences of individuals who were treated at our Hope4Cancer Treatment Centers. However, individual results may vary. We do not claim, nor should any website visitor assume, that any individual experience recounted is typical or representative of what any other patient might experience. Testimonials are not necessarily representative of what anyone else using our services may experience. The people giving testimonials in our films, videos, websites, or print materials, have not been compensated for use of their experiences.
If you or a loved one have any specific questions regarding Hope4Cancer treatments for your individual situation, please reach out to our admissions team here or call us at 1 (888) 544-5993 or for international calls +1 (619) 669-6511.