Susan Hale

One Sunday afternoon in May of 1997, my 45-year-old daughter Susan was taken to a local emergency room near her home south of Los Angeles. After an evaluation and an MRI, a neurosurgeon performed an immediate craniotomy in the right temporal area and removed a “brain tumor between the size of a golf ball and a tennis ball.” The biopsy showed it to be a glioblastoma multiforme, grade 4. Her family was told she had “3 to 4 months to live, but this could be extended with radiation.”

In the summer of 1997, Susan underwent conventional radiation treatment at a local hospital. The tumor was reduced sufficiently to allow stereotactic radiation treatment at another local hospital so equipped. In October 1997, she underwent this “gamma knife surgery.” It was deemed "successful." Susan was to have follow-up MRIs every 3 months.

In May of 1998, the second follow-up MRI revealed a tumor of a size that necessitated a second entry at once. This second craniotomy into the right temporal area was done in June.

Meanwhile, Susan was pursuing alternative treatments, one of which was the Burzynski Clinic.

Early in August of 1998, Susan went to Houston and was accepted into a clinical trial at the Burzynski Clinic. On August 10, 1998, Susan began infusing antineoplastons through a subclavian catheter.

Over the Labor Day weekend as Susan was returning to Los Angeles from Houston, she suffered a loss of motor skills: she could not stand upright, walk, control her hands and arms, or talk, and her short-term memory was gone. She could not add or subtract at the level of her 7-year-old son. She was confined to either a bed or wheelchair. The opinion of most doctors was that this was caused by the collective trauma to the brain over the past 15 months.

Susan remained on antineoplaston infusions. The follow-up MRIs in October and November at a local hospital showed “no evidence of growth.” The follow-up MRI in February of 1999 still showed no change. Dr. Burzynski told Susan the “tumor was gone.”

Meanwhile, Susan had begun speech, occupational, and physical therapy in November of 1998. The occupational therapy was completed in May of 1999. Her memory was improving, and she could add and subtract. Susan continued with physical and speech therapy. By this time she was walking with a walker and using her wheelchair only sparingly.

During 1999, Susan continued infusing antineoplastons around the clock. She had follow-up MRIs and visited the Burzynski Clinic for checkups every 2 months. The MRI reports continued to state “no evidence of a recurrent growth.”

From October until December 1999, and again in January and February 2000, Dr. Burzynski gave Susan infusions of amino acid solutions as well as antineoplastons.

On February 27, 2000, Susan stopped all infusions and began taking antineoplaston capsules orally.

On April 23, 2000, Susan walked into the Burzynski Clinic in Houston for a routine visit, with the aid of her walker but no wheelchair. During this visit her catheter was removed.

Susan no longer has speech or physical therapy. Her speech therapist last saw her in March of 2000, while her physical therapist last saw her on June 6, 2000. With continuing practice and a personal trainer, she is expected to walk unaided and unassisted in the near future.

On May 13, 2000, Susan completed the 5-Kilometer Revlon Run/Walk for Women 2000, Los Angeles, using her walker and her wheelchair only occasionally, and aided by a close friend.

Certainly, Susan’s life is returning to normal. She readily acknowledges her debt to Dr. Burzynski when he tells her that she may now “expect a normal life span.”

Gerald Dyer, Susan's Dad

July 2000

Gerald will be happy to speak with anyone concerning his daughter's successful treatment with antineplastons.

This patient has requested to be contacted through Burzynski Patient Group. <maryjo@siegel.net>