Sprouting new life

Behind Jim Miller’s house is a lovely garden area canopied by old oak trees lacy with Spanish moss. The beautiful pentas that attract colorful butterflies and the bright blooms of the shrimp plant are beautiful. It seems the perfect place for the man who beat cancer by turning to nature for its healing powers.

In 2006 when his massage therapist told Jim his spleen was hard as a rock and he needed to see a doctor. His busy life got in the way, and it was two months before he went in. The doctor was shocked that Jim’s hemoglobin was 6 when it should have been 12-16 and immediately ordered a transfusion.

“He was pretty sure I had cancer in my bone marrow, which was inhibiting my production of red blood cells,” Jim says. “He said they could stave it off with chemo, but it would keep coming back faster and faster until they couldn’t do chemo anymore.”

As predicted, Jim’s diagnosis was Non-Hodgkin’s Leukemic Lymphoma (NHLL). He went to Dr. Rambabu Tummala, hematologist and medical oncologist, beginning chemotherapy just a month later.

The chemotherapy worked, and he was declared in remission. However, indications were a less aggressive strain of the NHLL was coming back—at 6 to 7 percent. Jim was sent to Moffitt Cancer Center and was told a bone marrow transplant was the answer—60 to 70 percent rate of success, most likely organ damage, hope that he would live five years.

When the massage therapist mentioned his spleen was lumpy again, Jim chose an alternative approach his sister-in-law recommended—Hippocrates Health Institute in West Palm Beach. Jim says. “I could always take my chances with the bone marrow transplant later.”

After spending three weeks at the institute, new tests indicated Jim’s blood counts were better. In June 2008 a bone marrow biopsy showed he was in full remission, and the cancer strain was down to 0.1 percent.

Eight years later, Jim continues to adhere to the Hippocrates Institute lifestyle plan, which focuses on mind, body, and spirit. Sleep and exercise are essential to health and healing just as peace of mind and joy are.

“The main thing I still do is have a 16-ounce glass of fresh juice, made from sunflower sprouts, cucumber, and celery,” Jim says. “I also have two to three ounces of wheatgrass juice and add a clove of garlic (which is a strong anti-cancer agent).”

At Hippocrates, Jim learned not to swallow until his food is puree, which makes being hungry a non-issue. “My body is getting all the nutrients it needs with whole, live food,” Jim says. “I learned to focus on what I could eat—lots of delicious raw food dishes—not what I couldn’t eat,” Jim says. “In my old life, I ate to feel good, now I feel good because of what I eat.”

Today he’s a trim 185 and sees his oncologist every three months. This March he celebrated the 10th year since his diagnosis. Though his diet is not as rigid as it once was, he eats no wheat, dairy, or processed food with gluten, and he practice slow yoga.

He feels sharing his story is his ministry. When people call for advice, he encourages them to watch his YouTube video about growing wheatgrass and sunflower sprouts. If they call back with more interest, he talks with them about the lifestyle change, though they seldom call back.

“My cancer turned out to be a total blessing,” Jim says. “I feel like I’m in my 30s with lots of energy, flexibility, and strength. I told the educational foundation I’d do ‘Dancing with the Stars’ when I was 70, and I have three years to go.”