Sarah Cripps’ son was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in April 2022 when he was 18 months old but it was her desperation to “take control” that helped her stumble across what she believes was the best way to help save his life.
The 38 year old has claimed that her gut-friendly recipes have helped improve her young son’s survival chances from leukaemia boosting him from 13% to 97% and has boldly said “cancer isn’t all about chemo”. The business owner from Surrey said her son Teddy was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), a type of blood cancer, on April 1 2022 before he was two year old, which was “the worst April Fools’ joke ever”.
Teddy, now four, needed to undergo chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant, but with doctors telling Sarah he had a 13% chance of survival, she said she wanted to “take control” and research ways in which she could help her son.
Sarah worked with healthcare professionals from across the world and decided to create her own gut-friendly recipes packed with fruits and vegetables, including shepherd’s pie, spaghetti bolognese, smoothies and broths, to help Teddy consume “35 to 50 plant materials a week”.
Like any mother, Sarah was desperate to try anything and whilst she doesn’t think food cures cancer, she firmly believes it played a crucial role in her son’s survival, as he “flew through treatment” with minimal side effects and now stands at a 97% probability of cure.
Sarah’s new book called Cancer Isn’t All About Chemo, which is a book written “based on science”, discusses the holistic approaches, integrative nutrition and lifestyle strategies that cancer patients can implement alongside conventional medicine.
“Food is medicine,” Sarah said. “It doesn’t mean it is the only medicine. I cannot guarantee that every single person who implements our methods will survive … but the message is that there is hope.”
Breakthroughs in blood cancer research over recent years have drastically improved the survival rates of those diagnosed with the disease. Charities boldly envision a not-so-far-future where nobody dies from blood cancer – but we’re still a long way from this goal. In fact, it is thought around 15,000 people in the UK alone still die from the illness every year.
According to Blood Cancer UK, symptoms of AML can include tiredness, bruising, bleeding, a fever, bone or joint pain and lumps. For Teddy, Sarah said he was lethargic, “puffy” and had “the appearance of a virus”, but when she noticed lumps on the back of his head, she decided to seek medical advice.
After his symptoms were initially dismissed by their GP, Sarah sought a second opinion and this led to Teddy’s AML diagnosis in April 2022. Teddy was transferred to St George’s Hospital and then The Royal Marsden in London, with doctors explaining that Teddy would need chemotherapy and a “lifesaving” bone marrow transplant.
Sarah prayed that Teddy’s non-identical twin George would be a perfect match, but this wasn’t the case and Teddy was placed on the donor waiting list. “I was driving home and crying, just thinking, ‘I can’t do this, something’s got to be out there’,” Sarah said.
“And then I just remember hearing the voice of my best friend who passed away just after my wedding and she said, ‘You need to pull yourself together, you can do this’.”
Sarah started doing her own research and came across Dr William Li’s TED Talk on YouTube – Can We Eat To Starve Cancer? – which offered a new perspective on how to help her poorly son. Sarah’s background in nutrition helped kickstart plans to create her own recipes, including shepherd’s pie with seven different vegetables, smoothies, homemade juices and her mushroom “healing broth”, and she worked closely with The Royal Marsden hospital kitchen to feed Teddy.
An NHS England report from November 2022 states that “it is important that all healthcare organisations see the intrinsic value in the view of ‘food as medicine’”. “I would cook fresh food and I would pack it into Thermos flasks,” Sarah explained.
“The strategy I had with Teddy was, chemo is going to save your life, but only if your body is strong enough to fight off the side effects.” The Royal Marsden says foods that do not need to be kept in a fridge can be brought into the hospital, but any other foods need to be discussed with a member of its catering department.
As well as her homemade meals, Sarah gave Teddy supplements with professional oversight from his medical team – helping him experience minimal side effects during chemotherapy. He lost his hair only after his bone marrow transplant in August 2022 and “never required any pain medication”.
“He didn’t get sick, genuinely,” Sarah said. “One of the healthcare professionals said to me, in the 12 years that they’d worked on that ward, they’d never ever seen a child go through treatment like Teddy.”
Sarah said she “hired the best people over the world”, including naturopaths and nutritionists, and in total, she and her husband Kurt spent around £65,000. To save others this “financial strain”, Sarah wanted to share her knowledge – and the idea for her book Cancer Isn’t All About Chemo was born.
“I think it’s important to give people information so they can make informed decisions alongside their medical teams,” Sarah said. Launching on Tuesday [February 4] on World Cancer Day, Sarah said her book provides a comprehensive guide to help patients and their families improve their quality of life during treatment and potentially achieve better outcomes.
It focuses on holistic methods, such as optimising nutrition, managing stress and prioritising quality sleep, and encourages people to “go back to the basics”. Sarah said she would “never advocate for not doing conventional medicine” and would advise people to speak to their medical teams about any nutrition plans, but she has described Teddy’s transformation as “incredible”.
Now-retired professor of pathology AbulKalam M Shamsuddin said Sarah’s book is a “must-read book for cancer patients and their beloved ones”.
Sarah added: “It’s about looking at building somebody’s body up so it can work with the cancer treatment to get better results. I’m trying to give the world something that gives you hope when you don’t feel like there’s any hope left.”
A spokesperson at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust said: “We have specialised dietetics and catering teams available to provide bespoke, freshly cooked and highly nutritious food for all of our young patients during their time with us.
“Patients and families can discuss their dietary requirements and preferences with our team, who go above and beyond to deliver a variety of the best possible meals and options for patients to make eating and drinking easier for those on treatment.
“It is vital for children and young people to maintain their nutritional status and support their growth and development during treatment.”
Sarah’s book is available on Amazon now.