Written by World Cancer Day is observed of the 4th of February every year – it’s the global uniting initiative led by the Union for International Cancer Control that us cancer survivors consider a Holiday. Others that have lost family members to cancer or are battling for their lives will migrate to social media to see the various posts that give them hope. 2021 marked the second year that I was able to be a pillar of hope to people fighting a deadly disease that puts an expiration date on our forehead. In only weeks I’ll do my ‘post remission’ physical after a 3.5 year battle against 3 different stage 4 cancers. It’s been a long strange trip – that’s for sure but I won and I’m alive and kicking to tell the story of how plant medicine put conventional therapies to shame in my own fight.
I used cannabinoid medicine or cannabis oils as my main treatment. There was no chemotherapy or radiation and immunotherapy was discontinued after side effect issues. In 2003 I faced Non Hodgkin’s Diffuse Large B Cell for the first time – the conventional treatments used caused a 1995 head injury to reactivate. I was not warned verbally by my doctor nor the oncologist that the toxic chemicals about to go into my body could cause paralysis that took quite some time to beat to re-emerge. Cancer treatment itself wasn’t even necessary – surgeons had successfully removed 100% of the lymph nodes effected. I said ‘okay’ to preventative chemotherapy and ended up spending 3 years in a wheelchair because of it.
On this World Cancer Day my focus is on gratitude – I’m thankful that plants that heal exist and even more in awe that learning how to use them for my own well being wasn’t anywhere near as difficult as I thought it would be. After all, I smoked cannabis for over 30 years without ever ingesting anything which means it took me over 3 decades to learn absolutely nothing about an incredible healing plant other than one could smoke it to get a head rush, kick back, and laugh a bunch.
It’s taken less than one to literally master how to use the plant in it’s forms known as Hemp and Marijuana and it’s various different extract types – there’s so much more to learn but the point is I started on my true medicinal journey on Sept. 8, 2013 the first time I ingested Cannabis – before that I was just smoking weed. I consider myself a relatively intelligent individual but when it came to this very smart plant boy was I stupid! I’m not sure why I never thought about ingesting cannabis – but it could be due to the crunchy brownies we used to make in the 80’s before we learned to make canna-butter.
When you’re first diagnosed with cancer there’s a plethora of feelings – but I’d say the biggest and most prevalent for all is fear. As a former racecar driver that drove on the track with ‘Team No Fear Gear’ sponsor’s name across the back of the car that I wrecked in the final boom – one thing I can attest to is the scare is very very real. I’ve been in some predicaments that would cause most to screech, squirm, and squeal – but none compare to hearing the words “Without a doubt it’s cancer, I’m sorry I have to make this diagnosis.”
“Sorry? Are you seriously sorry or is this the field of work that gives you a paycheck that you prefer to be in Mr. Oncologist” were my very first thoughts in 2015 when I was told that cancer had came back. Then the news that along with it were two more – that unnecessary ‘preventative’ treatment that caused paralysis to come back and put a wheelchair under my lap also caused what’s known as ‘secondary cancers’. When I got that news, while sitting on the doctors table, I made the decision that I’d go into cannabis compassion full bore.
My thoughts were this simple: “I’m dying anyway, I’m a former racecar driver and mortgage banker, the sins of my life are sending me straight to hell. My only salvation will be to save as many lives as possible before I’m gone.” And with those the chronicles of compassion began – the road less traveled became a map of how and when. Rogue was the new lifestyle and risk was 2nd nature. After all – traveling with and helping people using cannabis oils isn’t exactly a crime free venture – many end up in serious trouble. Thankfully all statutes of limitations that made me a criminal for helping kids like Genevieve get better… have expired.
Never in those journeys did I expect to gain a family – I traveled on my own on Amtrak to so many states it’s hard to list them all. To so many cities and into countless homes of people fighting to stay alive and often doing so with substances our government has deemed illegal – the beautiful cannabis medicines that have been around since the dawn of man. After years of travel and sleeping just about anywhere – along came Anne Mari and Genevieve.
The Cannabis Love Story began.
I’m free and I have a family – I have love – and health. We’ll make complaint here and there about aches and pains in our home like most people do – and so many times when I do that I’ll remember the years of fighting cancers. The reason why is bone metastasis damage that hasn’t healed. That kept me using opioids up until 1/26/2019 when I said no more and quite them – replacing them with the same plant I used to fight cancers – cannabis.
Prohibition of a plant has likely cost as many lives by not allowing medicine as it’s ruined with bogus criminal charges and prison sentences that were based solely on an individuals use of, possession of, or growth of a vegetable. As we venture into a new life of wearing masks and dodging viruses with a new President at the helm who has a pro cannabis Vice President with a history of introducing legislation to legalize – we know that some type of action is imminent.
Let’s just hope safe and legal access to Cannabis – and I’m talking THC here not just the Hemp plant – is made available to every human on earth soon. We likely wouldn’t be watching so many deaths if the Phyto-medicine could have been researched to utilize it at a greater level during this pandemic – but we’ll never know because of the 1937 act to make using the plant a crime – and growing it even worse.
Free the weed – and allow people to fight cancer and beat it. Regardless of what someone’s choice of survival may be nobody has the right to judge them. Personally, I believe most people would benefit greatly from integrative medicine. This is when cannabis/hemp extracts are used in conjunction with other treatments. The reason I state this is far too many wait until they are late staged and they have no tolerance built.
When I found out I had 3 Stage 4’s I was a person that dabbed regularly and smoked weed everyday. There wasn’t an issue with starting strong oils right away.
Fight cancer and win… the plant is no guarantee that’s for sure but it gives us a chance we didn’t otherwise have.
-Mike Robinson, Cancer Survivor / Medicinal Cannabis Patient. Founder, Global Cannabinoid Research Center. But most of all – Genevieve’s Daddy
