On February 24th this year Jess Ainscough wrote a blog post trying to defend her actions of deliberately misleading her followers about her condition. She admitted that ‘Gerson Therapy’ had not cured her cancer, however, she stopped short of explaining her actual condition or admitting that her arm and hand are steadily worsening.
In that blog post, she said this:
“I’m living and thriving with cancer, six years after diagnosis. And I’m going to continue to heal and thrive, with or without cancer, for as long as my personal journey on this planet dictates.”
and:
“… a loving note to my critics: Thank you for always pushing me to observe myself and my relationship with my amazing readers. Your latest onslaught caused me to step back and look at how I’m being perceived, and motivated me to look for ways that I need to increase the transparency I have with my tribe.”
Here we are a few days out from that being seven months ago. There has been a lot of fluff on the blog, recipes, recipes, recipes, fashion, past life regression, dieting (or not), joy, miracles, detachment, loving yourself, dogs, you know the stuff. Some of it is nonsense, but harmless enough. Except her promotion of spirulina, but that is another blog post for another day. Whether Jess is ‘living and thriving with or without cancer’ and continuing to ‘heal and thrive’ is up for debate. Well, not the living bit – she is clearly alive. But is she ‘thriving and healing’? Doesn’t look that way. Is she without cancer? Judging by her still worsening arm and hand, no.
When was the last time we saw a photograph or video with Jess’ arm and hand exposed? She is curiously always wearing long sleeves, even when those around her are not. She is making every effort to hide her diseased arm, and that’s her prerogative, if she is uncomfortable with how it looks and would prefer to keep it out of view, I can sympathise with that. It’s the lack of umm… transparency I take issue with. Rather than addressing the issue of her arm and hand, she prefers to just hide it. That’s transparency ‘Wellness Warrior’ style I guess: Say nothing. Pretend it isn’t happening. Do not offer an explanation. Do not offer an honest account of the condition you told the world you were curing. Just. stop. talking. about. it.
Only this week Jess came out of her ‘winter hibernation’ to make a public appearance. An appearance at which (judging by this blog post) she gave an ambiguous message about her condition and the success of her ‘Gerson Journey’. The writer gushes: “Jess shared her story of self-healing from a rare form of cancer…” Um, Jess, you are still being perceived as the girl who cured her cancer. It’s about time you took responsibility for the accuracy of your message and stopped blaming others for what they take away from your words.
Arm looks permanently and uncomfortably hunched.
Middle finger completely contracted.
So Jess, here is a loving note from one of your critics:
I am sorry you have cancer, I truly am. I have to be honest though, my sympathy for you ends at the point where you started saying publicly that you were curing yourself / had cured (or healed, same thing) yourself. It ends at the point where vulnerable cancer patients, desperate for hope, follow your lead under the impression it is the way to a cure. It ends at the point where you made a lucrative career out of being “the girl who cured her cancer”.
When will you be honestly transparent with your 60,000 plus followers? When will you tell the truth to your amazing readers? The people who keep your business running, and your income growing by purchasing your products, and those you promote? The people who follow and support you deserve that transparency you promised. When will that happen?
Over to you, Jess.
UPDATE 26/09/2014:
Jess has been forced to withdraw from some planned appearances due to her condition. She finally admitted to her followers via her Facebook page today that “over the past year my condition has progressed from stable to aggressive”. The post is still quite vague and includes the tired old comments about healing and thriving. According to Jess, and Rachel who commented below, she also made this admission at her last appearance. My guess is that the cancer has spread to the point where it is impacting her ability to go about her daily business.
“Hi Guys,
I’m so disappointed to tell you that I sadly won’t be speaking at this weekend’s Utopia Women’s Wellness (or Melbourne next week).
I had such a great time at the Sydney event, but the energy it required exerted me in a way I’m not yet ready for. As I mentioned in my talk that day, over the past year my condition has progressed from stable to aggressive. I’m on a healing roller coaster and I really need to listen to my body. This means that I will be continuing my hibernation a little longer to give myself my full undivided attention. Doing anything less would be a contradiction to the message I was planning on sharing with you at the event. That can wait.
I’m so sorry if you were planning to see me at Utopia – I’ll miss you! However there will be so many other incredible speakers on the day, and they have organised the incredible Belinda Davidson (my personal spiritual mentor) to replace my original time slot. You will love her!
Thanks for sticking by and respecting my need for time away. Please channel any concern you have for me into strength and positivity. Send white light instead of worry. You guys, my amazing tribe, have a bigger role in my healing team than you will ever know and I’m so grateful. I may have cancer, but I still live each day with moment-to-moment devotion to living my best life despite (and because of) my circumstances. Because of that, I’m thriving.
Speak with you soon xxx Jess”
I’ve said all along that it is Jess’ personal choice to deal with her health as she pleases. I am truly sorry that it appears that her misguided choices have not cured her cancer or extended her life beyond the average life expectancy of someone with her particular cancer. However, taking thousands of people on that misguided ride, and making a lucrative career out of misleading those people deserves no sympathy at all.
Thanks to Jane for bringing the above-mentioned blog to my attention.
The View From The Hills 
I guess there is a problem with the meaning of the word ‘heal’. ‘Healing’ does not quite have the same finality as the word ‘cure’. But whilst containing all the connotations of the word ‘cure’, ‘healing’ is more ambiguous – meaning the person is in recovery…indefinitely… That’s probably why quacks purveying alternative medicine like to use the word ‘heal’ so much. It’s a gross and fraudulent misuse of a perfectly good word.
I feel sad for Jessica Ainscough having a now probably incurable illness, but yes it does make me feel angry at the whole industry of denial she has created. Thank you for the post.
I happened to be at both events she spoke at in Sydney and not because I personally know Jess. I don’t. At one event, there was no mention of healing. It was about her journey as an author. At the other event, she was very honest. The gushing blogger who may have heard Jess share her story of healing was obviously tuned out elsewhere when Jess very honestly and openly went on to share with her audience that she was still dealing with cancer and that it had become worse. If you weren’t there, as I was, then you are really not qualified to comment.
I have included your comment that she told the audience her condition had worsened in the above update. Thank you.
Her facebook update today is pretty ominous.
I saw that too, thanks Lisa. Have added an update above.
And still her “healing” story is re-blogged ad nauseum
http://www.treehugga.com.au/featured_aussies_wellness_warrior
This one with a pic lifted from her photo shoot last week, so not outdated:
Treating herself with kindness and respect for the first time in years she detoxified her body through radical diets and daily rituals of self-love and care. These changes saved her life and have helped heal not only jess but those with whom she shares her story and inspiration.
Gosh, reality and truth mean absolutely nothing to these people. Don’t they check their facts? Ever?
What are they all going to say as she gets sicker, and the inevitable happens? That she didn’t love herself enough? That she didn’t love herself quite the right way? That she went the wrong way about healing? She didn’t think enough loving, positive thoughts?
I came across a blog pushing a detox recipe sourced from Polly Noble’s page, describing Polly Noble as someone who had beaten cancer twice – the blog entry was written 2 months after she died. I commented and pointed this out to her. My comment has now been deleted, but at least the blogger had the decency to include an update.
http://www.adventuresindrool.com/fitness-friday-summer-detox/
Ooh, I know.
I just read the “treehugga” blog post to which Jane so generously left a link – I haven’t felt so enraged in quite a while. I found the overall tone patronizing. As for the insinuation that a person can develop an extremely rare and nasty form of cancer (for which the genetic cause has already been pin-pointed) virtually as a “punishment” for engaging in a few years of “hard work, partying & pill-popping**” in their early 20’s – it really infuriates me.
Never mind the lack of logic to this. I mean, if everyone I know who went through a short phase of “partying” as a young adult went on to develop a rare form of cancer by the age of 22 there would be very few healthy & fertile adults around. Ditto the healthy elderly people I know!
Oh, and why bother actually researching the condition affecting the person whose products you are shamelessly plugging in the first place?
I shan’t even go into the “Refusing to accept the expiration date given by the Doctors” barb…
**Mind you, I don’t think this “pill-popping” has ever been quantified. Please correct me if I’m wrong.
Indeed. The religiosity of it is astounding. The parallels to original sin seem glaringly obvious to me. And so shameful. Alter-therapy pseudoscience fundamentalism claims another victim.
this response on jess’s facebook is one of the most infuriating comments I think I have ever read about cancer. The ignorance and smug attitude these people have is breath taking. I wonder what jess makes of this kind of response now she is at her stage of the disease.
“Jess, I am so sorry to hear you have cancer. I did not know. I send you love, and healing. May you allow your beautiful self to simply radiate inside the current moment, and use all the universal power and magnificence, to heal you. If you have any resistance (intuitively/in your subconscious) you may need to work with a kinisiologist or hypnotist, or do gestalt with a trained counsellor. As you have previously walked this path, with success, and as you are so loved, and such an inspiration to thousands, you hold the power to overcome cancer. I know you would be giving your body the absolute perfect diet of alkaline producing foods. I just wanted to check with you in relation to any subconscious blocks. Due to the tragic loss of your mother, this may have caused a fear based block, in your subconscious, that needs to be examined, then removed, for you to walk forward in your cancer free path again. Please, allow yourself to simply be. You are a spirit, in a body, and you have proven to be such a gift to the world already. This is just a break from life, as you re focus. Inside this moment is where the magnificence and the healing power is. Enjoy your pug (I have one too). Enjoy your mini holiday. When the timing is right, you will be back, stronger than ever, to keep healing many. Sending you loads of love. You have a huge purpose on this earth, which you have started, and after your ‘cancer break’, you will continue. May your love for yourself, and your life, deepen more daily. Love Phoebe xx”
Nauseating isn’t it? It’s like they don’t know that cancer kills people!
And someone else has helpfully suggested that Jess try the ketogenic diet, not realising that she has already tried it. Ugh.
Yes incredibly nauseating. There comes a point when rose coloured glasses become a blindfold.
I find it interesting that her blog over the years literally gave the ins and outs of her daily life and progress.. while obviously the gerson therapy wasn’t a walk in the park for her.. she clearly had hope and faith in its healing power. she was happy to splash the intricacies of her daily progress all over her blog. Now the door has completely been shut in readers faces. There’s no news of her progress for months.. and now she gives an ambiguous message and reason for her absence. I’m sure readers were drawn to her because she was so open and honest in the early years. I just find it strange that her answer seems to be as Rosalie has pointed out – to just stop talking about it. full stop.
This is what I find so vile about this woman. I have no doubt that she has convinced many people over the years to abandon conventional medicine and turn to Gerson therapy. I wonder how many of those people died? Well now she is clearly dying from cancer and she has decided to shut everyone out of her “journey” that she was only too happy to share when it showed her looking healthy and “cured” of cancer.
I want to feel sorry for this woman but I just can’t right now. I can only think of all the other people out there who took her message to heart and have either died or are suffering needlessly as we speak.
I remember seeing people also enquiring about her mum, I guess around the time she was probably very unwell too and jess never responded. She’s a master at ignoring that’s for sure. Personally I couldn’t sleep at night, knowing I was misleading probably thousands of people.
I agree there needs to be some sort of regulation for these people. It’s just fraud in my opinion, especially with $ and people’s lives at stake
I think it’s karma when you deceive people it just comes around to bite you and now she’s deteriating and can’t hide her lies anymore.
I think the lack of objection to this change in Jess’s methodology an affirmation of the apathetic mindset of the kind of people who follow her. They don’t actually want to be challenged. Pressing a like button is all most of them are capable of. Maybe copying a recipe or two, in between gushing over whatever Jess posts, no matter what the content. Complete lack of critical thinking.
Lemmings. And if she were to disclose the failure of gerson therapy (I know highly unlikely) they would all b jumping on that band wagon too. It’s scary the amount of power one person can have over thousands
Nice catch Jane about that Polly Noble blog. What kind of idiot writes a blog post without first checking that their subject is still alive?? And then keeps the page up after learning the truth??
It’s very worrying that she can’t even make it to an event in Brisbane when she lives so close to it. Perhaps her arm has become so deformed that she doesn’t want anyone to see it. The saddest part is that she still thinks she is going to get better, just like she thought her mum was going to get better. From October 2013: ”Although Mum had been very sick, we never once gave up hope and right until the very end we kept expecting things to turn back around and for her to get better.”
It’s extremely worrying. As much as I think the whole “Wellness Warrior” thing took on a pernicious, slightly fraudulent life of its own – I really hate to think that Jess Ainscough could be suffering through a painful & very debilitating metastasizing illness without even palliative care. I’m gobsmacked by the lack of empathy displayed by her “tribe” (on FB anyway), to be honest.
I wonder if her loyal followers will be allowed further access to the “healing journey” if things are going really badly?
Hell no they won’t! This woman is not “transparent” as she claims and has abandoned her flock right at the time when they need actual transparency the most. At least Polly Noble “came clean” and confessed that she was having chemo. I wonder if Ainscough is currently getting chemo or other kinds of conventional treatment?
These women with cancer who promote Gerson and nutrition as a cure for cancer all have the exact same way of doing things: they are happy to go on television and tout quackery when they look healthy and when their cancer is either in remission or not spreading quickly. Then, the moment they take a turn for the worst, you will only see pictures of their swimming pool or kale cake they just baked.
Yeah it is easy to “bravely” make your cancer journey public if you go into hiding once the hard part starts.
There are over 400 comments on Jess’s post about being on a ‘healing rollercoaster’ and as far as I can tell they are all gushing and sending white light and praising Jess for being a wonderful soul. I wondered about asking her once again for more transparency–to share any conventional treatment (including pain meds, because that has got to be very painful) she is undergoing as well as all the other nonsense. But what’s the point of posting a lone comment in a sea of hundreds of true believers?
It strikes me again the incredible vanity and hubris of this particular branch of the wooniverse. All young and beautiful, endlessly photographing themselves in floaty dresses in idyllic surroundings. The endless fixation on the self, self-love, self-care, self-worship. When Jess succumbs to her illness, her tribe will continue to gush about how she gave herself extra time and was a gift to the world. Who knows what harm she’s really done?
The really sad thing is, untreated advanced epithelioid sarcoma is up there as one of the most hideous, disfiguring conditions you could think of. I can’t even begin to think how she psychologically deals with that side of things in light of the fixation on all things beautiful. I can understand why she would loath revealing what is going on under her long sleeves. [WARNING: Images are confronting] These pics were taken barely a month apart and of a young guy who succumbed to ES a few weeks after the final pic was taken.
Again, I warn, not for the faint-hearted.
http://robgrimshaw.blogspot.com.au/search?updated-max=2011-06-29T23:17:00-07:00&max-results=7&start=35&by-date=false
http://robgrimshaw.blogspot.com.au/2011/06/robs-cyber-waiting-room.html
I saw her a few months ago on the sunshine coast. I walked by a cafe she was at. She had the long sleeves on and looked terribly self conscious.. Constantly pulling the sleeve down. If this is what’s under that sleeve it would be horrendously painful
Shouldn’t she let her website readers know that all of her healing tips and lifestyle choices haven’t stopped her cancer from progressing? A first time reader probably won’t seek out her Facebook page to discover the current state of her health.
In fact, a first time reader of her website, upon seeing all the photos of her looking beautiful, fit and even “healthy” may tempted to follow jess’s path.
Then there’s this idiot:
Belinda Davidson
“My dear friend and client, Jess Ainscough, has decided it is not good for her path of healing and health right now to speak at Utopia Woman’s Wellness this Sunday in Brisbane.
I’m honoured to be chosen as her replacement, and will be speaking about soul medicine, energy medicine, health, the chakras and the key to thriving.”
I just invented a drinking game to play while reading her followers’ incredibly stupid cancer treatment suggestions that’ll get you pissed in no time. or if you’re a teetotaller it’d make a nice bingo card:
Alkaline/acid blah blah (chug)
Negative feelings blah blah (chug)
Cancer=fungus (chug)
Don Tolman (chug)
Juices and meditation retreats in exotic locales (chug)
Positive vibes (chug)
Love / light/ healing (1 chug each)
Ketogenic diet (chug)
Vitamin c infusions (chug)
Unconscious blocks / kinesiology / Hypnotism (1/3 chug each cos these all come from the same idiot)
I found cannabis oil
Hic!
OK… I’m totally legless after the stream of toxic pool chlorine nonsense.
Hello,
at the risk of sounding incredibly insensitive towards Jess in her final stages of cancer, I am increasingly angry at ppl like her who profit from this message – especially, as someone else has mentioned, from others with cancer desperate for an answer.
Is there not a regulatory body of some sort that can prevent people like Jess claiming to cure cancer?
Not in Queensland, no. If she were in N.S.W I think the HCCC would be worth a try if she could be classed as a “health information service”, but that is a long shot. Unfortunately, these kinds of people slip through the regulatory cracks because they are not actual health professionals.
So many of you have said what I would say already. I knew that Ainscough would continue with her scam until the very end. She wrote some nonsense in February about coming clean, but now when she is obviously is the last stages of her illness, she refuses to discuss it at all, calling it only “winter hibernation”. It makes me sick. I bet that every single day, people who are newly diagnosed with cancer come across her blog. What harm is she doing to at this very moment? Who is reading her blog and deciding against conventional treatment, totally unaware that Ainscough still has cancer, that her cancer is progressing normally for its type, and that she is probably truly dying from cancer at this point?
How long after she dies will it take to even update her blog with that fact alone? I used to have some sympathy for Ainscough, but I just don’t right now. This would be the perfect time for her to come clean and admit her mistake, but she instead is hiding behind goofy phrases like “healing roller coaster”.
My thoughts exactly. Watch this space.
Just out of curiosity, I checked Polly Noble’s blog and twitter, and even though she has been dead for several months, that fact in nowhere to be seen on any of her sites. I swear Belle Gibson mentioned on her facebook page a couple of months ago that her cancer had returned, but now I cannot find anything about it. I cannot stand the way these people run their scams. Polly Noble writes absolutely nothing about how she is very ill, and no one in her business even updates her site that she has died. Apparently Belle Gibson is not going to discuss the return of her own cancer.
And to anyone who would come here and say that cancer and illness is personal and private, I would naturally agree, except in circumstances where someone intentionally made their cancer public and also is making money off of it (in some cases, A LOT of money). I am angry that those people think they can have it both ways. They get all the acclaim and wealth of being a healthy person who knows how to beat cancer with nutrition, but then “shut down” when they are very obviously dying of the cancer they claim they know how to heal.
The funny thing is that whenever people use ‘roller coaster’ as a metaphor, what they usually mean is lots of downs and few ups.
Well we cannot use any grown-up people words like “getting a lot sicker” now can we? That would not be positive and full of self-love! What if the cancer hears it? If the cancer hears those nasty, negative words, then it will turn on us just to teach our body a lesson in not thinking positively enough!
How can she claim this is ‘winter hibernation’? It was spring in Australia when she wrote that post, and right now it’s summer!
I share your views on this disastrous arriviste in the world of terminal cancer. The white-light woo brigade are supreme hypocrites for not calling her out on her non-interaction when things were tough for her. Their capacity to self-justify new age bullshit phrases is staggering, I’ll give them that.
The only consolation, as harsh as it is, is that now she’s dead a few of her acolytes might question her superficial exhortations. She died almost right on schedule a ‘(narrow)-evidence-based-science’ doctor would have predicted, and far sooner than conventional treatment would forecast for her. One would hope that last sentence is something those suffering from cancer would get, although in my experience, if they’re on the path of ‘woo’, nothing can stop their self-destruction. Sure, they dress it up in ‘quality of life’, and ‘living beautifully, naturally’, but tell me a dying man or woman wants that. I can only hope her pernicious, deranged message is promptly forgotten. La Fameuse Mme Gibson can only help the cause of evidence-based medicine when it comes to cancer, although I hope Jess played her part too. It’s hard to be harsh on someone who’s died, but when their relentless promotion potentially results in unnecessary deaths, we should call it out, as I’m so please this blog is doing.
Rosalie I find your writing quite critical as if you are coming from a position of high authority where you know best. Your writing has no factual basis. The most disturbing aspect with your comments is that you appear to be coming from a negative &/or angry place, is that fair? Your comments as above are just picking out certain bits to criticise Jess on aka reading between the lines twisting words to suit your view point. there are other things she has written in her blogs that contradict what you are trying to imply & judge Jess on (I will not get specific as there are many examples). The media do the same thing as in the examples you have given above, they are implying Jess is cured but she herself has not said that. Every creature on this planet is following their own journey and what is right for each person differs, it is rather cruel I believe for you to be so harshly critical of Jess Ainscough. You do not know best!!! neither do I!!! Who does know best? God? Buddha? What religion is right? Is it one person or many? Are they all right? What viewpoint is right? What doctor is right? Who does know best? If you did know everything and had one answer wouldn’t you cure all cancer??? There are so many approaches to treat cancer in the world, have you studied them all? Do you know which one is right, is any one right? Your mother would still be alive if her approach was right would she not? I am just trying to give you another aspect to think about into the words you are putting here. Don’t just think in a one track direction way with one view point only which you will not differ from, think of everything in every direction, every viewpoint considered. Then draw your conclusions and realise that that view point is unique and specific to you only, you can’t stamp your opinion on others. Remember even doctors can’t cure cancer people still die using conventional medicine as do people Using so called alternative medicine and also remember Rosalie people are cured by both too – there is no manual to a single only magic cure yet. It is up to the individual to chose the approach they want to take what is right for them THIS is not for you to criticise on. If you had cancer Rosalie you would take the approach you wanted to to heal based on what ever medical advise wether conventional or alternative that you decided to seek. Do you think Rosalie that Jess or me or anyone else should criticise or try to discredit your choice??? The doctor you chose??? The way you chose to live or see your last days out??? If you got depressed or gave up hope??? Or if you kept positive and upbeat and enjoyed every minute of your time on this planet to the very end??? You don’t know Jess’s situation you have no idea, why should you write a blog from a negative place to imply and discredit Jess when you don’t know any or all or only some of the facts??? Why should you try to read between the lines and join the dots from your point of view?? You are not walking in anyone else’s shoes but your own Rosalie. Would you want to be criticised in the way you are criticising Jess??? I would give you the respect you deserve to make the decisions that are right for you & you owe that to anyone else too. As long as Jess is being transparent and not mortally harming anyone else so be it. If people choose to follow aspects of Jess’s journey isn’t that their choice? Even doctors give up on people with terminal cancer and see no hope, give a few pain killers try to make their last days comfortable, why should anyone give up on themselves if they don’t want too?? What if Jess’s choice of treatment/lifestyle has added extra years to her life??? What if it hasn’t??? How do you know??? Why should you be critical of that??? The photos of Jess’s arm and what you are implying is hideously nasty on a pretty high level, I think most people would agree, what if someone did something similar to you???? Jess does say in her book she is self conscious about her arm & why it is like it is – did you read that???? Lastly the world is about money these days, every one needs it to live. There will be things in your life that you are doing Rosalie that are not transparent that will be indirectly or directly harming someone or something – that some people will not think is not correct that can be criticised or harshly judged. I know I am. I know most people do too. Nothing or no one is perfect – there is no definition of perfect Rosalie, there is no definition or rules as to what each individual should do or the choices they can or should make. Life is life. Why waste your time criticising Jess??? Why should I waste my time trying to broaden your viewpoint??? I guess some people are open minded and some are not. Some people follow what everyone does without question, others seek answers and ask why, what how and when consider different viewpoints and make their own way. Who are you or I to criticise?? But should the line get crossed when the negative nastiness sets in from one precious human to another?? I ask you to answer that. I ask you to ask yourself the answers to the questions I have put to YOU – why YOU are criticising in the way that you are, why YOU feel as though YOU need to. I ask YOU to ask yourself these things that I have questioned YOU on before you put it over to Jess to answer your view point on her life as YOU wrote above Rosalie. Can YOU answer all the questions that I have asked you, are you prepared to? Do you need to? Should you have to? – my point being why should you ask Jess to?
Hi Abbey,
I can answer your questions, and numerous assertions, but you will have to wait until I have time to sit down and respond to them all. In the meantime, I suggest that you take a look at the following post that details 37 instances where Jess has claimed to be ‘cured’ ‘healed’, or ‘curing herself’.
Abbey, I think the biggest problem that many of us have with jess is that she’s not completely open and honest about her condition as it now stands and she still supports gerson therapy. Over the years she has alluded many many times to being cured. I saw this as an individual and began to question it myself. I was once an avid follower and now i cant stand the woman and all that she represents. Can you please give some examples of where she has been completely honest about her worsening condition. She hides behind silly phrases. She needs to be accountable for the claims she’s made and the vulnerable she’s misleading
Abbey,
I’ll just make a couple of points here because the other people commenting have already responded to much of what you said and there is no point repeating.
My writing is critical because it is intended to be. I am *criticising* someone’s behaviour. I am not writing from a position of authority, nor do I ‘know best’. I simply have an opinion, and I voice it through this blog.
I am critical of the claims about cancer that Jess has made publicly and the way she is hiding her condition now. By making such public claims she opens herself to criticism, just as I have by publishing blog posts. You have taken the opportunity to criticise me and my writing, and I have not only published your comments, but am taking the time to respond to them, as have other readers here. Do you know what happens to such comments on Jess’ Facebook page and blog? They are deleted. So your points about broadening viewpoints and being open minded are directed at the wrong person.
Why do I do it? Because I hate seeing people (including you, you thought she had never said she cured herself!), being misled about such a difficult topic.
Abbey, in among your word salad, you made one point that makes sense:
“As long as Jess is being transparent and not mortally harming anyone else so be it.”
I think the case for lack of transparency had been made very clearly on this blog. She has claimed to have cured her cancer, and many of her followers have been shocked to hear she now has cancer, and misunderstand that it never went away, preferring to believe she was cured and now has a relapse, rather than has experienced the natural progression of untreated epithelioid sarcoma.
And as for mortally harming anyone, all we need is one person who chose the same path as Jess, who had an otherwise curable malignancy, on the basis of Jess’ claims of cure. I’m not sure what stage breast cancer Jess’ mother had, but early stage breast cancer is curable with modern treatments. I’m sure there are plenty of other examples.
So, given it’s clear Jess hasn’t been transparent, and provides advice that make people make choices that lead to an early death, will you join Rosalie in condemning that behaviour?
Personally, I’d love it if Jess owned the decisions she has made, and came clean to her tribe that she’s never been cancer free, and that neither Gerson therapy nor her juicing lifestyle has changed the course of her malignancy at all.
I’m guessing, like a lot of people here, I was a once a follower of Jess. I really enjoyed her blog, especially her posts about her beautiful meditation alters, etc.
At the start of the year, it slowly became obvious her cancer was still there, ever growing and I began to feel sick, nauseous and I still do.
I fully expected her to come clean as it was so obvious, but all we got was the cop out post about transparency in Feb – transparency she never gave.
I was left feeling very confused and betrayed and that is not okay. I shudder to think what decisions I would have made had I been given a diagnosis of cancer in the previous couple of years and therein lies the line that Jess crossed. THIS IS NOT HARMLESS.
I write this comment, not to enlighten anyone the reads this site often but to future readers coming here to vent their anger at Rosalie for being mean-spirited or whatever.
True hate is what Jess has/is doing to her ‘tribe’.
Now where does she go from here?
She must admit, publicly, that she was wrong about her gerson therapy. It did not cure a damn thing – neither did anything she has done.
She needs to apologise. She has misled people and I highly doubt no one followed her very pushy example of not following chemo (regardless of how ineffective this was with her particular type – other types aren’t so resistant to it)
She needs to be open about her current condition. Even if she is self conscious, she can still just say what’s going on – She put this in the public forum, not us.
And she needs to get some bloody pain relief. There is no need for the unimaginable suffering she must be going through. Any of her followers – if they truly care for her – would demand she get herself some help with the pain.
If you care about someone, you don’t want them to suffer.
YES I agree, loved her blog too, I really needed some positivity and new recipes in my life when I started reading it, and that’s what I definitely got out of it. I was referred by a friend who suggested I ‘check out this chick who cured herself of cancer’.
I saw a photo of her after her mother passed early this year, and Jess looked similar to the way my mum did during her chemo – it’s quite scary to see a girl as tiny as Jess lose even more weight. As much as her lucrative opinions anger me, I am horrified to watch her wither away.
Have you/has anyone seen ‘healthtalks’ that she was a part of?? That has some pretty frightening messages too. There’s a woman in one of those videos who nonchalantly remarks that healing the gut cures autism
I work with these families and it is so frustrating and heartbreaking to watch them try to ‘cure’ their children this way. But anecdotal evidence from someone who has been through something the same as you is unfortunately incredibly powerful.
I wonder if she will apologise as you suggest. I think she genuinely does believe what she peddles though. We will have to watch and see!
I think it’s very likely that Jess Ainscough will keep on hoping that she will get better until the very end. I remember reading her blog where she was doing exactly that with her mother, even when it was obvious that she was dying of cancer and the Gerson treatment had been totally useless.
I find her attitude really disturbing. It goes beyond denial into delusion and sheer lunacy, as well as being a dangerous influence on other people.
At the risk of sounding like a cracked record, I have breast cancer and I was one that would have most likely followed Jess’s advice. As the cancer was stage 3 and an aggressive type I had to have surgery,chemo, radiation and targeted therapy fairly quickly. I’m now relieved that I didn’t stumble across her site looking for ‘cancer cures’ until I was half way through chemo. Initially I had an overwhelming sense of guilt not having found this miraculous cure that Jess blogged about and inadequate that I could not afford everything organic and the very expensive recommended juicer that was required as I had a family with one less income. When I saw the now deleted videos of her mother being interviewed about her breast cancer, criticising mammograms, surgery and all conventional treatment, I felt even worse believing I may have made a mistake but my chemo brain fog cleared and my awesome oncologist beat some sense into me. They were dark days and I’m grateful for having a support system that helped me through it. Fast forward a few months and investigating Gerson therapy made me so very angry. Charlotte Gerson and her son should be held accountable but Jess only has a nauseating admiration for them.
Blogs like this were certainly a turning point for me, so thank you Rosalie.
You’re most welcome Rose, and I hope things are going ok for you now. Rx
My apologies if this has already been posted some time ago. Another frustrating dose of Gerson media coverage from February. First up, a very clear message from Jess Ainscough that her cancer was caused by an ‘unwholesome’ lifestyle. Then some choice quotes:
‘taking an alternative approach “was a gamble I was willing to take”, Jess says. It paid off.’ and ‘Despite her enviable lifestyle and snowballing success, Jess is not without detractors.’
I was diagnosed with cancer in April this year, and feel very fortunate I found this blog before I gambled my life away with Gerson therapy and coffee enemas. My first point of call upon diagnosis was the website by the ‘girl who cured her cancer naturally’…
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/diet-and-fitness/the-way-of-the-wellness-warrior-20140129-31lis.html#ixzz3GCIVgYNC
-20140129-31lis.html
Sarah,
I am so glad you found this site and are not going to destroy your chances or recovering from cancer by using Gerson “therapy”. I find Gerson therapy people to be so vile because they prey on people when they are at their most vulnerable.
Sarah, I too am glad you didn’t go down the Gerson road. Jess, and her mum are perfect examples of how that works out. My best wishes to you. R.x
Hi rosalie,
I’m interested to know if you have heard from anyone personally who has gone down the gerson road thanks to jess’s influence. I know these people must exist. But either a. They haven’t survived or b. just don’t want to come forward about it. I also wonder if jess herself gets much mail from failed gersonees blaming her or asking for further advice and how she handles it.
Hi Alice,
I haven’t personally heard from anyone who has done Gerson due to Jess, but there is bound to be a few. I agree with you that they likely didn’t survive or wouldn’t admit to it. It appears to me that failed natural ‘treatments’ are something people don’t speak about, but would be very interesting to know if she gets much mail about Gerson not working and how she handles it.
Has anyone heard of Belle Gibson at all? I am 99% convinced she is a fraud.
I have brain cancer which is why Belle’s story first caught my attention. Brain cancer is aggressive & incurable and it CANNOT be left untreated for 5 years. It is a rare disease and at this stage very little is known about it – it most certainly cannot be cured/treated by eating super-foods, practicing meditation etc. I wish it could be, believe me!
Belle also claims she has cancer in other parts of her body – blood, spleen, liver.
It’s hard to prove that someone doesn’t have cancer but the truth will come out one day. Belle is a businesswoman NOT a cancer patient. Look at the people she follows on Twitter. No cancer orgs… Where are her calls to support brain cancer research? Currently, there is no cure. It is the biggest (cancer) killer for adults under 40. It is now the biggest killer for children (used be leukemia). This is because treatment options are so limited due to lack of research.
Belle Gibson is a fraud and she is fooling the world and winning awards and it is truly depressing.
Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I have also wondered about Belle Gibson. As far as I know, she never specified exactly what type of brain tumour she has. I suspect it was one of the less aggressive ones. It’s also strange that she says she has cancer elsewhere, as brain cancer doesn’t usually spread like that. Whatever it is, someone with cancer in four or five parts of their body is hardly one to be giving advice!
All the best.
I wonder about Belle Gibson too. She said that her cancer returned and is all over her body, but she has not given any updates since then. She has also been traveling all around the word since that announcement. Can you really travel that easily when you are that sick?
Well, we shall see. I do not think that anyone would be so sick as to fake cancer, but people have certainly done it before.
Yes – we will see what unfolds. However I believe she had a stroke and made up the story about terminal brain cancer for greater impact. Check out this very early interview:
http://jessicanazarali.com/belle-gibson/
It’s true you can have low-grade brain tumours (very common in young adults) that eventually progress to high-grade, which is the nature of the disease. However, as stated previously, primary brain cancer doesn’t spread to other organs in the body. Also, if she had all that cancer she claimed she had in July last year she’d be dead by now. I know cancer quite intimately because I’ve had members of my family that have had it.
I agree that it is hard to fathom that someone would make up a story about terminal cancer but it is my belief that she had a stoke. She then started posting on instragram about her ‘healing’ experience, gathered a huge following and went on to develop the App. I don’t think she ever really expected the reaction she got through instagram….so she made up the story about brain cancer because she realized (or perhaps someone else realized) they were sitting on a gold mine….not sure if anyone realizes that she is making a mint out of her App, book etc, WAY more than Jess! Her App will be a default on the new Apple watch released this year.
Fascinating link. That blogger bills herself as a coach for new coaches. Let’s think about these ‘new coaches’ for a minute. Surely being a coach should mean that you no longer need your own coach? Is there also such a thing as a coach for new coaches of new coaches? Like does this Jessica Nazareli see a coach to help her coach new coaches?
Another hypothesis about Belle Gibson – maybe when she said she had brain cancer, she actually had some other type of cancer that had spread to her brain. A lot of people get this confused and call it brain cancer. That would explain how she also has cancer in other organs. It still wouldn’t explain how she has managed to live this long though.
One final thing re her brain tumour – Belle says she was given 3 months to live. In other interviews I’ve read, she says she was given 4 months to live. This suggests she was diagnosed with a high-grade gliobastoma (GBM). With standard treatment, which is chemo & radiation (and remember Belle abandoned her treatment), the median survival rate is 12 – 15 months.
Yes something is fishy about Belle Gibson though I am not entirely sure what it is. She is not consistent in her story about her cancer, and if she really had cancer like she said she had in July then she would either be dead by now or very close to it.
I can think only that she has either been misdiagnosed or that she is lying about her diagnosis.
I really do have to wonder about Belle Gibson’s claims. According to one report:
“As an introverted six-year-old, she teetered on a chair over a stove making dinner for an autistic younger brother and a mother who had multiple sclerosis. As a severely obese 11-year-old, she managed to stop overeating and, with her brother in tow, began sunset strolls around their Brisbane block. Aged 12 and depleted from years as her mother’s carer, she moved in with a classmate, and then a family friend.”
http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/the-whole-pantry-founder-inspires-in-the-face-of-terminal-cancer/story-fniym874-1227133426731
I was under the impression that Australia is quite a socially responsible and compassionate society, and (just supposing her story was true), I’d be horrified to think that as recently as 14 years ago – given her age was recently given as 26 – a child could be worn out from enduring years of such gruelling responsibility.
I might believe her story was largely true if it was being told by a woman upwards of 50 or 60, but to think that such a Dickensian situation could have existed as recently as the Sydney Olympics is to my mind stretching credulity a bit too far. And even if the story was being told by an older woman, I would still automatically disallow the claim of a six year old preparing a stovetop dinner standing on a chair. As my husband said, when asked his opinion: “I think she has flammable pants.”
If you did the research, you would discover that conventional cancer treatment…..chemo (mustard gas), radiation, mutilation (removing breasts) and the MYRIAD of problems that are byproducts are NO different than the alternative medicine modalities. The chemo stops the cancer very momentarily (woohoo, I’m in remission)…but it CAUSES the secondary cancer called “metastatic.” Doctors tell patients they are “cutrd’ if they make it to 5 years…..but many, many relapse shortly after and die. Quit fooling *your* self.
I’m moderating this through just to share the sheer stupidity of the comment.
Lol, it seems Trina/Mary/Janny is devoting a lot of time name-changing between this and Orac’s blog on the subject.
If you did the research, and I mean proper research – not reading the internet with blogs like Jess Ainscough’s and Belle Gibson’s, you’d understand that metastases have nothing to do with treatment, nor is there any physiologic reason for them to do so. Cancer metastasises because of the inherent nature of the cells and their genetics. Nothing to do with treatment, except for some cancers where treatment prolongs life significantly, but itself causes mutations which can cause cancer years later (not at the same time). A hilarious, ill-informed, amateur view: presumably you reject climate change too, because the rejection of science when forecasting outcomes is exactly the same.
Horribly sad conclusion for both of the women you discuss. Jess has died as a result of idealistic and flawed natural treatment. And Belle has just been putted as committing gross fraud by not distributing over 300,000 dollars to charity. What’s more, you’re bang on the buck, from personal association w belle and her friends I know for a fact that not only is she promoting erroneously natural treatments, but she does not have and never has had cancer. She is sick in a completely different sense.
Thanks Alle, this is what I’ve long suspected. It’s so insulting to those living with cancer to watch someone do what Belle has done over the last 18 months.
Hi, I was following your blog but can’t seem to find the link- could you post?
Also, does anyone remember Belle talking about someone else copying her Instagram page and stealing content??
I remember readers being outraged & it definitely would’ve increased followers & the sympathy for this girl who seems to have fed off the ‘drama’
So sad. I really felt for her & her story
And the truth comes out. She’s a fraud. Didn’t have cancer. Just a charlatan. So I guess she really is sick. She deserves everything that will come to her now. Unreal.