Episode 477: How She Cleared Stage 4 Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Welcome to Cannabis Health Radio, where we share powerful real life stories from people around the world who are using cannabis as medicine. The goal of this podcast is to raise awareness of the healing potential of cannabis and is not intended as medical advice. And now, here's your host, Ian Jessup.

Foreign. Welcome to the Cannabis Health Radio podcast. I'm Ian Jessup. Before we dive into today's story, I want to give a quick shout out to the two partners who consistently bring top quality cannabis products to our listeners, myfitlife.com and swanapothecary.com both are exceptional products, trusted service and even personal consultations if you need guidance. And the best part, they provide generous discounts just for our audience. Simply visit cannabushealthradio.com and use the code cannabushealth to start saving. Okay. To our guest. Our guest today was just 38 years old when she was diagnosed with stage 2 triple negative breast cancer. That's one of the most aggressive and difficult to treat forms of breast cancer. For two years, she fought through conventional treatment, but In June of 2024, everything changed when scans revealed her cancer had spread to her lung, escalating her to a stage four diagnosis. That moment set her on a new path, one that would lead her to Corey Yelland and to the cannabis protocol that would soon become central to her healing. And joining us today is Lindsay Gustafson of Winnipeg, Canada, who has extraordinary news. She was recently declared to have no evidence of disease. Lindsay, that's fantastic. How was that when you heard that?

Oh, thank you so much, Ian. First of all, hearing you kind of say my little story and a quick summary kind of makes me emotional. It's kind of, yeah, amazing to think about all that has happened in a really short time. Hearing the news that I was no evidence of disease is a feeling of true bliss that I have never had in my life ever before. The only thing I could imagine is if one gave birth, what that would feel like. Joy. That came over me. That was so, so much emotion. Yeah, I was just buzzing. I'm still buzzing since receiving that news, basically. I think we received the news that all was good in August and that was just confirmed again last week. So, yeah, it's unbelievable.

That's absolutely incredible. And you got married in October?

Yes. Yep. So we had so much to celebrate. I had my surgery in June. Then after recovering for about a month, it was full force into planning and getting ready for a wedding on October 11th, Thanksgiving weekend. And we were celebrating our love, we were celebrating our marriage. But we Were also celebrating our next chapter of life and good health.

Oh, that's fantastic. Let's start at the beginning of your story and take us back to when you were first diagnosed. What were some of the symptoms you were experiencing that led you to go to a doctor?

Okay. Yes. So a symptom that I can recall first before heading to the doctor was probably maybe June of 2022. I recall having very sore armpits and I can remember saying to my now husband boyfriend at the time, oh, I feel like I've been doing a ton of yoga. Like my armpits hurt so much. What have I been doing? And at times I was also getting some like pins and needles in my arm, which was kind of a strange thing to have. So that kind of was going on for the summer. And then In August of 2022, I was laying down, reading a book and just kind of grazed my chest and I felt a lump. And I think it was probably maybe size of a grape maybe at that point. And I waited for two weeks because that's what I read online. Of course I jumped right online to figure out what to do. And everything I read was said, wait two weeks before going to a doctor. In case it's hormonal related, it may dissipate. So I waited the two weeks and it just kind of even changed. It seemed to grow kind of got ropey feeling. It was really strange. It wasn't round like a pebble or anything. Started kind of like a tarantula or something. So then I end up going into work and I was starting to prepare for work and I was talking to a colleague and I asked her to feel it and she said, yeah, I think you, you should go get that checked out tomorrow. So I went to a walk in doctor just so I didn't have to wait. And I can recall the walk in doctor thinking I was, you know, gonna come in because I needed cough medicine. Like he kind of was dismissive to me and just seemed to be having a long day. And then I remember him feeling it and I can see his eyes change and I could see his expression change of to being very serious and concerned. And luckily he did because I know not everybody does have that experience. And I was immediately referred for a mammogram.

Wow. Was it painful, that little lump that you had?

No, that was not painful at all. The only pain, like I said, was the armpits. And then I started to have some pain in my right arm and it was on my right side, but kind of a dull achy Heavy feeling.

Did the doctor tell you that you may have breast cancer at the time when you got that diagnosis?

So when I went to the walk in, he. He didn't indicate that, but he said, you know, just to be sure, I'm gonna send you for a mammogram. You know, he was trying to keep me calm, which I did appreciate. And, you know, it took about a month before I got in for a mammogram because unfortunately, something happened, and my requisition got lost because after two weeks, I hadn't got a call. So I called to see if they received my requisition, and it never did make it so good for others to know, like, follow up if you're not getting a call.

Yeah. So you had the mammogram, and then you was there a lot of anxiety waiting for the results of that mammogram?

Yeah, I remember it just being kind of frantic, in a blur. I had some other friends who've gone through this before, not cancer itself, but just mammograms. So they were kind of guiding me through what to expect. So I did the mammogram. And then you have to go and wait in a little room, kind of like you're in little change rooms. And for the most part, most people hear their name and then are told to get changed and go home. And I unfortunately, didn't get told to go home. I had my name called, and they said, lindsey, can you come back in? We want to do another test. So I think, again, that was another indication, like, oh, this is not good. So they brought me back into the room, and then I think they did an ultrasound and then called in the doctor. And again, I could see the look on his eyes and, you know, the concerns. So he then told me he was going to recommend me for a biopsy. But he was also keeping me pretty calm. You know, this could be nothing. A lot of times these are benign or dense breast tissue if you're young. So he was still trying to give me some reassurance, but he did book me in for a biopsy, and I think I got in within a week for that.

Now, when you got the result that it was breast cancer, take us through. Through that moment.

Yes. Okay, so I guess I'll just go back to the biopsy. I remember the biopsy, and there was a nurse and the technician, I guess, doing it, and I can remember him kind of whispering to the nurse, book her in with the surgeon, and again thinking, okay, that's not good. So that was kind of My indication that something was wrong. They did tell me they were gonna book me with the surgeon regardless. And then I think I had. Gosh, I don't even know how long I had to wait. Maybe another week. But I knew that I was going to be getting a phone call from my family doctor with the results. And I knew she was actually. I was out of town and I had missed her phone call, which is probably good. But then I received a call from the clinic saying to expect her call Wednesday evening, and we actually were going to buy kitchen appliances. So we were at Home Depot, and I knew I was going to be getting this phone call. Thankfully, she called by the time we got home, and I didn't have to hear that at Home Depot. That was very good.

Yeah.

But, yes, when I heard the news, it was on the phone, and it was about 6pm at night. And unfortunately, my husband, but now he was boyfriend at the time, had to hear probably sounds that sounded like they were coming from an animal. It was like guttural, just. I don't even know what the word is. It wasn't shock, but it was just gray grief and devastation. And I. Apparently, I told Grant, you know, I started crying that I just didn't want to die. That was my first fear that you jumped to is, oh, my God, I'm gonna die.

Well, you had a supportive boyfriend at the time, though, because he's now your husband, right?

Yes. Yes. It brought us closer together. If anything, it definitely helped us bond even more. And I'm very lucky because, yeah, he was there for me in, like, the scariest moment of my life and many more after that. But he just gave me the biggest hug and let me cry and made me feel really safe. But it was a moment I would not want anyone else to experience.

No, absolutely not. So you were diagnosed with stage two breast cancer and tell us what the treatment was for you that was outlined by your medical team.

Yes. So I had stage two triple negative breast cancer. And first I thought, oh, triple negative. That sounds pretty good. Didn't realize, no, that's not the one you want. But they also had tested my lymph nodes, and there was no evidence of spread to the lymph nodes. So it sounded really promising. My oncologist was very, very optimistic. So I felt really good. The two weeks between getting the diagnosis, like, hearing from your doctor and then waiting for your actual appointment with the oncology team is probably the hardest because you're scared. You don't know what to expect. Expect. You're kind of living in limbo. But that initial meeting did make me feel like, okay, I got a plan. But it was a long and lengthy plan that they outlined. I know I was told that I was going to need 12 months at least off of work. And I thought, there's no way. 12 months? No, that's crazy. Of course not. But, no, they were right. And if anything, that was probably short, short term. But it. My initial plan was, oh, see if I can even remember this anymore. That's a good thing. I think I had 10 treatments of chemo, or 10 or 12. And then I went to another type of chemo for four more treatments. So there was 16 treatments altogether. So 12 and four. One of them was the red devil, which is very commonly known. After the chemo, I then had my lumpectomy, and then I had 20 rounds of radiation, and then I had five and a half months of chemo pills that I took every day. And during that entire time, which was over 12 months, I think it was 14 months, I was also doing immunotherapy, and I think that was every three weeks or so. So, yeah, every single treatment that they do for cancer, for the most part, is part of the protocol for triple negative.

So did you mentally. How did you work yourself through all of this? And then eventually to hear the news that you were now stage four because it had gone to your lungs?

Mm.

I mean, that must have been absolutely emotionally devastating.

Yeah. Yeah. The stage four diagnosis is probably the hardest moment I've ever had in my life. Even harder than the first diagnosis of cancer, because hearing the word stage four, as you. Most people would probably agree, is you initially just think, that's it. There is no hope. So that. I don't know, I just felt like I was living in a black hole, and I had this black cloud of doom just coming down on me. It was the most terrifying feeling. But like you said, how did I prepare mentally? I do feel that I was able to find a lot of great resources. I tend to be a little bit upset, so I got my hands on anything I could find that I thought would be helpful, whether it was listening to podcasts, reading books, support groups, a ton of different treatments. So I was doing medical treatments, but I was also doing a lot of holistic or complementary treatments on the side. I started going to the gym, going to yoga, more reading, and kind of just slowing down, and that actually was really helpful. I think my mindset during all of that was really good, and I felt really strong and confident that I was gonna get through it. So I think hearing that stage four diagnosis was just a total shock because I thought I had done everything I possibly could.

When they diagnosed you stage four metastasis to the lung, did they give you a timeline on how long you had?

No, thankfully.

Which was good. That's good.

Yeah, I agree. I think it's better to not be told something like that. My oncologist, I think he's wonderful, and he did say to me, you know, I would never. I will never give you a timeline unless there is something like vaccine, very dire that we need to talk about. And I appreciate that because I think that would stick on my. In my head. And I know that I've heard many stories of people that die on the date that they were given. You know, law of attraction or something.

Yeah, absolutely.

Yeah. I was grateful that he didn't go there, but I will say is he had so much compassion and empathy, and I feel very grateful for that because, you know, he did lean over, he looked me in the eyes, he touched my knee and he told me that one. He said, don't go online. Do not go and read statistics. He said, what's out there is outdated. And then he said, you get to write your own story. So this doesn't. Your story doesn't have to end the way that other people's has. You know, you get to write it yourself. And that, to me, has stuck with me ever since and has given me a lot of strength that I can choose my path and how this works out.

So what did you do after that? I suspect that you did a lot of research looking at various forms of ways to combat your issue, correct?

Oh, yes. The research and obsessive did not end. So. Okay, let's see. I know, of course, as I did the first time, like, go into a bit of a funk for a few days where, you know, just sad and scared and don't do much. But luckily my body and brain don't allow me to stay there too long, and I kind of kick started to. Yeah, research mode. So back up to when I was going through the 14 months of treatment, I was doing a lot of the holistic things and complementary things. I was doing vitamin C infusions, mistletoe infusions, a ton of supplements and vitamins, trying different diets and juicing and I think vegetarian and, you know, all the different things that I've read about.

Yeah.

Acupuncture, exercise. So when it got to this point, I had heard a story from a friend's dad that we had heard, you know, back when I was first diagnosed, but we had felt really confident in the path we were going with just conventional treatment, so we didn't go down that path. And once that lung metastasis happened, I realized I need to look more into this. So that is how I was connected with Corey. And if I can, have a quick little synopsis of our friend's dad. He had also had great success working with Corey and has been cancer free after many years of treatment and recurrence that kept coming back. But he's been cancer free, I think, for six or seven years now, just through his treatment with cannabis. So we thought, okay, we'll look into this. And that is when I reached out to Corey on Facebook messenger, and I think within a day, maybe not even 24 hours, is when she decided or was able to chat with me. And then I think I probably listened to every single podcast that you both have done together.

Yeah, it's. It's been nine years that when we first started this, we quit for two years because it was. We were doing one a day, and it was just a bit too much, but. So Corey got you on. On cannabis. Had you tried cannabis previously in your life?

Actually, funny enough, I was very against cannabis.

Oh, you're one of those, too? Okay.

Yes. So much so that. I don't know. I mean, that almost broke up me and my boyfriend because we had very different beliefs about it back, like, quite a few years ago, because I just was so against it. I again, also grew up in that generation of being told it was very wrong. You know, drinking's okay, alcohol's okay, but weed is not, or cannabis is not. And I fully believed it. And I just had a stereotype that people that smoked pot, you know, lived in their basement and played video games. Unfortunately, that's just me, what I associated with. So, yes, you know, other than trying it in high school maybe once or twice, I didn't have a good experience. I felt very paranoid. I didn't like that loss of control. So, no, that was my only experiences with it.

Your story is interesting because it's one of the misconceptions that people have about cannabis. They think it's simply smoking and getting high, and the medical benefits are overlooked or quite frankly, with most people are absolutely unknown. And I think. So you started on the cannabis oil. Did you take it orally or via suppository or both?

Both, yes. So she walked me through the entire process, and of course, like everybody else, I thought, oh, no, I can't do it. But, yes. You realize at this Point I'm. There's much worse things that I could be doing to my body. And plus injecting it with poison, you know, chemo for 14 months. This is not so bad. So, yes, she walked me through the process. I did the. OR am still doing three suppositories a day. Plus I would do three, three times a day. I do CBD and CBG under my tongue. It's a tincture. And then at nighttime, I would do the THC, CBD, the 4 to 1 ratio, under my tongue before bed, just about four or five drops.

And did you get high.

With the suppositories? No. Absolutely nothing. Cbd, cbg, nothing. The stuff I would take at night, like a little bit. But if anything, I would just fall asleep. I think maybe once or twice I noticed, oh, I think I took a little bit too much. And, you know, my lips feel a bit funny. But I'm just gonna go to bed.

Yeah, yeah. So you. You were doing that for how long? I mean, you're still. You're still doing it now. You started in about the middle of 2024. Yes, yes. So.

Oh, I should mention, when I first talked to Corey, I sat on that information for a little bit longer. I didn't jump in quite yet. So I spoke with her in June, and, oh, there's another big part to my story I forgot to mention because. Okay. Because the lung metastasis was only in one spot in my body, I only had one nodule. I was eligible for a lobectomy for a surgery. Now, they say they don't normally do surgery on people with stage four, but because I was young and otherwise healthy and didn't have spots anywhere else, they were going to. They were going to perform surgery on me, which is what I wanted. We were so excited for that. It was either going to be surgery or radiation. So I did a bunch of research on which one I thought I wanted, and I decided I wanted surgery. So that was June, but then I had to wait for a surgery date. So I did not get booked in until September. But then my surgery got bumped, I think three times, two or three times because more urgent cases came up. So originally I was booked for September 17, and then by the time I was going to have my surgery, it was middle of October.

And.

Because it had been, I think, four months since my last CT scans, they had to repeat the CT scans. By that time, I had one lung met in June. It had multiplied to 26 by October. So I had one main primary nodule, but I had 25 more little micro nodules around it. So because that happened, they deemed that there's probably more spread, maybe throughout my body, and that I no longer was allowed to have surgery, so they cancelled my surgery. So I was again devastated because we've been looking forward to it for so long. So when the surgery got cancelled, that is right after we got engaged as well, that's when I decided, okay, I'm done. I'm gonna try the cannabis. Because, yeah, I was going really hard with diet and all my naturopath stuff that summer, but it obviously wasn't quite what I needed. So I got a tangent there. What was your question?

So you started in September of 2024? Roughly, yes. With the cannabis doing suppositories and orally at night. And the cbg. Did you notice over the course of the next several months that you started to feel better?

Yeah. So I will also say I was doing chemo again at this time. So I started the cannabis and a new type of chemo basically at the same time. So I was doing both. But I will say chemo was so much easier this time around. I was able to handle the side effects of it, so, so much better. I was able to still maintain a pretty good quality of life. The amount of time I needed to stay in bed after chemo was reduced, I was just had a lot more energy, a lot less nausea. I was able to be more active and maintain a good quality of life. And then I will say that when the scans. When I started to have my scans to see how the chemo was working, they didn't know at the time I was also doing cannabis. But that's when we started to see amazing results and that we would hear, oh, wow, this is doing so well. You're doing so amazing with this. So not only was I feeling better, I was having much less side effects, and we were seeing significant progress with the tumors disappearing.

And they didn't know you were on the cannabis, so they assumed that it was the chemo?

Yes. However, they do know now. I did eventually tell him. And to be fair, it wasn't that I wanted to hide it from him or I was scared or nervous about his thoughts or the medical community's thoughts. If anything, I was more nervous to jinx it because I had been trying all these other things. And I always, you know, tell everybody, oh, I'm doing this. I think it's gonna work now I'm doing this. I think it's going to work.

Yeah.

And, you know, I just was kind of on My last straw here. And I thought, I can't jinx this.

So when were you given your first all clear?

Mm. Okay. So started the chemo and the cannabis in the September ish of 2024. By May, I had only one tumor left. The little micro tumors all went away very quickly. That main tumor had remained stable at 1cm. There had been no change in it since, let's see, May, since January. So during January to maybe. I'm not sure if that's the correct. But anyways, within that three month period, there was no change to that primary tumor. So it very well could have been dead at that point. We don't quite know how much active cancer was in it at the time. So May there was. They said, you know what? We think you may be eligible for surgery again because you only have that one tumor spot. And they decided that they would go to the tumor board and advocate for me to have surgery, which, again, was something I really wanted. So on June 30, they then removed my lower lobe of my right lung. So that was a lobectomy. The reason I had to have a lobectomy is because the tumor was not on the edge of my lung. It was in the center of my lung. So there was no way for them to do just a wedge. They had to take out the entire lobe. So I had that on June 30, I think in one month later, I got a phone call saying the pathology showed zero active cancer left. The entire tumor bed was totally dead. Nothing left. My surgeon even said, you know, I kind of feel a little bit silly, like, taking it out, and there was no cancer left in there. But I guess to be fair, we. We wouldn't have known until it was removed. And then in August is when they did CT scans of the rest of my body to ensure that was still okay. And that was when they officially said no evidence of disease. So that was August of 2025. And now we're in December.

What was it. What was it like when you got the first notice in August that there was no evidence of disease?

Yes. That's when I completely broke down. I just burst into tears, you know, tears and everything coming out a sobbing mess, but a happy sobbing mess. I just. I really. It was indescribable. The best feeling. I felt like miracle and that I just had a second lease on life and that I was truly one of the luckiest people.

Yeah, it certainly. It certainly opens your eyes up to life, doesn't it, when. When you really face. Ultimately, I mean, you were facing death.

Yeah.

And you were going in the wrong direction and now you've corrected that and you're healthy again. Do you have any, do you have any consequences of taking the chemo that you had any negative effects of it?

I think, yeah. I still have long lasting effects from a variety of the treatment. Not quite sure which one exactly. I do still have quite a bit of neuropathy in my hands and legs when I go to sleep. You know, I've lost my period twice now, so there's still that, which is all the hormonal effects of going through menopause and then not. And then going through it again. I have reactions now. So anytime I drink alcohol or eat like white refined sugar, I get really sore armpits, sore chest, kind of a dull ache, but then also a burn. So I'm not sure if my lymphatic system is all clogged up. I'm not sure why. No one has really been able to explain that.

That's really interesting. Yeah.

Yes. It's a very, very clear and very strong response that I have. I haven't met a lot of people that have had the same thing, but it's like clockwork. If I eat sugar or drink alcohol, I'm gonna feel that.

Did you're taking the cannabis and what it's done to correct your breast cancer? Did your husband ever say, I told you so?

I'm sure he has a zillion times in his life. And some of our friends laugh about it to us because, yes, they know all the fights that we had. But, yeah, I have. And I, you know, I've said to him, I said, oh my gosh, I am sorry, because, you know, I totally judged you and yeah, you were right.

Yeah. Corey would love your story because I think it's one of those stories that, I mean, she helps people seven days a week, 12 hours a day, constantly. I think that was the result of her burnout. I think near the end she needed to give time to herself, but being the very unselfish person she was, she gave it to other people. And I think she would be extremely pleased and happy to know that you are cancer free. I mean, it's amazing. It's just absolutely wonderful. Lindsay, what would you like to say to people listening to this who may have doubts about cannabis or undergoing the suppositories? I mean, we always get people who think, oh, my God, I can't do that. I mean, the podcast, podcast last week of the woman in Australia who she's, excuse me, was 77. Still is 77. And she had lung cancer and stage four. And her daughter administered the suppositories to her for two weeks. And they used to call them butthole partners because. It doesn't sound pleasant, but God, it can save your life. And what's more important, just being embarrassed that you stuck something up there or clearing the cancer that's in your body and living life to the fullest. I mean, I think. I think right now you have a new appreciation for life, don't you?

Oh, yes. It has truly been life changing. I will not say cancer is a gift, but like you mentioned earlier, it gives you an entirely new perspective. I have so much more gratitude, so much more mindfulness. I'm still working on this, but letting things that used to bother me so much or I would take personally or allow to stress me out, I'm letting that roll off my back so much easier now and realizing what truly does matter. It's still a work in progress, especially as I kind of transition back into normal life, is making sure I don't slip back into those old patterns. But I do feel like I'm a completely changed person. And back to Corey. I feel so grateful that I was connected to her and me and the person that referred me to her. We talk about her and how, you know, how much she changed our lives and she's given us our life back. And I also was on a few video calls with her where I could tell that she was not feeling well and she was tired. And I was really, truly amazed that she made the time to help me and to be there for so many people. And she truly was an earth angel. And I do believe that she's looking down and seeing all these stories of the people that she's helped. And I feel just so blessed to have met her and to be able to listen to your podcasts and hear these stories. And in terms of other people who are nervous, I have tried sharing this with other people going through cancer. Others have not yet been open to it, which I do understand because took me a long time to be open to it too. But I think even if you give it three months, I would be like, quite confident that you would see very good results on your scans. And yes, the suppositories, you get over it pretty quick, especially going through cancer. You are humbled in so many ways with how many times people that you don't know are looking at your body and touching you and, you know, all the things going into your body. Yeah, it's just one of those, you know, quick little hurdles and then, you know, after one or two, it's nothing.

Lindsay, you've got a great story and Cory would be so proud of you. I know she's watching and listening right now and she would love the fact that you are now no evidence of disease. And she would give you, if you were here, I know she would tear up and give you a big hug. And I want to, I want to thank you for doing this. We greatly appreciate it.

And thank you, Ian. I'm so happy that I got to chat with you. Like I said, I listened to your podcast I all the time on repeat because they just give me hope. They're like my lullabies. They make me feel safe, like I can do this. So thank you for spreading the word. These stories mean so much to so many people.

Thanks very much.

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