Sarah Ford, a 42-year-old mother-of-one, is facing a renewed battle with stage four Hodgkin's lymphoma after the aggressive blood cancer returned following 16 arduous rounds of conventional treatment. Declining further chemotherapy, Ms. Ford has instead chosen a controversial and costly £12,000 course of medically supervised water-fasting, hoping it will lead to remission.

Ms. Ford, an ex-bodybuilder and former paramedic, initially received her devastating diagnosis in February 2024. Her health concerns began earlier, in May 2023, with hay-fever like symptoms. By October 2023, while on her honeymoon in Turkey with husband Sam Cullingworth, she experienced breathlessness and severe hip pain. Rushed to the hospital, a CT scan revealed an alarming 11cm mass in her chest. Upon returning to the UK, she was admitted to Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford, where doctors identified growths in her chest and right hip, leading to the stage four Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosis. The news came as a profound shock to Ms. Ford, given her active and healthy lifestyle.

Her initial treatment involved four rounds of chemotherapy, which successfully shrunk the cancer. However, subsequent stronger rounds, intended to induce remission, proved ineffective. After a six-week break, Ms. Ford underwent an additional five rounds of chemotherapy paired with three rounds of immunotherapy, which harnesses the body's immune system to combat cancer. On New Year's Eve, she received the longed-for "all clear." Ms. Ford recalled the immense relief, stating, "It finally felt like we had been given a break from relentless chemo when I was told I was in remission. I was hoping to get back on the bodybuilding stage, get back to my job as a paramedic, and have another child."

Tragically, just weeks after this good news, Ms. Ford's cancer reappeared. Despite Hodgkin's lymphoma being generally treatable, doctors informed her she was running out of conventional options. She completed a final five rounds of immunotherapy, but this too failed. Facing a last-ditch offer of more chemotherapy and feeling hopeless after numerous failed and gruelling treatments that had caused her hair to fall out, the mother-of-one made the difficult decision to forgo further conventional treatment.

Instead, Ms. Ford has embarked on a 21-day medically supervised water fast at the True North Health Centre, which began on September 25. During this period, she will consume only 350ml of water daily and no food. This decision was meticulously planned, prioritizing safety and ensuring her family and friends knew she was under professional care. Her husband, Sam, 55, initially found Sarah's choice to abandon the conventional route scary but is now convinced she made the right decision. Ms. Ford explained that she had researched water fasting early in her treatment, learning how it could potentially reduce chemotherapy side effects and was constantly seeking organic ways to aid her body's health.

Proponents of water fasting, including Dr. Alan Goldhamer, founder of True North Health Centre, claim that in appropriately selected patients, medically supervised fasting can be safe. He suggests that fasting helps the body eliminate dietary excess and accumulated toxins that may impede self-healing, potentially putting the body into a state of ketosis. However, this approach is not without controversy. Heidi Smith from Blood Cancer UK strongly advises anyone considering alternative therapies like water fasting to consult their hospital team. She emphasizes that the priority is to ensure patients achieve the best possible outcomes by following treatment plans supported by strong clinical evidence. The medic treating Ms. Ford cites only a single case of a stage 1 lymphoma patient entering remission after a water fast and diet change, published in the British Medical Journal, highlighting the limited scientific backing for such claims in advanced cancer cases. Cancer experts consistently maintain that patients should seek medical advice before pursuing alternative therapies.

Ms. Ford remains determined to become a fit and healthy mother to her four-year-old son and is actively raising funds for her ongoing health journey via GoFundMe.

Hodgkin lymphoma is an uncommon cancer that originates in the lymphatic system, a vital network of vessels and glands responsible for waste removal and fighting infections. Approximately 2,100 people in the UK are diagnosed with it annually. In this condition, cells within the lymphatic system develop abnormally, forming swellings typically near lymph glands in areas like the neck, armpit, and groin. These damaged cells also lose their ability to fight infections, leaving patients more vulnerable. Symptoms can vary widely and include not only visible swellings but also night sweats, unintentional weight loss, high temperature, persistent cough, itchy skin, digestive symptoms (like indigestion and abdominal pain if cells collect in the abdomen), persistent tiredness, excessive bleeding, and pain in lymph glands after alcohol consumption. While it can occur at any age, Hodgkin lymphoma most commonly affects men between 20 and 40 years old and those over 75.