The Story of BUCK Cancer Foundation By Lori Nonnemaker

This story will help you understand my brother, Buck, and why we created the BUCK Cancer Foundation. First and foremost, my brother was a wonderful man with a great sense of humor. I was blessed to be Buck’s younger sister (3-year difference) and biggest fan! We went through his battle with cancer together, laughing most of the time.

In no way should this story be viewed as a negative statement toward the treatment my brother received. Buck and I loved everyone who treated him and we know they did everything in their power to try and keep him alive. Buck passed away at the age of 53 on August 13, 2014 after a two-year battle with cancer. We were advised by doctors at Johns Hopkins that the chemotherapy and radiation Buck received probably extended his life a good 18 months beyond what his life expectancy would have been just 15 years before. The strides made in chemotherapy over the last two decades have been significant and more clinical trials are in process to increase the effectiveness of those drugs. However, chemotherapy and radiation tend to leave the human body in a debilitated state depending on the quantity and frequency of the drugs injected. My brother did everything that his oncologist told him to do. Nevertheless, natural supplements, dietary changes and holistic treatments were not discussed or recommended. When the chemotherapy options became ineffective, my brother and I started to consider more natural approaches to cancer treatment.

We first realized that we were on our own when it came to natural treatments for cancer. There were no medical doctors prepared to recommend or prescribe a natural treatment. When making inquiry with regards to dosage, we were referred to the manufacturer of the product and received no guidance from the medical community. We contacted a naturopathic doctor to help guide us, however, we were told that she was only advising Buck. We also consulted an acupuncturist to help with Buck’s pain and overall stress level. Unfortunately, none of the naturopathic or holistic treatments were covered by Buck’s insurance.

Within one week of increasing his hydration, my brother started to feel more alert and his voice sounded stronger. After three weeks of changing his diet and receiving acupuncture twice a week, my brother’s "overall suffering" lessened. He started to stay ahead of the pain, which was becoming more difficult to manage with his regular pain medication. It was obvious that these natural and holistic methods were benefiting Buck’s highly ravaged body. Regrettably, we found them far too late to truly help Buck. Regardless, it made us wonder how his body might have reacted if we introduced these methods earlier into his conventional cancer treatment.

Therefore, Buck and I decided to create the BUCK Cancer Foundation., Our Pennsylvania-based, nonprofit organization is dedicated to seeking and funding opportunities and endeavors that will build a bridge between all viable forms of cancer research and treatment. We have one unified goal–to provide greater comfort to cancer patients during treatment while searching for a cure! If you are interested in supporting our mission, please click on the Donate button below.