The results of the PET scan are in.

When the radiologist called to tell us the results of the scan, he seemed confused. After some brief pleasantries, he asked if Carli had been taking the hormone blockers that her oncologist had prescribed (the same ones that put her on suicide watch in 2024, more on that in a second).

She told him the truth—she hadn't been taking any of the standard systemic drugs her oncology team had recommended.

“Interesting. Well, whatever you are doing, I’d say keep doing it because there is No Evidence of Disease in this scan.”

NED. A second clean scan in five months. The END of questioning whether following our own intuition was the right decision for us.

Cancer free.

The Darkness Before the Dawn

As we started celebrating, the “one year ago” notification on Carli’s phone popped up. There, looking back at us was a photo Carli had taken during the absolute darkest moment in her cancer journey. In two days’ time from that picture, she would be checking into a drug rehabilitation facility. She would later tell me that she prayed the same prayer every night: "God, please don't let me wake up in the morning."

The standard of care treatment that was supposed to extend her life left her fantasizing about ways to end it. When I found an email exchange with a euthanasia clinic in Germany, I knew something had to change.

We made a decision together: it would be better to end the standard treatment to feel great for three more years than to be cancer-free while fantasizing about suicide every day.

The Turning Point

Within a month of refusing the standard treatment, Carli finally started feeling and acting like herself again. A few weeks after she regained her will to live, we received the stage IV diagnosis.

Terminal.

The oncologist insisted that hormone blockers were her only chance. A similar spiel we heard the first time around when we were told chemotherapy, a double mastectomy and 30 rounds of radiation were her only chance to beat her stage III diagnosis.

We had learned that blindly following medical authority—no matter how well-intentioned—nearly cost us everything that mattered most.

We knew we had to take matters into our own hands and find our own answers.

The Asymmetric Bet That Changed Everything

This time around, Carli has followed her intuition above all else. Instead of looking outside for validation from test results and expert opinions, she began looking inward. As she puts it: "I learned the answer isn’t out there. It’s in here."

The common thread I've seen among people who overcome cancer isn't a specific protocol—it's when the person with cancer finds the confidence to trust their intuition, wherever it takes them.

For Those in the Darkness

If you're in a dark place right now, know that you're not alone. Social media often treats you like a warrior while you're secretly not wanting to be here anymore. That isolation—being expected to inspire others while you're suffering—is real and valid.

We've been at the mountain peak and the valley floor. Whether you're facing a terminal diagnosis with no answers or celebrating clean scans, we've walked that path.

There is hope. There is a way to do this on your own terms, even when most people around you don't see that as possible.

The darkness we experienced was necessary for us—Carli never would have gotten off the hormone blockers if it had just been "a little crappy." Sometimes you have to go to the depths to find the courage to deviate from the default path.

Remember: I'm not a doctor, and nothing above should be taken as medical advice for your individual situation. This is simply what we're doing and what has worked for us.

Keep fighting on your own terms.

With heart,
Raleigh “Do You” Williams and Carli “All Clear” Williams

P.S. The next newsletter will have her entire protocol that she is currently taking so, if you haven’t yet, be sure to sign up for the Cancer Crew newsletter email here: cancercrew.com

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