Less than three years ago, Tina Wilts, now 53, thought she had just two years to live.
Today, she’s cancer-free — and she wants the world to know about the treatment that saved her.
The Florida mother and grandmother first noticed a lump in late 2021, a few months after a normal mammogram.
In March 2022, he discovered that he had HER2 positive breast canceran aggressive form of the disease where cancer cells have abnormally high levels of a protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2).
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“I still remember the doctor coming in and telling us it was in my lymph nodes, ribs, spine, sternum and bones,” Wilts told Fox News Digital during an on-camera interview.
Florida mother and grandmother Tina Wilts, now 53, thought she only had two years to live, but today she is cancer-free. (Tina Wilts)
Wilts was told he had tumors the size of golf balls and that the disease had advanced. For mastectomy. He was put on chemotherapy at the end of care and told to “enjoy the time you have left.”
“The doctor told me … we’re going to try to stop the progression, but he said the best we can offer you is about 24 months.”
‘I wanted it to go away’
Wilts was not content to simply stop. His cancer progressed.
“I have five biological children and I was raising my two bonus children, and at the time I had four grandchildren,” she said.
“And I was just determined that I wanted to get it over with. That was my goal. And I remember my oncologist telling me that was never going to happen.”
“The doctor told me… the best we can offer you is about 24 months.”
After doing some research of her own, Wilts learned about an alternative treatment called immunotherapy, where the body’s immune system is used to identify and destroy cancer cells.
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“I have five biological children and I was raising my two bonus children, and I had four grandchildren at the time,” Wilts said of why she was so determined to beat cancer. (Tina Wilts)
In her research, she met Dr. Jason R. Williams of the Williams Cancer Institute in California, who offers a new cancer therapy that uses cold gases and the body’s own cells to freeze and fight tumors.
“Immunotherapy teaches the immune system to attack cancer,” Williams told Fox News Digital. “So, like a vaccine, it can give you a long-term, sustainable response. That’s what’s important to achieve a cure.”
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Wilts and her husband rushed to the doctor, who immediately began looking into her case.
“She was in good shape physically, even though her cancer had progressed,” Williams said. “She was on chemo, but still very inside good healthalthough she was advanced and metastatic.”
“I was confident, but cautious. Cancer is a very challenging enemy.”
Willits is pictured at her wedding, before she was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer. “I’m a part of my family’s life every day,” she told Fox News Digital. (Tina Wilts)
Williams offered Wilts something he hadn’t had until then – hope.
“She was just incredible. After seeing all my tests, she said, ‘I can treat you,'” she told Fox News Digital. “And you don’t get those words as a stage 4 patient.”
Six weeks after receiving a course of immunotherapy treatment – combined with supplements to boost the immune system and cryoablation, a procedure that uses freezing temperatures to destroy cancer cells Does – A PET scan revealed that Wilts’ cancer was gone.
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Today, Wilts said, he is. Stable and healthy.
“I exercise every day. I’m a part of my family’s life every day. The cancer, we feel, is completely behind us — and it was almost a mission impossible,” she said.
“People ask me all the time, you know, how did you cure your cancer? And I say, ‘Well, God led me to Dr. Williams’.”
“I can’t imagine if I would have stopped during conventional treatment and just tried to stop the progression,” Wilts said. (Tina Wilts)
Williams believes immunotherapy is the future. Cancer treatments.
“We must first target the tumor directly, inject immunotherapy into it,” he said.
“In the future, the patient will be diagnosed with a suspicious lesion, and at the time of the initial biopsy, we will begin treatment with immunotherapy injections.”
Balancing risks and benefits
Although immunotherapy has shown promise as an alternative treatment, it comes with its own risks and limitations for certain groups of patients.
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“Patients with autoimmune diseases are at greater risk, because the immune system is more prone to attack normal tissue as well,” cautions Williams.
“Although the risks are high, we have techniques to control it, and so the benefits outweigh the risks.”
“As oncologists, we don’t want to expose a patient to a drug that increases the risk of side effects without clinical benefit.”
Brian Slomowitz, director of gynecologic oncology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Florida and co-chair of the Cancer Research Committee, notes that immunotherapy has changed the way many cancers are treated, but it’s not always effective.
“It’s important to understand that this is not useful in all patients,” said Slomowitz, who was not involved in Wilts’ care.
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“As oncologists, we don’t want to expose a patient to a drug that increases the risk of side effects without clinical benefit.”
However, in “properly selected” patients, Slomowitz believes immunotherapy can prolong both cancer recurrence and overall survival rates.
Today, Wilts said, he is stable and healthy. “I exercise every day,” she told Fox News Digital. (Tina Wilts)
“I’m excited to see the field of immuno-oncology grow. Development continues”
Wilts now aims to raise awareness of the availability of this treatment, as many women feel that chemotherapy, radiation and surgery are their only options.
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“The reality is there are. Women are out there who don’t know it exists,” she said. “And if we can get that out there, I can’t even tell you how many hundreds of women we could potentially save.”
“I can’t imagine if I stayed on conventional treatment and just tried to stop the progression,” she said. “I mean, it’s out of my body. It’s over. Life is back to normal. And I’m so grateful.”
“If we can pull this off, I can’t even tell you how many hundreds of women we could potentially save,” Willits said. (Tina Wilts)
While Wilts’ prognosis is “excellent,” Williams stressed that “we must always be cautious and monitor.”
“Anyone who has had cancer before is definitely at a higher-than-normal risk of getting another cancer or having it happen again.”
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For patients just starting their cancer journey, Williams says it’s important to take the time to thoroughly research their options.
“Many off-label Medicines and supplements Those that are available can help enhance treatment outcomes, and the search for immunotherapy should always be a priority,” he added.