Kyle Taylor jokes about his left arm ﾖ the one that was amputated in an attempt to control his bone cancer.
He jokes about the prognosis given to him by doctors at McMaster Universityﾴs hospital who had no other treatment to offer when chemotherapy failed to attack his terminal disease.
After returning from an alternative treatment centre in the Bahamas, itﾴs easier for the naturally-upbeat Stevensville teen to remain positive.
The hair he lost has grown back, this time curly, and the weight he lost has returned following the start of immuno-augmentative therapy (IAT).
The regimen of vaccines and serums administered to him at the IAT Centre in Freeport, Bahamas, is designed to help his bodyﾴs own immune system fight cancerous tumours.
ﾓItﾴs not chemo treatment. It makes you feel a lot better. I noticed when I was in gym class, I could do a lot more,ﾔ said Taylor, 15.
A Grade 9 student at Stamford Collegiate, Taylor inspired a major fundraising campaign after traditional treatment offered no hope.
His family was told at the beginning of the year that it would be ﾓvery optimisticﾔ to believe he could live to graduate high school, but Taylor wasnﾴt prepared to give up.
After researching alternative treatments offered around the world, his family settled on the clinic in the Bahamas.
He began his first three months of treatment ﾖ which includes four-needles a day at home plus additional needles at the IAT Centre twice a week ﾖ in April and came back to Stevensville for a two-week break at the beginning of June.
So far, the treatment and related expenses have cost about $30,000, about the same amount that was raised through fundraisers at Taylorﾴs school, community and business events, and private donations to date.
He will return for further treatment on Monday and if he remains on the IAT protocol, will have to go to the Bahamas clinic two or three times a year for the rest of his life.
His mother, Fiona Taylor-Williams, says the real test of the treatment will be a bone scan scheduled for August, which should reveal whether the alternative treatment is effective in attacking Taylorﾴs cancer.
In the meantime, sheﾴs happy to see her son looking and feeling better.
ﾓI canﾴt argue with the way he looks and the way heﾴs bouncing around the house,ﾔ said Taylor-Williams.
And at Stamford, where Taylor decided to write his final exams so he wouldnﾴt fall further behind, his positive attitude continues to impress his fellow students and teachers.
ﾓHeﾴs so awesome. He just keeps plowing through, fighting it with the best attitude,ﾔ said teacher Heather McAdam.
And despite all the hardships he has been through since he was diagnosed with cancer in February 2002, Taylor says the support and encouragement he has received have have only improved his outlook.
ﾓThe biggest change is that I used to be shy and now Iﾴm like the most popular kid in school. Iﾴm on TV all the time … and I can speak in front of a class, I can speak in front of the whole school.ﾔ
Financial donations for Taylorﾴs alternative treatment are still being accepted through a trust fund at the Royal Bank of Canada. Donations can be made at any branch to account number 5032990, transit number 03392.
By Heather Miller, The Review
