As if being diagnosed with a terminal disease wasn’t difficult enough, Neil Fachon faced roadblocks in every direction he looked to find treatment for DIPG (Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma), a rare form of brain cancer. His father Dean Fachon wrote DIPG: Eternal Hope Versus Terminal Corruption to illustrate the challenges and guide others who may find themselves in similar situations.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) reports “a quarter of all cancer deaths each year are due to rare cancers. Although new treatments are always being developed, finding new treatments for rare cancers is very hard for many reasons.” The NCI also explains what a “rare” diagnosis means for patients: the often extensive delay from when doctors think something is wrong to when they know that it’s a rare cancer and what kind it is; the challenge of finding doctors who know a lot about the rare cancer and how to treat it; difficulty knowing what to do when doctors don’t agree on how to treat the cancer; and the likely need to travel far from home and family to obtain proper treatment.

Woven into the story is information about the science of epigenetics, peptide therapy and other non-toxic cancer treatments, like the Gerson Therapy. Dean describes how Neil shifted to a more alkaline diet of organic whole foods and how he learned about naturopathic oncology and herbal remedies that strengthen immunity, lengthen life expectancy and improve quality life and chances of survival. The story details the family’s process of researching and evaluating clinical trials, including the Burzynski Clinic’s anti-neoplaston protocol, which became Neil’s therapy of choice.

The book is filled with insightful information, including mentions of other books that delve deeper into the anecdotal, clinical and scientific research of non-conventional and integrative cancer medicine.