Scans show no detectable cancer
Within a few months, Dr. Zeman showed a remarkable response with scans showing no detectable tumors. He was placed on an oral drug regimen so he could continue his plans to hike the Camino de Santiago with his son, Brian.
The Camino de Santiago — the Way of St. James — is actually a collection of dozens of routes that start in Portugal, France and Spain. They all end at the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in the northwestern coastal Spanish city of Galicia, believed to be the resting place of St. James the Great, one of Jesus’ 12 apostles.
Begun by medieval Christians in the ninth century, the routes annually attract more than 200,000 hikers from around the world. It has become a major spiritual path and a retreat for spiritual growth that, along with Rome and Jerusalem, is one of the three “great pilgrimages of Christendom.”
“It was a little bit of a struggle,” shares Dr. Zeman, the first team physician for the Arizona Diamondbacks and a former team doctor during MLB spring training for the San Francisco Giants. He and his son chose the Camino Primitivo, or original route, which starts in Oviedo, Spain. They covered 240 miles in 15 days, walking every day, often 15 or more miles a day.
Oxygen levels tripled
When Dr. Zeman returned from his pilgrimage, tests showed his oxygen levels had nearly tripled. He knows there isn’t currently a cure for pancreatic cancer, but he believes his pilgrimage and his faith helped his body recover from the cancer.
“It (faith) has played a huge part,” he explains. “I’ve always had a strong faith, which has helped me through this. I’ve had so many people praying for me. It’s also made me not fear the outcome. I actually pray for my family more than anything.”
Dr. Zeman, who married his high school sweetheart, Maryellen, and has six children and 15 grandchildren, has good quality of life and continues to work as a surgeon, despite a recent minor return of his cancer. Since December, he restarted his three-drug treatment and remains on the keto diet. His tumors have since shrunk.
Dr. Zeman describes his experience with the Dr. Borazanci and the Institute as “wonderful.” He adds, “I can’t recommend them enough. I think it’s been great. I’ve been very pleased.”
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