MIDLAND, TX – RIP Joe Mancaruso 10/4/1957 – 7/19/2015
Sometimes we have ups and downs, but we’re all in this life together … the thing with Joe’s Decision
it gave him one year longer to live then expected?
Joe was first diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1985 and had two surgeries and four rounds of chemo.
In 1987 he had a recurrence, fortunately after addressing the cancer in 1987 he went into remission.
In 2007 Joe began studying Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and in his own words fell in love with it.
“When I kept getting my ass kicked and went back for more it made me mentally stronger.”
In the 6th year of Joe’s study he was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer.
“I have never been a smoker and there was no obvious cause…”
In spite of there being no obvious cause Joe was far more mentally prepared for his situation than most people would be “I had faced death when I was young, The surgery in 86 left me with one kidney, the 8 rounds of chemo left me with nerve damage. I have no feeling from my knees and elbows down. So I have always felt
I am on borrowed time and thought I might not make it to old age. So I was pretty calm through it all.
My wife Cindy and my kids took it hard.
With all that being said I felt like if anyone could survive for five years, I would be that 1 in 100.”
Apart from Joe’s lifestyle, he also has a spiritual component which he is tapping into to help manage.
“I am not aligned with any religious group, however, I am spiritual and believe that there is more out there.
I did meet a lady named Sister Dulce out of Baton Rouge LA, she is known around the world for helping and praying for people. Sister Dulce is a very sweet and kind nun in Baton Rouge who has been considered by some as a healer. She says she is not “a healer,” but she is used as an instrument of God for His healing.
I try to talk to her weekly and she prays for me.”
I was a little skeptical about visiting her and did it for my wife.
I am now a believer and feel she is the real deal and a great person.
Joe’s Jiu Jitsu training is evolving along with his lifestyle “I have been training 4-5 times a week, the only injury I have had was my elbow popping. I feel really good on the conditioning side and considering only full capacity in one lung and still rusty I am doing pretty well.
I am about 40lbs lighter than before the diagnosis, with some loss of strength.
“My doctor is baffled that I am still around, I have not seen an oncologist since August of 2013…
My last 3 x-rays show no change. I see my doctor every 4 months… Doctors won’t comment on alternative medicine. Diet, exercise, spirituality, and the mind play key roles in radical remissions.” The reality is that Joe’s case is a rare one. In the terms of submission fighting, Joe is using a low percentage escape to deal with
a high percentage submission, but it is working, which is what takes the situation from tragic to remarkable. How does the cancer affect Joe? “Not at all, I believe I am that 1 % that beats a terminal diagnosis.
I think it is a problem that I can manage, a day at a time.”
In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu so many positions are only escapable using paths that most people never realize, paths that may be uncomfortable. Many very strong people will try to fight out of submissions only to be caught in subsequent positions. Similarly, so often the methods modern medicine has to address cancer drastically inhibit the quality of life in patients and ultimately may speed up their demise.
Unfortunately, these methods are in fact the cure, but in Joe’s case there is no cure that has been accepted by the medical community. Doctors are essentially powerless to really help him. But Joe has found a path of escape. This path has already proven successful at stymieing a devastating situation and if the trend continues Joe will be part of that 1%.
For anyone who doesn’t know, Joe Mancaruso was one of the strongest Jiujiteiro that ever lived. This is not because of his physical prowess but his heart. Joe used jiu jitsu and a Ketogenic diet to deal with his terminal lung cancer, and as a result lived far beyond the initial prognosis given to him by doctors.
“He went out strong and a true warrior to the end. The strongest guy I have ever met!”- Cindy Mancaruso, Joe’s wife states, “Brave people, like Joe here, are ready to take on that challenge and attack it with full force.” Nature wanted it to be like that and Joe was diagnosed with cancer in May 2013. Like any other person on this planet,
he started chemotherapy right away.
The suffering was even bigger.
In February 2014, Joe had enough of the chemo and decided to treat it with a low-carb,
high-fat ketogenic diet. Every month, Joe was paying $10,000 for a dose of chemo. The results
of the chemo were the seizures and a weakened immune system. What I missed before is to
tell you that Joe has fought off testicular cancer in 1985. He needed only 4 rounds of chemo to do that.
“After 3 rounds of Alimta, I decided to quit chemo. I tried several diets and ended up following the Keto diet.
I combined supplements, sunshine, exercise, and heat therapy.”
– Joe Mancaruso.
Keto Diet Starves Cancer Because Cancer Thrives on Sugar!!!
This fitness guru said that the Keto diet therapy isn’t flushing away his retirement savings or destroying his life. The chemo is a personal choice. It should be like that. That’s why he is relying on a Ketogenic diet
and rigorous exercise to starve the cancer to death.
Joe realizes that opting out of chemotherapy is a personal choice, but he likes that diet therapy won’t deplete his retirement savings or destroy his quality of life — which chemo definitely does. “This will not be the right choice for everyone, Instead of being weak and poor, but it allows me to train Brazilian Jiu Jitsu four to five times a week, do my kettlebell training and travel,” said Mancaruso.
The cells in our body can survive on fat and glucose. Cancer is different. It only relies on glucose. Can’t live on ketones. So, if you limit the carbohydrates that turn into glucose you can prevent the cancer cells from growing.
According to the author of “Cancer as a Metabolic Disease” Dr. Thomas Seyfried:
Also Elaine Cantin discussed how she used the ketogenic diet to manage her son’s type 1 diabetes
and her own aggressive breast cancer in her book, The Cantin Ketogenic Diet.
Maybe Joe Mancaruso would have had a better chance if he went Keto – earlier in his battle
and not allow the chemotherapy to ravage his immune system from the start 🙁
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDhFmqx7VsE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaCZ3ivhwUY