Have you benefited from medicines derived from natural sources?
Read the CNN story about Ethan's experience with the rosy periwinkle
Survivor Stories
Survivors and medical experts talk about medicines from nature and the importance of conserving global natural areas
Survivor Story: Amy Huff, Breast Cancer Survivor
Round Rock, Texas
Halfway through my second pregnancy, at only 32 years old, I found out that I had two breast cancer tumors. The next four months were a whirlwind of surgeries and chemotherapy. I gave birth to a beautiful, healthy, perfect daughter in September 2006. Now, happy and healthy, I can only hope that by the time my lovely daughter is of age to worry about breast cancer there is a cure. So many advances are being made in search of a cure, and many of these are plant based, like many of the medications I used to treat my cancer. Taxol, derived from the yew tree Taxus brevifolia, is one of the most common chemotherapies for breast cancers. We have been given this beautiful planet, full of lush life. We must take care of it, guard it. The plants we are now losing to extinction could hold the key to curing us, our children, and our grandchildren.
Round Rock, Texas
Halfway through my second pregnancy, at only 32 years old, I found out that I had two breast cancer tumors. The next four months were a whirlwind of surgeries and chemotherapy. I gave birth to a beautiful, healthy, perfect daughter in September 2006. Now, happy and healthy, I can only hope that by the time my lovely daughter is of age to worry about breast cancer there is a cure. So many advances are being made in search of a cure, and many of these are plant based, like many of the medications I used to treat my cancer. Taxol, derived from the yew tree Taxus brevifolia, is one of the most common chemotherapies for breast cancers. We have been given this beautiful planet, full of lush life. We must take care of it, guard it. The plants we are now losing to extinction could hold the key to curing us, our children, and our grandchildren. Survivor Story: Virginia Valentine, Diabetes Survivor
Albuquerque, NM
I have been helping people manage their diabetes for more than 25 years as a nurse and currently as the co-owner and CEO of Diabetes Network ®, Inc., a free-standing diabetes education and management center in Albuquerque. I have also had type 2 diabetes for over thirty years. Along with a well-managed diet and exercise, I have been able to reduce my medication regimen to only one, Byetta. Byetta, which improves glucose control, is derived from the saliva of the Gila monster, a threatened type of lizard living in the deserts of Arizona, New Mexico, and northern Mexico. Of course we aren’t out chasing down lizards in the desert. This hormone is now made in a lab. The Gila monster is a threatened animal and is protected by Arizona law. People who are controlling their diabetes with this important medication all say: “We love the lizard!”
Albuquerque, NM
I have been helping people manage their diabetes for more than 25 years as a nurse and currently as the co-owner and CEO of Diabetes Network ®, Inc., a free-standing diabetes education and management center in Albuquerque. I have also had type 2 diabetes for over thirty years. Along with a well-managed diet and exercise, I have been able to reduce my medication regimen to only one, Byetta. Byetta, which improves glucose control, is derived from the saliva of the Gila monster, a threatened type of lizard living in the deserts of Arizona, New Mexico, and northern Mexico. Of course we aren’t out chasing down lizards in the desert. This hormone is now made in a lab. The Gila monster is a threatened animal and is protected by Arizona law. People who are controlling their diabetes with this important medication all say: “We love the lizard!” Survivor Story: Paul Leibow, Heart Transplant Survivor
Bucksport, ME
I am a retired Emergency Room physician and a heart transplant survivor. One of the prescriptions I take to keep my heart healthy is a blood pressure medicine used by 30 million Americans. Lisinopril was developed using the venom of the Brazilian pit viper. This snake lives in Brazilian jungles which are rapidly being felled for timber, plantations, and development. A compound in the viper’s venom dramatically lowers blood pressure. I have learned in my medical work, and as a patient, that there are many similarly surprising substances found in nature — some so complex that they cannot be made in the laboratory. Half of all our newest drugs come from nature. Diverse natural environments like jungles can have thousands of different species in a single square mile. Destroying these species destroys a literal gold mine of drugs. Developed countries must work together to help ensure native peoples living in the world’s rapidly disappearing rainforests and other wild places benefit from protecting these biologically rich ecosystems.
Bucksport, ME
I am a retired Emergency Room physician and a heart transplant survivor. One of the prescriptions I take to keep my heart healthy is a blood pressure medicine used by 30 million Americans. Lisinopril was developed using the venom of the Brazilian pit viper. This snake lives in Brazilian jungles which are rapidly being felled for timber, plantations, and development. A compound in the viper’s venom dramatically lowers blood pressure. I have learned in my medical work, and as a patient, that there are many similarly surprising substances found in nature — some so complex that they cannot be made in the laboratory. Half of all our newest drugs come from nature. Diverse natural environments like jungles can have thousands of different species in a single square mile. Destroying these species destroys a literal gold mine of drugs. Developed countries must work together to help ensure native peoples living in the world’s rapidly disappearing rainforests and other wild places benefit from protecting these biologically rich ecosystems.
Survivor Story: David Purdy, HIV Survivor
Washington, D.C.
As a 16 year survivor of HIV, I recently learned that AZT, the antiretroviral HIV medication hat saved my life, comes from the Caribbean sea sponge. Now I carry a picture of the sponge in my wallet, and talk to everyone I can about the link between protecting our environment and finding cures for chronic diseases. As the Executive Director and Founder of World AIDS Institute.org, I have dedicated the past 22 years to educating people about and destigmatizing HIV/AIDS to create an acute awareness of this growing problem facing the globe. I continue to champion new science and technology that can one day lead to the eradication of this disease. It’s so important that we spread the word about how decimating the world’s plants, animals, and ocean life deprives us of the opportunity to treat and even someday cure diseases that impact billions of lives.
Washington, D.C.
As a 16 year survivor of HIV, I recently learned that AZT, the antiretroviral HIV medication hat saved my life, comes from the Caribbean sea sponge. Now I carry a picture of the sponge in my wallet, and talk to everyone I can about the link between protecting our environment and finding cures for chronic diseases. As the Executive Director and Founder of World AIDS Institute.org, I have dedicated the past 22 years to educating people about and destigmatizing HIV/AIDS to create an acute awareness of this growing problem facing the globe. I continue to champion new science and technology that can one day lead to the eradication of this disease. It’s so important that we spread the word about how decimating the world’s plants, animals, and ocean life deprives us of the opportunity to treat and even someday cure diseases that impact billions of lives. Survivor Story: Carolyn Langlie-Lesnik, Appendiceal Cancer Survivor
Crown Point, IN
I am a rare cancer survivor of 8 years. A chemotherapy drug I was given after my cancer surgery was one that had just been approved in 2001, Irinotecan, derived from the Chinese Happy Tree. Of the active ingredients in today’s cancer-fighting drugs, 25% are derived from the plants in rain forests, yet only 1% of rain forest plants have been tested by scientists. The National Cancer Institute has identified 3000 plants that are active against cancer cells. Our rain forests could disappear in 40 years if we don’t conserve them. We need to conserve our natural resources. With cancer as the second leading cause of death in our nation, our lives could depend on it.
Crown Point, IN
I am a rare cancer survivor of 8 years. A chemotherapy drug I was given after my cancer surgery was one that had just been approved in 2001, Irinotecan, derived from the Chinese Happy Tree. Of the active ingredients in today’s cancer-fighting drugs, 25% are derived from the plants in rain forests, yet only 1% of rain forest plants have been tested by scientists. The National Cancer Institute has identified 3000 plants that are active against cancer cells. Our rain forests could disappear in 40 years if we don’t conserve them. We need to conserve our natural resources. With cancer as the second leading cause of death in our nation, our lives could depend on it. Survivor Story: Angela Patterson, Breast Cancer Survivor
Austin, TX
I was 36 weeks pregnant when diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer in 2006. My son was born 10 days later and I started chemotherapy when he was only two and a half weeks old. Taxol was part of my chemotherapy cocktail. Originally made with a compound from the Pacific yew tree, this life-saving drug is now synthetically produced. People like me with triple negative breast cancer have fewer treatment options available, so chemotherapy drugs like Taxol are crucial. Flash forward several years and so far so good. My little boy is healthy and so am I. Every day is a gift, and my appreciation for life never fades.
Austin, TX
I was 36 weeks pregnant when diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer in 2006. My son was born 10 days later and I started chemotherapy when he was only two and a half weeks old. Taxol was part of my chemotherapy cocktail. Originally made with a compound from the Pacific yew tree, this life-saving drug is now synthetically produced. People like me with triple negative breast cancer have fewer treatment options available, so chemotherapy drugs like Taxol are crucial. Flash forward several years and so far so good. My little boy is healthy and so am I. Every day is a gift, and my appreciation for life never fades. Survivor Story: Isabelle Morin
Teri Morin, Mother of Isabelle Morin, Childhood Leukemia Survivor
Germantown, TN
My daughter, Isabelle was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at the age of three. She was treated for three years at St. Jude Children’s Research Center in Memphis, Tennessee. Isabelle directly benefitted from a plant in the rainforest. The Rosy Periwinkle plant is used for the cancer fighting drug treatment known as Vincristine. Research has proven Rainforests are rich in natural sources that benefit our health and can save lives. In the case of my daughter, Isabelle would not have survived had researchers not discovered the Rosy Periwinkle before it became extinct. Therefore, the Rainforest must be protected from logging and other forms of destruction in order to preserve the medicinal benefits and unique values of all its plants. As a mother, I plead with Congress, Senate, and President Obama to please take action to preserve the Rainforest and continue to save lives around the world.
Teri Morin, Mother of Isabelle Morin, Childhood Leukemia Survivor
Germantown, TN
My daughter, Isabelle was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at the age of three. She was treated for three years at St. Jude Children’s Research Center in Memphis, Tennessee. Isabelle directly benefitted from a plant in the rainforest. The Rosy Periwinkle plant is used for the cancer fighting drug treatment known as Vincristine. Research has proven Rainforests are rich in natural sources that benefit our health and can save lives. In the case of my daughter, Isabelle would not have survived had researchers not discovered the Rosy Periwinkle before it became extinct. Therefore, the Rainforest must be protected from logging and other forms of destruction in order to preserve the medicinal benefits and unique values of all its plants. As a mother, I plead with Congress, Senate, and President Obama to please take action to preserve the Rainforest and continue to save lives around the world. Survivor Story: Debbie Trujillo, Breast Cancer Survivor
Tampa, FL
I once read that adversities are God’s universities. As a breast cancer survivor, I have experienced adversity and have lived to learn from it. Life is precious, all life. I will not take another day for granted any more than the air I breathe or the plants and water which blanket our earth. It took a crisis, cancer, to open my eyes, but I’m hoping to teach others the importance of conservation before they have to depend on it as a source of treatment. One of the chemotherapy drugs I was given, Taxol, was derived from tree bark, and many other people have been and will be treated with other natural drugs. If we do not protect nature, it will not survive to heal us or amaze us in the future. We cannot let that happen.
Tampa, FL
I once read that adversities are God’s universities. As a breast cancer survivor, I have experienced adversity and have lived to learn from it. Life is precious, all life. I will not take another day for granted any more than the air I breathe or the plants and water which blanket our earth. It took a crisis, cancer, to open my eyes, but I’m hoping to teach others the importance of conservation before they have to depend on it as a source of treatment. One of the chemotherapy drugs I was given, Taxol, was derived from tree bark, and many other people have been and will be treated with other natural drugs. If we do not protect nature, it will not survive to heal us or amaze us in the future. We cannot let that happen. Survivor Story: Ethan Zohn, Hodgkins Lymphoma Cancer Survivor
New York City, NY
I’m a Hodgkins Lymphoma cancer survivor and now one of the newest members of this elite club that no one really wants to belong to. I was a professional soccer player and winner of the reality show Survivor Africa – but cancer does not discriminate. The disease feeds on you until the doctors destroy it. Being treated with chemotherapy drugs made my body feel like a laboratory, but it was comforting to know the helpful drugs doctors have invented stem from a natural place. The chemotherapy compound, Vincristine, that was pulsing through my veins and crushing cancer, was isolated from the Madagascar rosy periwinkle. Intensive deforestation is rapidly destroying Madagascar’s wild lands. This is not acceptable. We need to conserve this wild environment so potential new medicinal compounds are not lost forever.
New York City, NY
I’m a Hodgkins Lymphoma cancer survivor and now one of the newest members of this elite club that no one really wants to belong to. I was a professional soccer player and winner of the reality show Survivor Africa – but cancer does not discriminate. The disease feeds on you until the doctors destroy it. Being treated with chemotherapy drugs made my body feel like a laboratory, but it was comforting to know the helpful drugs doctors have invented stem from a natural place. The chemotherapy compound, Vincristine, that was pulsing through my veins and crushing cancer, was isolated from the Madagascar rosy periwinkle. Intensive deforestation is rapidly destroying Madagascar’s wild lands. This is not acceptable. We need to conserve this wild environment so potential new medicinal compounds are not lost forever. 
