Since launching Nathan's team in May 2020, Nathan’s Cancer Slayers has raised an unbelievable $773,930 to fight childhood cancer in Nathan's honor. We are so proud of the amazing work we've accomplished and are ready to continue on in Nathan's memory again this year. We hope you'll join Nathan's team for Alex’s Million Mile challenge this September to raise awareness and funds to help kids beat cancer. Just click "Join the Team" to make a difference!

This year, Nathan's team is excited to partner with Dr. JinSeok Park at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) and Dr. Valter Longo at the University of Southern California (author of The Longevity Diet and Fasting Cancer). Their research will test the efficacy of combining a fasting-mimicking diet with high-dose intravenous vitamin C (HDIVC) and doxycycline as adjunct therapies to chemo to treat, and hopefully cure, rhabdomyosarcoma. Lab experiments and clinical trials have already shown very promising results for a wide variety of adult cancers. The evidence suggests that these protocols sensitize cancer cells to chemotherapy, reduce harmful side effects, and slow tumor growth—giving kids hope for better outcomes and brighter futures!

Nathan’s brother Spencer and I have firsthand experience with all three protocols, and I believe God and Nathan are pushing us in this direction. When Nathan was in hospice, he received HDIVC and doxycycline for two weeks. His energy soared, and MRI scans showed the cancer had stopped advancing during that period. Sadly, the cancer had already metastasized to his spinal fluid, and a different alternative treatment failed. But we saw firsthand the promise of this gentle approach. 

We also have experience with fasting. Our beloved Labrador, Parker, benefited from fasting. Diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma in 2022 and given just months to live, he survived over 3 years — more than 5x longer than average — and maintained excellent quality of life. The only thing we did differently than other pet owners was to add daily time-restricted fasting to his treatment plan.

Drs. Park and Longo’s research is the first step to show that these adjunct therapies—which are available now—can greatly improve kids’ quality of life and the odds they will beat cancer. Rhabdomyosarcoma is an aggressive pediatric cancer that grows in muscle cells and took away Nathan's ability to see, hear, chew and walk after the cancer metastasized. We believe Nathan would have had a fighting chance had these additional protocols been part of his treatment strategy. 

Our team works in Nathan’s memory. Nathan was one of a kind, a great soul, and wise beyond his years. Loving and kind, funny, smart, interesting, easy-going, a little bit goofy and always positive. The kid who gently and patiently helped care for younger children. The student who loved his physical therapy class and wanted to start a career in medicine. The sharp-shooter, Tolkien fan, accomplished gamer, tenacious soccer defender, and flag-football champion. 

The loving son and brother who was crazy about our dogs--Milo, Buck, Stoney, Parker, and Major Tom--and enjoyed being with his family more than anything. Nathan loved his big bowl of cheerios every morning and was especially fond of pizza, pasta, and steak. He was passionate about college football and basketball (Go Blue! Go Dawgs!), a huge fan of Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad, an astute political observer, clever and quick with a comeback, super silly, always laughing and overflowing with love, empathy, and compassion. The cancer patient who bore so much, never wanted his disease to define him, shunned pity and made all the doctors and nurses laugh. He remained positive and a joy to be around throughout his struggle. When his mom complained bitterly that his cancer was evil, he disagreed: “Look, it made me lose 50 pounds of fat!” Or when the EMTs asked him to put his arms up, he said: “What, am I under arrest?!” Humor in the face of adversity. Classic Nathan.

That Nathan approached his illness with such strength, grace, and courage was hardly surprising. He was resilient and fearless from the time he was a toddler, riding his bike like Evil Knieval, skiing straight down steep mountain trails at high speed, and countless other dare-devilish acts. Even a fractured leg and two casts didn’t slow him down when he was two. And he was always calm, even under immense pressure. In middle school, when his best friend tripped on the steps and a porcelain cereal bowl broke, bizarrely severing his friend's artery, Nathan calmly applied pressure and called 911. His friend almost bled out, but survived by a whisker. EMTs came to the door a few days later and reported that if Nathan had panicked, even for a minute, his friend certainly would have died. They said he was a life saver, a hero.  

Nathan is loved more than words can say by his father, Mike, mother Michele, step-mother Salma, and especially his big brother Spencer, who withdrew from college to help care for him. His grandmother, Lala, spent the last six weeks with him, trying each day to help him live. Our dogs adored him. His grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins knew what an exceptional person he was, and all shuddered to imagine a world without him. He was and will always be loved immensely and offered a heart full of love himself. All will miss him dearly.

Please click here to read Nathan's full hero story, plus an amazing video!