Kidney cancer has limited treatment options, being resistant to both chemotherapy and radiation.  My doctor advised me to consult a world renowned authority at The Cleveland Clinic, Ohio, and to perhaps participate in a clinical trial, i.e. to be a guinea pig in an experiment.

In January 2003 my sister June and I arrived in Cleveland in the middle of one of the worst winters on record.  The temperature was sub-zero, and would remain so for the next three months. I was required to complete a whole series of tests and scans, including a stressful procedure to remove an enlarged lymph node in my neck. Had the cancer spread to my head? The doctor suggested I participate in the "dendritic cell vaccine" trial. This entailed removing the tumour in one lung and fusing it with a donor's immune cells to produce a vaccine. I would then be injected with three doses of this vaccine over the course of four months. Each "dose" consisted of 10 consecutive injections in the groin. I can still see the 10 syringes lined up on the counter-top, all sealed and labelled with my name and ID details.