Racked with the pain of chemo, Kylie Willey faced the biggest decision of her life.
Kylie was undergoing treatment for an aggressive and debilitating lymphoma when she heard about Belle Gibson from a friend. Her friend excitedly told her that Belle had healed her own cancer using alternative therapies and healthy eating. Kylie checked out The Whole Pantry app and looked through Belle’s Instagram pictures.
“She looked amazing! So beautiful, healthy – all by refusing chemo,” Kylie told New Idea. Kylie, who had lost her hair, contracted pneumonia and developed a blood clot in her lung, was inspired. She immediately bought Belle’s book, The Whole Pantry, and downloaded her app.
Related: “Dear Belle Gibson, I’d like my $3.49 back.”
Once she immersed herself in Belle’s world, Kylie says she felt like a failure. She thought she’d made a mistake by undertaking chemo, like somehow she might have been sucked to a ‘Big Pharma’ conspiracy. She decided to live like Belle and reject her treatment.
Belle Gibson’s claims all seemed so appealing (post continues after gallery):
Belle Gibson
Kylie’s husband and her three sons were horrified, but Kylie was resolute: “If Belle could do it, and her cancer seemed as bad as mine, then I could – so I refused chemo”.
Thankfully, the nurses at the hospital where Kylie was being treated had seen this before. They had watched patients become obsessed with alternative treatments and then lose their lives. They explained the realities to Kylie and she reluctantly continued her treatment.
“The nurses told me stories of others who refused conventional treatment and ended up needing palliative care,” Kylie said.
She is still waiting to receive the all-clear, but looking back, all Kylie feels now is fury for the young woman whose lies fooled so many.
“I had many sleepless nights and thought I was wasting my life on chemo. If I had taken her advice, I could be dead”.
Watch Belle Gibson’s interview with 60 Minutes:
For more on Belle Gibson, try these articles:
Belle, you had one chance to say sorry to the vulnerable people you exploited. And you blew it.
The 14 most revealing moments from Belle Gibson’s 60 Minutes interview.
Belle Gibson says she’s lost everything. But she’s not the victim here.
This fraud trial is the one Belle Gibson should have had.