Jacob’s Journey: How a Mother Turned to Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in the Fight Against Cancer
by Emma Rafferty - Functional Hyperbaric Medicine Practitioner
I am Emma Rafferty, the owner and founder of The Moyne Healing Room.
I wasn’t always involved in health…..
In 2011 I was the mother to 5 amazing children and a police officer in the very busy, South East of London.
Despite working and juggling motherhood, I always had a love for good, nutritious food and exercise. At that time I didn’t understand how it really helped my body or my children’s bodies, I just knew it made us feel good.
Then the only way to describe what happened next was the rug was pulled from underneath my feet.
My eldest son Jacob became sick. We had to be very persistent with Doctors at that time and we waited a long time for the tests, scans and the results of the scans.
Finally, after waiting we were told that Jacob had spinal tumours.
From Vertebra T1 down to to T11 Jacob was slowly becoming paralysed. And we were told if Jacob wasn’t operated on he would die… So of course we went ahead.
Jacob's tumours were debulked urgently which took 13 hours in surgery….
but Jacob was left paralysed.
After this, Jacob was in hospital for months for rehabilitation. We all had to learn how Jacob would now live with life in a wheelchair.
Jacob was just eight years old when this happened. This was a huge burden on him at such a young age, physically and mentally and emotionally.
Jacob was at hospital in Stanmore, London at the time the London Olympics were happening. The Paralympics were happening too and one day in the rehabilitation gym we heard a load of banging and shouting. Jacob and I went to check it out. We couldn’t believe it, there were other paralysed people in sports wheelchairs banging into each other whilst holding a ball.
Jacob's face lit up... It was wheelchair rugby 😊
This sport became Jacob's passion and his mental health boost! (this is us).
When we were discharged the Doctors told us that Jacob’s tumours were benign and would not return.
We felt delighted at this great news but my Mother’s intuition told me to watch Jacob very carefully, I still had the sense that something wasn’t right.
Sadly, in time, that intuition proved to be right and the tumours returned, not only to Jacob’s spine but also to his brain. They had developed all around the brain and myelin sheath.
Jacob needed another surgery. He had a VP shunt put in to stop pressure from the hydrocephalus.
Radiotherapy was the only option on the NHS and so Jacob received radiation to the brain.
In all honesty, this was so traumatic for me that I only remember a blur, I’ve blocked out the memories of Jacob deteriorating in front of me. Jacob was a teenager by now, he took great pride in doing his hair every morning and wanted to look like all his friends. Losing his hair upset him more than anything else. Even more than the nausea, sickness and all the other horrible side-effects that come with radiotherapy and having a brain tumour along with spinal tumours.
The drugs Jacob was prescribed through the NHS also came with their own list of debilitating side effects.
But something wasn’t sitting right with me.
Was this really all that could be done for Jacob?
There had to be more than just this…
There are no words to describe the experience of seeing your child endure daily radiation therapy treatments for six weeks.
Financially, emotionally and also with the impact on my other children, we lived a daily nightmare. Through these experiences I have developed a deep compassion and understanding for people who have to endure these treatments.
Jacob was given even worse news during radiotherapy. The medical Doctors predicted my son would not live more than a few more weeks.
I refused to accept it!
I started to research other alternatives.
I started with food. I began to learn about nutrition and supplements. I implemented juicing daily to try build Jacob's strength back up.
Once all the kids were in bed at night, I would begin to research, taking a deep dive into complementary therapies, reading late into each night. I discovered the work of man called Dr Otto Warburg…
Things began to get interesting…
Dr Otto Warburg’s work can be found here. More recently it has been developed by Dr Nasha Winters and Prof Thomas Seyfried as The Metabolic Approach to Cancer (1) (2) We now have a wealth of data showing that cancer is a disease of metabolism and that nutritional therapy is a primary intervention.
And then….
I came across HBOT. I knew nothing about it back then, this was over ten years ago and we had far less information than we do now about integrative oncology therapies.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Saturates the body with oxygen… The oxygen reaches all cells and all the organs and it is even now classed as a gene therapy!
For a deep dive into Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, coming up next, Subscribe to get the next article in your inbox
I searched and found another Doctor who lived near me and who listened to me.
My son was a paediatric and a lot of people in 2011 would not work with children as they had no qualifications in paediatrics.
This Doctor agreed to help my son and he set Jacob a very strict protocol.
We made the protocol lots of fun and Jacob enjoyed it.
The HBOT was a two person dive chamber and it even had a TV inside it!
Jacob was in his element.
The radiotherapy side effects could have killed my son. The treatment was so hard on Jacob's body and he was already paralyzed. The medication he was on from the UK Health Service was interfering with Jacob's respiratory system. There is now much more information coming out now regarding these drugs, one is called oxycontin. Since Jacob was quadriplegic the odds were stacked against him regarding his lungs.
I have no doubt that if it was not for implementing HBOT during the radiotherapy my son would have passed away within three months and the Doctor’s prophecy would have been fulfilled.
But he didn’t!
Jacob got stronger!
Jacob’s blood work was improving. I would monitor this myself. His immune system became more robust, fighting off respiratory illness.
HBOT also appeared to be doing something with the tumours...
….they were shrinking.
It was at this point Jacob officially named himself as ‘The Tumor Doomer 😊’
We saw puzzled looks on the faces of oncology Doctors and the palliative team.. They were literally scratching their heads. Jacob and I would laugh afterwards. I had been very clear with my oncology team that we were using HBOT and they had advised us not to.
Their objection was not based on any real science or evidence, it was just based on the fact that our oncology team did not know anything about it.
I was determined.
Their lack of knowledge about HBOT would not prevent me from trying to keep my son alive.
Jacob's own protocol was HBOT daily. He had most weekends off and Sunday was a rest day for him. So that his body did not plateau.
We strategically gave him nutritional supplements, he had infrared saunas, some cold showers too... and the most important factor was Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy with PEMF and RIFE.
Jacob's protocols were sacred to me.
I cannot express my joy that Jacob was happy and doing so well.
Yes, the protocols were time consuming but I knew exactly what the alternative road meant for us and there was no way I was taking that route.
I knew if I took that path, the tumors would show up again.
Jacob was ‘The Tumor Doomer’ - that path was not for him!
Jacob's supplements were shipped in from a supplement company called Nature's Fix which was run by Gareth Meyer. Gareth heard what I was doing with Jacob and he introduced me to an expert in HBOT called Dr Callebout
I can mention Dr Callebout here now as sadly he has passed away, but at the time we had to keep things very quiet as Jacob was a paediatric patient. I hope times are changing now.
Dr Callebout (or Dr C he became known) was truly a living angel.
Dr C intensified Jacob's protocols. Wow, he knew his stuff!
Dr C was on the integrative oncology charity Yes to Life’s directory, along with many other amazing integrative doctors, integrative oncology practitioners, cancer nutritionists and functional medicine practitioners.
Thanks to the work of the amazing Robin Daly MBE 😊 for his dedication to build this charity, making people aware of many other options available to them on the yes to life charity website
Then just before Brexit, in 2019…
…in what seemed like a crazy idea to my whole family at the time, I said let's move to Ireland and I will resign from my work.
They agreed and shortly after that I handed in my resignation in to the police. Working for the police had been my first passion. I had wanted to work in the Metropolitan police since I was seven years of age after nightly watching "The Bill " with my mam. The Bill was a TV show about life as a police office. I had now been in my career for twenty years.
But the love for my children and the promise of a better quality of life for us all was so much more important. I knew I couldn't juggle both .
and this led my family to Ireland.
Jacob and the other children thrived in Ireland. We had beach walks with Jacob in a beach stroller and we loved it...
Jacob was the proud owner of his very own Hyperbaric oxygen chamber at this stage. I trained and became certified to operate it.
Jacob’s HBOC was a medical-grade chamber and Jacob's protocol involved HBOT, PEMF and RIFE therapies together along with Far Infrared Sauna. This was coupled with nutritious food and his personalised supplement protocol.
Sadly in 2021 Jacob's heart developed problems. His heart muscles had weakened because of Jacob’s paralysis and the radiotherapy side effects
Jacob passed away in August 2021
Jacob lived ten wonderful years longer than the Doctors predicted
and this was because of how Jacob lived his life…
I believe that Jacob would still be here if the radiotherapy had been handled differently, but we can’t go back in time.
The radiotherapy he received was too heavy for Jacob’s body.
Was the radiotherapy necessary?
Yes. I am not against medical therapies. I feel the dosage and treatment plan should have been handled differently. There can be no one size fits all.
Jacob’s legacy..
I have turned my knowledge and experience into action and I became a leading practitioner in hyperbaric medicine.
My mission is to educate and raise awareness for cancer patients. Making sure that accurate information is distributed to people who would benefit from HBOT and other complementary therapies.
This has become my passion now and in this world of confusion and with cancer rates rising, it’s more important than ever to get the right support to people. I am both at the end of a phone or on email to help. My consultations are priced fairly, making sure that everyone has access to the information they need. I have built a network around me to refer people to the right practitioner for their situtation and of course for those who are living in Ireland. I have created themoynehealingroom.com where I now offer HBOT, PEMF, IR Therapy, RIFE and more.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you need support and let’s make sure that more people get information at the right time, in the right way and as early as possible in their cancer process.
Emma x
About HBOT
I have watched HBOT evolve over the last ten years and people really want and need it. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy offers a powerful, natural approach to healing.
As science continues to uncover new applications, HBOT stands poised to play an increasingly vital role in modern medicine. Whether used to heal wounds, support brain health, or optimize wellness, HBOT is truly breathing new life into the healing process. These are exciting times.
At present there is a little of an ‘internet craze’ with HBOT and it is perhaps more readily available than ever before. I advise people to steer on the side of caution and:
Find a reliable provider.
Use a qualified practitioner who can guide you with specific protocols. Someone who knows when to use the HBOT and when not to. This way you maximize the benefits and also get more for your money.
Here at themoynehealingroom.com I am dedicated to great success rates for overall health and wellbeing for my clients. I customise different packages and protocols to tailor for my client’s individual needs.
With over ten years experience in Hyperbaric Medicine and now fully qualified, I am involved with charities and companies worldwide to help people maintain better health and help them heal in the chamber.
I augment the treatment for better success rates and work alongside integrative oncologists, Naturopaths and other Functional Medicine practitioners.
So if you are looking to use a clinic for HBOT and want a professional opinion on your HBOT protocol then reach out by email here:
I can advise you on any Standard HBOT protocol.
I have expertise in high to mild pressure and extended HBOT protocols.
I work with Combinations of therapies ( Augmented approach)
I look forward to helping you in any way I can
Thank you
Hyperbaric Medicine Expert
 | A guest post by
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There would be a benefit in using hbot after surgery .
I’ve been considering doing HBOT for my Pilocytic Astrocytoma, but I have seen mixed studies. Some have seen that it leads to angiogenesis. What studies should I read into that would convince me to start doing HBOT?