Two years into treatment for terminal cancer, Diego Mesa threw his chemotherapy pills into the Atlantic Ocean along with medication he took for a side effect of the treatment.
A pastor at a megachurch in southern California, he’d had a reckoning of faith that was both painful and liberating. Mr. Mesa had already lived longer than half the patients suffering from his type of kidney cancer.
Passionate about his career and a long-time marathon runner, he took off work for just six weeks in 2008 when his right kidney was surgically removed shortly after his diagnosis. He did all that was asked of him by his doctors—the exception being staying away from people and wearing a mask to protect his immune system. He’d brushed off a friend’s early request to see a naturopath. Since he was fit and trusted God, he felt peace about his path—at least initially.
“I was just a traditional guy who saw medicine and doctors as the response to everything,” Mr. Mesa said. “I simply didn’t know better.”
However, his perspective radically shifted after an appointment with his oncologist, who explained that his survival up to that point was akin to “winning the lottery.”
Scans revealed that lesions weren’t disappearing and weren’t expected to. Nobody gets “cured” from this type of cancer, he was told. Frustrated with how rundown and utterly achy he felt—and unsure if the reason was the cancer or the medicine—Mr. Mesa innocently asked his doctor 14 years ago what he would say if he stopped taking his chemotherapy medication.
The answer shook him. Nobody goes off their medication. To do so, his oncologist explained, was a suicide mission.
A New Game Plan
Mr. Mesa decided he’d need to abandon his faith in modern medicine to wholly put his faith in God. He met with three naturopaths to see how they would handle his situation, and he plugged into Healing Strong, a Christian support group for cancer patients that encourages a more holistic approach to healing.Mr. Mesa gained a new understanding of cancer as an invasion that all people are constantly contending with. It was explained to him that the state of his immune system would determine whether the disease would overtake his body.
Working with one of the naturopaths, he addressed his immune system by getting an hour of sunlight daily, spending two hours a day in an infrared sauna, and having regular lymphatic massages. He also adopted radical dietary changes and addressed emotional imbalances and negativity in his thoughts and life.
Testing the Plan
Initially, he followed this regimen for 40 days. The results were then tested with a CT scan suggested by his naturopath as a tool for Mr. Mesa to decide whether he would continue the new treatment plan. This approach comforted Mr. Mesa because it reminded him of a Biblical story about a prophet named Daniel.Daniel was among men taken captive by a foreign king to be trained as a servant. The king put healthy men he’d chosen on a diet of royal food and wine. But Daniel refused and asked if he and his companions could be given a plant-based diet and water for 10 days. Then the king could decide if their diet was working as well as the royal food.
At the end of 10 days, the scripture says in Daniel 1:15-16, Daniel and his men looked healthier and better nourished than those who ate the royal food. And they were permitted to continue eating the diet they had chosen.
Virtually No Cheating
He is now competing in triathlons, enjoying mountain/road biking five days a week, swimming two days a week, and running once a week. He does a lot of juicing and never eats pasta, sugar, or even a sliver of a cookie. His only “cheat” is eating popcorn when he goes to the movies.“People ask me, ‘Why?’’ Mr. Mesa said. “I don’t cheat not because I’m scared I’ll get cancer again. Number one, I want to be a good steward over my health. Number two, I feel amazing with the energy I have. I don’t need an afternoon nap. Why would I want to fudge that when I have good food or fuel going in me?”
He also faces criticism for not undergoing another CT scan or returning to his oncologist. Except for a mountain biking accident where he broke his ribs, he hasn’t needed to see a doctor in 14 years due to his good health.
Taking Thoughts and Emotions Captive
He explained that he experienced every possible emotion during his journey. Not only did his faith become more relevant, Mr. Mesa tapped into it as a discipline from the moment of his diagnosis.“I went into warfare mode as a Christian,” he said, explaining that he doubled down on spiritual disciplines including prayer, Bible reading, taking thoughts captive before speaking, and speaking blessings rather than curses over himself.
“Did I have doubts sometimes? Yeah. Did I feel fear sometimes? Absolutely. Did I feel the enemy’s presence around me sometimes? Yeah, showing me a funeral, showing me dying in hospice shriveling up, showing me people I knew with cancer who were Christians and they died so who did I think I was?” he recalled.
On the emotional side, he had to contend with his habit of internalizing feelings, especially when people would come into his life and then walk out of it. Mr. Mesa explained that he had to examine why he would judge himself harshly about it and learn to let go of negative emotions.
“I can cry at the drop of a dime, and it stirs me heavily. I have long conversations with my God about that,” he said.
To reprogram his thoughts, he chose 175 healing scriptures to read every single day. After the 20-minute routine, he prayed over every part of his body from the top down.
Extending Hope to Others
Now, Mr. Mesa offers all those scriptures as a download on a website he made—called Diego Mesa—which is full of cancer resources. They’re also in the book he published called “How to Dream When You’re Told You’re Going to Die.”Pastor Jim Cobrae of The Rock Church wrote a review explaining that Mr. Mesa’s book “isn’t for the lazy or the fearful.”
“It is, however, a must-have manual for you if you’re ready to fight the giant that is standing in front of God’s promise for your life,” he wrote.
Driven by a Love of Life
He also admits that nobody in his life is as radical as he is—he follows an anti-inflammatory diet—which says a lot for a man who grew up on the typical Mexican diet mostly void of vegetables.“It wasn’t easy to give up that,” he said, adding that it took him two hours to eat his first salad.
Mr. Mesa’s perseverance was driven by research he’d read of people who’d survived life’s most horrendous tragedies. They were set apart by their will to live and did whatever it took to live.
“I never forgot that—never forgot that,” he said. “I said: ‘Suck it up, Diego. Power through it. Do you want to be around for your children’s marriages, your grandchildren? Do you want to go on vacation again? Do you want to run races again?’”
He has found that nearly everything he used to enjoy in his diet has a healthy alternative, such as honey and maple syrup for a sweet tooth. He calls these “healthy pleasures.” His love of ice cream motivated him to make a frozen smoothie with raw eggs, unpasteurized milk, coconut cream, berries, and bananas that he has every day.
Mr. Mesa recorded a video on how to make the smoothie on his YouTube channel, which features other recipes and encouraging messages. He shares all of his journey—trying not to be overly pushy—everywhere he has influence. That includes United Christian Academy school, where he’s president, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s office, where he’s chaplain, and the church he began in his home in 1994, Abundant Living Family Church.
Mr. Mesa mentions his healing so often in his preaching that a representative from his congregation’s Healing Strong support group stands by his side at the end of each service to help those with questions get connected. He hopes others take the advice he didn’t take at the beginning of his journey—see a naturopath right away and embrace natural tools.
God doesn’t play favorites, Mr. Mesa said, explaining that miracles can happen to anyone. “He healed me because I took advantage of resources available to me,” he said.