Joe Tippens was diagnosed in 2016 with terminal, metastatic small-cell lung cancer. After losing all hope from mainstream medicine, he began taking fenbendazole—a common veterinary dewormer—along with curcumin and CBD oil. Five months later, his scans showed no trace of disease. This is the “miracle” story inspiring thousands of patients and challenging traditional oncology.

From Career Peak to Devastating Diagnosis

Tippens was about to relocate to Switzerland for an executive promotion when an incidental CT scan revealed a fist-sized tumor in his left lung. Shortly after, small-cell lung cancer was confirmed—a highly aggressive form. Though initial chemotherapy and radiation reduced the primary tumor, by December 2016 scans showed extensive metastases in his neck, liver, pancreas, and bones.

His prognosis: less than four months to live and a 0% survival rate. Doctors recommended palliative care and getting his affairs in order. But Tippens refused to surrender.

Just one day later, he received a life-changing call: a veterinarian mentioned that fenbendazole—used for deworming animals—had shown tumor elimination in mice in accidental studies. With nothing to lose, he started the drug in January 2017.

Fenbendazole and the “Impossible Remission”

Following an initial protocol, Tippens combined fenbendazole with bioavailable curcumin and CBD oil. He began with a low dose three times per week (to avoid liver toxicity), later switching to a daily regimen. In May 2017, a CT scan at MD Anderson Cancer Center showed no evidence of disease.

In just four months, his metastatic cancer vanished—leaving doctors stunned. He was the only one among 1,100 trial participants to experience a complete remission. Still, Tippens didn’t disclose the protocol immediately. He underwent monthly scans until the absence of cancer was confirmed.

Eventually, he revealed his treatment to his oncologists. Interestingly, the same center had already explored fenbendazole years earlier, and Indian researchers (previously at MD Anderson) identified three anticancer mechanisms: disrupting microtubules needed for cancer cell division, interfering with cancer cell sugar metabolism, and activating the p53 tumor suppressor gene, which is often inactive or mutated in cancer patients.

Viral Spread, Witnesses, and the Power of Testimony

By 2018, Tippens began receiving hundreds of calls from cancer patients. He created the blog “My Cancer Story Rocks” and later a Facebook group—but demand only skyrocketed. His story went viral in 96 countries. The Facebook community now exceeds 40,000 members and has documented over 5,000 cases of surprising remissions.

Internationally, in China alone, more than 50,000 people follow the so-called “Uncle Joey Protocol.” Tippens secured private funding for Oklahoma Medical Foundation researchers to analyze cases, and analysts from Stanford University later published preliminary studies on fenbendazole’s anticancer potential. Tippens emphasizes his protocol is not a replacement for conventional medicine, but an affordable and low-risk complement to existing treatments.

Why Isn’t a $7-a-Week Drug Approved?

The primary barrier isn’t clinical—it’s economic. Fenbendazole has been on the market for over 25 years, with no patent protection, and was never approved for human use by the FDA. Clinical trials would cost between $300 and $400 million, and no pharmaceutical company wants to fund it without profit potential. Aware of this, Tippens is advocating for U.S. federal funding to test the drug. He points out Medicare spends billions on expensive cancer treatments that could be significantly reduced if a cheap veterinary dewormer proved effective.

A Story of Questions—and Hope

Joe Tippens remains in complete remission, lives a normal life, and continues the protocol as a preventive measure. His story ignites controversy—and hope. It highlights the tension between empirical testimonies and clinical science, between pharmaceutical economics and treatment accessibility. Can a veterinary dewormer be part of the answer to cancer? For now, the formal evidence is limited—but growing.

Meanwhile, Tippens insists one factor was as crucial as any molecule: an unshakeable belief that he could heal. The mind as an ally, not a bystander. And that, regardless of the protocol, matters too.

Reference:

• Study outlines cases of people successfully treating cancer with fenbendazole protocol. Link.
• Oral Fenbendazole for Cancer Therapy in Humans and Animals. Link.

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