The history of the Cancer Control Society actually began in 1959. Cecile Hoffman, an English School Teacher in San Diego, California, was told that the radical mastectomy recently performed on her body had eliminated all the cancer. The often-heard expression is that the surgeon “got it all.” Three years later when symptoms from the inevitable metastases surfaced, our heroine was informed that the disease had spread so much, no further treatment was possible. In fact, her death was prophesied to occur within a matter of months.
In March of 1963, quite by chance, her husband happened upon a copy of Laetrile: Control for Cancer by Glen Kittler. Being a chemist, he read the book with great interest. The science described in the book made sense to him. That led him to speak with Dr. E. T. Krebs, Jr., and eventually to the McNaughton Foundation in Montreal, Canada, where he took his wife in May of 1963.
At the time, the McNaughton Foundation was one of a very select group of locations where Laetrile Therapy was being administered. Laetrile Therapy uses amygdalin or Vitamin B-17, along with other non-toxic natural substances, to attack cancer, while at the same time supporting the healthy parts of the body. This is in contrast to more Conventional Therapies, which utilize surgery, ionizing radiation and toxic chemotherapy, which make the patient sick and often lead to premature death.
Cecile Hoffman did not die as prophesied. She started to recover. However, when she and her husband returned to San Diego, her family physician was advised by his attorney NOT to treat her with Laetrile, because it was not approved by the government. With a strong desire to live, Mrs. Hoffman turned to prayer and a search for a medical professional to continue her Therapy. Her prayers were answered when her search led her to Ernesto Contreras, Sr., M.D., a well-qualified Pathologist and Oncologist, in Tijuana, Mexico, just across the border from San Diego.
Her personal success and desire to help others led Mrs. Hoffman to organize The International Association of Cancer Victims and Friends in July of 1963. As news spread throughout the United States, many local chapters were formed. The Los Angeles Chapter soon became one of the largest and most active. Lorraine Rosenthal and Betty Lee Morales became actively involved with the Los Angeles Chapter in 1965.
It was that core which became the Cancer Control Society in 1973. The Society was incorporated as a non-profit, charitable organization to provide information about Complementary and Alternative Therapies to the thousands of people who call the Cancer Control Society every year.
The co-founders of Cancer Control Society are the late Betty Lee Morales and Lorraine Rosenthal. Betty Lee Morales, the first President of the Cancer Control Society, was known as the First Lady of Nutrition. A crusader for natural foods, she had a passionate interest in Nutrition Education. She was a frequent lecturer at conventions and a guest on television and radio programs throughout the United States. Betty Lee was a well known and sought-after consultant worldwide for her knowledge and ability to impart her knowledge. Lorraine Rosenthal received a B.A. Degree in Zoology from the University of California, Berkeley. She acted as a pioneer through the years. Her inquiring mind and extensive reading in the Association’s collection of health books convinced her that nutrition was the primary source for maintaining health and preventing disease. She met Cecile Hoffman in 1965 and soon became actively involved with the new organization.
The other co-founder and past President of the Cancer Control Society is the late Norman Fritz, a retired Aeronautical Engineer, who met Cecile Hoffman in 1964. This chance meeting changed the course of his life and stimulated a life-long interest in health and numerous suppressed therapies, which appeared to his scientific mind more valid than many of the more conventional approaches. In 1977, Mr. Fritz was instrumental in the establishment of the first Gerson Hospital in Tijuana, Mexico.
The current President is Frank Cousineau. Frank was born in Hollywood, California and raised in the Los Angeles area for the first 18 years of his life. He moved to Modesto in 1966 and graduated from Stanislaus State College (now California State University, Turlock) in 1969 with a B.A. in History, and a dual Minor in English and Economics.
He was one class shy of an Elementary Teaching Credential when his mother came down with cancer in the spring of 1973. Surgery and chemotherapy proved to be of no use, so he took his mother to Dr. Ernesto Contreras, Sr. in Tijuana, Mexico, for Alternative Therapy. Not only did it prolong his mother’s life, making her passing more comfortable, he met his future wife there.
Frank’s involvement in Alternative Therapies increased dramatically when he married Dr. Contreras’ secretary and in 1980 they formed an enterprise called Life Support to supply alternative hospitals, clinics, and doctors with natural innovative products. In addition, he is a consultant to medical doctors and clinics specializing in Alternative and Complementary Medicine.
The Cancer Control Society has hosted an Annual Cancer Convention in the Los Angeles area every year since 1973. The CCS Convention brings professionals from all over the world, speaking on the latest controls and treatments for cancer and other degenerative diseases. Attendees come from almost every state in the United States and many foreign countries. An integral feature of the convention is the Doctors’ Symposium, where medical professionals are able to exchange their most current ideas and learn from one another.
In 1984, Cancer Control Society started tours of medical facilities in Tijuana, Mexico, so patients and their families could see first-hand, Alternative Therapies in action, meet the doctors and learn what options are available. In addition, the tours provide an academic setting where nurses and dentists receive continuing education credit required by their licensing boards and learn how to integrate these Complementary Therapies with Conventional Approaches.
Since 1995, the Society has supported its Japanese Chapter with the participation of current President, Frank Cousineau, at the Annual Cancer Convention in Japan. Cooperation between the two main branches of the organization has fueled increased interest in Alternative Therapies around the world and well beyond their respective borders.
Unlike the giant, well known charities, primarily engaged in raising money in order to raise more money, the Cancer Control Society, on a daily basis, sends out packets of information to patients and their families and friends in distress upon receiving a diagnosis of cancer; packets containing hope with directions for a better way to approach the disease process. The Cancer Control Society headquarters sends out books and DVDs providing both education and useful examples of Complementary Medicine.
The influence of the Cancer Control Society is growing world wide as the media picks up the importance of non-toxic Alternative Therapies and Nutrition.