Friends and family members of multi-instrumentalist Pastelle LeBlanc have raised more than $50,000 so far in an effort to help the talented PEI artist in her battle with breast cancer.

Pastelle, who performs with her sister, Emmanuelle, and partner, Pascal, in the award winning Acadien trad/folk ensemble Vishtèn learned about a year ago that she had stage four breast cancer that was past the point where chemotherapy or radiation could be expected to do much good.

With no hope of a cure from conventional medicine, she decided to turn to lifestyle changes and complimentary medicine in search of a solution.

She is now an avid consumer of fruits and vegetables and an avid drinker of vegetable juice, and she engages in a variety of healing modalities, including alternative therapies and spiritual work.

“I think the diet is super helpful,” she told me over Facebook messenger, “overloading on nutrition with lots of anti-cancer foods, making the body alkaline where cancer can’t thrive. A few others being Essiac and chaga teas, cannabis and high dose Vitamin C. Cutting out stress and cultivating gratefulness.”

Pastelle’s follow-up scans showed considerable improvement in her condition, her friends and sister wrote on the fundraiser page, prompting her oncologist to tell her, “I don’t know what you’re doing … but keep doing it.”

But complimentary medicine is expensive. Even healthy food is pricey, given how many vegetables and fruits go into a single glass of juice.  And remember, musicians have not been working for 18 months during the pandemic. Pastelle’s regime costs her about $2,000 out of pocket on top of her regular living expenses.

So Pastelle’s supporters are continuing to raise money to help her keep up the battle.  You can donate by clicking HERE.

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