HOUSTON -- Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski is a man with strong religious beliefs and so he was honored when he was invited to visit Pope John Paul II in the 1980s, and in 1996.
Obviously it was a great honor. This is one of the most prominent people I believe in the entire human history, said Burzynski. Very pleasant and down to earth man. We just talked to each other as ordinary people.
Burzynski was recommended to the Vatican at a time when the Pope was rumored to be sick with colon cancer. The doctor was known for unconventional treatments, which did not involve surgery or chemotherapy.
The government wasn t too nice for my husband s discovery, said Dr. Barbara Burzynski, Burzynski s wife.
His treatments called Personalized Cancer Therapy are different from every other doctor. He said they target certain cancer cells to stop them from growing. Government officials and the medical community claimed his methods didn t work or at least, there wasn t any proof they did.
I was being accused of a variety of things which I did not commit, he said.
Thankfully the pope did not have cancer. But for his willingness to help, Burzynski was blessed with a medal from John Paul s successor, Pope Benedict XVI, which he feels is a strong endorsement of his techniques.
And now that Pope John Paul II will be canonized, Burzynski is grateful for the time he was able to spend with the late pontiff.
We feel that his spirit is with us. I believe what s going to happen is going to have an impact for many people in the world, said Burzynski.
