A father and his daughter recently made headlines when it was revealed that the latter is giving breast milk to the former as an attempt to cure his bowel cancer.
Jill Turner, 30, who recently gave birth to her son Llewyn in October, was doing some research about the alternative uses of breast milk when she read that it had links to cancer. She proposed that her father, Fred Whitelaw, 64, who was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2015, try it out.
She said in an interview with Metro, "I was devastated when I found out about my dad's diagnosis. I wanted to help him in any way I could, and that's when I started to give him my breast milk." She clarified that the milk she gives her father is the excess of what her son needs. She also said that her father was hesitant at first about trying it out, but realized that he had nothing to lose if he tried it. She mentioned that the milk was also used by her husband, Kyle, to treat his eczema, and they also take some of it for Llewyn's conjunctivitis.
She admitted, however, that the effects of the milk have not been seen yet. She said, "So far, he's only been drinking it for a month, so we don't know if it has helped in any way just yet, but he is having more tests done in a few weeks, so it would be interesting to see what the results are."
However, Caroline Geraghty, Cancer Research UK's senior cancer information nurse, cautioned people against jumping into this treatment. In an interview with Express, she said that there is no evidence that breast milk can treat bowel cancer. She also advised that those who have been diagnosed with this condition should consult with doctors prior to trying out a treatment.
