An additional $5,500 stands between me and a treatment that could restore my quality of life.
With your support and donation, we can turn this next chapter from just beating cancer into true recovery.
When Stage 4 Tried to End the Story — Faith Wrote a New One
After my initial treatments, my cancer advanced to Stage 4 and spread to my lungs. But through faith, perseverance, and a new treatment plan, a miracle happened — the cancer has started to shrink.
My name is Wayne Schlicht, and after enduring more than 20 rounds of chemotherapy, 70 radiation treatments, a five-hour triple-surgeon radical neck dissection, immunotherapy, and alternative medicine therapies, I thought I had finally made it through the worst of the cancer battle.
The Battle That Came After the Cure
What I didn’t realize was that another war was waiting — one that didn’t end when the last treatment stopped. It began quietly, with tingling in my feet.
Then came the burning. Then the numbness. Before long, the painful neuropathy spread to my hands and crept into my daily life. Simple tasks — such as buttoning a shirt, holding a coffee mug, or walking barefoot — became painful reminders of what chemotherapy and radiation had left behind.
And it didn’t stop there. The nerve damage reached deeper, into my neck and shoulder, and even affected my vagus nerve. This has impacted my left vocal cord, leaving me barely able to speak at times. My left shoulder muscles have atrophied, and I can barely lift my arm above midpoint. Some days it feels like my body’s electrical system has short-circuited — the signals are there, but the connection is gone.
Hope Lives Where Healing Begins
Still, I’ve learned one powerful truth: even when your nerves are damaged, hope isn’t. There is a path forward — a nerve-repair treatment program that offers real, evidence-based hope for recovery.
The only obstacle is financial: it costs $5,500 out of pocket, and insurance won’t cover a cent. That’s why I’m turning to my community, my family, and my supporters to help make this next step in healing possible.
What’s Happening Inside My Nerves
Chemotherapy and radiation are designed to kill cancer cells. However these treatments are incredibly damaging to healthy cells, nerves, muscles, and the body.
The small nerves that control touch, balance, and muscle movement are especially vulnerable. This damage is known as Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (CIPN), and it can cause everything from stabbing pain and burning sensations to muscle weakness, loss of coordination, and extreme sensitivity to temperature.
Doctors describe it clinically as “nerve damage.” But living with it feels more like being trapped inside a body whose wiring has been fried — where pain, numbness, and loss of function all fight for control.
Searching for Relief
I’ve learned through experience that there’s no single cure for CIPN. But there are ways to support healing, reduce symptoms, and help nerves recover over time.
I’ve spent months researching, consulting experts, and looking for treatments that actually repair nerves rather than simply masking pain. One of the most promising discoveries I’ve found is Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) therapy — a natural compound that the body already produces in small amounts, but can be administered intravenously at higher doses for nerve repair.
The Science That Gave Me Hope
In the groundbreaking SYDNEY Trial, 120 patients suffering from severe neuropathy were studied. Half received daily intravenous Alpha Lipoic Acid (600 mg), and half received a placebo.
The results were life-changing: within three weeks, those receiving ALA saw three times greater improvement in nerve pain, tingling, and numbness compared to those on placebo. The relief began within days, particularly for burning and stabbing pain.
What makes this treatment so extraordinary is that it doesn’t just dull pain — it actually helps repair nerve function. ALA improves blood flow, restores mitochondrial energy (the “batteries” inside your cells), and reduces oxidative stress — the same type of cellular inflammation that causes both diabetic and chemo-related neuropathy.
That’s not a temporary fix. That’s healing science.
How Alpha Lipoic Acid Works
Think of ALA as a super antioxidant handyman. It travels through both fat and water, repairing damage wherever it finds it — from the outer nerve coating (myelin) to the inner electrical core (axon).
It also regenerates other antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E, boosts energy production in nerve cells, and increases circulation. Essentially, it helps the nerves breathe again — restoring life to areas where pain and numbness have taken hold.
For someone like me — living with post-chemo and radiation nerve damage — this is more than hopeful science. It’s a tangible chance at recovery.
What This Means for My Recovery
I haven’t started this treatment yet — but I want to as soon as possible.
The intravenous Alpha Lipoic Acid protocol, along with complementary nerve-repair therapies, offers me a genuine opportunity to restore sensation in my hands and feet, improve my shoulder and neck mobility, and perhaps even regain function in my vagus nerve and vocal cord.
But the challenge is that none of this is covered by insurance. The program costs $5,500, and that’s a steep climb for anyone already battling cancer’s lasting effects.
That’s why I’ve launched this GoFundMe campaign — to raise the funds needed to begin this next critical step toward healing.
This treatment could change my life. It’s not just about easing pain — it’s about reclaiming strength, independence, and dignity. It’s about lifting my arm again. Feeling the ground under my feet again.
Speaking with my natural voice again.
If you believe in science, faith, or simply in giving someone a real second chance — please consider donating to my campaign.
👉 Click here to donate and support my nerve healing journey
Every contribution — no matter the size — helps me move closer to starting treatment and living free from the daily pain that now defines my world.
Final Thoughts
To anyone living with chemo-related neuropathy, I want to say: don’t lose faith. Real, science-backed treatments exist, and recovery is possible.
Talk with your doctor about Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) and other supportive therapies that help repair damaged nerves. Healing may take time, but with persistence and hope, our bodies can find their way back.
I believe in that path — and I’m asking for your help to walk it.
An additional $5,500 is all that stands between me and the chance to reclaim my strength and independence.
Together, we can turn this next chapter from simply surviving into truly living again.