Cancer Diagnosis Leads to Nonprofit Farm
Mason Tyson was only 4 years old when he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.
Even after surgery successfully removed the tumor, Mason’s parents were left with many pressing questions. Why would such a young child get cancer in the first place? What were the options available for healing?
This hunt for answers led Scott and Nicole Tyson to seek out an education on nutrition and the importance of dietary choices. They learned how unhealthy behaviors, such as poor diet, physical inactivity, and obesity negatively impact cancer mortality rates.
Planting the seeds for their son’s future would take much more than rooting out a few bad habits.
Junk food and dining out became a thing of the past; eating fresh whole foods was in. The search was on for local sources of nutritious foods, but the options were surprisingly scarce. Access to healthy, cancer-fighting fruits and vegetables was a vital component of their plan for Mason’s recovery.
Unable to find what they were looking for, the Tyson family faced the only option left: grow the food themselves.
They took up this challenge, transformed their land to fill this gap in access to beneficial foods, and, most importantly, restored the health of their son. Through their resolute commitment to lifestyle change, Mason made a full recovery and has remained cancer-free for 16 years.
These days, the Tysons’ personal journey to turn their eating habits “180° in the right direction” has grown into 180° Farm, a nonprofit empowering patients to fight cancer with food.
“Changing your diet doesn’t cure cancer; however, it does give the body the proper ammunition to heal,” says President Scott Tyson.
Through their Food Fight Program, the farm provides cancer patients and their families with fresh, nutrient-dense foods at no cost. Patients in the program visit multiple times over the course of five weeks to receive a variety of fresh fruit, vegetables, herbs, and more to make the turn towards a healthy diet.
As of 2022, 180° Farm’s hard-working volunteers have distributed over 60 thousand pounds of nourishing foods to the people who need it most. The farmers continue to build on this success by finding ways to serve even more people. Volunteers at the charity share with clients the recommended ways to cook and utilize the whole foods as they occur naturally. These practices ensure the meals retain the most cancer-fighting benefits.
A $4,500 annual grant from Clothes Less Traveled Thrift Shop will provide an all-new greenhouse, allowing the farm to grow an additional 3,000 pounds of produce for those healing from cancer. Construction on the site is planned to begin soon.
Executive Director Nicole Tyson says, “Thanks to the support of CLT, we will impact many more lives in Fayette and Coweta Counties.”
CLT proudly supports the Tyson family’s efforts to promote the health and food security of cancer fighters in our local community.
Visit their website to learn more about 180° Farm.
If you lead a nonprofit in Fayette or Coweta County, you can find information on qualifying for a CLT grant on our eligibility page.