Still Teaching, Still Healing: Michael Riso’s Mesothelioma Story
Stories From Survivors
Written by Travis Rodgers | Edited by Amy Edel
Michael Riso doesn’t fit the picture most people imagine when they hear the word “mesothelioma.” The 65-year-old golf instructor from Largo, Florida, tells us he feels better than people he knows who are completely healthy. “Everybody’s shocked when I tell them,” he says with a laugh.
He received a diagnosis of peritoneal mesothelioma in April 2024 after a medical emergency landed him in the hospital. Doctors also found a femoral hernia, bowel obstruction and intestinal infection during that visit. It was a lot to take in at once, but Michael says his mindset never wavered.
He credits 3 things for his condition today: meditation, a vegetarian diet he’s followed for 26 years and a strong belief system. “If I told a person one thing, I’d say you better start talking about how you’re healing, not about how sick you are,” he tells us. For Michael, that’s not just a feel-good phrase, but how he lives every single day.
From Emergency Room to Mesothelioma Diagnosis
Michael’s path to a mesothelioma diagnosis started in a way no one could have anticipated. A caregiver for his wife, Nancy, who had ALS and needed around-the-clock help. Then they both contracted COVID-19 and Michael’s condition became serious.
“The pains in my stomach were off the charts,” he recalls. He called 911 and paramedics rushed both Nancy and Michael to the emergency room. What started as a suspected hernia quickly turned into something much more serious. Surgeons went in to repair the hernia and found cancer.
He spent 12 days in the hospital recovering from a partial omentectomy. Doctors removed as much of the tumor as they could see, repaired the hernia and addressed the other complications they found.
His pathology report determined his mesothelioma cell type is epithelioid, which doctors typically consider the most treatable form of mesothelioma. It’s also the most common cell type.
Michael left the hospital weighing just 116 pounds. Within 3 weeks he was back to teaching golf from a chair, but teaching nonetheless.
Tracking Peritoneal Effusions and Seeing Progress
A major complication of peritoneal mesothelioma is the buildup of fluid in the abdomen, a condition called ascites or peritoneal effusions. Michael says he didn’t notice fluid buildup until about a year after his diagnosis, when his stomach kept getting bigger and bigger.
“I kept researching what it was,” he shares. He’s had the fluid drained 9 times since then, with each session removing roughly 5 to 7 liters. More recently, Michael has seen a meaningful drop in his fluid levels.
His last 3 drainage sessions pulled far less fluid than before, around 4 to 5 liters each time. He also gained 2 pounds after his most recent drainage, something that hadn’t happened before. For Michael, these changes feel like real, measurable progress.
Taking a Non-Traditional Approach to Treatment
Following his omenectomy, two of Michael’s oncologists recommended chemotherapy and tumor-removing surgery with HIPEC. After looking up the details of HIPEC, however, he chose not to go forward with these additional therapies.
Cancer treatment is a deeply personal choice. Mesothelioma experts note surgery with HIPEC can extend survival 5 or more years for about 50% of peritoneal patients. Without mesothelioma treatment, those with advanced disease typically survive 6 to 8 months. But each patient must weigh benefits like improved prognosis against potential side effects and recovery time for themselves.
Michael decided the approach that felt right for him wasn’t conventional therapies. He’s been taking a liquid supplement known as Protocel or Cancell since January 2026.
The National Cancer Institute warns on its Protocel page, “Cancell/Cantron/Protocel is a mixture of common chemicals, none of which is known to be effective in treating any type of cancer. No animal study or human study of Cancell/Cantron/Protocel has been published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal to show that it is safe or effective in treating cancer. Cancell/Cantron/Protocel is not approved by the FDA for use in the United States as a treatment for a disease. There is a permanent injunction against distribution.”
Michael says he’s pleased with the results he’s seeing. He tells us he began tracking specific changes after he started the supplement. He noticed his ascites fluid levels dropped, his energy improved and he gained weight for the first time since his diagnosis.
Michael tells us he’s careful about how he introduces Protocel to others. He recommends talking to a doctor before starting any supplement, particularly when taking other medications. Anyone considering any complementary or alternative therapies should always consult a medical team first.
Michael’s Message for Others Coping With Mesothelioma
Michael says he doesn’t sugarcoat his advice and he doesn’t like telling people what to do. He recommends anyone coping with mesothelioma to: “Have a strong belief and a desire that you have a purpose for wanting to live, and then do everything in your power to find the information that feels right for you.”
He says that means learning as much as possible about mesothelioma, asking questions and not defaulting to fear. He says his biggest message for fellow mesothelioma survivors is about how they frame the way they talk and think about it. He tells people to talk about healing, not sickness, and to focus on what they’re choosing, not what’s happening to them.
“You have far more control when you understand that your decisions are the one thing you control,” he shares. It’s not just a motto for Michael. It’s why he’s still on the golf course, still writing his book and still helping people.
