The Netflix drama series, Apple Cider Vinegar, is based on the true story of Australian fraudster Belle Gibson, who falsely claimed to have brain cancer and created a wellness app purportedly offering support to others with terminal illnesses. Some characters in the series were inspired by real individuals, including Jessica Ainscough, an Australian teen magazine editor whose tragic tale influenced the show.
Diagnosed with a rare form of cancer at 22, she rejected conventional treatment in favour of alternative therapies. Known as The Wellness Warrior, she used her blog to document her experiences with these unconventional treatments. Despite being told that prescribed treatment could potentially extend her life by a decade, she died at 30, less than ten years after opting for alternative methods. At the time of her diagnosis, she was working as an online editor for Dolly, a teen magazine, having graduated from university with a journalism degree.
In a chat with The Booktopia Book Guru, she revealed how her cancer diagnosis had shaped her career trajectory. She stated: "Before cancer, I was working at Dolly magazine. It was an amazing life, but something even better was waiting for me. So, the universe gave me a big kick up the bum to force me onto a different path – the path I am supposed to be on.". She later penned a book titled Make Peace with Your Plate, which she described as both a memoir and "exploration into the possibility of ditching diets and mending our torturous relationships with food.".
Jessica was diagnosed with an extremely rare and difficult-to-treat cancer called epithelioid sarcoma in April 2008, after a biopsy of lumps on her left arm and hand. Originally, doctors advised that the only option was to amputate her arm at the shoulder—a prospect Jessica reluctantly accepted. Just before her scheduled surgery, however, the medical team presented an alternative: an "isolated limb perfusion". Following chemotherapy and this procedure in June 2008, the initial scans showed remission.
Sadly, by November the next year, the cancer returned and Jessica refused the amputation, instead exploring unproven alternatives like Gerson Therapy. It wasn't until December 2014, as her condition deteriorated, that she opted back for conventional treatment. Engaged to Tallon Pamenter since July 2014 and with wedding plans for September 2015, Jessica never got to marry. After her passing, Tallon told the Daily Mail, "a risky and tough decision but Jess bravely embraced this last chance option" about her return to mainstream treatments.
"This was something Jess was looking forward with sharing (with her followers)," he added. "It was an exciting evolution from her earlier days of feeling that she had to be part of one extreme world or the other.". He continued, revealing the heart-wrenching moment: "The words 'I love you' would leave my lips only to fall softly upon Jess's ears for the last time. "I said goodbye to the love of my life that day and my heart has been in a million pieces since.".
