Reflections from May 2021

Hi Everyone,
I figured it’s a good time to write and fill you all in on what’s going on in life and what has happened over the last two years since I last updated the blog. First, I am still in remission and plan on staying there. However, over the last two years I’ve had some scares and areas of concern that were posing as red flags for my providers. I decided not to pursue anything from big pharma. Instead, I used some cheap, off label drugs for temporary situations, and they worked wonderfully. In addition, I modified more of what I eat, take, and do, and all resolved in a short period of time. I was quite surprised to tell you the truth. Some of these older drugs are used for other purposes, but I decided to give them a try and they worked within a few days. I didn’t stay on them, but every few months I will take a few of them, and I can tangibly feel the difference if or when a symptom surfaces. My providers were skeptical, but I brought in copious amounts of literature to back up my request and to seek what I was asking for, and the docs were fine with this once I had evidenced based practices to validate how and what I was planning to do. I have learned that most docs won’t just give you what you might want, however, if you bring them literature to back up what you plan to do and provide them with sufficient evidence or reasons, then they are more likely to give it to you. Plus, it helps them protect themselves, so they are more likely to read the literature in other places to see what’s being done and where. All that I’ve been through has prompted me to pursue additional schooling and education, so that is what I decided to do. I applied for a doctorate and masters and got into both programs in Maryland and in Tennessee. Both programs are online with some visits to the campus for symposiums. The Master’s degree is a two-year full-time program in cannabis therapeutics and medicinals, and the Doctor of Science degree must be completed within 8 years, but I will also become a clinical biochemical nutritionist upon completion. I’ll understand and interpret labs, homeopathy, herbal remedies, both allopathic and alternative therapies, and more. The classes are heavily science based and include courses from the Institute of Functional Medicine, where we try to learn root causes of illnesses by problem solving and looking for upstream causes. I intend to keep helping cancer patients since that is what I’ve already been doing. I’m also finishing up my integrative nutrition coaching certification this July so I can be a health coach and provide suggestions to help others reach their optimal health and help clients figure out for themselves what will work best for them. Both schools accepted my undergraduate credits and some of the classes I had taken for nursing and biology and physics were prerequisites, but it’s been 25 years since I had taken them, so I decided several months ago that I’d take these classes over again to refresh my memory. I just completed organic chemistry, biochemistry, and nutrition, and I can honestly say that now I understand the necessity in understanding how everything works and functions at the microscopic level. What used to be a list of classes that I had to check off, now reveal invaluable information to me that I can really appreciate, and it all makes sense.

I still coach many people with stage three and four cancers by sharing what I do and how I use everything. It’s a lot, to say the least. Once you’ve been stage four, you always have to modify and switch things up. Cancer is highly adaptogenic and it likes to continue to mutate so I need to be one step ahead, every single time. I’ve also discovered that with diet, exercise, supplements, off label meds, and more, I have to continue to modify the protocols and be in tune with all that my body is telling me. I know this sounds a bit weird, but it really does work. The cancer markers have always remained in the remission range; however, nowadays, I can just sense some if things are a bit off internally and I need to figure out what is going on. A huge portion of the problems people face with cancer has to do with what’s put in our mouths. Foods that can seemingly appear to be healthy, might be toxic for you and vice versa. I learned that eating organic honey was not a good food selection for me. I developed several suspicious areas where the cancer originated, yet after I cut all honey out of my diet, the problematic areas returned to normal. This is just one example of the concept of bio-individuality. One person’s poison can be another person’s medicine.

I wanted to share a cool story that occurred last summer. Our cat, Lilly, was dying and we didn’t know what caused her to suddenly shut down and become paralyzed. This cat is known for her hunting prowess and agility. She is always on the alert, and loves to bring us bats, rabbits, birds, mice, moles, voles, and snakes. She loves to bring them in the little trap door and then play with them before they ultimately die of fright or from being tossed about. Anyway, Lilly would lay on the back patio and we noticed that she was losing hunks of fur, lying down excessively with the inability to close her eyes or fall asleep, wouldn’t eat or drink, let alone move her bowels or pee. When she finally urinated, the color was like dark coffee and her voice changed. Her meow sounded creepy and mechanical, and she couldn’t walk. These symptoms began within days and so when we brought her to the emergency vet, he told Jamie that she would die that day. They had no clue why she was dying, but her labs were wonky, and she was in organ shutdown. My mother-in-law inquired about spider bites and so when we looked up the symptoms of black widow bites, we discovered that she was likely bitten by one. Mia found that she had several puncture wounds on her sides that the vet never even assessed (so much for a thorough health assessment). We brought her home, teary because she has been with us for the last six years and she is part of the family. We even had a hole dug in the back yard so we could bury her immediately upon her death. I decided to take the gabapentin the vet gave us and I threw it away. I decided to buy her some medical marijuana with THC-A, the acidic version that eliminates the high and I basically gave it to the cat in the am and pm for two weeks. Then, I used pulsed electromagnetic field energy on her legs since she could no longer walk. I sure wish I had filmed this whole ordeal because it was a miracle. The cat slept for about 28 hours and then she began eating. We continued with this protocol for two weeks and she was back to jumping six-foot fences a few weeks later. This alone convinced me that not only had the cannabis saved me and healed the bone metastasis, but now I witnessed my cat literally returning from the brink of death. I found out that the University of Maryland has the first medical cannabis master’s degree and I applied. I know from living in Colorado, that while we have more dispensaries than Starbucks, we don’t have much teaching going on from the medical establishment. I learned that this was a niche I can pursue as it helped me and now it helped my cat. When I spoke with a nutritionist in the area, she shared that I should use my nursing, health coaching, lessons from cannabis, and my pursuit of a doctorate to help others in the cancer world. I agreed it made sense and that is the trajectory I’m now on. I would also like to pursue more studies in healing, especially Biblical healing.

I like to end most updates with what God has been doing in my life because ultimately, without my faith and belief that I would survive and get well. One area that I know without a doubt is that I’m doing well today because I didn’t subject my body to so many harmful toxins and decided not to pursue chemo for the two-year stint, they originally asked me to undertake. I intuitively knew it would not help me. I prayed that it would, and I have friends who truly believe that chemo and radiation were the weapons in their arsenal that would do the job. For some reason, I never felt that way, even though I’d pray to have that sense. It just never happened. I had to do something more holistic since there was no way that my body and my immune system would have survived with two long years of chemo. That was what I was asked to do until I died or if I made it that long. That was not the optimal way to live or survive in my mind, so I needed to switch gears and find something else. You can read or reread all the blog posts about my experience in Mexico if you’d like. That whole experience really sparked my interest in exploring alternative therapies and fringe treatments like hyperbaric oxygen, ozone therapy, molecular hydrogen, electron charging and electron grounding therapy, Biomat therapy, PEMF therapies, supplements and detox, infra-red sauna use, red light therapy, Epsom salt and 35% grade hydrogen peroxide baths, and more. I am still learning and incorporating more of these modalities all the time. For example, I use my electron charger on my feet or legs to add electrons from the ground and pump them into my body because cancer cells don’t like the negative charge. We get negative ions all the time when we walk barefoot on the ground or at the beach, but we can’t ground our bodies when we were rubber soled shoes. Little changes like these can make a world of difference. I also use tons of green veggies, real aloe gel, raw garlic, turmeric and ginger root, and black ant extract, with other extracts. It’s all been a learning process and I really enjoy trying new concoctions. It’s never dull or boring.

I’ve prayed that the Lord would give me wisdom and sustain my hope. These two words have been the driving force behind what I keep doing. I have given countless hours of my time for free to help others who are suffering and scared. I know all too well what it feels like and I recall when I was in the position of learning that I had months left to live that I didn’t want to die. To tell the truth, I was at peace with where I was going once I left this earth, but I didn’t want to leave behind my family. I have lost several friends over the last few years, and I truly believe that God wants me to share what I’m doing and what I have learned so it might help others. Most of what I do is bioenergetic medicine and making dietary changes that have altered my trajectory. I fervently prayed that God would speak to me, guide me, and nudge me in what I should do. He hasn’t failed to deliver.

I want to thank many of you for my 50th birthday wishes on May 13. I was not sure a few years ago if I’d live to see this day. I’m grateful and thankful beyond words. I loved seeing most of your posts in the tribute that Jamie put together. It was so much fun to see your faces and to hear your words of encouragement. THANK YOU! For those of you who have continued to pray for me, I feel the prayers. There are days when I struggle and doubt, and then I’m pushed forward and reminded that God gives me what I need each day to get through. I have used what I learn about faith, encouragement, and prayer with the inmate population that I serve when I work per diem at a local facility. I try to encourage them when I’m given a chance or opportunity to talk to them. I believe in paying it forward as often as possible. God has certainly been present in my life and He does speak and show me the next steps when I ask. Thanks again for all your support and prayers these last five years. This is my fifth-year remission milestone. I’m in the 20% of those who make it with this diagnosis. I hope and pray to keep beating the odds, so to speak, with the Lord’s help and guidance in knowing what to do.