Cancer Hodgkin

At the age of 32, single and still childless, my dream was nearly shattered when I was diagnosed with stage four Hodgkin’s disease, cancer of the lymphatic system. Having learned that it infiltrated both lungs and partial vertebrae I wasted no time in seeking a cure for my new-found travesty and quickly entered into a three-month regimen of chemotherapy at one of California’s most prestigious teaching hospitals. Though the protocol of chemo strives to maintain fertility, the doctors explained that there was no guarantee regarding my ability to conceive post-treatment. My confidence in my body, however, remained tenacious.

Despite the promise of change I had made myself during treatment I hastily marched right back to work, wig in place, and resumed my toxic, stressed-out, Super Woman lifestyle. Within just four months the cancer returned with a vengeance leading me make the most critical decision of my life. The team of oncologists was adamant that my only option for possible cure was high-dose chemo followed by a bone marrow transplant (now called stem cell transplant). The risks were vey high, surviving the procedure not touted. Sterility was definite. I was told that time was of the essence as a returning cancer would be far more aggressive and that without the “BMT” I could not expect to live beyond one year. I remember feeling trapped like a wild animal, backed into a corner- sacred and angry. Those around me were plagued with fear. Despite this a voice within me spoke very loud, very strong saying “No! This is not for you!” I didn’t feel it was fear talking but rather instinct.

How I learned of Hippocrates Wellness is a remarkable story in itself. When I read of the success many others had achieved and how they had achieved it I felt very hopeful it was the path I had been seeking. After a very lengthy visit with the hospital’s social worker (in order to defend the state of my mental health) I went against my doctor’s wishes. With the help and support of my boyfriend (now husband) Chuck, I entered into an incredible three-week adventure at HHI. After detoxifying my body and filling it with nothing but an abundance of living foods (primarily raw organic vegetables and juices), a program of exercise and meditation, I felt more energy and spark than I had in years. By the third week I noticed the nagging pain in my vertebrae had disappeared. Now I knew I had found the answer. Hippocrates helped me learn to trust in my body and its God-given ability to heal itself when supported with the ideal environment for health.

The added bonus was the friendship and love which emitted from the staff, not to mention my fellow warriors also seeking health at HHI. Feeling stronger and more confident than ever I returned to my doctors for follow up testing. Much to their amazement the recurrent cancer had not grown in the five-week periods of my absence. With this news I informed them that I would stick with my alternative program, returning every two months for monitoring. Incredibly, each time I returned the tumor had diminished slightly as I remained vigilant to the Hippocrates lifestyle.

Exactly one year after being told that high dose chemo/bone marrow transplant was my only hope for survival I returned to my family at Hippocrates for continued support and inspiration. This time, however, I carried with me the reality of my dreams…a four-month-old baby growing inside of me. Dakota was born on April 24, 1997, a healthy 8 pound 8 ½ ounce (blond) boy.

What would seem a fairy tale ending to this story would once again be challenged when the Hodgkin’s returned after the stresses of pregnancy; motherhood and day to day demands afforded me less time to be consistent with the program. On Mother’s Day, 1998, thirteen months after Dakota’s birth, I nursed him for the last time. I was overstressed, my body tired from the sleepless nights and the persistent cough which had developed slowly over the months. I was not ignorant to what was taking place in my body, just powerfully determined to give my child the immune system I had been cheated of. At this point having felt that I achieved what I’d set out to do, I was resigned to considering the high dose chemo. The marrow transplant, however, would be cast aside as I once again opted to return to the Hippocrates lifestyle for my health maintenance. What I learned was the need for environmental change; the diet alone could not carry me this time. Having lived for ten years in the heart of wine country (Sonoma, CA), the mystery to my recurring cancer, I felt, had finally been solved when I learned of the abundant pesticide usage all around me. I had been ignorant to the fact that these chemicals could travel airborne up to 50 miles undetected by color or scent and that the local high school had an extremely high cancer rate. So by early 1999 we moved our business and our home to Southern California.

Now residing in the mountains of the San Bernardino National Forest (Garner Valley), five years have passed since that “death sentence” was issued. Dakota is nearly 3 ½ and thriving! I feel stronger and healthier than ever. Not a day or night passes that I don’t incorporate the Hippocrates lifestyle and strive to find a happy medium between all that the program offers and the realities of living each day in a world which constantly challenges it.

Vol 19 Issue 3 page 4