My Cancer Recovery

I thought I ate right and exercised regularly. All my blood tests from the doctor were good, but I was always tired and my bowels were not moving properly. I visited a nutritionist to see if they could help, thinking my problem was stress. I have four children, all in competitive sports, a husband who travels a lot and two German Shepherd Dogs that kept me very, very busy. I tried hard to keep up, thinking this was the norm and that it would eventually get easier.

In February 2010, I found a lump in my groin area. I immediately went to the doctor. She told me that it was moveable and not to worry. She felt nothing else in my abdomen. A couple months passed and I felt something just wasn’t right, so I asked to get an ultrasound and further blood tests. All the blood tests came back normal, but, being in Canada, I had to wait three weeks for an ultrasound. The week before my ultrasound, I noticed that I had a large lump in my abdomen.

The morning of the ultrasound I had a sick feeling. Within minutes, the technician asked if I had ever had a vaginal ultrasound and said she would like to conduct one. The exam only took 10 minutes, and I knew it couldn’t be good news. I had many ultrasounds during my pregnancies and they always took over an hour to complete. The technician had found something, and she didn’t need to take the time to look any further.

The next morning, I met with my doctor and she advised me that I had large masses on my ovaries and it was highly likely I had ovarian cancer. I thought the lump was something, but I never suspected cancer! Other than fatigue and constipation, I thought I was very healthy. I was never one to get sick with the flu or a cold.

The next month was a whirlwind. I was immediately sent to the Cancer Centre in Toronto. A biopsy on the original lump in my groin confirmed it was cancerous. The tumors on my ovaries were 11cm and 9cm. The oncologist advised me to have surgery and the next available time was three weeks later. The surgery was scheduled one day before my family was supposed to go on a Disney Cruise. My parents were about to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary and my sister and I had been planning the family vacation for almost a year. Needless to say, we had to cancel. Our lives had literally turned upside down in one week!

I thank God every day for my husband, Rob. It became his sole mission to research everything he could about ways to reverse my cancer. On the way home from the oncologist’s office, we were both in shock and worried about our future together and with our children. I believe the shock lasted a little longer for me than it did for my husband, Rob. He was convinced that we were going to beat this. Rob would always say, "You’re the love of my life, and together we’re going to beat this!" He repeated it often, and talked to me about all the positive things available. My husband shared his belief so much that I started to believe it too!

Knowing that proper nutrition is key in reversing illness, I contacted Susan Wilson, a nutritionist in my hometown. She came over immediately and suggested Hippocrates Wellness right off the bat. Susan was able to set up a phone call with Brian Clement, the director of the institute, and we spent half an hour talking with him. He, too, felt confident that I could beat this, but he told me I would have to change a few things in my life in order to do so.

Rob and I were scared because we could see the tumors growing. They had become so large, it looked like I was pregnant. We just wanted the tumors out before they spread any more. We decided to proceed with the surgery, while supporting my body nutritionally according to the Hippocrates lifestyle.

As for the surgery, I was to have a hysterectomy, an omectomy and optimal debulking of the nodes throughout my abdomen that were around my diaphragm, liver and right lung. The procedure went well. The oncologist said she was able to get everything. She didn’t have to do a bowel reconstruction as she feared might be the case if the tumors on my ovaries caused too much damage. She also suggested the standard six rounds of chemotherapy to kill off any remaining cancer cells.

One month after surgery I would begin my six rounds of chemotherapy. One type would be administered intravenously; another through a port that was put in just below my right rib, so I could receive the drugs directly into my abdomen.

All Rob’s research agreed about one key point: nutrition is a very important factor in healing your body. In light of this, I didn’t eat any of the food at the hospital. Every day Rob picked up fresh coconut water from Susan’s newly opened café and brought it to me.

The Hippocrates approach was so foreign and different from what the doctors said. The doctors told me I could eat whatever I wanted. Their reasoning was that it was important to keep my weight and strength up.

Once I got home, I tried wheatgrass juice and it didn’t seem to agree with me. I decided to ease my way into raw foods. I started with cooked vegetarian meals with no sugar and no salt added.

Within a couple of weeks, I started to incorporate more greens and raw foods. I was so thankful that Susan opened her café just in time. All her dishes were raw and free of sugar, dairy and gluten. This really helped me get over the hump. I even started having wheatgrass juice a couple times a week.

I stopped all my pain medication within two weeks and was amazed at how great I felt during my treatments. I really felt like my new eating regimen was supporting my body and keeping it alive, while the awful poison was killing the cancer. The more we learned about raw, living foods, the more we believed in Hippocrates Wellness. I decided I would finish my chemotherapy treatments and then go to Hippocrates to help my body heal!

In November 2010, I arrived at Hippocrates. As I walked through the doors of Wigmore Hall and saw the beautiful buffet, my first thought was, “I can eat everything here and as much as I want.” My sister, Kim came along for support, while my other sister, a teacher, had to stay home with her students.

I stayed at Hippocrates for three weeks. It was my first time away from my four children and my husband. I was so fortunate that my amazing parents and husband held down the fort while I was away, so I could totally and completely focus on educating myself and healing my body.

It was amazing! The support and knowledge from the experienced staff lifted me to a place I never thought I would be. Knowledge is everything and, boy, I was getting a ton of it. Everything made perfect sense.

Your body is equipped with everything it needs to heal; all you have to do is use the right fuel! This fuel comes in the form of nutrients and enzymes from living foods and extra oxygen from the multitude of different exercises and treatments. I also released years of negative thoughts and patterns through yoga, meditation and spiritual guidance.

Hippocrates isn’t all about the lovely wheatgrass; it is so much more. It is about the whole body, mind and spirit. Hippocrates Wellness is like a “one-stop shop” for everything your body needs to truly be alive!

I was told that getting cancer would be a gift, but I really had no idea what that meant. For years, I was always taking care of everyone else. I felt overwhelmed on many occasions, but thought it was because I wasn’t good enough. I felt like I had to work harder to get it all done. At Hippocrates I learned that I was number one and deserved to take care of myself first. Once my needs were met, I was able to offer even more help to others without exhausting my energy.

In February 2011, my scans showed no sign of disease. When retested in October 2011, all my tests were once again clear! I am a survivor of this horrible disease. My daily regimen consists of wheatgrass (a splash of fresh lemon makes it taste pretty good) and a raw vegan diet, along with time for daily mediation and “me” time. I can tell you, in more ways than one, this scary diagnosis has definitely turned out to be a beautiful gift!

I have been educated about what is really important in life and provided with the best tools in helping to achieve it. I have to thank Michelle, Susan and Heather who have helped me understand how spiritually, physically and nutritionally I can beat this! Education is such a powerful tool and, unfortunately, the current medical system does not agree with it. Educate yourself, never doubt what you learn and know that you can heal yourself. My family continues to read and expand our knowledge daily, ensuring we are forever learning. I am blessed with the support of the most amazing husband, children, parents, sisters, in-laws, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends that have given me so much love, prayers and support to live and love life to the fullest!

I believe that things happen for a reason and I got this disease to awaken me to the gifts and true splendor of all that life has to offer. Now it’s time to share what I know with all those who are open and willing to receive it!