One of the things Ruth
and I look forward to during the speaking tour up the East Coast that starts in
Sydney on Thursday 3rd July in Sth Sydney, then Katoomba Saturday 5th, Sydney again Sunday 6th, is
catching up with family, friends and some remarkable colleagues.
Sabina Rabold trained
with me and has led meditation and cancer groups in Sydney for many years.
Recently her loved one was diagnosed with bowel cancer spread to the liver, thoroughly
testing all the principles.
So this week Sabina
provides a fascinating report on what they did and how things have turned out –
an inspiring and informative read that includes her 12 key points for
overcoming cancer – now honed by personal experience! Plus details of the tour
(you can link here, or see the details below), but first
Thought for the Day
The intuitive mind is a sacred gift
And the rational mind is a faithful servant.
We have created a society that honors the servant
And has forgotten the gift.
We will not solve the problems of the world
From the same level of thinking we were at
When we created them.
More than anything else,
This new century demands new thinking.
We must change our materially based analyses of the world around us
To include broader, more multidimensional perspectives.
Albert Einstein
I have a great deal of respect for Sabina Rabold.
Sabina is a counselor and psychotherapist in private practice in Crows Nest,
Sydney. Sabina is authentic, deeply
committed, and embodies what she teaches - mindfulness and meditation, as well
as a 3 Day Living and Thriving Program for people with cancer and their support
people.
So for her loved one to be diagnosed with a difficult
cancer challenged all she does and all she believes in. How would all this
stuff work when it involved the person she is closest to?
Sabina takes up the story as a guest blog:
Last
August my loved one, aged 47, was diagnosed with Stage IV Colorectal Cancer
with secondaries in the liver. For some
years I had been running The Gawler Foundation’s 12 Week Cancer, Healing and
Wellbeing Programs and other related programs and workshops in Sydney. I have
worked with hundreds of people diagnosed with cancer and their support people.
I
have learnt much from Ian and Ruth Gawler, the people at the Gawler Foundation,
learned people in the field of cancer care and also from the many courageous
people that I have come to know over the years. Those people who have faced up
to cancer in an empowered way, working hard to become well and stay well. Now I
needed this knowledge to support my loved one, helping him weather the storms
of treatment, heal and stay well myself along the way.
With so much good information on board we were able to step straight into action. The full Gawler program started the very next day after the diagnosis - juicing, diet, extra meditation and more. We found an excellent holistic GP who did a number of tests to help us determine the regime of supplements needed. We bought a better juicer. We bought a sauna. My loved one started on IV Vitamin C. We bought mountains of organic veggies and other supernutritious food. I became the kitchen Goddess, spending hours juicing, sprouting, cooking every day.
The relief that came from knowing what to do was immense.
The response of each of the physicians was
interesting: from doubtful, to silence, to enthusiastic encouragement (from the
oncologist - we will always love him for this).
Then came chemotherapy: six months of intense
chemotherapy, IV for two days, every two weeks. Throughout this time we
continued all out with the Gawler Healing Diet, six juices per day, as well as
meditation, about 35 supplement tablets, IV Vitamin C, saunas, exercise and so
on.
While my loved one lost a bit of hair, he gained a bit of weight. He worked part-time throughout the treatment, never threw up, never spent a full day in bed and continued to feel reasonable most of the time. Some unpleasant side-effects from the medical treatment came and mostly went again soon.
The first glimmer of hope came in October: the CT showed indication that the tumours were shrinking. This was confirmed by a PET scan in November that showed that the primary tumour as well as all five liver metastases had shrunk significantly. Hearing this was wind beneath our wings.
Despite the significant shrinkage of the tumours we
agreed for my loved one to undergo five weeks of daily radiotherapy parallel to
the chemo in January 2014. Despite being advised to cease holistic treatment
during radiotherapy by the radiotherapy doctor we continued, after having done
much research and in-depth discussions with our holistic GP.
Again, my loved one came through this ordeal with flying colours, worse for wear of course but nothing like what had been predicted. Then a Godsend break from treatment and a further PET scan that confirmed that there was no observable tumour activity in the colon or liver. This was confirmed by the biopsy done on the remaining tumour tissue that was removed in an operation some weeks later - no live cancer cells detectable. Phew.
Now we are under no illusion; cancer is an unpredictable illness and these are early days. But we are trying to stay a step ahead. We are continuing indefinitely with all the things that we have found to be helpful; the holistic treatments, the check-ups, the diet and juicing. If need be we will draw in any medical treatment that seems helpful. I am also researching preventative treatments that will see the cancer ‘nipped in the bud’ should it decide to come back. So the effort continues.
Again, my loved one came through this ordeal with flying colours, worse for wear of course but nothing like what had been predicted. Then a Godsend break from treatment and a further PET scan that confirmed that there was no observable tumour activity in the colon or liver. This was confirmed by the biopsy done on the remaining tumour tissue that was removed in an operation some weeks later - no live cancer cells detectable. Phew.
Now we are under no illusion; cancer is an unpredictable illness and these are early days. But we are trying to stay a step ahead. We are continuing indefinitely with all the things that we have found to be helpful; the holistic treatments, the check-ups, the diet and juicing. If need be we will draw in any medical treatment that seems helpful. I am also researching preventative treatments that will see the cancer ‘nipped in the bud’ should it decide to come back. So the effort continues.
Twelve things that I have been confirmed in through my experience so far:
After a cancer diagnosis
how we respond matters a great deal. The sooner we respond the better. In order to heal
from cancer, we need to consider all options that are available. Knowledge is power, the
better informed we are the more confident we are in making good choices. A holistic path is
essential, for healing and for wellbeing and conventional medicine is a
powerful ally. Listening to the needs
of the body, the mind and the heart is confirming of self and healing. The Gawler Program
offers a solid foundation for this holistic path, other aspects can be added
from other sources. A good holistic GP is important. It takes an empowered
and courageous person with cancer to participate fully in the healing journey
and go all out for cure. A good support team is
worth their weight in gold. It takes a dedicated, knowledgeable, determined and
resilient support person or team to last the distance. The task of the support
person is different but also enormously challenging and we often do not get the
care and attention that the person with cancer gets. It is important to ask
for help and support and let people know what help is best at what time It helps to hold 2
realities lightly: the reality that the future is uncertain and life is finite;
and the reality that there is much that can be done to be well and healed each
day. To accept that this is a
difficult journey and to be ok with ‘whatever gets you through the night’
There
is of course so much more knowledge, experience, insight and understanding that
this last year has added to my understanding of the Cancer Healing Journey.
I have re-commenced offering my 3 Day Living and Thriving Programs for
people with cancer and their support people in Sydney, and I will teach this
program with renewed energy, increased depth of faith in the possibility of
healing and greater knowledge in how to approach the healing journey.
Right
after the journey with cancer started, Ian and Ruth advised me to prepare for a
marathon, that this is the long haul….. and they are right. I am happy to say
that so far, I have lasted the distance. And
in this moment my loved one is cancer free.
If you know someone who needs some inspiration,
some hope, some direction; perhaps this is a blog to share.
Next
Living and Thriving Program starting in July 2014
The 3 Day 'Living & Thriving" Program is a unique educational program specifically designed for people with cancer (whether newly diagnosed or long-term survivor) and their support people. The program brings together the best of the various holistic methods and approaches available and introduces participants to various lifestyle medicine options that help to live well with and overcome the challenges of cancer. There are no prerequisites for this program and everyone is welcome. The approaches taught are additional and complementary to any other treatment choices.
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More information about the program can be found on www.WellforLife.net.au
RELATED BLOG
RESOURCES
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and Download : The Gawler Cancer Program
NOTICEBOARD
HEALTH, HEALING and
the MIND
– from JULY onwards
Only a few days now and Ruth and I will in Sydney
for the first of our series of speaking engagements up the East Coast.
Thursday July 3rd we are in Sth Sydneyfor an evening public talk.
Saturday July 5th it is Katoomba for a
day workshop.
Sunday July 4th Sydney again – this
time centrally at Camperdown for another day open to all.
Then we head for Pt Stephens on Saturday 12th,
before continuing right on up to Cairns with a few talks along the way, across
to Mt Isa and Alice Springs for Meditation in the Desert, then down to Adelaide. A road trip with a
difference.
Know someone who might benefit from attending?
Hope
to see many of you along the way. There will be the chance for a refresher, to
help get back on track if needed; but also exciting new information and the
opportunity to meditate together and to deepen the experience of what meditation
really is.
A
good opportunity to share what we do with family, friends and colleagues.
FULL DETAILS – CLICK HERE and please do share the link.
2. Meditation in the Desert : August 29 – September 7
Still a few spaces available, so come, join Ruth and myself along with
like-minded people for 7 days of meditation in the extraordinary atmosphere of
the Central Australian desert, followed by several days of close contact with
senior local indigenous leaders.
Secure your place with a deposit. For details CLICK HERE
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