Because I Can!

Just a quick update from my last post. I was so sad to be leaving Florida because I was having such a great time. I got up early Tuesday morning packed my bags and my sister dropped me at the airport. I stood in a very long line to check in and when it was my turn to go to the counter, I just couldn't do it. I got out of line, called the airline, changed my flight to that following Friday and jumped on a shuttle back to Miami. It all took about two hours and I was back on the beach. As the saying goes, life is short. That day I really lived it like it was short and took advantage of having to be no where. Does that ever happen? We always need to get back for something. Work, kids, appointments that can't be broken. I had nothing to rush home for and I took full advantage!

I wanted to share an e-mail from one of the women I met at Hippocrates. She is the one that had that baseball size tumor on her neck. The Hippocrates program was working for her and she was on track to beat her cancer and then I received the following e-mail. I just thought it was so interesting and wanted to share it with all of you.



To the wonderful people in my life,

I usually do not enjoy the impersonal mass mailing but I believe this occasion calls for it. As you know I am healing from cancer through my Hippocrates Lifestyle which should take approximately 2 years. I am doing well and on schedule and I feel blessed to have learned all that I have.

21/2 weeks ago I had a massage with a wonderful Ecuadorian woman, Elena who is also a healer. I met her last November. She is getting ready to retire so she works here a couple months then goes back home to Guayaquil, Ecuador for a couple of months where she is fixing up their new home. Her mother lives there and her husband, Paul who is Italian and sold his deli business in Boca last year is there as well. During my last massage she asked how I was doing and I told her well but I was thinking of going to John of God in Brazil. Elena said before you do that would you consider a doctor in my home town who cured my friend of ovarian cancer in 3 weeks with diet and poultices. She said she personally witnessed this and knows 2 other people there who did it as well. Of course I said I was interested as I love adventures and believe there are many ways for the body to heal although it's really up to God.

This doctor is South African and a research scientist who worked for a large pharmaceutical company here in the US. He made some discoveries that the government did not like and they confiscated and destroyed his work. He kept working anyway and was jailed. Our government released him under the condition he never return to the US. He then settled in Ecuador with it's proximity to the rainforest. This doctor uses raw diet, juices and poultices to pull the cancer out. He told me it's painful but they have very powerful natural pain medicine there without the side effects of the narcotics we have. I then went back to Hippocrates and asked the director and founder of the program if he knew of this doctor and his work. Without a moments hesitation he said yes I know of him and if you want to do that it will certainly work.

I spoke to the doctor again and he said he would help me but it would take probably 5 or 6 weeks as they have to get cancer out of my tongue so they have to go very slowly to avoid swelling. He also works with a group of associates and they have top notch hospital and medical support. I will be closely monitored and have frequent blood work along with an IV for the pain med. He said I will be resting, drinking and peeing to quote him exactly. I prefer to be cancer free as soon as possible and I love learning new things and seeing new places.

This entire trip has just fallen into place more easily than anything I have done before. Elena offered me her new house to stay in, her husband Paul will pick us up at the airport and see to all our needs. The doctor said he would come to the house if I wanted and is lending me his juicing equipment. (He is a minister and has 8 children.) Best of all I never have to be alone as my good friend, Diane Zantop is leaving with me on Monday the 12th to take care of me, then Rick is coming on the 22nd and Diane will go back on the 23rd. Rick is staying until the 3rd of June and Elena will be back May 30 and told me it would be an honor to take care of me until I go home. Elena said that God gave me this so I could go out to the world and help others which is what I know.



I will keep you all posted on her progress and how her visit to Ecuador turns out. I really believe in my heart that natural healing is leaps and bounds better then the chemicals we are filling our bodies with to fight cancer.

Kristine

Who Has Cancer?

Last night I stayed awake late and reread my blog from beginning to end. It is crazy to me to read about my life. It doesn't seem like it is possible that it was really me suffering through a very real disease. I read all of the entries and found myself crying while I remembered all that my friends and family have been through in the last year. It just doesn't seem like that is really my life. I am still stunned that I got cancer.

I find that I am really lucky that I can just live in the moment. I forget on a regular basis that I have cancer at all. Even though there are many things always reminding me. Such as my diet, the 23 centimeter scar running down the middle of my chest or a dry cough that just won't go away. I am extremely good at putting it all out of mind and just enjoying every minute as it comes.

It has been three months since my last scan and it is time for a new one. I have been saying that I wasn't going to have the scan done because I really don't think that I would subject myself to chemo ever again. However, I always follow that up with a never say never. Now the time has come and I am leaning towards doing the scan. Like I mentioned earlier, I have had an on going dry cough for over two weeks. It doesn't seem to be getting any better. Now it comes down to piece of mind. Even if my scan comes out badly I just have to know.

I am in Florida right now. I came here to celebrate one of my good friends 50Th birthday. I am supposed to leave tomorrow and I really just don't want to go home. I always want to go home. I miss Ryan and Ruffus and sleeping in my own bed. Even with all of that waiting my reality is there as well and scans are scheduled and doctors appointments loom. Maybe if I just stay a few more days down here in denial it will all go away.

Intuition

First of all, thank-you all so much for all of the great comments. We are so excited that people are interested in getting healthy. A while back I wrote a blog about how I am not the raw food poster child and I came off a bit angry. My friends and family keep saying, "I know you don't like to talk about it." In reality I am happy to talk about my diet. I am just not willing to defend it to people who are not interested or who want to hide behind all of the untruths that keep them driving through McDonald's. The problem I run into is that so many of you have great questions and I am such a newbie at all of this that sometimes I don't have the answer and all I can do at that point is to ask myself what feels right. I usually tell you that I don't know which is honest. However, I usually think about these questions later and really trust my intuition. Which is what I am going to ask you to do today.

I was talking to my sister Stephanie on the phone the other day and she tells me that grocery shopping has become very hard for her. She is now paying attention to labels and trying to buy healthier food for her kids. She then made a comment that I talk a lot about what not to eat but not so much about what to eat. She then asked me for suggestions. I loved this insight because it is so true. The only problem is that there is no easy answer to that one. My friends with children live in 2008 and are busy juggling so much in their lives and they are looking for convenience. I am going to give a couple suggestions (bottom of page) but what it really comes down to is that when you leave the grocery store your cart should be filled with mostly fresh fruits and vegetables. The dinner in a box may be convenient but it is filled with chemicals and fats that will not help your immune system stay strong. It actually reeks havoc on your body but that is another blog in it's self.

I find it funny how many of my friends tell me that their children are picky eaters. Recently I was babysitting and was left with the "ONLY" snacks their child would eat. It consisted of goldfish, peanut butter crackers, and pretzels. All of these are of course not on my diet so I cut up some red pepper and was eating that as a snack. Well low and behold the child wanted the red pepper! I think kids want what you have. They learn by example. If you change your eating habits it is only a matter of time until your kids will follow. It is not going to happen over night but I wouldn't be surprised if it only took a week or two.

I also spent last weekend with Ryan's family. While I was at their home I was making my daily juice of cucumber and celery. I made enough so everyone could try some. I get lots of different comments from people. Some people love it right off the bat, others need some apple juice or something to sweeten it up a bit. However, to my surprise the person that liked it the most was Ryan's 18 month old nephew. We all know that he wasn't drinking it to appease me!

The other subject that my sister and I talked about was all of the conflicting information out there. She reads in my blog about the dangers of dairy and milk and then goes to her pediatrician and his first question is, "Are they drinking their milk?" I know it is hard to live outside the box but you owe it to yourselves and your families to become more educated. Doctors do not know everything!!! They are not god. Remember the books that I am reading are all written by doctors that have realized through research that everything they had learned up to that point had been wrong. At some point it is up to us to trust our inner voices. Up until Feb. last year I had little or no experience with doctors and now I can tell you first hand that they don't know everything. Actually most of it is guess work and they guessed incorrectly for me multiple times. I am not angry that they couldn't give me answers but I am now looking for my own and I am not as trusting as I used to be. Just remember to trust your intuition the next time you see your doctor.

Healthy Snacks

Keep veggies cut up and ready to grab. Such as red bell pepper, cucumber, celery and carrots.
Did you know that red peppers have more vitamin C then an orange. Also, green peppers are unripened red peppers. You never want to eat a fruit or vegetable that is not ripe. Stay away from those green ones! The orange and yellow peppers are good too.

Instead of dips use hummus. A much healthier option and tasty too!

Of course any fresh fruit is always nice but don't over do it on the fruit. They are packed full of sugars! Especially bananas, who knew?

When buying chips. Look for baked not fried chips. They are hard to find but much healthier. Also, look at the ingredients on those bags. For example, Lays baked chips are not healthier. Look at the additives on the label. I find blue chips are pretty good. Also, I have seen more veggie chips out there. If you have a whole foods you might even find a brand called Guiltless Chips. They are hard to spot usually in the bottom in the corner.

One of my friends makes pasta for her kids and in her blender she will mince up raw zucchini and squash and put it in the sauce. The kids will never know, and neither will you! There is also a healthier version of pasta. It is called spelt pasta. It is a brown color. You usually can find it with all of the packaged noodles. It tastes the same but it is just not as appealing to look at.

Instead of regular bread look for sprouted bread in your freezer section. When bread is sprouted it has many more nutrients. You will find all sorts of things sprouted such as bagels in different flavors and even tortillas

Try almond butter instead of peanut butter. Peanuts and cashews have a lot of bacteria so try and stay away from them as much as possible. Not to mention all of the partially hydrogenated soy products in brands like Jif. The almond butter is a much more mild version of peanut butter. I wonder if kids would notice the difference.

Make smoothies! Kids love them and they are very filling. You can even buy frozen organic fruit so it doesn't go bad. Get them involved. They love to eat things that they have made.

See if your kids will eat avocados or guacamole.

Look for vegan cookies. They are made with no dairy and no eggs. You will be shocked at how they taste just like the real thing.

Once in a while I just need a pizza but I have been ordering a veggie on whole wheat crust with no cheese. I am amazed that I don't miss the cheese at all. Also Amy's organics which can be found in almost every grocery store does a cheesless pizza that is pretty darn good.

Good luck and if anyone has any other ideas that they want to share, be sure to post them. I can use all the help I can get!