#7: Chapter 3: What I did (whilst fighting serious, active cancer)

If my son had not been in the Amazon when I was diagnosed, I may not have even had chemo and radiation. What would be the point? The doctors had convinced me I was a goner and told me to airlift him out to say good-bye. I wanted him to experience the success of completion of his survival semester. So I resolved to outlive their two-week to two-month prognosis. “Give me everything you’ve got,” I said. And they did. I ended up having more than twice as much chemo and radiation as originally planned because I tolerated it so well. My body withstood an extraordinary onslaught of toxic treatments, defeated cancer, and regained mobility with the help of my naturopathic protocol. This is what I did.

My angel of a sister took me in. I couldn’t walk unaided and I was bedridden for the most part in an upstairs guest room. Stairs were difficult for me, so I sequestered myself. Steroids prevented me from sleeping, so there was nothing to do but google. Calling upon my scientific research background and experiences with many healing modalities, I became my own naturopath and plotted my revenge upon the beast. (see my book, Whatever Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Strong). There was a utility room down the hall that I transformed into my la-bor-atory. I bought a dorm fridge and a hot plate, borrowed her blender and crockpot, gave her my shopping list, and set up shop. I hobbled there with my walker and leaned against the counter whilst I made my potions, determined to save my own life. It was a full-time job.