CLEAN AND CLEAR!
It was about 17 months ago that I found out my wife had breast cancer. I had finished teaching a watercolor figure class just weeks before and painted "Island Fertility" as the last demonstration that went with the lesson on painting partial nudes. I taught how in Renaissance paintings a fully exposed right breast symbolically meant fertility. I also chose to paint a rugged island women who covered most of herself in a flowery sari. Little did I know that there was more significance to the painting that would reach into my personal life. You see, it was in that same right breast that my wife had been diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. The clues were there But I just didn't see them nor did I see it coming. In fact she did a good job hiding it from me for almost a year.
After I knew and her terrible secret was out, I felt ironically thankful that I got my wife back. She no longer had to hide herself out of fear from me. The doctors sat us down and gave my wife two years at the most to live. They said she not only had stage 4 breast cancer that spread to her lymph nodes and sternum area, but she had a totally blocked left kidney. Their plan was for us to see a kidney doctor who would put a port in her back to drain her kidney, while they would give her chemotheraphy until her body rejected it. Then they would put her on a hormone therapy.
Naively, I thought we would set down with a team of doctors to discuss what options my wife would have and what protocol would be best suited for her. But it was quite different. The doctor began by saying that he had already met with a team of doctors and told us what they decided they would be willing to do for her. I later found out through my doctor that they go through many cases a week and that they gave her the standard treatment plan. At any rate, It was the most discouraging day of my life and for my family. When my wife asked how long she would be on Chemotheraphy he simply said, "For the rest of your life!" When she responded that "God could heal Me!" the doctor laugh at that until he resized she was serious. Then we asked what her diet would look like, and he simply said, "You can eat anything you want!" Then we got the tour of the treatment bays with coffee and donut stations between. I thought how ironic to offer Cancer patients foods loaded with sugar and preservatives. Everyone knows sugar feeds cancer.
Needless to say, Elaine didn't decide to go the modern method that promised to prolonging her life, like the television commercials state, "Who wouldn't want to live a little longer!". But, Instead she decided to explore a radical naturopathic protocol that offered a hope of a total healing. We have that information, but I will not go into that in this blog. But in case you might think this journey has been about diet alone, think again. I noticed three areas that made a huge difference for Elaine. These areas are Faith, Hope and Love. And within these 17 month Elaine has lost 75 pounds. She no longer has kidney blockage. She is also no longer diabetic and is off metformin and any other harmful drug.
Almost immediately after we got the prognosis from the cancer doctors and their plan to treat my wife, Elaine spoke her belief over the disease. She proclaimed, " I am not going to do the Chemo or radiation; Because God created all the healing plants that we need to heal our bodies. I Just know there are doctors out there who know what these healing plants are and how to use them." Faith is the complete trust in someone or something based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof you can only see with your natural eyes. Elaine began her faith journey seeing with her spiritual eyes and by telling everyone what she was going through, inviting them to support and pray for her. And pray they did. Support came from our church, our friends, even people we didn't even know. There was an extraordinary peace that came over her, and a certainty that this was the road she would be willing to travel even if it took years.
The second thing she did was dare to hope that something good may happen. My wife became faithful in her naturopathic protocol and began to believe that she would one day be totally healed! Her desire and expectation was tested, but she never wavered in her belief of the outcome. I will never forget what the naturopathic doctor said as we dragged ourselves into her office expecting to hear the worst. She simply said, "Well, you ready? Lets begin!" And from that day on we were given the help and information Elaine needed to begin her healing process. For Elaine, hope was taking a step forward when there was no logical reason to do so; maybe even a fear to do so for a more quality life. Then, once the steps was taken, only to find people who had the resourses and the knowledge to help and even save you in so many ways.
And Finially, Love; the strongest power of all. In this journey Elaine and I knew that all of this was for nothing if we didn't decide to forgive those who have injured us in the past. Maybe there was a reason for this sickness. It was then that Elaine and I decided to not blame anyone for her sickness, but to take responsibility for her healing. We would make the changes in our lifestyle that would even effect those around us. I'll never forget stopping by McDonalds one Sunday morning and meeting up with our friends to inform them of Elaine's condition and that we wouldn't be back because of her new diet. We went to every pastor and priest we had in the past and present and asked them to lay their hands on Elaine and pray over us both. In that process we forgave them of any wrong doing toward us and allowed God's blessing to pass through them and into Elaine. I even remember going to my father's gravesite and putting my hand on his gravestone as I said the words, "I forgive you dad". That rainy Fall day I release all of my offenses of the past I had held toward that man. My wife also prayed for all her former enemies, those who one by one did awful deeds toward her family over the years. We simply stopped talking about them in a negative way. Before her operation she took the time to pray for each of them and she even placed flowers on their gravestones.
Now the good News! When Elaine and I and our family first sat down with the doctors in the beginning 17 months ago, they ruled out an operation to remove the cancer completely. They said she was far too advanced and an operation was not an option. It would take a miracle, but Elaine's cancer would have to reverse it's damage. This last April 30th, Elaine had her operation. In one year the cancer shrunk twice and the two other areas of her sternum and lymph nodes were completely clear! On that Tuesday morning she came through the operation in flying colors. The doctor who performed the operation said that the cancer was less than an inch long and that she didn't need to take any muscle or skin graphs either because she was able to close the incision with the excess skin that was available from Elaine's weight loss. She reiterated the good news three times about how please that she was and that she got out all the cancer that she could see. That following Friday on the 3rd of May the surgeon called Elaine and asked her how she was feeling. Elaine responded by saying that she felt fine and had very little pain. Then she said the words, "You know Elaine, YOU'RE CANCER IS GONE! You have no more cancer. "
There many more details that I could share with you, many names I am protecting. But Elaine and I would like to thank each and every one of you who prayed, sent money to help support her healing protocol and who simply stood with us to help make us strong. We are so thankful for all of you, and you know who you are. We love you all. Without God and you My wife may not be alive today! But instead, she is clean and clear! today, this May 24th is our 39th Anniversary and for us, it's the best gift ever!
