Treatment & Support

I was first touched by cancer when my mother was diagnosed with advanced Ovarian Cancer 20 years ago. The doctors hadn't given her much hope and chemotherapy treatment wasn't even encouraged back then. The doctors said it would be best if she was left alone to die peacefully. Well she didn't die; she's still here and she's over 80! Her positive attitude and determination would be the driving force for me when I faced the same cancer nearly four and half years ago. Little did I know that I had inherited from my mother the rare, abnormal BRCA1 gene which increases the risk of breast and ovarian cancer. It was early 2005 and I was only 44 years old.

I however, was encouraged to have chemotherapy, although it was different to the chemo treatment my mother had. The doctors said I had a good chance of getting rid of it but according to them my chances weren't as good keeping it at bay for too long. "There's a chance you'll get breast cancer as well" they said. I was already aware that a lot of women with advanced ovarian cancer didn't make it passed the third year mark, that alone was tough enough to deal with! I couldn't deal with the prospect of getting breast cancer. Now, I felt like I was fighting two cancers. "Isn't one enough", I asked God!

After a short period of feeling sorry for myself, I decided not to allow the statistics to weigh me down. I was going to beat this! When things became too difficult my beautiful four year old daughter was my constant inspiration. I went on to research everything I could relate to cancer, diet, lifestyle, spirituality and meditation.
I took a closer look at what my mother did to help her healing and the main thing that stood out was the twice weekly intravenous Vitamin C and Vitamin B injections. I remember her saying she believed it complimented the chemotherapy treatment and made her stronger. It helped my mother why would it help me! I recall my oncologist cautioning me about it. "It might interfere with the treatment" he said. But I still went ahead and did it anyway. To this day I believe it was an integral part of my healing journey. To me it seemed sensible to integrate conventional and complimentary medicine.

A friend told me about the Gawler Foundation, which I visited and was pleasantly surprised to find that Gawler covered all of the things I was researching. That was comforting! I set myself a goal to attend the retreat after I finished chemotherapy. I purchased one of their cookbooks and a juicer and attempted to alter my diet and lifestyle as best I could.
After six months of grueling chemo, nausea and feeling like a pin cushion, my doctors finally told me they we are pleased with the results, "Now go home and live your life" they said. I was relieved and scared at the same time. While I was on chemo I felt like I was doing something, now it had ended I felt a little powerless. It was time to take control; it was up to me now!

I attended the Gawler 10 day retreat and was exposed to clean air, wonderful healthy food and meditation. It was exactly what my body needed. My strength had returned. The knowledge I gained during my stay has been invaluable and I have been able to put it to good use by including what I learnt and what I researched into my book called ‘The Detox Answer'.

‘The Detox Answer' is about getting healthy again after serious illness, addiction or just sloppy eating habits. It's also about nurturing yourself, treating yourself as a special person and then reaping the beauty, health and weight loss benefits of eating well and looking after yourself. I am fortunate to work at an integrated medicine clinic and have the doctor's and naturopath's support. I was extremely pleased the doctor offered to write the forward for my book and I'm happy that it's been well received at his clinic in St Kilda, various health stores, the internet and the Gawler Foundation.

It was important for me to document how I went about eliminating all the toxins from my body that had accumulated from the chemo, the sleeping tablets, the painkillers and the anti-nausea drugs. My cells had taken a battering and I was determined to get them healthy again. It wasn't easy, as my body ached for a while and started to rebel. My diet was constantly changing; I stopped eating animal and dairy products, sugar and coffee. I took more of an interest in cooking fresh healthy food and created some of my own recipes, which are included in the book. All the hard work started paying off and I felt better than ever. People kept commenting on how well I looked. My feelings of anger, resentment and fear had dissipated. I felt powerful and in control of my life and health and still do so to this day.

I firmly believe that everyone has the ability to tap into their own healing energy. I feel it's important not to hand over all your power to someone else; you're the one responsible for your own healing journey. Use your intuition and find what works best for you. I am certain it was my inner strength, courage and positive thinking that got me to where I am today. We can all draw from this inner place, our spirit, to show us the way.
Please visit www.thedetoxanswer.com for more information.

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