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Last night I received a call from a person I did not know who recommended I write this article in response to Beth Ashley's article on Julie Motz. I was fortunate enough to have Julie Motz present in my last surgery on May 9, a transurethral resection of the bladder tumor (TURBT), the third in a series for me. I was diagnosed with bladder cancer in late January.
Cancer is not new in my family. My sister died of Leukemia in November of 1968, just two months before my son, Micah was born. At the age of seven, Micah presented with a Wilm's tumor, a cancer or the kidney that occurs mostly in children. For Micah's treatment, we supplemented the standard protocol of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy with alternatives, primarily imagery under the direction of Dr. Sheldon Ruderman and laying on of the hands. Their stories were told in two episodes of In Search of . in 1976 and 1980. I have a copy of the 1980 program if you are interested in reviewing it.
So when I was diagnosed with cancer, I knew that I was going to combine
standard medical treatment with alternatives. I immediately began research
on the web to find out everything I could about bladder and other cancers,
and began to formulate my treatment plan. When Dr. Neuwirth outlined my
options and said that by far the "gold standard" treatment for bladder
cancer was the complete removal of the bladder, prostate, and surrounding
lymph nodes, I was in a state of shock. The plan also calls for construction
of a pseudo bladder from part of the large intestine. I did not want to
loose any of my body parts! My research on the web and conversations with
close friends led me to a bladder sparing protocol developed by Dr. William
U. Shipley from Harvard Medical School and the other MGH (Massachusetts
General Hospital)! After consultation with Dr. David Gullion, Dr. Wayne
Torigoe, Dr. Peter Carroll, and Dr. Francine Halberg, a tumor board came
down with the recommendation that I had an equal chance for long term survival
with the Shipley method. So decision time was near.
In order to make an appropriate decision for me, I began to consult alternative
healers. The order and results of these consultations can be found on my
web site, Health Cells Grow All By Themselves, http://www.yellowstream/,
I want to summarize my experience with what I consider to be the best of
them.
I mention Marty first, partly because he is one of my closest friends,
but also because he was in the hospital with me on Super Bowl Sunday, when
I was first hospitalized for my disease. He came to visit me and brought
with him a newly prepared guided imagery tape on what to do before surgery.
Subsequently, I've seen Marty professionally for both guided imagery and
acupuncture. He is a gifted healer, who listens carefully to his patients
and really cares about people.
Anna is terrific, and the IJ has recently printed a story about her.
She deserves the national recognition that she is now receiving.
I can't say too much about Leslie. She has been there for me during
the best of my guided imagery sessions, and she has been there for me during
the depths of grief, sadness and despair that accompany the emotional side
of having cancer.
I have had a substantial amount of body work done on me since coming to California in 1973. I have to tell you that the first massage that Gail gave me was the best of all on many accounts. She did some preliminary energy healing, which she had learned from Barbara Rose Billings. As she was working on my feet, I felt the effects of the chemotherapy exit my body through my shoulders. It was an incredible experience that can't be conveyed in words. Her work on my shoulders and my neck was fabulous. The treatment she gave my abdomen and bladder were unsurpassed by any previous experience that I had had in those areas. I felt her healing energy go into my bladder and make a difference. Subsequent massages have been just as healing.
Gail and I are planning to give workshops together. The workshop incorporates
mindfulness as a healing practice and in movement. We are looking for sponsors
for the workshop at this time.
Over the past few months, I have had several occasions to speak with
Michael about the Shipley protocol and the prescription of supplements
that he gave me. I found him very responsive to my needs and highly recommend
him to other cancer patients.
Aside from helping me focus on my goal of telling people about the importance
of combining standard medical procedures with alternatives, she also did
a session of healing with her hands. She made several passes over my body,
and concentrated on my bladder. I felt as deep sense of release when I
left her presence.
What he did was quite remarkable, though. He seemed to be able to stand
over my body and evoke healing energy. He moved his hands in circles around
the area of my bladder, and I felt the energy quite clearly. I sensed that
he was working with colors and when I felt the color, yellow, I made a
comment. He confirmed my sensitivity and continued the treatment. All in
all, I was there for about thirty minutes and enjoyed the experience quite
well.
The healers I've had over the past five months have helped me to conquer cancer. Each person I have mentioned has helped me in his or her own unique and individual way. I hope to get my web site published as a book someday in order to inspire people to take part in their own healing by seeking out healers of the quality mentioned in this article. While I have had over 2200 visitors to my web site, I feel it necessary to reach a larger audience in a time when cancer strikes almost one in four people.
I'll conclude with the phone numbers of the healers I mentioned in this article.
Martin Rossman, M. D. 383-3197
Anna Halprin 461-9479
Leslie Davenport 459-4235
Gail Teehan 892-1254
Michael Broffman 485-0484
Barbara Rose Billings 457-3474
Nicholi Levaschov 831-8829
[Yellow Stream] [Practice] [Services] [Books on Cancer] [Resources]
PLEASE NOTE: This material is copyright(c) 1997, by Jerome Freedman, Ph. D. All Rights Reserved. This material will be submitted for publication. This document is meant to be a description of the author's experience and he in no way takes responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of any medical knowledge. The author assumes no responsibility for choices made by any of the readers of this material.
Please send comments and questions to Jerome
Freedman, Ph. D.
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