Unfortunately, I have to cancel the Garden Party scheduled for this coming Sunday, June 28th. I will rescheduled as soon as possible. Thank you for your understanding.
t
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Garden Party - Sunday, June 28th at 3:00 PM
Join me Sunday, June 28th at 3:00 PM for a Garden Party and Organizational Meeting. On the agenda: I will be discussing my trip to the Baja Nutri Center, our first recipient and our t-shirt fundraising campaign. We also need to establish a board of directors for You Gotta Friend. If you are interested please let me know.Find out more about the party and RSVP at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=93540377478 or email me at thebodydefined@gmail.com for more information.
Hope to see you there!
t
Thursday, June 11, 2009
What is You Gotta Friend?
For those of you new to this blog, I thought I would re-post the concepts and foundations that lead to the buidling of You Gotta Friend - The Janice M. Foundation.
The concept for You Gotta Friend originated from a combination of my mom’s life and experiences. They are two fold. Fir
st, she had a great network of friends that helped support her throughout her life. Secondly, she had an incredible battle with cancer.
As many of you know, my mom, Janice M. Anderson, passed away a year ago. First diagnosed 15 years ago and given a very poor prognosis, Janice pursued traditional treatment methods - chemotherapy and mastectomy. While her treatment was quite successful in eradicating the tumor, lymph node biopsies revealed that although she had no known metastases, she had active tumor cells within her lymph system. Her traditional oncologist offered little other than a complete stem cell transplant.
To my mother, enduring another bout of chemotherapy that was certain to damage healthy tissues did not seem like a viable option. She began looking for alternatives and after much research found a program that made sense to her, the Gerson Therapy. She also found a holistic MD that agreed to work in conjunction with her traditional oncologist. I believe that this treatment program gave me an additional 13 years with my mother.
When I first came up with the idea to for You Gotta Friend, I wanted to find some way of increasing access to alternative care. Traditional fundraising did not seem like something that would work for me and it appears that there are numerous groups out there doing the same thing. Then I was introduced to the idea of a Shakti group. Basically, it is a group of women who get together to honor themselves and each other. It really struck home with me and felt like a great way honor the spirit of my mom.
Every week, my mom and her friends would meet at a local cafe or coffee shop to reconnect. This group of women shared a lot of things - the celebration of life experiences, the release of cares and troubles, the exploration of questions of spirituality, connectedness and belief but most importantly, I feel that for these women it was a place where they could truly be and express themselves. People came and went, but the essence of the group remained.
As my mom declined in health, the group eventually began bringing their coffee and lunches to her place, allowing her to be involved as much or as little as she chose in the conversations. I know that this group of women meant everything to my mom, they were her best friends, and it helped her through a very difficult time. I don’t know what she would have done without them.
All of this - my mothers battle with cancer and the strong support of her friends - has brought me to what I would like You Gotta Friend to be. My objectives for You Gotta Friend are, first and foremost, to establish supportive and nurturing friendships. As we nurture who and what we are as individuals, we can begin to reach out to the community. The problem with alternative treatment programs is that they are expensive, difficult to access and many are not covered by insurance. My hope is that, through donations of time, services and/or money, You Gotta Friend can provide information and assistance for those seeking alternative or complementary treatments.
People can involved in this group as much or as little as they would like. It is a means of support. If you’d just like the company of other women, please join us. For those who would like to do more, we can find ways to create access to care through various means. You can choose how, when or if you will be involved in each meeting and/or project. There is absolutely no obligation. Check back here frequently for updates on our activities and progress.
If you would like more information on this organization, please email me at thebodydefined@gmail.com.
The concept for You Gotta Friend originated from a combination of my mom’s life and experiences. They are two fold. Fir
st, she had a great network of friends that helped support her throughout her life. Secondly, she had an incredible battle with cancer.As many of you know, my mom, Janice M. Anderson, passed away a year ago. First diagnosed 15 years ago and given a very poor prognosis, Janice pursued traditional treatment methods - chemotherapy and mastectomy. While her treatment was quite successful in eradicating the tumor, lymph node biopsies revealed that although she had no known metastases, she had active tumor cells within her lymph system. Her traditional oncologist offered little other than a complete stem cell transplant.
To my mother, enduring another bout of chemotherapy that was certain to damage healthy tissues did not seem like a viable option. She began looking for alternatives and after much research found a program that made sense to her, the Gerson Therapy. She also found a holistic MD that agreed to work in conjunction with her traditional oncologist. I believe that this treatment program gave me an additional 13 years with my mother.
When I first came up with the idea to for You Gotta Friend, I wanted to find some way of increasing access to alternative care. Traditional fundraising did not seem like something that would work for me and it appears that there are numerous groups out there doing the same thing. Then I was introduced to the idea of a Shakti group. Basically, it is a group of women who get together to honor themselves and each other. It really struck home with me and felt like a great way honor the spirit of my mom.
Every week, my mom and her friends would meet at a local cafe or coffee shop to reconnect. This group of women shared a lot of things - the celebration of life experiences, the release of cares and troubles, the exploration of questions of spirituality, connectedness and belief but most importantly, I feel that for these women it was a place where they could truly be and express themselves. People came and went, but the essence of the group remained.
As my mom declined in health, the group eventually began bringing their coffee and lunches to her place, allowing her to be involved as much or as little as she chose in the conversations. I know that this group of women meant everything to my mom, they were her best friends, and it helped her through a very difficult time. I don’t know what she would have done without them.
All of this - my mothers battle with cancer and the strong support of her friends - has brought me to what I would like You Gotta Friend to be. My objectives for You Gotta Friend are, first and foremost, to establish supportive and nurturing friendships. As we nurture who and what we are as individuals, we can begin to reach out to the community. The problem with alternative treatment programs is that they are expensive, difficult to access and many are not covered by insurance. My hope is that, through donations of time, services and/or money, You Gotta Friend can provide information and assistance for those seeking alternative or complementary treatments.
People can involved in this group as much or as little as they would like. It is a means of support. If you’d just like the company of other women, please join us. For those who would like to do more, we can find ways to create access to care through various means. You can choose how, when or if you will be involved in each meeting and/or project. There is absolutely no obligation. Check back here frequently for updates on our activities and progress.
If you would like more information on this organization, please email me at thebodydefined@gmail.com.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Steve Konell - Pancreatic Cancer
To be quite honest, I didn't see much of Steve the first few days that I was at Baja although his room was right next to ours. He wasn't feel that great. During that time I did, however, get an opportunity to meet his extensive support staff - his two children, father-in-law, family friend/doctor and more. By the end of the week he was able to join us for meals.Steve loves to ride motorcyles and, in fact, his family was participating in the Tiajauna 500. His two Australian Shepards, as well as his son's Aussie and his daughters Pomerainian, accompanied the rest of his family in their motor home on their trip down from Portland, Oregon. What a crazy, fun group of people! Here Steve is pictured at lunch with Margit.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Tommy the Greek - Colon Cancer
Tommy, the gentleman in the blue striped shirt on the left, reminded me of the little boy in the Rugrats cartoon. (Steve, you will meet next, is pictured on his right.) It was generally agreed among the residents, however, that he was straight out of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". He was even caught saying something along the lines of all English words have Greek origins. Tommy is nothing short of cordial and is entertaining to boot. He always was sitting out in the courtyard striking up a conversation with whomever would walk by. He left Sunday to join his wife and two daughters just outside of Charlotte, North Carolina.
Yoshiko Honda - Breast Cancer
Yoshiko was part of a very informative welcome party when we arrived. She has been reading up on various forms of alternative treatments and was a walking encyclopedia of knowledge. We were lucky to have her! Yoshiko, her husband and I posed together during our last meal together.
Yoshiko and her husband are also from Ontario, just about a 10 minute drive from Martin. Talk about a small world!
Yoshiko is here holding her 45 plus supplemental pills for the day...
Martin Costa - Prostate Cancer
Martin arrived with his companion Margit at the Baja Nutri Center the same time as Denise and I. Together we learned the ropes - what pills to take when, coffee break and meal times, and general do's and don't's of the Gerson Therapy. 
Over the week, Margit's enthusiasm for the treatment grew. She lost some weight, had less pain and began walking more - and that was only within the first week. Quite frankly, she was radiating health and happiness as the days went on.
Here Martin is sitting poolside, reading. You can always find him propped up in some chair, finger marking his spot, fast asleep. In the other photo, Martin and Margit enjoy one of their first meals in the dining hall.
Faces of Hope
The following posts are of patients I met while at the Baja Nutri Center during my week visit there. I thought that you might like to meet them individually and hear their stories. I am sending them a link to the blog and inviting them each to keep us updated of their progress. Wishing each of them a speedy recovery and long, happy life!
t
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Talking with Charlotte Gerson
Today, Charlotte Gerson came to visit us at the Baja Nutri Center. Earlier in the day, she sat down with Denise to go over her specific case. Again she reiterated what we already know, Denise is a remarkable woman. She may have a difficult road ahead, but she is a survivor.
She later joined us for lunch and sat down for a question and answer session. Of course we had many questions about treatment, what works, why and how... what doesn't work and certain fruits, vegetables and nuts that are eliminated from the Gerson Therapy. A gracious hoast, Charlotte spent time explaining the therapy, different approachs, successes and failures.
What I found most compelling, beside the need for eliminating toxins, was her view on the phosphorus/sodium balance in the diet. According to Charlotte, to maintain a healthy, healing blood pH of 7.4, we must consume a diet 90% potassium to 10% sodium. Unfortunately with our cooking processes and our copious use of salt, we have reversed the percentage of sodium and potassium in our systems. Most Americans have a blood pH of 6.8 leading to cancer, autoimmune disease, heart disease, diabetes and various other maladies. To give you an idea, a blood pH of 6.4 is considered terminal. Your cells are dying because of the acidity of your blood. Fruits are contain the best ratio of potassium to sodium, vegetables are next. Charlotte recommends the following fruits: cherries, apricots, peaches, grapes, and apples.
I will continue to look into fermentation metabolism, another aspect Charlotte touched upon, as well as other information presented. I'll definitely keep you posted. In the meantime you can find out more in her book, Healing the Gerson Way by Charlotte Gerson.
Until the next time,
t
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Hanging out in Baja
Denise and I made is safely down to Baja Nutri Center, site of the Gerson Institute's treatment center, in Baja California yesterday morning. Denise began her treatments as soon as we arrived. We are getting into the groove with all the juices, coffee enemas, supplements and meals. It has kept us quite busy but, as you can see, I always find time to relax. We have also been fortunate to meet some great new people from all over the world and learn a lot of new information on diet, health and well-being. For example, beet tops are great for juicing while the beet, if not cooked can be hard on your kidneys. It is also high in sugar. We'll be sure to bring back more helpful information to you. For now it's been a lot of digestion, quite literally.
Sending you lots of love,
t
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