In August, 2010, I was diagnosed with bladder cancer. Did I ever think it would happen to me? not a chance, but it did... On August 26^th, my ct scan showed my tumour to be approximately the size of a golf ball! I was scheduled to have surgery with the first available date in November…3 months away. The wait initially seemed like forever, but I insisted on incorporating integrative cancer care approaches in my treatment, which included regular Vitamin C infusions, elements of orthomolecular medicine, long walks in the forest (my refuge) and the basics for a healthy life. My surgery day finally came and I had my tumour removed. On November 22, 2010, I had an appointment to remove my catheter and that’s when I got the news – the incredible news that my tumour had actually shrunk to the size of a penny! I couldn’t believe it, in 87 days, my tumour shrank from the size of a golf ball, to that of a penny… thanks to the integrative non-traditional treatments that I was fortunate enough to try (I did not do any form of chemotherapy in this interval between diagnosis and surgery). My treatment choices made the surgery so much simpler than expected and my healing, almost effortless.

One of my passions is song-writing… my songs and poetry help me evolve and grow and I’d like to share this one with you…

A slow walk in the forest

A slow walk in the forest daily, is something I must do,

It gives me inspiration, so I can write this song for you,

The energy in the forest, fills me with golden rays of sun,

It makes me energetic, so I can sing and dance and run.

The trees grow straight and tall, they reach halfway to the stars,

Energy descends from heaven, grows tree trunks thick as cars,

The air’s so clean, the sun so bright, my steps so easy, my steps so light.

A slow walk in the forest, instills peaceful insight, and makes all things just right.

A daily walk in the forest, is something that I must do,

It makes me strong a healthy, and it can do the same for you,

There is peace, harmony and stillness, it permeates the air,

The natural sounds and colour, fills your spirit with universal care.

For beauty, symmetry, and love is, something tangible that you can feel,

A daily walk in the forest, brings out the best in you, it’s free, oh what a deal!

Life has the habit of sending you curve balls when you least expect it. While on DeCouracy island I became ill and my friends took me to Nanimo hospital.    " You have metasized cancer.  Prognosis  three weeks!"  the doctor told me.  You can imagine the shock, horror and desperation I felt upon hearing this news.  When my 19 year-old son arrived and I carefully explained what I had been told.  He  crawled in bed with me, put his arms around me and said, "Well Mom, then we have to have as much fun as possible"  That was three years, 7 months ago.

My oncologist informed me I had Leiomyosarcoma, a rare cancer that hits four people in a million. I would rather have won the lottery. Since the primary source of the cancer was in the uterus, a hysterectomy was performed.  They were unable to get all the cancer from the walls, so then it spread to my pelvis and both lungs. I was given the clinical trial drug Veg F Trap, but it did not work for me. Radiation shrunk the pelvis and uterine wall tumours but they were unable to get rid of it.

Although I was willing to try traditional cancer treatment, I knew I needed more. For me, I was lucky to try naturopathic medicine and acupuncture in the first three weeks of my diagnosis – and continue to this day. My naturopath and acupuncturist gave me the power to help myself and the confidence to believe that I had choices. I believe I would not be here today without their intervention.   I think the key for me was that I started alternate treatments almost immediately after diagnosis.

I am thrilled that the Thrive Alive Foundation has been established. Alternate treatment is so expensive and prohibits many (and many friends of mine) from seeking out  these  treatments.  Congratulations to the organizers for helping provide life-saving treatments to all.

Lance Armstrong once said, “Without the illness I would never have been forced to re-evaluate my life and my career. I know if I had not had cancer, I would not have won the Tour de France”. Even at my age (I’m 46) I’m a mad keen cyclist and Lance is one of my all time heroes. He fought long odds against cancer to win the toughest race in the world seven times in a row.

On January 25th 2008 I was also diagnosed with the disease that in reality touches everyone’s life in some way. My own personal version was stage 3 colon cancer and I was given a fifty-fifty chance of survival. My life also changed forever. Following the diagnosis procedures moved extremely quickly. I had surgery within the month and then was given an intensive eight-month course of chemotherapy. If I had the means, integrative therapy would have been part of my cancer plan – but as a new immigrant to Canada, it was simply out of the question.

I am a sculpture by profession, but my work became nonexistent over night; I was completely unable to deal with the notion of making what could well be my final works… ever. This fallow period became both frustrating and barren for me. It took almost eighteen months before I was ready and confident enough to engage in the creative process again and begin making work. I truly believe that my work and creativity helped me heal and enter the new phase of my life – and how fortunate I am to be able to create again.

My latest body of work emerged from my experience with cancer and represents a genuine, honest attempt by myself to explore and evaluate my own very changed human condition within the sculptural context. In a sense, the works are a kind of therapy and represent an irresistible urge from myself to pull some light from the darkness, some shred of positive energy to cancel out the negative. To try and make some sense of it all and have a deeper understanding of the rollercoaster journey into cellular purgatory.

The work is essentially about the ongoing experience, an attempt to contextualize in the physical the effects both on me as a person and at a more intense, visceral level the inevitable neurosis within.

Lance also said, “I want to die at 100 years old with an American flag on my back and the star of Texas on my helmet after screaming down an alpine descent on a bicycle at 120 kilometres an hour” I’d like to be riding right there with him.......