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story_Belastory_img_Bela

I always considered myself to be a healthy person. Freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices were a ritual in my family from an early age. I was the child at school with the brown bread sandwiches back in the 70s when it was looked upon as foreign.

About two and a half years ago I experienced some spotting, which I thought was either my period playing havoc or the onset of menopause. I made an appointment to have a pap smear and was reprimanded for not going sooner and also for not having regular pap smears. It had been many years, dare I say possibly 22 years, the reason being that I have always opted to use alternative forms of treatment whenever any health issues have arisen for my son and myself.

The doctor was concerned with my symptoms and implied my situation could be serious. The results came back ‘abnormal’ and I was referred to a specialist ASAP. After a more extensive (and expensive) examination, a biopsy of a growth on my cervix was taken for further testing. The specialist then started to prepare me for the possibility of it being cancer. She advised me that she would be away for a couple of weeks and that if the results needed urgent attention, she would have someone from RPA Hospital contact me.

I work in retail on my own and I received a call from a Professor at RPA who proceeded to tell me my results over the phone. “Your results show you have cancer” he said. He did not prepare me or ask if I was able to talk. I had a customer standing in front of me at the time so it was awkward and inappropriate to have such a conversation in the presence of a complete stranger, not to mention how they would have felt! I guess that was a taste of was to come. We made an appointment for me to see him.

Something inside me kicked in and I knew that I needed to start on a path that I was more accustomed to. A way that felt like it would help improve my situation, as when you know you need a wholehearted effort with every part of your being, using all your ability, power, determination, positive thinking and of course the aid of the people who are there to help you.

Through my mother’s friend I heard about a naturopath practising near Cairns who largely works with people with cancer. I discussed my diagnosis to date with her over the phone. She was very helpful in getting me started in the right direction. Fortunately one of my sisters lives in Cairns which made it possible for me to pursue this path. I could fly up and stay with her and meet the naturopath after I had been for my appointment at the hospital and, hopefully, a more precise diagnosis. The main form of diagnosis she uses is thermal imaging, which I thought would be helpful with my treatment. I had never been to Cairns before and was looking forward to the trip.

I went along to my appointment with the professor at RPA and was given an examination using colposcopy and my diagnosis at that stage was that I had a cancerous tumor and pre-cancerous cells on my cervix and that I would have to have a biopsy to determine the stage of cancer, followed by a hysterectomy. I had already started taking the herbs and changed my diet and was passionate about continuing. After the professor outlined his suggested form of treatment I expressed that I wanted to continue what I was doing; that I wanted to give it a go instead. He did not take it well that I had declined his proposed form of treatment. During this appointment the fire alarm went off and we had to evacuate the building. It was like a sign saying “get the hell out of here!” However, we arranged that after six weeks I would go back for another check up (to prove me wrong).

Meanwhile I saw the naturopath near Cairns and I had the thermal imaging and her diagnosis was that I had medium grade level of developing pre-cancer. So she worked on the areas where my body was weak. She also suggested I see a chiropractor who referred me to another naturopath who is also an energetic healer. I saw her on a weekly basis. This allowed work to be done at a different level and she also told me about CISS where I started attending the meetings. CISS to me is a group that nurtures those who dare to be different and have an open mind to what a difference one can make when dealing with cancer using alternative therapies. The information one can gain at the meetings is truly amazing. Thank you soo much, especially to Don & Susie Benjamin.

I was having a hard time dealing with the medical side but continued to go to the doctors as the naturopaths recommended because they thought that the medical diagnosis would be useful alongside their treatment. I then made an appointment with a GP in Sydney who works using herbs and other alternative forms of treatment. Because she is a medical doctor, she has a clear understanding of the medical approach and terminology. She started me on a six-week program of herbal remedies specifically for cervical cancer. With her treatment it was necessary to continue having pap smears before and after the course of treatment to gauge if there was any change in my condition.

This was easier said than done because whenever a GP would do a pap smear, my results were always abnormal which sent alarm bells ringing. It seems as though amongst the GPs there is some kind of database they use because after having a pap smear my phone would ring like crazy. All the previous GPs I had seen called accusing me of being negligent. By ‘negligent’ they meant that I had not followed their prescribed form of treatment. Because of the abnormal results after the 6 weeks treatment, my GP suggested I go back to the Professor for a check-up.

He booked me in for a biopsy but was dissatisfied with the results stating they did not take a big enough biopsy and booked me in for the second biopsy and a CT scan. After the scan I was told I had lumps in my breast and possibly cancer in my liver. It was starting to get ridiculous. I had previously had acupuncture for the lumps in my breast and knew it was not a concern, but they would not take my word for it. It gets to a point where you are made to feel you no longer own your own body. They were trying to find ways of scaring me into doing what they wanted. About a week after the second biopsy I started to clot and bleed very heavily. I had to go to Emergency at the hospital as I was losing a lot of blood and becoming weak. The bleeding was a result of the biopsy and with great difficulty they managed to control it.

I later received a letter from the Professor recommending I have a hysterectomy which possibly would be life threatening as I could bleed to death during the operation. I was also booked for a biopsy on my breast which I managed to talk my way out of with the specialist on the day and only had a tiny sample taken with a small syringe. There was no cancer in my breast, something I already knew.

I made an appointment with the Professor to clarify what he had written in the letter he sent me, and the seriousness of having the hysterectomy. Ultimately he tried to scare me to death literally and downplayed the risk factors. Even though the professor never conclusively found there was cancer, I decided with the advice of my GP to have a hysterectomy as a precautionary measure.

According to the Professor apparently I “no longer have cancer and the chances of it recurring are almost impossible”.
I feel so fortunate to have achieved such a positive outcome. Not knowing what’s around the corner we can but continue on our journey doing our best. As my sister would say, “It’s the process not the end result that counts”.

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