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You can learn more about the challenge and sign up at rawfu.com
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July 2008
A Day in the Life: A visit to the Oncologist by Debbie Young
Today we're going to give the WLIR stage to one of our favorite bloggers, Mrs. Debbie Young.
Debbie is a 49 year old work-at-home mom to 3 kids, a freelance journalist, and a full time online community organizer. In April 2007 Debbie was diagnosed with Chronic Lymphoctytic Leukemia, a chronic form of Leukemia tracked by the rise in the white blood cell count.
When Debbie first got sent to the oncologist, her count was 14,000 (normal is less than 10K) then the count quickly went to 17,000 and hit a high of 29,000 just seven months ago. Four months ago, after the successful implementation of a raw food diet, it fell to 16,000.
Debbie blogs regularly at debbiedoesraw.blogspot.com and today she's joining us here on WLIR to 1) talk about what a day in the life of a visit to an oncologist looks like and 2) share some more great news about her white blood cell count.
A Day in the Life: A Visit to the Oncologist
Today was my check up with my oncologist, routine but really, is there anything routine about going to the oncologist? I always try and prepare myself, sort of make a plan of how it will go, how I will act with the Dr and the nurse, trying all the while to stop staring at the enormous elephant in the living room that is my white blood cell count. I have CLL, also known as chronic lymphoctytic leukemia. In an attempt to heal myself and achieve optimum health, for the last 8 months I have been a raw vegan, cutting out all dairy, meat, processed food and refined sugars out of my diet.
When I was diagnosed, I had no symptoms other than a white blood count of 14,000 (normal is 4-10K), that rose to a height of 29,000 7 months ago. Four months ago, it fell to 16,000, less then when I had my harrowing encounter with a giant needle to get a bone marrow biopsy on April 4th 2007. I drink green juice daily, love my green smoothies, eat tons of veggies, some fruit, lots of almonds, hemp seed, spirulina and a few food based supplements. So the litmus test of my lifestyle is the onc visit and blood test.
Here is how I roll:
I woke up at 5:45am, decided that is as good a time as any to get up, I don't use an alarm. Dry Brush my bod and face all over, brush my teeth, do the morning ritual. Wanted to meditate with Rodney Yee, but Sam is sleeping on the couch in the room I use,so I head downstairs and outside. A cool breeze is moving around and the swing beckons.
Make a quick cupa pomegranate green tea , consult with Dali Lama's entry for July 2nd:
'....there is an Indian saying: if you are struck by a poisonous arrow,it is important first to pull it out. There is no time to ask who shot it, what sort of poison it is and so on....similarly, when we encounter human suffering, it is important to respond with compassion rather than question the politics of those we help.' Or question ourselves too much, I am tempted to add.
Malcolm the Wonder Dog
Get boy wonder Malcolm and cross the wet grass to sit zazen on the swinging bench, apropos no? Once there, make the intention to slow down my breath, work on gratitude a bit, then move on to forgiveness, which gets easier and easier every day. Take a minute to think of all the blessing that I have in my life and how I want this appointment to go. I also think that for a moment my Mom might actually have come back as my dog but cross that off as not really probable.
My Life Line aka my email inbox
Time to check email, update my Crazy Sexy Life
folks, thank everyone for pulling and praying for me, I can actually
feel the love coming out of my computer! Go to my favorite raw food
blogs, check out WLIR, GI2MR, leave some comments, spread some love around the joint.
Morning crazies ensue, then the doorbell rings, postman brings a
special delivery from Leenda, filled with love and laughter, incense, a
bike horn, a beautiful necklace that I don immediately, it says "Live
Light" perfect, just what I needed.
The Box of Love from Lovely Leenda:)
Time to juice green, get that plant blood in the old bloodstream.
The Magic Maker: My Omega Juicer
I gather my ammo: aka reading Material, currently loving David Sedaris 'When You Are Engulfed in Flames." Makes me laugh every page, love him and his crazy life.
Double your pleasure, double your fun bike
Choose Your Wardrobe Carefully When Discussing Cancer
Ready to Face the Music ie: Get my Butt on the Bike and see the Dr.
I hop on my bike and get my butt over to the office. I feel free when I ride, like a teenager again, jumping curbs, cutting corners, just plain having fun.
I sign in, sit and ................ wait............................ and then have an insurance issue, clear it up, pay copay and ......................... wait some more .............. trying to read, aware that I look like a crazy bag lady with my backpack, helmet, bike bag, camera, all fumbling all over ........... and I read David Sedaris, he is trying to quit smoking in Japan ........... can't focus............. waiting.............. wait impatiently, consider taking a picture of the waiting room but honor the privacy of the innocent bystanders ............. and finally my name is called. I joke with the nurse that my blood pressure might be high after this, waiting 45 minutes to get to see her. Weight: 126 (same as when I was 16), BP 110/70, pulse 72, temp. 96, mind: calming down and getting ready to ..................... wait....................... this time in the room.
My Dr arrives, asks if there are changes. I say I feel great, I rode my bike over here, like perhaps he thinks that my helmet is just a rouse, a cunning way to fool him into declaring me healthy.
Continue reading "A Day in the Life: A visit to the Oncologist by Debbie Young" »
The Walk to End Walking NYC, a call for speakers
One of the challenges with our allopathic medical culture is the lack of action an individual can take to improve the health of others. If your child has autism or your sister has cancer, you are generally left with two options:
- Spread the message about early detection
- Host a fundraiser or walkathon to help provide money for research
Great intentions, but billions of dollars and t-shirts later, are we really any closer to getting to the root cause of disease?
Here is an event that is here to change the game.
Preventative holistic healthcare, not the walkathon, is the best response to chronic disease in our culture.
On Sunday September 14th, in Tompkins Square Park NYC, a collective of health educators, celebrities and organizations are getting together to host an event to end all walks.
The day will be filled with lectures, meditation sessions, food, vendor booths, music and dancing.
The organizing team, which is lead by Alexander I.B. of SanaVita and EMU, is finalizing the list of speakers for the day and is interested in having the raw food community represented. Many of us will be at Raw Spirit Festival, but if you're not going this will be a fantastic local event that will provide tons of press and exposure.
If you're interested in more info shoot Alexandar an email at alexandar [at] sanavita [dot] org and tell him that WLIR sent you.
And if you interested in attending we'll be sure to provide more updates on The Walk to End Walking as the date get's closer.
The Naked Truth
Here is my predicament…
I have lost more weight than anyone I personally know, raw or otherwise.
I am in uncharted territory when it comes to comparing notes with others.
Besides my friend Angela Stokes, who can relate, whom can I talk to?
These are the thoughts that go through my head as I decide to peel back the layers of the onion of my life, only to reveal nothingness in the end. Stillness.
What does it mean to live an authentic and transparent life?
Transparency
A friend challenged me the other day when I mentioned that I deleted an unconscious comment that was left on one of my YouTube videos. In my mind it was a comment that wouldn’t have benefited anyone, but then again - was I hiding? Is only allowing the “pleasant” things being authentic, being transparent?
Why not expose it all?
What is there to loose, except my ego?
As I keep taking bolder and bolder steps into my future I keep finding the light at the end of the tunnel just keeps getting more brilliant, more beautiful, and even more mesmerizing as I bask in the peace of knowing that everything is just the way it is suppose to be, in this moment. Now don’t get me wrong, sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel feels like an oncoming train, where breathing seems laborious and thoughts of stillness seem as far away as the completion date of my autobiography. But in the words of my mother, “this too shall pass.”
Another Onion Peel
# 1 question everyone wants to ask but is always afraid to:
What about weight loss and saggy skin?
Skin
I would imagine that anyone that loses 100 lbs, no less 200 pounds, is going to experience a little bit of saggy skin issues at some point in time. Whether it's your arms, legs, stomach, or even your face, it’s real.
What to do what to do? I remember when I first found out about raw I emailed a bunch of the experts and they were all very encouraging for me to jump in, 100%. I was so worried about what I would look like if I lost the 200 lbs I needed to lose. Worry. I was more worried about my “image” than I was about LIVING! At 400 lbs you’re not vibrant, you’re barely alive. Crazy how the image of movie stars with chiseled abs had such an impact on me that I almost considered not going raw unless I was going to be “perfect.”
Perfect. What is that? Perfect according to others? Perfectly beautiful just the way you are? If I had chosen to fall victim to that perfection you wouldn’t have ever met me. I might be already dead.
See my before pics for proof.
Do I have saggy skin? Some. Most of the extra skin is around my stomach area, and some under my arms, and around my upper thighs. But its not really that noticeable, doesn’t bother me, and in the end… who really cares? I am working on it. Skin brushing, MSM, working out, blah blah blah. You know the routine.
Check out my latest blog about my interview with Revvell of Rawkin Radio, where we go into this subject a bit more.
Honestly though, this post is less about my skin and more about a challenge - a casting of a gauntlet so to speak...
What do you need to let go of?
My words are my liberation, that is why I blog so freely.
Do you have an outlet?
Are you stuck in your comfort zone or are you challenging yourself to grow?
Either way please share, comment, and let me know.
Your words will set someone else free.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
Be a Liberator,
Philip
