Yesterday my neighbor told me that her brother died. He was diagnosed with multiple myeloma about a year after me. I had been giving advice and what support I could, but he was being treated at Johns Hopkins and so was on a different course of treatment. His case was not as advanced as mine and he was in remission when he suddenly died. The day before he died it was discovered that the cancer had gone to his liver.

There is no doubt that if I had stayed here in Ashland with the treatment that was offered to me, this body would also be long dead. Along with the prayers of healing and so much love pouring in from so many dear hearts, I also owe this body’s life to my doctor, Bart Barlogie, the head of the Myeloma Institute and the experimental protocol that I am in. I was introduced to Bart by a member of our sangha, a Boulder oncologist, Jeremy (Kabir) Geffen.

In July I will have completed year two of the three-year protocol. Each month my cancer markers get better. According to the statistics most people who have this disease die in the first three years. Bart has turned that around and in his protocol most are alive after three years.

Bart has pioneered many treatments that are now going mainstream. He implemented tandem stem cell transplants and proved their efficaciousness. He is also a pioneer in patient care. I was able to do my two stem cell transplants on an outpatient basis. I can’t tell you what a difference it makes to not spend weeks in a hospital bed as most stem cell transplant patients still do. When Bart first started the program an the University of Arkansas Medical School, because he did not approve of the way the nurses had been trained, he arranged for nurses to travel to the patient’s hotel rooms to do the blood work. This is a service that is still available for those patients staying close to the hospital.

The regime of chemotherapy is harsh on the body and produces some unpleasant side effects. Instead of wasting away, one of my meds actually bloats the body, and at times I would gain 12 pounds in three days. This led to congestive heart failure but it cleared up nicely. Bart has modulated my chemo and it is now in a tolerable range.

I have had immense support from other modalities as well. Acupuncture and herbs have really helped to support the body. My herbalist, Donnie Yance, is a specialist in working with cancer and herbs and has developed his own protocols which are very effective. However, we were shocked to learn last month that green tea actually blocks the effects of Velcade, one of the new chemotherapies that I get injected weekly. I have been a strong green tea drinker since the 1970’s, and it was a shock to find that I have been blocking this treatment for a year.

Many people have been so kind in offering me access to different healers. By chance last year I wandered in to a healing circle being led by a shaman woman from the Amazon. I drank an extremely powerful herbal potion with the group and had a group healing. It was very deep and profound.

I am so deeply grateful for everyone. I am grateful to be alive. Each moment is precious. It is all Guru’s grace.