Testimonials

My Experience With A Cancer Healing Circle

When I first learned that I had breast cancer in August 2014, it was quite a shock. After all, I felt great.  Even though I’m a woman over 60, I never saw myself as being at risk for breast cancer. But there it was, and so I had to deal with it.

Fortunately, the cancer was caught early and it was treatable. But I felt very overwhelmed. My doctors were recommending chemotherapy, radiation, lumpectomy, Herceptin and Arimidex. They each took time in their offices explaining what those treatments were, the possible side effects and why they were needed, but it was a lot of information to synthesize at once. Then there was trying to understand the pathology report. I was trying to wrap my mind around so many new medical terms and possible treatments. On top of that, it seemed I’d be in treatment for a lot of months. I was feeling more angst.

Soon after I received my treatment plan Dr. Saputo, my holistic internist, suggested that we have a healing circle with all of my doctors so that I could hear an open discussion between them all in one place. It would be an opportunity for me to ask questions of each doctor, and to hear responses from the other doctors. My oncologist, radiation oncologist and holistic doctor were all invited, as were two other holistic practitioners. It was quite a mix of professional opinions. I was anxious to listen to the different perspectives.

Attending my healing circle was a unique experience. When we all sat down together I felt a lot of caring in the room. These doctors were there to help me understand the treatments being recommended. They were each volunteering two hours of their time to me and charging nothing for it. I still felt overwhelmed by my situation, but I was really touched by the level of support I was receiving.

My oncology doctors talked about the benefits and side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. They quoted some statistics of how much reduced risk each treatment provided. One of the holistic providers offered a concept that each treatment is like buying an insurance policy that reduces the risk of the cancer recurring. Chemotherapy, for example, reduces the risk of the cancer coming back in another part of the body. Radiation reduces the risk of the cancer coming back locally in the same breast. Herceptin is a drug that reduces the chance that a protein called HER2 will cause the cancer to be more aggressive. Arimidex takes estrogen out of the body so that it won’t feed the cancer. Of course, like other insurance, there are no guarantees. Even with all treatments, the cancer can sometimes comes back. But with treatment there is a reduced risk.

Further discussion followed about increased risk to health and well-being that also comes with the cancer treatments. Some of the side effects are very harsh and can be long-term or even permanent. It’s hard to predict which side effects a given patient will have, or how intolerable the side effects might be.

My holistic doctor described complementary therapies that might decrease the toxicity from chemotherapy, radiation and Herceptin. Although I wasn’t looking forward to more treatment, this sounded like a good idea to me. I was concerned about the inevitable toxic load on my body.

The exchange of information at that meeting was very valuable to me. Being able to ask a question and have a professional discussion take place around my question gave me a new perspective that I believe wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. But I think the most important thing I gained from the healing circle was confidence. First of all, confidence that I should go ahead with the recommended treatments. Also, confidence that my doctors were all doing their best for me, even when they disagreed. And finally, confidence in my ability to do whatever was necessary to live through it all.

JP 1.22.2015

One afternoon in September 2012, I was napping in the geodesic dome where I lived.  A sudden change in pressure awoke me.  A tornado was coming directly toward my home.  The tornado uprooted a huge, healthy tree and dropped it directly on top of the dome, crushing it. The tree and the dome came down on top of me.  I was trapped beneath the wreckage, pinned in such a way that only my feet and left hand could move.  The frame  drum I’d been playing earlier that day created a two inch stop gap near my face through which I was able to breathe.   

My landmate came out in the storm, calling for me, but couldn’t hear my screams for help amidst the pouring rain and layers of debris surrounding me.  Finally, she heard me and called 911.  I had no I idea if I would survive.  I was fully trapped and knew in any moment any shifting limbs or debris could crush me.

The Emergency Response team arrived and began shouting to me.  It was precarious for them to attempt to rescue me, because each movement created risk.  They eventually chain-sawed through the tree and wreckage of my home.  After what may have been thirty five or forty minutes, they pulled me out.  Once they determined that I was able to hold myself upright, I refused to get on the stretcher.  I insisted on walking to the ambulance.

Each step I took felt like it was emerging from the core of the earth.  I walked past a line of fifteen rescue workers and saw the shock in their eyes – I imagine at the miracle I made it out alive and at the primal state I was in.  

In the weeks after the tornado, I vascillated between exhilaration at the gift of life and the panic of a wholly destabilized nervous system.  While there were no obvious broken bones or internal injuries, I experienced episodic paralysis and involuntary movements of my limbs, particularly in my hands and feet.  They would spasm or become stuck in various positions. My mobility changed dramatically.  Before the tornado, I practiced yoga six days a week and danced three times a week.  I attempted to practice yoga, but was unable to straighten my arms or legs and found dancing difficult.  In the years after the tornado, my mobility continued to decrease.  I worked regularly with a network chiropractor, an osteopath and  an acupuncturist, but still by January 2015, I had trouble walking more than a few blocks and needed to use a wheelchair to navigate airports and large stores.  On my 39th birthday in March 2015, I couldn’t get up off the floor of my home.  It became common for friends to bring my food as even a trip to the grocery store was more effort than my body could make.   In addition to a lack of mobility and a feeling of extreme heaviness in my lower body, I began to experience peripheral neuropathy. 

A podiatrist referred me to Dr. Saputo in July 2015.  After meeting with me, he anticipated I would need significant bloodwork and neurological testing and suspected MS.  Before running these tests, Dr. Saputo introduced me to photonic stimulation. I went from barely being able to stand and having extreme trouble walking even down a hallway, to being able to move with balance, grace and presence, even after the first thirty minute treatment.  I returned for treatment the next two days, and by day three, when I needed to fly for work, I was able to easily navigate the airport without a wheel-chair. 

Photonic stimulation has been a miracle treatment for me.  It is resolving the trauma in my system and is bringing my nerves back to life.    After only five treatments, I no longer have pain when I stand or walk, and am able to straighten my knees.  I walk with balance and at a normal speed, which I never imagined I would be able to do again.  I am in awe of the renewed life and possibility the photonic stimulation treatment with Dr. Saputo has given me.  I am dreaming of getting a bike and of returning to yoga and dance in coming months.

TS 9.2015

1. I wanted to thank you for your love and concern for me. This is without question the worst year of my life and I see nothing but a hopeful 2016 and your friendship and care for me has helped me through a most difficult time with both my health and my loss. I just wanted you to know how much it has meant to me. I hope you and your bride are doing well and that you enjoyed your trip!   

MS  12.210