Another week.....

Sitting on the stall is always a good time to update you all with Amanda's progress, and what's been happening during the week.

We were at The Penny Brohn Cancer Care Centre on Wednesday, not much to tell this time. It was a short visit. Amanda had her Shiatsu Massage at 9.30am, then a guided group meditation before lunch. It was nice to see her painting still on the wall in the art room, they obviously appreciated it and found the message thoughtful...'Trust in you heart it will show you the way'. There was more, but my memory is rubbish.... Argh! Where am I!!? At lunch time Amanda invited a lady who'd been on the group meditation to sit join us at our little table for two. The lady had suffered bowel cancer a little over 5 years ago. She felt
 she'd been pushed by her family into going down the chemo route, and reckoned all the pressure from back then, along with the effects of the treatment still affect her deep down to this day, mentally and physically. She was very against any type of heavy medications, so chemotherapy went against everything she believed in. There is that pressure though, and anyone that has ever been diagnosed with cancer, and have then decided to look into alternative treatments will have suffered it. Oncologists, Doctors, Surgeons, Nurses, and worst of all family and friends, the people whose opinions do matter, because you know in your heart that all they want is for you to be well. But the little knowledge they have (no offence!) (none taken....) (ah, thank you x), having not actually investigated what chemotherapy actually does, how it works, how it poisons the human body in its entirety over the long term, decimating the immune system, and how radiation from radiotherapy treatment affects the body, and how hormone treatments shake up the bodies balance of natural hormones, their lovely heart felt concerns and opinions have to be taken on board, but more often than not, respectfully left to the side..... As humans we should all make our own choices, unless we do not have the desire to do so, and feel that outside guidance is necessary. Yes these choices should only be made after thorough research, and much reading, but then you are free in your own mind to draw conclusions based upon what you have read, what results have been achieved over what lengths of time. You can cherry pick the parts that you feel are relevant to you and your condition, therefore choosing not be treated with the modern medical professions blanket style approach and half hearted attempts at treating cancer, with drugs that have been more proven not to work than work! For this reason our lovely lunch partner had regrets.

Amanda did become incredibly fed-up of her rigid regime this week, last week too, but I do feel she needs to be doing something massively positive as far as diet and mind goes. I managed to juice and work the week away, and on my day off (Friday), when the organic fruit and veg arrived, Amanda took over after the first 4 juices, and then did all the food preparation for the rest of the day..... I LOVE FRIDAYS!!! Ha ha! It's just a nice break from the monotony of it all. Strangely Amanda enjoyed yesterday, knowing she had to just get on with it. Though I am a control freak in the kitchen, and when I do nip back in to grab a drink or what not, I always have to interfere, I can't seem to help it. I then demonstrate to Amanda how to do things my way, the more efficient way, 'the right way!' Ha ha! Sorry sweetheart, I'm terrible..... Though saying that, my way is generally better, I guarantee x.... Good Golly, now I've opened a can or worms..... I just want to clarify, if I did open a can or worms, it would be done outside, not in the kitchen - to be honest, worms don't generally come in tins, they are usually in plastic tubs, or small sacks..... if I was opening a sack of worms.... I may open it in that kitchen! Ha ha!

Again this week, Amanda was riddled with guilt about the days during the week where I did everything due to her feeling exhausted, or a bit under the weather emotionally. I wish I could suck the guilt out of her, filling my lungs to capacity, then powerfully exhale with a mouthful of paraffin, igniting it with a burning torch, in a fire breathing, guilt exploding display of oral fireworks (I know what your thinking, when I mention about oral fireworks! But my Mum reads this too, so please give your minds a thorough washing down - FILTHY PEOPLE!).

She tells me this isn't what I signed up for when I married her, but as I told her this week, she was mad as a bag of cats when I met her, so I knew well a marriage to Amanda would hold many, many interesting challenges. If it hadn't been cancer, no doubt it would have been something else far stranger. At least we could study cancer, current treatments etc and then change the lay of our own land..... which we've took very literally, you only have to look at our back garden, riddled with various strains of lettuce and swiss chard!

As I keep telling her I don't do this because I feel I have too, I do it because I want to see her back to full health..... I wouldn't care what I had to do, how long it took or how 'inconvenient' it was, it simply wouldn't matter. Gerson Therapy for as long as it takes suits me, as long as it suits Amanda.

One feeling I do get when I hear her friends talking with her, is as if the Gerson Therapy is just some sort of diet, like 'WeightWatchers' or 'The GI diet'. I wish it was. If you have a cake or a few sneaky glasses of wine on WeightWatchers it's fine, you may gain a few pounds. But with the processed sugar in cake and alcohol, this could lead to a cancer feeding situation in Amanda's body, not too mention the incredible increase in oestrogen levels caused by the alcohol..... Further fuel to the fire.

Many not thought out offhand comments almost disregard the Gerson Therapy as simply insane, as they have read nothing about it, or if they have, very little. There are thousands of cases of cancer cured via this treatment, this strict daily round the clock, juicing and irrigating regime. Many people given the option would not be strong enough to do it, could not be committed enough, may not have the support necessary. Given the option of a flush of poison once every 3 to 4 weeks over a course of 4 months that may kill cancer cells, whilst simultaneously wiping out your immune system, digestive system and bone marrow, along with a few aesthetically pleasing elements, such as hair and nails, still seems a hell of a lot more manageable to most than turning their lives on their heads to follow an inflexible regimented daily treatment monitored by your own personal practitioner every four weeks. Every single day from 6.30am until.... the last juice between 7 or 8pm, and the last enema which could be as late as 11pm. 7 days a week.... Now that's tough. You have to be a certain type of person to follow such a regime, you have to really want it. What is the 'it'? Well that's simple, it's Life.

I think Amanda deserves a huge amount of respect for what she is doing, not for the courage to knock back the offer of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, that's just based on statistics, medical papers, in-depth reading and studies and finally a chat with an oncologist. Not for choosing something that has a proven track record in curing cancer over 50 years, whilst causing as little damage to the human body along the way as possible, but for choosing the one course of treatment that in my mind is the toughest path, all encompassing of your time, and much of your partners time. There were other choices, simple total raw organic diets with various supplements, easier routes and whilst these routes have their success stories, they do not have the track record of the Gerson Clinic's in Mexico, the US and Hungary. Amanda knew this would be an incredibly tough path for her, she despises having to adhere to a routine..... Throw in the word 'regimented' and you have Amanda's worst daily scheduled living nightmare.

But as we've discussed previously it's all good an well sticking to the regime, but if you can't get your mind to rest, be at peace with yourself, you are still affecting your immune system in a very negative way. Whilst Amanda has the strength the follow the regime, which she can control with my help, it's far harder to get control of your own mind if you have ever suffered from depression or suffered awfully traumatic experiences in your life, which still haunt the recesses of your mind. Anxiety is one such loss of mental control. She continues to work at this, but it's a long road, and it's all up bloody hill.

Stay strong love, you will get there. xxx

Everyday you still manage to amaze me Amanda, I'm so proud of how you're carrying yourself through all this. Whilst muted whispers, mumbles and rolled eyes about the 'insane alternative approach' fill the air, we are happy in our knowledge, we have read, we know what can and will be achieved by following this treatment. I'm expecting to avoid all chronic illnesses based on my new organic vegan (ish) diet. I'll probably live until I'm 120! Ha ha!