Learn to Meditate and Help Me Transform Cancer

A few months ago I was diagnosed with Stage 4 esophageal cancer. Even with radiation and/or chemotherapy treatments the doctors offer me no hope for a cure.

Knowing that many people with similar diagnoses have used a variety of alternative therapies to defy their doctors' expectations, it was an easy choice to seek them out. I found a Doctor of Chinese Medicine specializing in cancer, and a local naturopath who could administer intravenous vitamin C and hydrogen peroxide treatments. My partner Tara treats me with acupuncture and BodyTalk, and two osteopaths, Paul and Dianne, have also provided invaluable care. With all these caring and competent people around me I feel truly blessed and have hope for a full recovery.

In the meantime, I have had to stop work. I had been unable to eat solid foods for some time but the tumour has grown so large I was eventually unable to swallow liquids and I lost an alarming 75 pounds. The surgical installation of a PEG tube which allows me to inject liquid nourishment directly into my stomach improved things, but recovering from the surgery has taken a lot out of me.

I have received a tremendous amount of support from family and friends, and my practitioners have reduced or even waived their fees. I have applied for sickness benefits from EI and CPP but the financial realities - both regular bills and the cost of the alternative treatments - are starting to get ahead of me.

I know many people who have launched internet campaigns to receive donations to help them out in similar situations, but I don't really want to ask people to just give me money. I would rather give people a fair exchange on something they can use than ask for a handout. So I came up with another idea.

For some time now I have made teaching meditation a personal mission. Daily meditation has improved my life immeasurably and for the past several years I have been offering classes locally. A few years ago I set up a website offering free instructions and last year I launched an iPhone/iPad/iPod app to help people make meditation part of their daily routine.

In order to address the challenges I now face I decided to invite people to visit my meditation website to purchase the app, or make use of the Instruction Pages (which are the same as those on the app) and express their appreciation using the PayPal 'Donate' button.

If you are interested in supporting me on my journey please pass this along to anyone you know who would like to be part of this.

Go to TamingtheMindMonkey.blogspot.ca or TransformingCancer.blogspot.ca to learn more and participate. A link to the app and to my PayPal account can be found on the right hand side of both webpages.

Thank you,

Andrew Epplett

Improving the Mass Transit Experience

This was sent to the Toronto Transit Commission via their on-line 'TTC Service Complaint/Suggestion Form':

Are you interested in improving the TTC passenger experience?

I have a suggestion for how you could improve the conditions for passengers for very little cost, and put the TTC at the forefront of social innovation.

Traveling is stressful, but the TTC could make it make it less stressful and improve the conditions for passengers and TTC workers alike with a very simple media campaign. Just put up posters in your subway trains, buses, streetcars and waiting areas with instructions on how to "meditate while-u-wait". It could be accompanied by a simple TV campaign with instructions on how to meditate, explaining how meditating on the TTC will improve your passengers' travel experience, and also how this improvement will be felt in other parts of their lives.

Please contact me if you would like more information on how to implement such a campaign.

Sincerely,

Andrew Epplett

Meditation in Airports

This letter is addressed to the GTAA's Customer Service Department, its Board of Directors and the Executive Team.

To whom it may concern:

Last year I remember reading that Pearson International was rated by travellers as one of the worst airports in the world. Please let me offer some advice on how to improve this opinion, and maybe even save the GTAA some operating costs.

This past month, as I was waiting for a flight out of Terminal 3, I was reminded of how ridiculous it is to have televisions in your waiting areas. Here are three reasons why you should consider removing them:

First of all, the last thing anyone wants to do while waiting for a plane is watch television.

Secondly, most people in waiting areas are absorbed by their own electronic devices and the noise from the televisions are nothing less than a nuisance.

Thirdly, when people are travelling they want LESS noise not more. The ambient noise levels in your waiting areas don't need the added chatter of newscasters blathering away in the background, delivering what is mostly bad news. If you were to take the time to observe what goes on in your waiting areas, I think you'll find that few people, if any, sit down adjacent to the televisions to watch them. If you were to do a poll, I'd bet you'd find most people are either indifferent to them, or would approve of their removal.

I would like to suggest that you remove the TVs, cancel your cable subscription, and take the waiting areas in another direction: silence.

Noise is stressful. Travel is stressful, for passengers and airport/airline workers alike. The stress levels most people are subjected to in an airport setting makes the whole travel experience a lot less enjoyable than it can be. Why not address these stress levels in a constructive way which will benefit not just the travellers but everyone who has to work at the airport?

I suggest you create noise-free zones, where electronic media are discouraged or wi-fi isn't even available, where people can sit and relax. You could even put up posters teaching people how to meditate (click here for details on how to Meditate While-U-Wait).

I cannot say exactly what kind of financial savings these changes would offer you, but I would be willing to bet you would not only save money, but also improve your standing with travellers and improve the airport's working conditions.

Sincerely,

Andrew Epplett

Another source of inspiration

Goldie Hawn is best known for making people laugh. Her investigation into what happiness is and its benefits to the health of the human brain led to her creating The Hawn Foundation which has a curriculum for schools to make children happy, help them learn better, and create a better world in general. It's called Mind Up. Watch the video to learn more.

The David Lynch Foundation

This is the video which first got me interested in teaching meditation to school-aged kids.