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
