An article by Pamela Paul in the New York Times on October 6, 2023 entitled It Takes a Lifetime to Survive Childhood Cancer inspired me to use my skills to help children living with cancer and their families cope with their diagnosis.
I am a father of a child who survived childhood cancer. He is now 54, thriving in good health, married and has a 4 ½ year old daughter, Ada – the light of my life.
When Micah was seven years old, he was diagnosed with metastatic Wilm’s tumor (a cancer of the kidney) which had metastasized to his lungs.
I rallied support by connecting with alternative medicine practitioners who I knew. I was directed to the Gladman Institute in Oakland, California and Dr. Sheldon Ruderman, who played a major role in Micah’s recovery.
While Micah was hospitalized, I taught him how to use relaxation and visualization to get in touch with his cancer. These visualizations came out of my training with Father Eli who taught me his healing methods.
When Micah got out of the hospital, he began working with Dr. Ruderman using what we now call “mind stories,” which are similar to the visualizations that I taught Micah.
Micah was scheduled for 16 doses of chemotherapy as well as radiation. After two or three doses of chemo, Micah was so frail that we stopped. His oncologist agreed with our decision.
Dr. Ruderman continued to do “mind stories” with Micah for many months. He was experiencing his healing by the time he was eight.
When Micah was eleven, the doctor said to me, “We weren’t saving many children back then [1976]. Your son made medical history by surviving the Wilm’s tumor.”
Micah went on to sing his way through and graduate from Stanford University. He is now 54. He has not had a single recurrence of the cancer.
If you find this story hard to believe, please just scroll down and watch the video.
How can I be of help to you and your children?
I can offer my experience in the following areas …
- Being an advocate for the parents and children
- Dealing with emotional and spiritual issues that come up
- Exploring diet, supplements, and herbs
- Looking into alternative treatment modalities
- Learning how mindfulness and being present can make the journey easier
- Reaching out to friends, family, and support from recognized healing groups
- Having clear conversations with the medical team
- Harnessing your own intuition
Support will take place both in person and online via zoom or other services.