You are in Control

My tribute to Freida Story

I never had the opportunity to meet Freida and I never had the opportunity to talk to her, however, we traveled a very unusual journey together - Cancer!

Freida's brother, Mark Story, was the Worship Director at my church for several years. Mark would tell us about his sister who lived in California and was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007. In February of 2008, after much chemotherapy and radiation therapy, the doctor's told her that she was "cancer-free". In July of 2008 I was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer. In October 2008 Freida was again diagnosed with a rare cancer.   

The both of us with very different cancers, both aggressive, made very different decisions about treatment and did the best we knew how to beat this ugly Cancer. At 55 years of age Freida lost her battle and she is now in the arms of God...Friday, August 5, 2011.

Freida Story was an active single mother of two boys living in Los Gatos California, a small town in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains.  Like most moms she was very busy.  In addition to attending all her children's extracurricular activities, she ran a daycare in her home, directed children's theatre, sang in a local rock band, and on her vacation time led folks on tours all over the world with Queenslander Tours. 

Freida had the most awesome support system to help her through the tough days when she was so sick. I read her blog and I understand that she read mine. I could see her going down gradually and it broke my heart because there was nothing I could do to help her...so I prayed for her and her family every day.

She was such an inspiration to me because she was so active all the time and I could not figure out how she kept going so strong. I knew there must be something wrong with me because I couldn't do it. I could tell that she was a lady with a sense of humor. Every picture you see she is smiling or laughing. Laughing is good for the soul and I understand that she did plenty of that. There is so much I could say but it is hard to know where to begin. I will miss her so much. 

One day she was Disneyland with her family and people kept staring at her, Freida did not wear wigs she wore a scarf or went bareheaded. These are her words from that experience; "...being ignorant in this day and age actually requires more effort than being enlightened.  Regardless of someone's walk in life, we should first try to think of that person as a human being with all the rights a human being has.  The Golden Rule is the answer: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." 

I understand that instead of having a service for her they have planned a "Celebration of Life". Hopefully they will dress in some of her costumes that she wore every summer when she did the Children's Theater. I understand that she has a gigantic wardrobe. Just reading her blog I know that she would not want tears, unless they were tears of joy.

I am sorry that I never met you Freida - I will miss reading your blog postings. 

Dear God - we know that 
"You Are In Control"

The Acid Alkaline Diet

At this point in my life my cancer is not "active". There is no medical reason why this should be so the doctors will not say that I am in remission.

I am being asked a lot of questions about this diet that so far God has allowed to work for me. I cannot answer how it will work for someone else. First of all you can check back on previous posts to see how my progression went.

There are many, many books out there that talk about the Acid/Alkaline diet. I want to tell you that this has not been a diet that I have lost weight on simply because I am more interested in my health at this point and keeping the cancer at arms length.

The books that I chose to buy - 1st was "Alkalize or Die" by Theodore A Baroody, a Christian doctor. 2nd was "The Acid Alkaline Food Guide" by Dr Susan E Brown and Larry Trivieri, Jr.

Both of these books are excellent but I never let them stop me from doing research on the internet. I am avid about finding out everything I can...new information all the time. I check on foods that are good for healing cancer as well as the Alkalize diets. I look for recipes that will work. It is almost like being a vegetarian except that I do eat moderate amounts of chicken, turkey and fish, especially salmon and tuna. In fact, starting out you are a vegetarian...kick start so to speak...then add foods back your favorite foods gradually if you must. I love hamburgers and I do treat myself to one about every six months. I grew up on hot dogs and still love them...one in three years. It is a matter of what do I want more - food that is not good for me, or to be cancer free.

As you can see, I do still eat foods that are all Allkaline. I try to remember each day that this is a 80/20 diet which is very normal for the body.

I check my pH daily, especially if I have eaten a little too much of something that is acid. pH is something you will learn about as you read and research. Oddly enough you cannot get pH strips everywhere. The first time I checked at Vitamin Cottage and they did not have them so I ordered on-line. Then I checked again when I was in there and they had them.

Please feel free to contact me anytime to ask questions. But remember, the key is research, research, research. You must be very committed to this way of eating to be successful. And, read those labels on food. You will be shocked at what is tucked inside those boxes.

Everyone knows someone with cancer...what have we got to lose by trying this diet.  Especially if you want to live. Ask God for His help to keep you or your loved one going in the right direction. I owe all of my success, on this diet, to God.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." "Then you will call upon me, and I will listen to you" "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
Jeremiah 29:11-13

Burned Biscuits

When I was a kid, my Mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my Mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed!

Yet all my dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my Mom and ask me how my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that ugly burned biscuit. He ate every bite of that thing... never made a face nor uttered a word about it!

When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my Mom apologize to my dad for burning the biscuits. And I'll never forget what he said: "Honey, I love burned biscuits every now and then."

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, "Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired. And besides - a little burned biscuit never hurt anyone!"

As I've grown older, I've thought about that many times. Life is full of imperfect things and imperfect people. I'm not the best at hardly anything, and I forget birthdays and anniversaries just like everyone else. But what I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each others faults - and choosing to celebrate each others differences - is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship.

And that's my prayer for you today.... that you will learn to take the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life and lay them at the feet of God. Because in the end, He's the only One who will be able to give you a relationship where a burnt biscuit isn't a deal-breaker!

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle. We could extend this to any relationship. In fact, understanding is the base of any relationship, be it a husband-wife or parent-child or friendship!

"Don't put the key to your happiness in someone else's pocket - keep it in your own."


So, please pass me a biscuit, and yes, the burned one will do just fine.

"Life without God is like an unsharpened pencil - it has no point."


Thank you Jolene for sharing!

One bad toothache

I know that we have all been through our grueling moments at the dentist office but Thursday turned out to be a very different day than what it started out to be.

First of all I wanted the tooth pulled, it’s a molar in the back and causing lots of pain. The dentist wanted to do a root canal (4 roots on a molar) on it to save the tooth since it is attached to a bridge. I asked for the price difference because I don’t have the money to do extensive work. I called back and made an appointment to have the tooth extracted on Thursday morning at 10:20. When I got to the office they hade been trying to call me to change the appointment to 2:30 pm.

Now get this – the dentist had decided to do the root canal at the cost of the extraction. Never heard of this being done before. She just did not want to see me lose this tooth because it is my chewing tooth and I would also loose part of the bridge also.

I went back at 2:30 and she started on the root canal. Then she decided that she was not going to be able to save the tooth after all. Extraction!!! The tooth would not come out…it just kept breaking off because it was so brittle. She literally had to dig each root out…dig, drill, pull…dig, drill, pull…dig, drill, pull…dig, drill, pull! I was doing a lot of talking to God at this point!

It’s Gone! (This is the same tooth that I wrote about around the first of April.) When the dentist was finished after an hour and a half she asked about the red mark on my jaw line. I told her that it was from her grasp on my jaw. She couldn’t believe it and was so sorry.  It was very painful all day Friday but it is much better this morning. Still swollen but no bruising to my surprise.

I have never had a tooth not come out. She said the roots were attached to the bone. Well it is out now and we will be on to something else next month. There is always something new to look forward to.

“Prayer releases the power and wisdom of God into a situation.”

My cousin Betty Kay has been reminiscing on Face Book about the “good ol’ times” when we would get together out in the country where my parents lived. Fourth of July always stands out because we were in the country and it was the perfect place to have a big picnic and shoot lots of fireworks. No Daylight Saving Time back then so it got dark earlier and we were able to shoot off the colorful fireworks…and that is after a day of the noisemakers.

I have been in Denver for fifteen years now and I do not get to see family as often as I would like. I have a family only FB page and that is how I get to keep in touch…with posts and pictures. Love those pictures of nieces, nephews, cousins, their kids and their kids.

The highlight of my days - when I receive a call from cousins saying they are coming through Colorado. Since I have moved to the apartment I don’t have room for people to stay but usually everyone is just passing through on vacation or just traveling. I have had breakfast with Tim and Cindy Robinson on their way back to Texas. And I have had lunch with Jim and Lindy Blessington on their way back to Kansas City. Johanna Schwed has been in Colorado Springs on several occasions on company business and we get a chance to meet for dinner in Castle Rock at least one night while she is here. That is a halfway point for each of us. Sister Jeanne was in Denver for a meeting and I had a chance to go have lunch with her one day before she went back to Omaha. Jackie Ireland and her friend Karen were trying out her new truck and came to Colorado. I was able to have dinner with them at Texas Roadhouse. Just this past week Steve and Julie Schwed stopped by on their way to Pikes Peak. We had time to go to Red Rocks and have dinner at the Morrison Inn. Several days later Tom and Marti Buehler stopped on their way to Kansas City. We got fish and chips from GBs and went over to the lake and had lunch. Each of these visits is only for a couple of hours but it is like a booster shot for me. Sister Johanna and Betty Kay have been out several times and Debbie Jones and Jackie Ireland were out several times while I was still in my condo. Kathy Jo Walker came to Loveland to be with one of her cousins for surgery but we were not able to get together except by phone.

Just remember that I now live a couple of miles off of I-70 and practically everyone uses I-70 while in Colorado. I would love to see as many of you as possible when you are passing through. Please don’t pass me by – time is short.

God Bless each and every one of you and have a safe and Happy 4^th.

JOB - To have or not to have

I was so anxious to go back to work part-time. I was feeling good and I thought I was ready to take on the world. I went over to the Little Sisters of the Poor, located just a couple of blocks from the apartment. Oh yes, I did get a job. I went through orientation…nine hours and did not get finished so I went back the next day an hour and a half before my shift started, Thursday evening. Turned out to be a kitchen job and not a dining room job…guess it sounds better. I worked the next evening, Friday, and I was dragging when I got home. I was off on Saturday evening but went back in on Sunday evening. I must say that it “kicked my butt” – excuse my language but I don’t know how else to put it. I really, truly thought that my back was doing much better. Guess it is until you are on your feet for 4 hours.

On Monday morning I went over and talked to Human Resources. Therese was very understanding and is most concerned about health first. She had me on a weeks schedule to train on the day shift, which is 2 hours longer. I told her there was no way I could do a longer shift and that I really needed to cut back on hours. I do not want to quit but I cannot work night after night. She has changed my schedule to two nights a week, Wednesday evening and Saturday evening. I will try it to see how it works out.

However, I did go ahead and work Monday evening as scheduled and when I got home I was in so much pain that I could not even lay down on my back. I finally had to take a pain pill…that started me itching…so I took another Atarax. At 1:00 am I was still awake so I took another Ativan. I finally went to sleep and slept until 9 am when Laurie called. Could not even figure out how to answer the phone (new). I fixed myself a cup of coffee and fed Ember then I went back in to the bedroom, well it looked so inviting - down I went – I woke up at 1 pm. I could not believe that I slept that long, but I honestly needed it. Hope I can sleep tonight. My coffee was still sitting there - cold!

I noticed that they had a receptionist in the evenings. I told Therese that if she ever had any openings I would really be interested in that. She said that she would talk to sister. Please pray that I can get that position…I think I could handle it much better.

I must say that I am disappointed in myself and my bubble has been burst. When I looked into the mirror I saw this tiger, or lion, that was ready to defeat the world. Now when I look into the mirror I see this little kitten that still needs a lot of care.

I have heard it said, "I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. What I can do, I ought to do. What I ought to do, by the grace of God, I will do." ~Greg Laurie

When I was diagnosed with Cancer in July of 2008, and as I found out it was terminal I knew some but not all of my options. I researched and studied everything on the Internet…every diagnosis. As the days went forward many, many people were giving me suggestions of what to do to cure my cancer. I researched and studied every suggestion that was made. Some were extremely expensive and some were outrageous. Then Rebecca told me about a diet that she heard about…cancer lives in an acid body – it cannot live in an alkaline body. I researched and studied and found that it did make sense to me. 
One of the books that I bought, to help me get started, was Alkalize or Die.

In January of 2009 I decided to try this diet. It was not easy. The pH strips showed that my body was acid...day after day, but I did not give up. I must admit that it was not easy to keep going when I did not think that this was working. The PET scans showed that my cancer had metastasized to another lymph node and my liver. I kept on researching the types of food that I should be eating to prevent cancer. In February 2010 I had another PET scan to see how far the cancer had metastasized. When I received the phone call from my oncologist and he said that my cancer was not active I finally realized the diet was working. It has been over a year now that my cancer has not been active. The doctors are scratching their heads. I give all the credit to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Since posting the very simplified article last month, Alkaline Diet for Cancer: Cancer Cells Cannot Survive In an Alkaline Environment, I have had numerous questions. I welcome the questions but I can only answer them from my perspective and how it has changed my diagnosis as well as my life. This is something everyone should research and study to see how it will work for them. You have to research and read everything you can so that you know which foods are acid and which foods are alkaline. You would normally think that all fruits are acid, when in fact they are alkaline foods. Even today I still get on the Internet and find out all the information that I can...which foods are best and which foods I should eat daily.

As I look back on my life after I moved to Denver I have come to the realization that 95% of the time I was eating fast food and unhealthy snacks, I was not cooking for myself. Now, I seldom have fast food, red meat, bread or anything containing white flour and/or sugar. I find that I do like vegetables and fruits. That is not to say I never have ice cream, a roll, cake, even potato chips. I use the pH strips daily to make sure that my body stays alkaline. My will power for sweets is not as strong as it should be and I do indulge on occasion – still love that chocolate.

"Every good and perfect gift that comes to you originates with God. Sometimes his gifts come wrapped in a human voice or message. Treasure them all as personal presents of encouragement."

"One day at a time Sweet Jesus"

For those of you who have followed my cancer journey since 2008 you know that I should not even be here now. I give all the praise and glory to God my Father. My endometrial cancer was an aggressive rare type. They could not reach the para-aortic lymph node during surgery. I did start chemotherapy but I had an extreme adverse reaction to it. PET scan showed that the chemo did not get to the lymph node and I never took the sixth treatment. I did meet with the radiologist but it turns out they could not reach the lymph node either because of its location. Also, I would have additional side effects that would last the rest of my life. I chose not to do that and to live the rest of my life with quality and not quantity of days that I had left.

Around the first of the year in 2009 I decided to change my diet and went with the Alkaline-Acid diet. It was a whole new way of eating for me and it did take some getting used to. No – in no way did I give up all of my favorite foods, but I did learn to like and appreciate vegetables and fruits more. I still have that big beautiful piece of cake on occasion. I continued to have PET scans every six months only to find that the cancer had moved to another lymph node and to my liver. All the doctors said they would support me in my decision not to do treatment for the endometrial cancer.

It was not until my PET scan in February of 2010 that the doctor said that my cancer was no longer active. They did not know why and questioned me on alternative medicines that I might be doing. My PET scan in May of 2011 still shows there is no active cancer. I will never take the credit away from God Almighty. He alone put this diet in front of me and gave me the will to stick with it when it did not look like it was working.

The breast cancer is another thing. It was there from the start of my cancer journey in 2008, but it did not look bad enough to worry with until after the endometrial cancer was under control - it was the aggressive cancer. I decided not have a mastectomy as long as the endometrial cancer was metastasizing. On the PET scan there was still a shadow on the breast that they diagnosed as “undetermined” after all this time. I went ahead with the mastectomy in June 2010 only to find that it also had metastasized to the lymph node under my arm.

Recently I decided that perhaps I would like to have breast reconstruction if I was a candidate. I met with the plastic surgeon and he verified that I am not a candidate and that he would not do surgery on someone who is on Coumadin. It turns out that breast reconstruction is a yearlong procedure and it is not without complications. He said that it would be a terrible risk to keep taking me on and off the Coumadin. So I will be content with what I have and thank God every day that I have my life.

Yes, I believe in Miracles and I do consider myself a survivor at this time in my life.

 I do not want to wait five years to say the words - 
"I am a survivor".  

I will keep praying to my God and take it -

“One day at a time, sweet Jesus” 

Alkaline Diet for Cancer: Cancer Cells Cannot Survive In an Alkaline Environment

Maintaining a diet that promotes an alkaline pH within the body is good protection against cancer. When a person eats this kind of diet, the natural pH balance will lean more towards the alkaline side of the scale, instead of the acid level of the scale.

Unfortunately, all too often a person’s pH tends to be too acidic, making a good alkaline cancer treatment even more important. Many people believe that an alkaline pH can not only protect the body against cancer, but can even help to cure it once it has developed.

What is an Alkaline Diet?

Many people become confused in regards to alkaline and acid diets because they think that it refers to the actual pH level of the food itself. This is not the case, as some foods which are highly acidic in their natural form, such as lemons and limes, actually have an alkaline effect on the body. An alkaline diet usually involves eating minimal amounts of meats, dairy products, white flour and white sugar, because these foods have a very acidic reaction on the body’s pH level. Instead, the diet usually focuses heavily on fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts such as almonds, and soy products, because they leave an alkaline ash within the body.

How Does an Alkaline Diet Affect Cancer Cells?

Studies have shown that in the test tube, cancer cells and tumors thrive and grow in a more acidic environment. When the level of acid is lowered, tumors grow much more slowly. If this behavior occurs in the test tube, it stands to reason that cancer cells in the body would also be detrimentally affected by an overall alkaline environment. It would also make sense that if the body’s pH is acidic, then the growth of cancer cells and tumors would be encouraged. By eating mostly foods that make the body’s pH more alkaline, there would be less of a chance for cancer cells to develop and grow. So, by adjusting the diet, it is actually possible to create a less hospitable environment for cancer cells, thus improving a person’s chances of experiencing good health.

Other Alkaline Benefits

Cancer cells also do not grow well in the presence of oxygen. When oxygen levels are low, cancer cells have more of an opportunity to thrive and multiple. When body tissues have a high alkaline level, they are able to hold much more oxygen as compared to tissues with a high acid level. A high alkaline level within the body also makes it easier for cells to discard waste and toxins. As a result, tissues and cells within the body are more susceptible to damage and unhealthy conditions if the body’s pH is too acidic. By maintaining an alkaline pH, you’ll be helping to protect your body’s cells in addition to discouraging the development and growth of cancerous cells.

Tips for Maintaining an Alkaline Cancer Cure Diet

Although it’s not necessary to give up all meat and dairy products, you should definitely minimize your consumption of them. You can also counteract the acidic effects of certain foods by combining them properly with other foods. Most people find many benefits in a good alkaline cancer diet that is rich in fruit and other high alkaline foods.