Living Organically

I still remember a long distance phone call I received while I was living overseas some five years ago. My mother, who was always a pillar of strength and guidance for me throughout my life, had called me from Manila. Her voice, normally calm and steady, broke down mid-sentence--and in that very instant, as I was about to enter a noisy restaurant for dinner with friends, I felt the world around me slow down.

My father had just been diagnosed with stage 2 bone marrow cancer, probably the second most painful cancer ever to be experienced. I had known my father was not well when I left to live and work abroad, but we all thought it was due to a fracture in his back and that all he needed was some surgery and therapy to get back on track. For this latest diagnosis, it was prescribed that he undergo radiation and six cycles of chemotherapy.

Although I was planning to relocate to yet another country in the upcoming months, something in my mom's voice told me that I should just return home. About a month and a half after that call, I landed in Manila and mentally prepared myself to see my father. How foolish of me! Nothing can prepare anyone for the sight of a chemo-ravaged body and spirit. My father was almost a ghost of a man, and though I was bright-eyed and cheery when I spoke to him, I couldn't stop the sobs that escaped from me that night as I tried to get to sleep.

Fast forward to a couple of months later when, as a family, we decided to make some changes. We did not want to turn our backs completely on western medicine, but something collectively told us that there must be some other options that my father could benefit from that may be of a gentler, less drastic nature.

My mother discovered The Wellness Center in San Juan and began a relationship with its founder, Dr. Cristina Gonzalez. With the help of this center, we started to combine more holistic practices, supplements, probiotics (enzymes), juicing, and similar regimen into my father's diet and daily life. Unfortunately, in the end, we were again faced with a very difficult situation as a family. It was time to choose between one or the other. Chemo would basically annihilate (yes I am using that strong a word because that's what I felt it was doing) both good and bad cells, which meant that whatever we were trying to replenish or even regenerate via organic means would be wiped out every time he had a session.

My father was about to have his last round of chemo, plus a bone marrow transplant, and blood transfusions were recommended. The image of my father, already so frail and weak, being cut open and undergoing that kind of risk was just unacceptable to us. My father, of course, was frightened. He wanted to live, by any means, and of course he didn't want to make the “wrong” decision. I cannot verbalize enough how long and dramatic a process it took for him to finally say “NO!” to his final session. Our oncologist was very understanding; he had a great fondness for my father and wished us all well.

Our household had to change on account of this decision. We started removing as many things as possible that were considered toxic or cancer-inducing in our home. First was the microwave, then all canned goods. Cleaning soaps and laundry detergent were replaced with more natural cleansers. Toothpaste with fluoride, out, deodorants and antiperspirants containing aluminum chlorohydrate were disposed of, beauty products containing parabens and other heavy chemical compounds found their way into the trash bins. Our fruits and vegetables were bought from the organic market, meat if ever was free range, as were eggs. Dairy was replaced by soy, white rice was completely taken off the grocery list, and we have, for the last five years been eating either brown, red and even black rice with every meal. It was a complete turnaround for us but we accepted it willingly because we were getting slowly educated on the benefits of integrating this diet into our lives.

This is not to say we were hardcore believers and purists in practice. I am guilty of drinking a couple of diet sodas and downing some fast food happy meals every now and then. It's just that I know that I have afforded my body with enough ammo so that when I'm feeling nutritionally naughty, I'm probably not going to feel any adverse effects later on in life. As for my father, he went into remission a year after he was diagnosed with cancer. To this day, although I can't say my father is in the best of health (he's far from being the next Iron Man), the cancer has not reared its ugly head again, and doctors are still amazed that he has been able to survive despite discontinuing his chemo, not to mention refusing the transplant and transfusion. My father has been able to get an extraordinary second chance, some may even say third chance at living, and I strongly believe that we, his family have gotten that same extraordinary opportunity as well.

Living Organically
By Katrina A. Holigores
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 02:57:00 06/22/2008

MANILA, Philippines