Eighteen years ago about now I was in Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital getting ready to undergo surgery to remove a grapefruit sized stage 1 tumor from it's perch on my right ovary. Surgeons did a somewhat overkill surgery and removed all of my female parts as well as my omentum, appendix and disected a few lymph nodes while they were at it. I opted to use plant medicine as my primary weapon to fight the reoccurance of cancer in my body. I was hounded by oncologists to begin chemo and refused.

So this morning I posted surviving 18 years on my facebook page and a few have asked how I did it. At first I was surrounded by so many herbalists, natural healers and well meaning souls in the world of alternative healing that I "did" a number of things. At first. Because later I went back to same -ole -same- ole eating everything I wanted and trying to have respect for all of my food, be it animal or vegetable.

The first year I ate alot of seaweed rice ramen noodles, miso and vegetables. I had access to free acupuncture, massage and chinese medicine via an amazing clinic for low income women with cancer called 'The Charlotte Maxwell Clinic" in Oakland. My main tool for self healing was to make and drink essiac tea everyday for at least the first year.

I learned alot about the power of the mind in healing as well. I read everything I could get my hands on. But what really saved me was two weeks after surgery, I put back on my teaching backpack and went back out teaching groups of 15-20 5th and 6th graders on trails in the Redwood forest in West Sonoma County, California. TBC...
I really had the most problem with the early and immediate onset on menopause. And for that , I did alot of art. I made the collage above sitting in the roadhouse cafe in Bodega, California a few years later while still going through that portion of the "after cancer".

 

 

 

terracotta refridge magnets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

mom artifact

 

downward facing dawg

 

'tis the season...

 

Here is the start of my annual dias de los muertos altar that I have made over the past several years wherever I live.  It is not in  my personal culture to do so, but I have always loved the ritual and art surrounding this holiday, since living in Austin, Texas and seeing beautiful East Austin window altars back in the 80's.  The bottom collage is one
 I found today while searching for images on google. this one belongs to this artist,
Venita Hawkins-Bird, whose  blog I need to go back and read fer sure...
http://www.venitahawkins.com/blog/2008/10/11/dia-de-los-muertos/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Franklinton October 17, 2012