BATTLING BACK

My friend Larry, who has been battling cancer for the past five months, has been home for the past four weeks and is now slowly resuming some of his activities.

Last week, he was carpet bowling; this week he played a relaxed game of pickleball. He is driving his car occasionally although a wound vacuum attached to his back 24/7 makes many of his movements more difficult.

"Larry," I teased. "When are you going to start cycling again?"

"Maybe tomorrow morning if I can talk my nurse into helping me," he shot back " Say, do you know I've gained back 15 pounds in the last month?"

"Wow," I replied. "I didn't realize your pills were so heavy."

"You're right. I do take a lot of pills. Maybe you're onto something there."

He was laughing now and seemed unfazed by the fact that he'll be making two visits to Princess Margaret next week for more tests and consultations for his bone cancer.

Larry's spirit is amazing and I'm continually impressed by how he seems so much in the moment. He always takes a genuine interest in whatever I have to say, his ego taking a back seat in our conversations.

"Still on the oxy ( oxycontin)? " I ask.

"Only when I know it's going to be a long day," he replies. "I don't want to start relying on that stuff."

My friend's positive attitude, his humble acceptance of his condition, his newfound relationship with his  pastor, as well as his constant reaching out to others are so impressive. In fact, the way Larry is managing his 'recovery' reminds me of a book called Radical Remission by Dr. Kelly A.Turner.

The author "identifies nine common factors that helped more than a thousand patients achieve complete healing from their disease, but not necessarily medical treatment. Among the identified factors are dietary changes, taking supplements and taking charge of one's health. Remarkably, six of the nine factors are directly related to spiritual health, including following your intuition, releasing suppressed emotions, increasing positive emotions, embracing social support, deepening your spiritual connection, and having strong reasons for living. And unlike many external circumstances, these are all things we have the direct ability to enact and manage."

"We are each unique, and specific results will vary based on our individual situation and the lessons we have chosen to address. It is never just one obvious cause that can be identified as the particular trigger for healing - it is a combination of these factors that contribute to the remission, and some patients focus more on one method than another. When faced with any disease, it is remarkable that attending to such matters as "deepening your spiritual connection" might contribute to improved health."

Larry is getting stronger by the day and has embraced the reality than cancer can be beaten.

Keep it up my friend!