One and a half years ago Molly and I collaborated on a series of four blog posts that proved to be a healing experience for both of us. Molly happens to be my niece. The daughter of my sister who passed July 2015 after a lengthy and heartbreaking struggle with cancer. When my sister had a relapse in June 2013, I flew to Montana. There was one particularly evening I spent sharing what I had learned about restoring immunity. Molly joined us for that talk and while she took in everything I had to say my sister did not. The lifestyle changes I proposed were either too big a stretch or just did not resonate. I will never know.
Molly spent the next 2 years supporting her mother emotionally through a roller coaster ride of conventional treatment. It took its toll on Molly physically and emotionally. She had dealt with the symptoms of Crohn’s Disease for 13 years and in her mother’s final month’s, was expecting her fifth child. In July 2015, two months after sweet Annaliese’s birth, my sister passed away. Though completely expected, the loss rocked Molly’s world to the core. I came to Montana again for my sister’s services and during my stay Molly and I had a heart to heart talk about her health and her fears regarding her own mortality. I offered my help when and if she was ready to commit to some changes and take charge of restoring her immunity.
Through her grief Molly began to gain some insight, the first being that she had a choice. Her mother’s story did not have to be hers. At the end of August, as her children returned to school, Molly reached out for help and in the series that follows is how the story unfolds.
I choose to reshare Molly’s story as she recently received tests results from her annual lab reports. Her inflammation markers have come down from a high of nearly 400 when we began our work together, to a staggering low of 42. (<50 is considered normal) This is the first time Molly’s results have fallen in the normal range since being diagnosed in 2002.
Reflecting on what she wrote a year and a half ago Molly had this to share,
“Lately I have been feeling like a superhero! There is something empowering about raising 5 awesome kids, knocking down a debilitating disease and taking back my life. It has taken two and a half years of complete dedication and commitment, but the growth in all areas of my life have been abundant. I have learned about self care, saying “No”, getting enough sleep, cooking and eating, communicating my needs, and trusting the healing power of my own body. Although the journey seemed long and daunting in the beginning, I now see the whole picture and realize that complete healing can’t happen overnight. In complete contrast to two and a half years ago, my children now have a hard time keeping up with me!”
Original Post (July 5, 2016)
“July 11, 2015, a day that changed my world. My mother passed away after a five year battle with cancer. I was tired, alone, and sick. I had just had my fifth child in May, so tired was a feeling I knew well. Having dealt with Crohn’s Disease for 13 years, sick was normal. The loneliness, though, was devastating. I spent the rest of July and all of August trying to get through each day without breaking down. I cried about everything, I spent hours in the bathroom, and I desperately tried to have my kids believe that all was well. What a joke!
By September I crashed. I was mad! My world had fallen apart and my body was failing me. Crohn’s Disease had defined me for 13 years and I had let it. I always believed that my body could heal itself, but I knew it would take time and commitment, two things I didn’t have with five kids and a dying mother. Then something changed in me. I made a commitment to get better for good. No more half way, no more cheating. From now on I must be 100 percent honest with myself and my needs. It was this daunting task that I set out to conquer.
Working with Molly
Molly and I met to discuss her health in late August. As with all of my clients, I spelled out what would be needed to turn her symptoms around and get her body to begin healing itself.
Her symptoms at the time included 14-18 trips to the toilet round the clock to pass either loose stool, mucus, or at times blood. She was weak and weighed 127lbs. She could not leave the house for more than an hour and only if she was sure she could get to a toilet immediately. This alone made her case challenging, but on top of it all she was a nursing mom with a four month old and four other children under the age of eleven and worked part-time as a teacher at a local private school.
On her side was the fact that her family all wanted her to be well and would support whatever changes she needed to make. In addition, she had a Naturopathic doctor and Gastro MD who she had seen for many years and who also were both open to alternatives that would support Molly’s healing.
The protocol I would offer Molly wasn’t meant as a suggestion. It was really an “either/or” moment. Either Molly committed to following the protocol or I would not be able to help her. If, as she had claimed, Molly really wanted to engage her body’s own ability to heal, she would have to get serious about her diet. Molly was in an incredibly inflammatory state and she could not afford to add to it with what she put in her mouth- Not Even A Bite.
So what was Molly’s protocol? Discover that next week as well a more on her current state today.