By: Caitlin RogersPosted at 1:36 PM, May 20, 2020
She Inspires is a new initiative from the boutiques at Green Spring Station who are giving back to women and non-profits that inspire them. Panache is a premier women’s fashion boutique specializing in high quality merchandise and impeccable style.
The owner’s sister in law is a two time cancer survivor. Believe Big is a non-profit organization that bridges the gap between conventional treatments like chemotherapy and surgery and complementary treatments like nutrition, acupuncture, and spiritual wellness.
Each day we have a choice to make. Will we give into the fear or will we live by faith and fight?
Read moreBelieve Big was invited to attend the SIO Conference in New York City this past weekend! We were able to connect with top physicians who specialize in integrative oncology from all over the world, discuss options for our phase 2 mistletoe clinical trial, be filmed for Dr. Kelly Turners new documentary (coming out in March) on healing, make connections with companies that have products and resources for the patients we serve, and meet with the Believe Big Institute of Health team to outline our next steps to bring integrative oncology and wellness care in a research and data driven residential center!
In January, I had been working hard as a property manager while also rehearsing–I’m a pro drummer. Although I was in great shape, I started getting winded and tired. I dismissed these symptoms as being caused by the change in altitude after moving to the mountains. Then, my face, neck, and upper arms started to swell. As a veteran, I went to the V.A. and was diagnosed with a sinus infection and prescribed antibiotics. Even after more antibiotics the swelling persisted, so I had an X-ray.
The doctor said, “You have vena cava syndrome, and it’s most likely caused by cancer. The swelling is from a tumor pressing against your heart that’s disrupting the blood flow.” I was airlifted to Albuquerque for confirmation testing and treatment. It was Stage 4 cancer that had metastasized to my pelvis and liver. My checkered past of abuse and smoking had caught up with me, but I also felt that The Creator had stepped in with a warning sign–had my face not swelled, I would’ve continued as if nothing were wrong until it was too late. It probably seemed too late to most people, but I’m a big believer in miracles. The doctors treated me conventionally with heavy steroids followed by chemotherapy. I enrolled at Taos Whole Health where I was told about Mistletoe treatment, which changed everything!
While Taos Whole Health administers Mistletoe, my V.A. insurance and Medicaid didn’t cover it. Just in time, the big blessing came! I contacted Believe Big and spoke to Christine to request a wellness grant for my Mistletoe treatment. Not only did Christine speak of faith, treatment, and healing, which greatly lifted my spirits, but she also swiftly applied for my grant, and it quickly came! With ample help from Believe Big I started seven sessions of IV Mistletoe treatment. I finished my last chemo and Mistletoe treatments at the same time. When I went for my CAT Scan, the oncologist told me that the cancer had NOT spread to my brain. The metastasis was gone!
My Stage 4 had almost disappeared, except for a couple minuscule spots! Recently, I finished my second round of Mistletoe. I know the cancer is now completely gone. I am so grateful to Believe Big, whose patient advocates are at once personal and professional.
Believe Big has given me hope and increased my faith, and the generous wellness grant I received helped save my life.
Original Source: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/coping/feelings/relaxation
Many people with cancer have found that doing relaxation or imagery exercises has helped them cope with pain and stress.
Take the time to learn helpful relaxation skills, such as the ones below, and practice them when you can. You can also take a class, buy a relaxation DVD or CD, or find other exercises online.
For each exercise, find a quiet place where you can rest undisturbed. Let others know you need time for yourself. Make the setting peaceful for you. For example, dim the lights and find a comfortable chair or couch.
You may find that your mind wanders, which is normal. When you notice yourself thinking of something else, gently direct your attention back to your body. Be sure to maintain your deep breathing.
Some people like to listen to slow, familiar music while they practice these exercises.
Imagery usually works best with your eyes closed. To begin, create an image in your mind. For example, you may want to think of a place or activity that made you happy in the past. Explore this place or activity. Notice how calm you feel.
If you have severe pain, you may imagine yourself as a person without pain. In your image, cut the wires that send pain signals from one part of your body to another. Or you may want to imagine a ball of healing energy. Others have found the following exercise to be very helpful:
To end the imagery, count slowly to three, breathe in deeply, open your eyes, and say silently to yourself, “I feel alert and relaxed.”
4 servings
Source: Healthy Eating for Life to Prevent and Treat Cancer by Vesanto Melina, M.S., R.D.; recipe by Jennifer Raymond, M.S., R.D.
Salsa and tahini pack the flavor into these burritos!
317 Calories · 13 g Protein · 11 g Fiber
Broccoli is rich in vitamin K and calcium, which support bone health.
If the tortilla is made from wheat, barely, or rye, it is not gluten free.
Makes 4 Servings
Per serving
Calories: 317
Protein: 13 g
Carbohydrate: 50 g
Sugar: 7 g
Total Fat: 9 g
Calories from Fat: 25%
Fiber: 11 g
Sodium: 725 mg
Thank you to everyone who answered our call for donations last month and helped to boost our Wellness Grant budget. Your support helped us raise over $16,900! Our grants available through the end of the year went from 6% to 18%! Thank you!
We still have $3,000 out of the $10,000 available in a matching gift that we would love to fully raise if you feel led to give! Please also consider sharing this need with your network and corporate connections. Each and every dollar in our Wellness Grant fund goes directly to patient care and helps to release the financial burden a patient and their family is experiencing.
On July 16th, Believe Big arrived in the art room at Horizon Day Camp. This camp is a full summer day camp for children ages 3-16 battling cancer. Recognizing the extraordinary financial demands that a child’s chronic illness can have on a family, Horizon Day Camps and year-round programs are always offered free of charge.
Believe Big staff and volunteers were met by smiling happy faces of campers who were very excited to paint a Believe Mug. The campers were even more excited to choose a mug of their very own to take home that had been painted for them by other Believe Mug painters in the community. What a blessing to see this circle of HOPE! It started with the generous donation from The Serini Foundation, then those of you in the community that painted a Believe Mug for the kids at the camp, and then the kids at the camp painting a mug for an adult with cancer. What a blessing!
Mark McElrath, who runs the camp shared, “Thank you for contributing the materials for our campers to enjoy such a fun day.”
If you would like to contribute to have patients paint Believe Mugs during their treatments or support groups, please donate using the link below.
I was invited to the very first dinner when Believe Big was launched, and that’s when I heard Ivelisse’s remarkable, hope-filled story. I was blown away by her testimony about her journey to becoming cancer-free.
After hearing that inspiring story, it was so easy to volunteer at the Believe Big offices and to donate financially to this cause I wholeheartedly believed in. Believe Big respects the mind, body, and spirit connection and offers their incredible guidance and assistance to anyone on the cancer journey. I know this firsthand, as they helped me when they provided useful information, direction, and emotional and spiritual support as I walked with both my husband and niece on their cancer journeys. Believe Big helps so many of us who have seen our loved ones suffer through cancer. Their tireless efforts to assist others facing this ugly, hideous disease are successful largely due to their supporters’ financial contributions.
I ask each of you to come alongside Believe Big by giving any amount you can, so the word of its mission can spread and more people can receive help.
Cancer is a journey none of us volunteer to take, but each of us has been affected by it in one way or another. Partnering with Believe Big is an excellent and rewarding way to help cancer patients and their families. The resources and support Believe Big offers are free to patients, but we need to provide the finances so the good work Believe Big does will continue and increase.
I hope I never, ever hear the diagnosis that I have cancer, but if I do, I know that my first call will be to Believe Big.
Willie (Lieberman) Barrett
Believe Big Volunteer