An Amazing Retreat

The Gawler Foundation's Life and Living retreat that took place out in the Yarra Valley was an amazing experience. From the program, to the people (participants and instructors/counsellors), to the environment where it took place, it has definitely had a life changing affect on me.

A bit about the program. The ten day Life and Living retreat is a full on program that educates the participants and their support people on key principles that can enable anyone to activate and develop one's own healing power and maximize the body's potential to restore a natural state of balance and vitality. If you read Ian Gawler's book, You Can Conquer Cancer, he specifically lays out principles that he developed while on his own personal experience of being diagnosed with a terminal cancer in which he was able to cure himself, recover and be cancer free for over 30 years. Most important is that the book also takes the feedback from participants in the support groups that he was running for the past 30 plus years. Furthermore, the book, the program and the practices can also be applied to people who are not diagnosed, but want to live a preventative lifestyle.

The key principles that I was educated on and that I put into practice during the retreat were meditation/relaxation techniques, deep dive on nutrition and deciding on a dietary approach that is best for me, understanding the the true causes of cancer, tapping into the power of the mind or simply living life in a more positive way, exploring spiritual development via reflection and contemplation, diving deep into emotions/going through a forgiveness process/reviewing past relationships, dealing with and controlling pain, and contemplating/accepting death and dying. I also took part in Yoga and Qigong classes, had numerous massages for rebalancing purposes, and had one on one counseling sessions. Finally, I went through a full detox eliminating alcohol, sugar, salt, meat, caffeine, etc. from my body. This was accomplished by eating a vegan diet and drinking 5-7 juices a day. At the end of the retreat I felt great. The biggest challenges is to commit to and live by some or all of the principles that were taught. If anyone is interested in me diving deeper into any of these topics I would be happy to do so via the blog or email.

Without a doubt the most amazing part of the retreat were simply the people. I met some amazing/inspirational/beautiful people. From every walk of life, young, old, funny, intelligent, experienced, warming, philosophical, emotional, kind, etc. Someone said at the end of the program that if you looked at the cross section of the people who were involved in this retreat (participants and all), that simply there is much hope for the human race and the future of our planet. There is so much good in the world and unfortunately we are all sucked into the hype of the media, consumerism, and the busyness of life. For the individual, this is not sustainable. What matters most is the living in the present moment. I have to agree. The most amazing part of it all is that I got an opportunity to listen to the incredible life stories of these people and understand their life journey, their diagnosis, and the affect on their lives the diagnosis has had on them. I was also able to share mine as well. This being done in a group setting and in a one on one environment, it was very therapeutic and most important you really got to know everyone and develop a special bond with people. I was exposed to and have become close with some amazing people who attended this retreat. For some of those people, this is their last hope to escape death. This was humbling. I was also exposed to many people who attended as a support person (i.e. wife, friend, sister, etc.) and watched in awe of their complete devotion, commitment and love with their primary focus to get their loved one healthy again. And finally the instructors, therapists, counselors, staff, etc. were the most loving, positive, welcoming, educated group of people I ever met. They made the experience what it was, Amazing.

The environment where the retreat took place was in the heart of the Yarra Valley right outside of Melbourne. I was literally inserted into this pristine estate where I was surrounded by bush, mountains, and numerous wildlife (kangaroos, koalas, too many bird species to name, etc.) The smells, sounds, and the air made me feel at peace and was the icing on the cake for me.

Gawler Foundation Ten Day Retreat

When I started on this journey I told myself that this experience is going to be one that will allow me to learn quite a bit about myself. I always thought that I was aware of my physical, spiritual and emotional capabilities or state. But when the 22nd of Oct happened it kind of went out the door. Every day I am thankful that the cancer that I have is not the terminal type. That moment in time when the ER doctor and Oncologist said that I have a mass in my chest and it looks like cancer, I thought that this could possibly be it. First thought, "Olivia" Both Amy and I truly believe that I am one of the lucky ones. Being in the hospital twice now and chatting with other cancer patients, some are not as fortunate as I am.

I'm on a journey here to better my physical, spiritual and emotional self. I've been fortunate to have family and friends in America who are cheering for me and guiding me on how I can heal myself with good nutrition and good chi. Here in Australia I am also fortunate to have friends who are cheering for me as well. Two separate friends of mine, Natalie and David, have guided me towards the Ian Gawler Foundation (www.gawler.org)

You can check out the details of who Ian Gawler is at the link above, but in short Ian Gawler ia an Australian who over 30 years ago got bone cancer, it reappeared a while later, and then was told that he had a short time to live. He then went on a mission to do all he could to cure himself. Through good nutrition, meditation and simply understanding why he wanted to live which we call hope, he was able to cure himself. He then formulated a support group, then the foundation to help others who have cancer in an effort to assist them with recovery or dying with dignity.

On the 6th of December I will be attending the ten date retreat in the Yarra Valley. My expectation is that I can learn as much as I can to better my life through good nutrition, meditation and come out of it with an improved positive attitude.

2nd Treatment Postponed until Dec 6

Thanks to everyone for your comments. Again sorry for the delay in getting a post out. Up front I want to say that things are going relatively well since my first treatment. I have had only minimal side effects which include tiredness in the late afternoon (although I think that everyone gets that) and one of my blood counts are lower due to the chemo (more on that in a minute). Overall I've maintained my weight, good appetite, and I have fairly good energy. I've even started taking Olivia out on walks in the early AM. It's good exercise for me since she is strapped to my body via a baby carrier (as seen on my picture). Carrying 7 to 8 kilos (approximately 17 pounds) for 3 kilometers is not bad of a workout.

On to the delay in chemo. This past Monday I was scheduled for my 2nd treatment, but it was cancelled due to one of my blood counts being too low. Before every chemo session my doctor orders blood to see how I am fairing. He checks out white blood count, red blood count, platelets and something called neutrophils. White blood cells are core to the immune system to fight off infection, red blood counts are directly related to oxygen being delivered throughout the body and platelets help with clotting. These three were fine. It is the neutrophils that are low. Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell. These are the cells that show up first when there is an infection. Without them you cannot fight off an infection which can lead to a very serious situation.

One out of two hodgkins lymphoma patients who are on the ABVD drugs experience a reaction where the body can not produce enough neutrophils. Therefore patients need to inject themselves with medicine to compensate and ensure that there is an effective immune system
which is very similar to what diabetics do on a daily basis. Prior to chemo my counts were fine, so I expect that this will go back to normal after my treatment.

Next Monday I will be going for my second treatment. I'm anxious to get this rolling on a fortnightly basis so that I can anticipate when the treatment is over. There is a music festival coming up in late summer I want to attend. My next post will be over the weekend. It will be primarily on my upcoming 10 day retreat I'm going on next week right after my chemo treatment. More later on.