Marla Vendret

It's official, though the liver biopsy didn't manage to snag any of the cancer cells. The oncologist just told my family that Mom is terminal--lucky if she lives a year. Chemotheraphy wouldn't help, so it's not recommended. Radiating her brain lesions should slow down her CNS degeneration, but it won't change the end result.

Nothing about this feels real. How can a vibrant, feisty woman be stricken with cancer? And how can cancer strike 3 people in my family--two of my uncles  and mom--within a year? Uncle Boyd (my mom's sister's husband) was diagnosed with brain cancer last year and has been battling for his life since. Uncle Howard (my dad's brother) was diagnosed with prostate cancer about the same time my mom got the news. How is that possible? We're not even talking about genetics because none of these people were blood-related. All they have in common is their age (in their 60s).

Despite the news, I'm not willing to give up. There's a herbal remedy that been touted since the 1950s or ealier: Essiac (backwards spelling honoring Nurse Caisse who treated thousands of "terminal" cancer patients with it, who subsequently recovered). I'm a cynic to my core, but I'm not about to throw away the only chance my mom may have. If there's any truth to it, I'm willing to give it a try. The oncologist gave us the go-ahead to try anything we wanted. No holds barred -- not after the medical establishment has washed their hands of her.  

Now we're in waiting mode. Without the herbal teas, it becomes a death vigil, and I refuse to give Mom into the hands of death that easily. For me, this is a time to hope that Mother Nature really does provide an answer for all the ills that plague us...and this herbal tea is it.

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