By Joy Ellyn Ryan
The annoying radio blared, “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning.” Who cared? I certainly did not. I was so sick and tired of being sick and tired.
Some 60 months earlier, my first born, Daniel—age 32, a father with two preschool children—was diagnosed with environmentally induced leukemia from exposure to the formaldehyde in his workplace. His only hope was a bone marrow transplant. His kid sister, Mary Ellen, was his bone marrow transplant donor. The bone marrow transplant was a success, but the hospital overdosed him on morphine. After nearly a month in a coma, Dan died.
Ever since Dan’s diagnosis, I had been feeling poorly. With so many unrelated symptoms, I was frequently referred to specialist after specialist who treated the symptoms without identifying the cause. I was told that I had acid reflux disease and irritable bowel syndrome. To explain the itching oozing sores on my body, the dermatologist determined it to be contact dermatitis, probably poison ivy. In the middle of a sub-zero, snowy Wisconsin winter I had poison ivy?
More than once, I was told that I was psychosomatic due to the traumatic death of my son. I accepted that grief can cause physical illness, so I opted for grief counseling. Emotionally, I gained strength, but physically, I continued to decline. Although I lived only a few blocks from work, I no longer had the strength to walk that short distance.
While picking up my prescription for prednisone, free fecal blood kits were being distributed to determine if there was undetected blood in the stools. I followed the instructions and mailed my three samples the next day. Within a couple of weeks, I got a letter stating that I had tested positive for blood in my stool. The letter recommended that I contact my doctor and arrange to have a colonoscopy. Shortly after, I was informed that indeed I had tumor growth and that it was malignant—COLON CANCER!
Whoa! I needed a second opinion. The second consultant agreed I had advanced colon cancer. A minimum of 18 inches of my colon would be removed. A colostomy, a bag hanging on my body to create an artificial anal opening to collect fecal matter possibly for the rest of my life, was a strong possibility. Because of the aggressive nature of the tumor, my prognosis was poor. Surgery had already been scheduled for the next week. After years of being told I was psychosomatic, suddenly time was of the essence.
Yes, I was sick and tired of being sick and tired, but surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and a colostomy did not guarantee any quality to my life. Was I only interested in prolonging my life? Why? I needed time to reconsider my life. Each morning, I woke and thought, “I can live. I can die. I do not care”.
I viewed death by cancer as a legitimate form of suicide.
Contrary to all my previously held beliefs, an incredible thing happened. I had a “waking dream” and was instructed to “CHOOSE LIFE.” I argued. The life that I had known was not working for me and I did not want to continue. Suicide by cancer was an appealing option. Again I was commanded to “CHOOSE LIFE.” I argued, “Only if I have joy in my life and could live a life of abundant energy with full mobility.”
Finding Faith in Psychic Surgery
Being a lifelong learner, I turned to books. Serendipity became my guide. In Going Within by Shirley Maclaine, she told how she had benefited from a Filipino healer named Alex Orbito. Instantly, I knew that was my answer. I would go to the Philippines for psychic surgery and healing.
With this announcement, my family’s shock and response was nearly as devastating as when they learned I had colon cancer. They pleaded with me to have surgery and therapy first and then go to the Philippines if I insisted on acting insanely. I agreed to have the colon cancer surgery when I returned, but absolutely no radiation or chemotherapy.
Since I was too ill to travel alone, my 81-year-old father agreed to be my companion and caregiver. We traveled to Manila during Easter in 1990 and met with a small group of other world travelers seeking psychic healing.
Rev. Alex Orbito introduced himself by stating that only God has the power to heal and that “I am only an instrument of Divine Power.” Healing requires an open mind and a loving heart. Cancer is negative energy.
Psychic healing is about changing the negative energy of the body and spirit to positive energy, he added.
Without any discussion Alex scanned each individual. His hands were drawn to the diseased area like a magnet. As I lay on a narrow bed, Alex massaged the area around my liver. Without anesthesia or medical instruments, Alex pressed his hand into my abdominal cavity for bare-handed surgery. Seconds later, a small bloody mass was excised.
This psychic healing experience fulfilled the legitimacy and credibility of faith healing for me. During the week I spent in psychic healing, I chose to create a new positive reality for myself. I started by adding Joy to my name.
My father, Gib, had never been to a third-world country. The poverty, tropical heat, and strange foods were appalling to him. Beer was the only item he would consume. Since Gib was frail and failing quickly, I elected to abort the planned two-week trip after seven days to return to the United States. Although Rev. Orbito objected saying that I was not yet cancer free, I left Manila with my father.
Back in Wisconsin, I had the cancer surgery where 18 inches of my colon was removed. Amazing! In just a short time between the colonoscopy and the surgery, the tumor was reduced in size to a nubbin and scar tissue.
My surgeon and doctor were amazed. Never had they seen a tumor diminish in size without radiation or chemotherapy!
The surgeon felt that the original reading must have been wrong, but Dr. Jim Lacey, MD, listened to my explanation of psychic healing. He shared my story with many of his colleagues and a son going to medical school. He suggested that his staff visit me in the hospital.
In hindsight, I think the surgery was not necessary for me, but a divine gift provided for the medical field to see the possibilities of alternative healing.
In the Philippines, I heard about an Asian form of eating to prolong life called Macrobiotics. After recovering from surgery, I flew to Boston for a workshop on healthy eating, vegetarian style. I embraced what I had been taught. Back in Wisconsin, I cleansed my kitchen and cupboards of all food products except for organic and fresh food. Becoming a vegan was not easy, but a necessary way of life. I learned, “You are what you eat!”
Unfortunately, cancer is a death sentence for many. For me, however, cancer was a gift. It forced me to rethink my life and change. I have been cancer free for more than 20 years. I live an abundant life of joy, energy, health, and mobility in a warm and loving relationship. I am grateful for my cancer experience. It transformed me. Rather than fight the disease, I embraced cancer. I asked, “What is it that I need to learn?”
The answers did not come easy, but they were profound:
Life is about living and loving one another.
Maintain an attitude of gratitude.
Trust your instincts.
Trust the universe.
Live in the moment.
Be nonjudgmental.
Joy Ellyn Ryan, Ph.D., is a retired educational consultant and teacher who resides in Fort Myers, FL. She has a doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is a world traveler who has visited Asia, Europe, New Zealand, China, the former U.S.S.R., among other countries. She also was named the Del Tura Citizen of the Year in 2012. Joy Ellyn can be reached by email at joyellyn-tim@comcast.net.