KAREN'S HEALING JOURNEY

Supporting organization needs help

2010-04-01T22:46:00.001-04:00

Dear Supporters of Karen's Healing Journey,

Thank you everyone for your kind response and acknowledgment of Karen's One Year Anniversary last week, March 21st. It is hard to believe she has already been gone for an entire year. Life continues to move forward and time brings more and more acceptance and healing for me. It was this time last year that we were rounding up support for the 2nd benefit to help Karen and I deal with the expenses incurred while she was ill. You were all very generous during those two years (2008 & 2009). The first prize for the raffle during those two fund drives was a One Week Vacation in Ireland.
This year Lindsey's Place, a young non-profit organization (established in 2008 by our daughter and her husband) is having a raffle to raise money and the 1st prize is also One Week Vacation in Ireland including a 4 bedroom house (wheel chair accessible), rental car and $1000 voucher for airfare. This organization's mission is to help young disabled children via providing them with a camp to enjoy their summers. They are currently working toward gathering seed money to get their organization off the ground and help is desperately needed; just as their dream and cause is desperately needed for those young and less fortunate people.

Please see the info below. The chances are $10 each, 6 for $50 and the raffle with be held on May 2, 2010. You can purchase on their web site or if you would like you may contact me at this e-mail address and I will arrange for your ticket delivery.

I am attaching a flyer in pdf format. If it is convenient for you to post this, please do and/or pass this e-mail along to others you may know who might help spread the word . I personally know your generosity and also know the huge response we received for a chance to win a trip to Ireland over the last few years...here is another shot! Good Luck, I hope you win.

I thank you in advance for your consideration to this important cause.

Much Love and Blessings to All,

Patrick

Payment Options

Mail Payment to 'Lindsey's Place' to the address below.
Go to our website donation page www.LindseysPlace.org and pay using a credit card with paypal.

*Include your name, address, and number of tickets you would like.
$10 each OR 6 for $50.
Thankyou!

Lindsey's Place
1 Diamond Causeway Ste.21 PMB 225
Savannah, Georgia 31406

Mass for Karen 11am - Incarnation Church, Bee Ridge Rd

2010-03-20T20:55:00.001-04:00

Sorry for late notice but there is a Mass at 11am for Karen March 21, 2010.
It is the 1st Anniversary of her passing.

Blessings to all,

Patrick

NEW YEAR MESSAGE 2010

2010-01-03T12:05:00.000-05:00

Supporters of Karen's Healing Journey,

It is hard to mentally wrap my mind around the fact that it has been about 9 1/2 months since Karen left this physical world. One of Karen's favorite comments to me was "its a sign, Bud (she and I called each other Bud or Buddy)" and true to form, I have seen many signs of her since last March 21st. I have seen them in:

> the strange appearance of a little turtle in our pool (according to Native American symbolism represents the connection between heaven and earth)

> in the survival of plants received at her funeral (I would have easily killed them off by now under normal circumstances), but Karen loved plants and if there is a way, I am sure she has inspired life in them

> the beautiful pink bloom of a Christmas cactus that she bought some time ago, left on our lanai table by her before her passing

> the frequent notice of significant numbers I am aware of in my daily routine, e.g. her birth date, anniversary dates etc.

> physical sensations I get often e.g., body chills

> the look of a new born granddaughter as I hold her in my arms, realizing the continuum of life in body and spirit

> the memories imprinted on the lives of our children and grandchildren by Karen

> the little notes and varied remembrances left around our home by Karen

> the significant pages book marked by her in so many books she read as she sought more and more knowledge while traveling this earthly plane

> the personal growth I realize I have gained from being with Karen for almost 20 years on my journey

> the people, especially the female nurturing energy, brought into my life since she passed

> the constant inspiration I get from her and her memories and continued love and knowing that the love we had still is and will never die...our connection has just transformed and shifted

I am looking forward to carrying Karen's message forward at a conference next Friday, Jan 8, 2010,

http://annieappleseedproject.stores.yahoo.net/3rdanevcoca.html

to hopefully help others who are on a similar path to the one she traveled and also to put into book form an extended version of what her experience was and what we both shared together.

As Emerson states "go where there is no path and leave a trail"....Karen surely did that!!

One of Karen's step-daughters (my daughter) Kara and her husband, David have started a non-profit organization, Lindsey's Place, to help disabled children. The project is in the infant stages and with the current global economy is experiencing extreme challenges. I ask you at this time to review the message below and if you can support it in any way, please do so. I hesitated to pass this on because I do not want to abuse the kind intentions and generosity you have displayed for Karen and I in the past by using your e-mail address for anything else except notes related to Karen and myself. After careful reflection and knowing the compassion and care you have expressed in the past, I did not think you would be offended. I will never use your e-mail address irresponsibly; please trust what I say regarding that. Lindsey's Place is genuine and will benefit young innocents who need it. I have recently volunteered to be on the Board and look forward to helping in any way I can as Karen, I am sure would have done. Kara and David have been helping disabled youth for close to 20 years now and are looking to expand their horizons in order to help more people. I pass this on only because I know you to be caring and generous and in this day of modern technology, your help does not necessarily have to be monetary, although that is very much needed, but it can be in the form of heightening awareness via forwarding the enclosed notice about Lindsey's Place to your friends and family...or even posting it on a personal/business web site...or Facebook, Twitter or one of so many other electronic outlets in cyberspace.

Whatever help you can extend, it will be deeply appreciated.

May the coming year bring you much love and blessings,

Patrick

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here

Lindsey's Place Welcomes 2010!

1.01.10
Happy New Year!

Dear Patrick,

2009 was a wonderful year for Lindsey's Place. We have made a nice foundation for many years to come. With your help, we have raised awareness to hundreds of people. Our facebook page has 253 friends. Our causes page has reached 715 members! We have received approximately 60 separate donations in 2009. Did you know that you too could raise funding to help Lindsey's Place by going to our causes page and creating a link for your birthday? Feel free to go right ahead and do this!

In 2010 we are planning a few different programs for children and are very excited about them! Please stay tuned to find out more.

Our goals for the future are to grow Lindsey's Place more and more, create more awareness of this wonderful place, create life changing experiences for as many young people with special needs as we can. Through fundraising we will accomplish such things as well as successfully finding a place we can call 'home' as soon as possible.

Thank you again for all your help. Please help us by forwarding this email to as many people as you can and especially any families with children who may need a place like ours to create more fulfillment in their lives.

Sincerely,

Lindsey's Place

The affects of a place like this......

"Participating in a residential center for individuals with special needs was a wonderful experience," said, Hammerman "because it gave me the opportunity to create new friendships and realize my true independent potential."

Steph
Camper 2004-2006

Beauty to be Recognized by Steph Hammerman

In essence, just a flower
Gleaming with beauty
Holding onto life by its roots
Its beauty is something to be recognized
Colors blending together seamlessly
Hints of pink as though it was embarrassed to be
seen
Seeping into streaks of orange giving off such a
vibrant feel
Laying on a base of white sending the message that

it was graceful, yet pure

Looking down at this flower feeling a sense of calm

For a moment taking the time to focus, but focusing
on its beauty, nothing more
Seems as though not many take that moment
In essence it was just a flower
But today it was not just a flower in that person's
garden

In essence, just a flower
Gleaming with beauty
Holding onto life by the roots
It was different; its beauty was something
that needed to be recognized

- Steph Hammerman is a published author in
'Disabled Bodies, Able Minds'

Meet Our Sponsor

About Us

Thank you very much for your ongoing support. Lindsey's Place is better off for having someone like you involved. Happy New Year!

Lindsey's Place
1 Diamond Causeway
Savannah, Georgia 31406
www.LindseysPlace.org
(912) 598-0144
(631) 566-8816

In This Issue

The Affects....

Beauty to be Recognized

Meet Our Sponsor

Donate

Please consider a donation to Lindsey's Place for the New Year! Thank you!
Click below to donate with credit card.
$25
$50
$75
$100
$200
Donation can be made payable to 'Lindsey's Place' and mailed to 1 Diamond Causway, Ste.21 PMB 225 Savannah, GA 31406

We are a 501 (c) (3) organization and all donations are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by law.

Join Our Mailing List
Join Our Snail Mail List

Visit Our Sponsor

A Dear Friend's Passing 12-15-09

2009-12-16T10:18:00.004-05:00

Violet passed away yesterday. I visited with her in August of this year. Karen and I met her in Germany in the spring of 2007. She was a very brave and caring person and continues as that in spirit form. It was an honor to know her as she walked this earth.
I had not heard from her, but was thinking of her the last few days and when I called yesterday, I learned she had just passed a few hours prior.
Please pray for her soul and the two young adult children she has left behind. May God Bless them all!!
Patrick

SPEAKING IN WEST PALM BEACH - JANUARY 2010 - SHARING KAREN'S STORY!

2009-12-14T16:36:00.007-05:00

Agenda for 2010 3rd Annual Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Cancer Therapies Conference

FOR MORE INFO AND TO REGISTER click: AnnieAppleSeedProject

Thursday, January 7

> OPENING RECEPTION 6-9:00 PM Organic food, music, networking
> EXHIBIT Hall OPEN

Friday, January 8

> Yoga by the Pool – 7:00 – 8:00
> Breakfast Buffet provided 7:15 – 8:45 AM
> 8:45 AM Ann Fonfa, Opening Remarks
> 9:00 AM Jack Taylor “Bioecology of Cancer:Nutritional Support for those being treated"
> 9:50 AM Susan J. Luck "Eco Nutrition: Nutritional and Environmental Influences on Women’s Health”
> 10:40 AM Patient Panel – Darlene Gant”Triumph Through Terror – Stage 4 and Counting”, Patrick McGeever "Karen's Healing Journey
(with Throat Cancer)", Puja Thomson “Head, Heart, Hand and Hunch – Whole Person Healing”, Kristen Martinez “Cancer Struggles”
> 12:00 LUNCH (organic buffet) & Exhibits
> 1:30 PM Michael Schachter, MD, “Mushroom Wisdom: Powerful Adjunct in Cancer Treatment”
> 2:30 PM Michael McCulloch "Evidence-based CAM for Cancer"
> 3:20 PM Azad Rastegar “Gene-Targeted Cancer Therapies at The Burzynski Clinic”
> 4:20 PM Break (Exhibit, snacks, network)
> 4:40 PM Workshop Breakout: 1)Walter Wainright, "Estrogens, Phyto-estrogens and Cancer"
2) Sylvie Beljanski “b-Carboline Alkaloid–Enriched Extract from
the Amazonian Rain Forest Tree Pao Pereira Suppresses
Prostate Cancer Cells”
3) Alan Cooper “Psychoneuroimmunology: First Things First”
> 5:30 PM Michele Sanz – “Iscador®, Europe’s Most Prescribed Complementary Cancer Treatment with Mistletoe”

Saturday, January 9

> Lebed Exercise Program 7:00-8:00
> Breakfast Buffet 7:15 AM – 8:45 AM
> 8:45 AM Ann Fonfa (Housekeeping)
> 8:50 AM Jim Roach “Wholistic Oncology utilizing ETMS Eclectic Triphasic Medical System”
> 9:50 AM Ellen Kamhi "Nutrition, Foods, Herbs and Supplements with Proven Cancer Prevention Properties"
> 10:45 AM Break – (Exhibits, snacks, network)
> 11:00 AM David Haase “ Why, When, How, Benefits, and Costs of finding and addressing cancer in the pre-anatomic phase"
> 12:15 PM Lunch (organic buffet) & Exhibits
> 1:45 PM Tony Jiminez “SonoPhoto Dynamic Therapy”
> 2:15 PM Katie Swedrock “Natural Therapies for Supporting the Cancer Patient-Show Me the Evidence!”
> 2:45 PM Break (Exhibit, snacks, network)
> 3:10 PM Workshop BREAKOUT 4) Janet Roseman “Spectra-Immunology”
5) George Love “Qi Gong”
6) Wanda Burch

“Dreams and their Meaning”

PLEASE PASS THIS INFO ON TO OTHERS WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED

LOVE AND BLESSINGS TO YOU ALL

Patrick

Pic of Lily and her Mom

2009-11-13T22:56:00.002-05:00

Facebook | Your Photos - Lily

WELCOME TO WEE LILY NOV 12 2009

2009-11-13T10:20:00.007-05:00

Wee Lily arrived yesterday evening at 6:21pm to Kara and David (daughter and son-in-law) and to her "patiently" awaiting brothers, Jack and Sam. She arrived weighing in at 7 lbs 4 oz and is the first granddaughter of six grandchildren. We need some female energy and spirit in the physical form after some significant females losses this year in our family (Karen and my Mom, Eileen). Souls moving on and souls arriving, life is an awesome gift and mystery. Lily has some powerful females (spirit guides) watching over her as she embarks on her earthly journey. May God Bless her!

Hope all of you are well.

Love and Blessings,

Patrick

SEPTEMBER 17 2009

2009-09-17T11:51:00.013-04:00

Today I honor the memory and life of Karen. It would have been her 57th birthday today; she passed almost 6months ago.
I will pay extra attention to nature and the spiritual connection among all of us as she so thrived on and cherished those things as she marched along life's path with admirable integrity, honor and courage. I have gratitude for being gifted with her presence in my life, walking along a parallel path for almost 19 years, and having her as my greatest teacher during that time; her lessons continue even after her transition.

My love continuous, love does not die, it transforms and grows following an infinite continuum across all boundaries, real or imagined. I feel her presence in my daily life and will carry her love and teachings with me always. I miss her very much!!

I send love and blessings to all of you on this beautiful day,

Patrick

ASKING SUPPORT FOR ONE OF KAREN'S SUPPORTERS

2009-08-11T21:52:00.003-04:00

PLEASE READ BELOW AND HELP IF YOU CAN....Click on the Donate to the Annie Appleseed Project here or in the text below.

In addition to this request for donations I will keep you updated on the upcoming

3rd Annual Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Cancer Therapies Conference that will be held, January 7-9, 2010

and sponsored by the AnnieAppleseed Project.

I will be sharing Karen's story there, so if you can, please plan on supporting this wonderful event.

With Love & Blessings,

Patrick

Dear Friends,

Have you visited our site, www.annieappleseedproject.org seeking information about cancer and natural approaches? Have you seen us at an exhibit? Do you know our website has been on the Internet since June 1999. Millions of people have been to www.annieappleseedproject.org since then. We pride ourselves on delivering important, mostly evidence-based information for people with cancer, their family and friends. Here's a small summary of some things we've done (through March 2009)

http://p2.hostingprod.com/ @annieappleseedproject.org/AAPRaccomplishments.pdf

We've HELPED so many. But now we need your help.

To expand our services, update our website (in progress), hold more conferences, educational seminars, etc., we need $10 (give more if you want) from everyone. That's a small amount but it can make a BIG difference to us.Since we are ALL volunteers, the money goes directly to our programs.

DONATE to the Annie Appleseed Project

You may want to hold the dates January 7-9, 2010 for our upcoming West Palm Beach, FL
2 1/2 day educational conference. Evidence-based CAM for Cancer Registration will open in mid-August. We serve 5 organic meals and 4 organic snacks. Nationally-known speakers on topics that will really help you make better decisions.

And September 15, 2009 will be the date for our FIRST Webinar. Dr. Keith Block, Specialist in Integrative Oncology, cofounder of the Block Medical Center, Evanston, IL will be the speaker. The time has been set for 7:30 PM EST, if you want to participate, please email us, and we will send you the invitation as soon as it is ready.

Thank you and pass this along to others who may benefit from knowing about our work.

Ann F.

Ann Fonfa
President, The Annie Appleseed Project
www.annieappleseedproject.org

Information, education, advocacy and awareness
on complementary, alternative, natural cancer therapies

Make more fully informed treatment decisions

The information provided is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to diagnose or treat any health condition and is not a replacement for treatment by a healthcare provider.

The Annie Appleseed Project
7319 Serrano Terrace
Delray Beach, FL 33446-2215
561 749-0084
Fax 561 499-6424

Mom

2009-06-13T18:35:00.001-04:00

My Mom passed this morning about 10:30am.

Thank you all for your prayers and support

love & blessings to all...Patrick

prayers

2009-06-07T00:11:00.002-04:00

To Karen's Support Network:

Need to drop a line to ask for prayers and intentions for my mother; her name is Eileen. She is ill in the hospital for the past 4 to 5 weeks. She fell at home and was seemingly getting better but has recently ran into some unexpected complications that include pneumonia.

I am aware that this list was created in order to contact those supporting Karen on her healing journey but I also know that love and prayer has no bounds. My mom was shaken by Karen's passing, and I know if there is a way, Karen is watching over her now helping her as best she can.

May God's grace and blessings surround my mother and provide a healing path for her to tread along with as little discomfort as possible taking her where God's wants her to go.

Over the last 11 weeks since Karen passed I have been becoming adjusted to my new place in this world, sans my best friend, Karen. It has been challenging and surreal, but I am just putting one foot in front of the other and taking things One Day At A Time. I am getting professional counseling and have joined Yoga and Qigong classes, being the "token" male in both.

I send love and blessings to all of you on your life path today and all the days.

Patrick

IRISH ECHO ARTICLE --- May 6 - May 12, 2009 issue

2009-05-06T12:11:00.003-04:00

Benefit to remember 'trailblazer' Karen McGeever

By Peter McDermott
pmcdermott@irishecho.com

May 6, 2009 If Patrick McGeever never gave up, it was because he was inspired by the example of his wife Karen, who was diagnosed with throat cancer three years ago. The Long Island-born mother and stepmother to five and grandmother to five died on March 21 in Florida, where she and her husband had settled a decade ago.

There were moments of despair, however.

"The doctor said it was just a matter of days," McGeever recalled. He told his wife, the daughter and granddaughter of New York City police officers, that "she may be going to God." Her eyes filled with tears, he said.

She stayed true to her commitment to a holistic approach to her illness, a decision that was backed fully by her family and friends

"Karen courageously dealt with the odds that were against her," he said. "She stuck to her beliefs in spite of the odds and cynical comments and predictions. She knew there were not any guarantees regardless of treatment choice."

Because her choice of treatment was not covered by health insurance, her husband is left with bills to pay. "I was completely concentrating on Karen's well-being," said Patrick McGeever, who is on leave from his job as a social worker and has postponed his PhD studies.

He would like to set up a foundation in memory of his wife, who was he said a "person of integrity and a trailblazer." The foundation would help others with life-threatening conditions. "I want to get the ball rolling on that," he said.

A fundraiser will be held at Gaelic Park on this coming Saturday, May 9, 2009 at 7 p.m. There will be music and food and people will share their memories of Karen McGeever. Assistance can be offered via PayPal on line at www.KarensHealingJourney.com or by U.S. mail to Karen's Healing Journey, PO Box 630048, Bronx, N.Y. 10463. Raffle tickets are $20 each, 6 for $100. The grand prize is one week In Ireland, including lodging, car rental and $1,000 toward airfare. Second prize is $1,000 and third prize is $500.

This story appeared in the issue of May 6-12, 2009

To view article go to Irish Echo

reminder For local supporters of Karen's Healing Journey...

2009-04-23T23:00:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow (Friday 4/24) at 7am on Bee Ridge Rd. at Incarnation Church (between Lockwood Ridge & Tuttle Rd.) there will be a mass said for Karen.
Blessings to all,

Patrick
--

Karen's Story at: http://www.KarensHealingJourney.com

SERVICE

2009-03-22T17:33:00.002-04:00

Service will be held for Karen Beth at 11am, March 25, 2009. The service is at Unity Church on Proctor Rd. (between Beneva Rd. & Swift Rd.) in Sarasota.

As stated earlier, viewing will be on Mon & Tues at our home beginning at 2pm each day. For directions please feel free to contact me at patrick@karenshealingjourney.com or 941 587-3107.

Your support is deeply appreciated at this very difficult and challenging time.

love and blessings,

Patrick

NEW BEGINNINGS

2009-03-21T15:32:00.002-04:00

Hello All...

Karen has moved on to NEW BEGINNINGS. She quietly transitioned into the spirit world this morning at about 6:15am. I held her in my arms as she passed over. There was no struggle for her; she slept through it. I stayed with her body, cleaning her off and playing some music that we both like until removed about 10:30am.

It is bittersweet for me. I will miss her terribly in her human form, but I know that she is in a better place. She has gone to her reward, one that she sincerely deserves. She has left an indelible print in my heart and soul. We were joined together on a path lasting close to 19 years and during that time we certainly grew spiritually and emotionally together. We challenged one another's differences, causing one another to stretch and grow out of our comfort zones.
Sometimes it was frustrating but it was always rewarding and nurturing.
The trust we built between each other was unique in nature, far deeper than I have ever had with another person. Karen is my best Buddy that will continue in whatever phase of existence we are in!! She will always reside in my heart. She was and remains an amazing entity, one with very defined values and beliefs.
For a while I will feel as though robbed by the grim reaper, as time passes the sting will become less, but will never go away. As a friend told me today, there will be a limitless number of good-byes and remembrance as the days roll into weeks, months and years and I continue to have reminders of what we once had, whether when hearing a song or sensing some other form of familiarity.
So for now I will work toward letting her go home to God, where she will be coddled in His grace and love, surrounded in the healing light we have all prayed for her to have. It was not my way but His way. God knows the big picture, and I trust in His way. One lesson I have learned over the last 3 years and 14 days is that life is but a precious gift and terribly short; for some extremely short.
Our family will be receiving guests for viewing Monday and Tuesday beginning at 2pm, in our home. For directions please e-mail me at Patrick@karenshealingjourney.com or call 941 587-3107.
May God's Love and Blessings be bestowed on you as you travel your paths. Now Karen can take a hand in watching over us all as well.
God Bless Karen's soul as she transitions from this earthly form to the spiritual plane of existence. I for one hope she keeps a check on me.
I LOVE YOU KAREN...

STABLE - March 15, 2009

2009-03-15T14:46:00.002-04:00

Thanks for your prayers and support.

Karen is stable since yesterday evening. She slept well and does not appear in much pain, in fact over the last few weeks her pain level has seemed less.

The head and neck cancer continues to die off, but is leaving a devastating path of destruction behind. Her neck has been badly scarred. The cancer (or as I have referred to it lately, the "demon") is making every possible effort to stay alive and survive, thus is trying to grow elsewhere. We discovered some blockage in her airway yesterday and were told by traditional Docs that there is nothing that can be done to reverse this. I am currently negotiating with them to allow for some additional alternative treatment to be used. The biggest challenge is to get past the legal aspects attached to it, the CYA factor. It is frustrating at best, but I trust we shall get past this and all will be okay according to God's plan.

Two things that stick in my mind that Karen has said to me are:
" if I was not so stubborn, I would be dead" and "maybe all the birds are flying the wrong way".

I attribute Karen's stable condition today to all the prayers and intentions being sent her way.

Please continue and envision her surrounded in the healing light and love of God. Picture her totally healthy and breathing freely. Karen has had a very tough life; I believe she is due for a break.

Karen and I send love and blessings to all of you on your path.

with much gratitude,

Patrick

Prayers Needed

2009-03-14T21:28:00.000-04:00

Our family appreciates your on-going love and support. Today, we are asking that when you receive this email if you could take a moment to say a prayer for Karen as you send healing intentions her way. She is currently experiencing major complications, especially with breathing and having a clear passage in her airways. Thank you again for your time and attention to Karens healing :)

With Love,
The McGeever Family

At Long Last An Update...

2009-03-01T13:02:00.000-05:00

Hello all…

Please accept my apologies for the long spell without any updates. It would be an understatement to say things have been hectic. Karen remains in the hospital for now. Her healing is progressing at a snails pace but it is progressing. The wound on her neck has the potential to bleed, so the medical staff here are being cautious about the instability associated with that and are postponing any significant physical therapy for now. She is getting some range of motion exercises and we are continuing with the alternative care protocol.
I have no estimate on how long Karen will be hospitalized. She does have a private room, which affords me the ability to stay with her as needed. The staff here is just amazing and supportive.
Karen is very frustrated and wants to go home. One thing we cannot do is go home prematurely. The risk would be her getting ill again, if confined to bed, and ending up in the other hospital where the attitude toward our alternative protocol is much less open-minded.
Karen’s hearing has been impaired while her neck is going through its changes, apparently some pressure on her Eustachian tubes. Her lungs (pneumonia) have been resolved and she is sleeping on the “Cadillac” of beds for bed sores. So, while the treatment for her neck continues her other issues are healing as well.
Karen is mixed up and confused about location and dates at times; she sometimes asks me where she is. Her pain seems to have subsided but her frustration and agitation has been heightened of late. She frequently asks me to take her home when I say I am going home for a little while.
I think I can speak for Karen when I say we both look forward to speaking about this period of our lives in the past tense and we hope that is very soon. At times I become overcome with it all and think “what a nightmare this is!” I find it so sad to see her in bed day after day. I wish I could say that on a certain date we will be getting her out of here, but I can’t. It could be soon but it may not be.
I do know she is where she needs to be and that we are blessed to have her being cared for in the facility she is currently in.
As many of you know our family has organized a benefit for Karen again this year. The event will be May 9, 2009 at Gaelic Park in the Bronx, N.Y. With the grace of God we will be able to make it there this year; that would be wonderful.

If any of you wish to purchase tickets for the raffle or have a place to hang a flier for us, then please let us know and we will get you what it is you want. Your support and help are deeply appreciated, no matter how little or how big…IT MEANS A GREAT DEAL TO US!!

As always I ask you picture Karen is healing blue light surrounding her neck and body, being held in the comforting hands of God, adorned in His graces. Karen is strong and determined and is obviously a fighter to a degree I never knew. She continues to need all your prayers and good intentions on a daily basis.

I extend to you wishes of love and blessings on your path…

from KARA

2009-02-15T15:29:00.001-05:00

I am in Florida right now with Jack, Sammy, Dad, and Karen. Karen is in the rehab center and doing very well. It's hard to see her in a hospital bed. It is evident that her body is working super hard to fight this cancer. The treatment is working and the results are amazing all of us! Karen really needs loving energy and support sent her way now more than ever.

Every day we go to see her and she is usually asleep. When we leave Jack, Sammy, and me place our hands on hers and say goodnight. I know the healing energy is passing right from us to her. I believe the energy of a child is even stronger...just my feeling.

The raffle tickets are ready for purchase. If you are willing to ask a few people to buy them please let me know. I can mail a bunch to you. $20 each and 6 for $100. It's such a good deal and for such a great cause. Please help if you are able to. No amount is too small....really.
Thanks ~ Kara

WIN 2 tickets to see Dancing with the Stars!!!

2009-01-31T22:47:00.002-05:00

This is Kara....daughter #2. Please read the following and let me know if you are interested in winning! Thanks so much! Read update on Karen's Healing below.

WIN WIN WIN 2 tickets to see Dancing with the Stars at Nassau Coliseum for Wed. Feb 4th at 7:30PM.

As a donation for Karen Beth McGeever, who has throat cancer.

Please email your best offer to win the tickets! kara@karenshealingjourney.com OR call 631-566-8816.

Best Offer Contest will end at 9pm on Monday, Feb.2nd. Winner to be notified via email.

Remember ALL proceeds will go directly to help Karen along her healing journey with cancer. Thank you! ~ Kara

UPDATE of Karen's Healing:
Karen continues to move forward in her healing at the rehab hospital. We are extremely grateful for the healing environment that has been provided for her. Please as always, continue to envision her in God's Grace surrounded by healing blue light. Love and Blessings ~ Patrick and Karen

ON TO SOME REHABILITATION

2009-01-16T23:39:00.002-05:00

Hello to All...

Karen was transported to a rehab hospital today and we are both very grateful for the new medical staff we have found there. The staff is focused on healing and overall have expressed a desire to meet Karen and I at our "map of the world" with respect to Karen's choice for alternative care. HOW WONDERFUL!!

I want to express sincere gratitude and appreciation for the medical personnel and staff where Karen spent the past 18 days. I personally had issue with some of the practices and ideologies followed but the important thing was that Karen became strong enough to move on. THANKS TO ALL OF YOU!!

Karen is having much pain of late. I will get a chance tomorrow to begin being a part of her wound care on her neck again. This will be a daily regimen to be followed.

Karen does need your continued prayers, she is a tough lady and needs the support.

love and blessings to all...

BRIEF UPDATE

2009-01-11T23:20:00.003-05:00

Hello All...

Karen is progressing; in fact she had PT today and is asking to get up and wants to go home a.s.a.p. She is done with the hospital scene. She has had a few visitors over the last few days, which has been good for her; they were brief visits but all the same uplifting. She also had a Hands On Healing session, which was something Karen really enjoyed. She will probably due some PT for a few weeks and then go home. The plan is to get her strong enough prior to going home, so she is not susceptible to getting sick from immobility again. Her strength and stamina (and stubbornness) amazes me.

We want to set our sights on celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary in N.M. where we got married. That is certainly something more positive than allowing ourselves to be consumed by the overshadowing of disease. So, somehow, someway we will go to N.M. in March!!

I said it would be brief, so in closing I ask for all your continued prayers and healing intentions for Karen; envisioning her surrounded in healing blue light enfolded in the powerful GRACE OF GOD!

May love and blessings meet and great you on your individual paths...

A SLOW RETURN TO BALANCE

2009-01-04T22:01:00.004-05:00

Hello All...
Karen is having a hard time, she is very weak but there is daily improvement and the tumor that was very big on her neck has been substantially diminished. What a miracle! The Docs here do not know what to make of what they are seeing, that is ok...we need to know what is going on and the course Karen is on, since it is non-traditional and a very different approach than what is usual for these parts.

We are able to let Karen eat her organic diet from home; the hospital was kind enough to permit that after we signed a waiver releasing them from any liable. Interesting that a waiver needs signing to eat food that has not been poisoned, an interesting world we live in. I do realize they need to protect themselves, it is not about them.

Karen is sleeping much of the time, apparently still has a bit of pneumonia and bed sore. Her blood counts are improving though, a good sign. Her body needs the sleep to restore its strength. One of the circumstances at this hospital that is tough on Karen (and me) is the visiting hour rules. Karen is an anxious person on a good day, and now when sick she is even more so at times. This hospital will not let me stay in the room with her and that is a very difficult thing for Karen to deal with. Karen's ability to communicate is impaired and she relies on me to help her with that. Whenever I return she always asks me not to leave her again. It wrenches my heart sometimes and makes me want to lash out and force some changes, but I calm myself down and realize I must be an adult here. We are making the best of it for now. We will get out of here as soon as we can, getting her back home.

Getting her home will be good, but extremely challenging for me again. The goal will be to get her on her feet as soon as possible so she won't be so dependent on care and assistance for everything. Being on her feet will also help her stay healthy.

The people here are wonderful, have no complaints at all. Everyone is kind and caring toward Karen and extremely open and communicative toward me. We have truly been blessed again.

For those who are local, Karen is not in any shape to see visitors, especially since she is asleep much of the time; the visit would be a one-way interaction, you look and she sleeps. When she regains her strength whether still here or at home then she will be in a better place to see people. One must remember though, Karen is a private person; so don't take rejection personally if it occurs. Feel free to e-mail me to see if she is up to a visit.

We appreciate those who have reached out to help us over the past weeks. It is good to be home and have a resource of "helpers" ready, willing, and able to assist.

Please continue to envision Karen surrounded by a healing blue light cradled in the loving grace of God. She is an amazing person.

We Send Love and Blessings to All of You on Your Individual Paths...

HAPPY NEW YEAR ---- 2009

2009-01-01T00:02:00.002-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR SUPPORT NETWORK!!!

KAREN IS FIGHTING HARD AGAINST SOME INFECTIONS IN HER BODY. PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR HER SPEEDY RETURN TO A BALANCE IN HER BODY. SHE IS IN VERY GOOD HANDS HERE IN THE SARASOTA HOSPITAL, THANK YOU GOD FOR THAT!!

AS ALWAYS, PICTURE KAREN SURROUNDED IN HEALING BLUE LIGHT COMFORTED IN THE GRACE OF GOD'S ABUNDANCE AND LOVE...

MAY GOD'S LOVE AND BLESSINGS BE FOUND ON YOUR PATH AS YOU MEANDER ALONG LIFE'S PATH...

KAREN & PATRICK

Hospital Visit - Prayers Please

2008-12-29T22:27:00.003-05:00

This is Kara writing for Dad. He asked us to update the blog this evening in his place. Karen is in the hospital to explore a possible infection going on in her body. Dad and Karen are asking for all the support you can give. Please think of Karen surrounded by a healing light, allowing her to be completely enveloped with whole health. Please send both Her and Dad your love and kindness....they could sure use it right now. Thanks to everyone for your neverending support and blessings along the way. Our family really appreciate all you are doing. Karen is getting there a day at a time!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2008-12-24T23:40:00.002-05:00

We want to wish all our friends and family who have supported us in so many ways a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah and Happy Healthy New Year. Your support has literally been life saving.

Since coming home about 1 month ago, Karen has gone from being completely bed ridden to getting up and sitting in a chair for an hour at a time. It is slow progress but it is progress.

Please continue to keep Karen in your prayers. She is regaining her strength but it is a balancing act for her to continue with the protocol that is killing her cancer while getting back on her feet. The protocol she is on is very taxing to her, so it leaves her with diminished ability to exercise etc. She is a strong lady! She amazes me!

Love & Blessings to All...

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY

2008-12-13T23:54:00.005-05:00

Hello to All...

Hard to believe it has been almost 3 weeks since we arrived home.

Karen is doing well, regaining her strength slowly but surely. She has been out of bed, sitting in a chair, but for the most part remains in bed most of the time. It is especially challenging for her since the healing that is going on in her neck causes much pain at times.

Medically, we have wonderful support. Karen's Doc here at home has come to the house weekly since being home. He is a great person and is very patient. Karen continues to have the support of our friend who is a nurse, calling her at any time of the day, and I mean anytime, for support to walk us through times that are scarier than others.

And of course, the Doc who resides in the Caribbean is there as always. She kept in contact with us while in the hospital and has been there in spite of her own family challenges, as we need her. We are surrounded by loving people.

Reflecting back, it is so obvious to me that we have been carried through so many tough and trying times over the last 2 or 3 months, and even more so over the last 33 months since Karen was initially diagnosed.

There are wonderful, caring people coming to visit with Karen from the local home health care agency. The nurse, case manager, is extremely proactive for her patients, a true gem. Karen will continue for a while with home health care, although it will begin to be tapered off in the next few weeks.

I have found these times very challenging and very scary at times. I look so forward to this illness being behind Karen/us. Sometimes I can't believe how brave and strong she is; I can't imagine how it must be waking up to being sick every day for so long.

Overall, Karen is doing much better at home. She is not taking as much pain medication and is much more willing to do physical therapy than she was in the hospital. Hospitals are good but there comes a time when they have served their purpose and it is time to go, that time had come for Karen.

The hospital was wonderful and if Karen was destined to be hospitalized, I would not have wanted her in any other hospital than Goshen General Hospital. Sometimes I think God led us to Indiana just for that reason. Everyone from her primary Doctor to the person who cleaned the room was nothing short of GREAT people! One thing that stood out to me was the conscious awareness of God's presence in the healing process by so many people I spoke with; it was not anything like I had ever been exposed to before. The people in ICU were just angels. If anyone from that unit is reading this, I say a huge thanks for all the care and concern afforded Karen; you will not be forgotten, our prayers and intentions are with you. My dream is for Karen and I to return and visit all of you after Karen has returned to complete health.
May God Bless you all!

At this time I will close and ask as always that you continue to pray for Karen's healing and return to complete health. I ask prayers for myself as well, so that I may continue to stand by Karen's side as she goes through this challenging part of her life's path. I need strength, patience and understanding to name a few things. Please envision Karen surrounded by healing blue light enveloped in the grace of God, totally healed and healthy.

May God's Love and Blessings be present on your path...

HOME SAFELY

2008-11-25T23:46:00.002-05:00

Just a short note to let all know we are home.

Grace On Wings provided us with a very safe trip home. Flight was 3 hrs 15 min. These people are true angels of the sky...real great people.

We arrived in our house at 5:20pm, Karen did very well in flight. It was a lot better than a Winnebago, wow was it ever!! We have some catching up to do with 8 weeks away from home. Home Health Care is coming tomorrow for initial assessment; so we are not losing any time.

Keep the prayers coming, they are truly working miracles in our lives.

love and blessings to all...

GOOD TO GO....GOAL HAS BEEN MET !!

2008-11-24T22:47:00.002-05:00

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED SUPPORT US ON OUR JOURNEY HOME. WE REALIZE THE OBVIOUS WAS THOSE WHO CONTRIBUTED MONEY BUT WE ALSO KNOW THERE WERE MANY PRAYERS, THOUGHTS AND INTENTIONS SENT OUR WAY. RICHES ARE NOT JUST "GREEN" BUT RICHES INCLUDES RICH AND VALUABLE RELATIONSHIPS FILLED WITH FAITH AND GOOD INTENTIONS.

WE EXPECT TO BE HOME TOMORROW EVENING, AND WILL HAVE FAMILY STAYING WITH US FOR AT LEAST 10 DAYS TO HELP SORT THIS OUT. TOMORROW IS 5 WEEKS SINCE KAREN CAME INTO THE HOSPITAL AND THURSDAY WILL BE 8 WEEKS SINCE WE LEFT HOME.

OUR WONDERFUL SON-IN-LAW, DAVID MADE SHORT WORK OF GETTING OUR CAR HOME WITH ALL OUR BELONGINGS...HE TRAVELED FROM NY TO INDIANA TO FL AND BACK TO NY IN ABOUT 2.5 DAYS, A TRUE GODSEND FOR US. THANKS SO MUCH FOR THAT!!

THERE HAVE BEEN MANY PIECES TO THIS PUZZLE AND FINALLY THEY ARE ALL COMING TOGETHER. WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT 2 WEEKS AGO ON HOW TO GET KAREN HOME. WE WENT FROM LAYING IN THE BACK OF OUR JEEP, TO LAYING IN THE BACK OF A WINNEBAGO, TO LAYING IN THE BACK OF AN AMBULANCE TO FINALLY FLYING HOME BY AIR AMBULANCE.

WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL TO THE PEOPLE WHO OPERATE GRACE ON WINGS
THEY ARE THE ONLY ORGANIZATION IN THE COUNTRY OFFERING THEIR SERVICES FREE OF CHARGE, WITH THE ONLY COST BEING THE COST OF OPERATION. WHAT CAN BE SAID TO PEOPLE LIKE THAT EXCEPT, A HUGE THANKS!!

THE PLAN IS FOR KAREN TO CONTINUE TO BUILD HERSELF UP AND GET BACK ON HER FEET AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO KEEP HER IN YOUR PRAYERS, ENVISIONING HER ADORNED WITH THE LOVING GRACE OF GOD SURROUNDED BY HEALING BLUE LIGHT. GOD STRENGTH TRULY SHOWS IN THE PERSON OF KAREN, SHE IS STRONG, COURAGEOUS, AND DETERMINED. MAY GOD CONTINUE TO BLESS HER/US ON THIS HEALING JOURNEY.

NEXT POSTING FROM FLORIDA...

LOVE AND BLESSINGS TO ALL....

REPORT ON THE GOAL

2008-11-20T15:41:00.003-05:00

Hello to all...

Once again, thanks to everyone who is supporting us with prayers, intentions as well as finances. We are currently at $4345, the goal being $6000 to pay for the trip home. We are in awe over the generosity extended to us from all of you. We are going forward, believing in the power of intention and that God will provide us with the remaining monies we need for the trip. We refuse to be put off by any ideas of lack; their is no lack when it comes to the power of God.

Karen is resting right now; she did some P.T. today, sat on the bedside for a while. She is regaining her strength slow but sure. It is good to see.
All the "ducks" that needed to be put in place for our return home are slowly falling into line. We are very grateful for everyone who is making this possible: the people at Grace On Wings (the air ambulance medics), our son-in-law (David who is driving our car home), our local friends who have been their throughout this ordeal, the Doc and his staff at home in Sarasota, the entire staff at this hospital in Indiana, and not to be forgotten so many family and friends who brainstormed this trip over the last few weeks seeking to find the best and most comfortable way for Karen to get home. Thanks to the members of IRON SHIELDS, NY, for reaching out to help us when we were considering a road trip home.

WE ARE TRULY BLESSED, THANK YOU GOD!!

As always, continue to pray for Karen's healing and envision God's Grace surrounding her neck and entire body with healing blue light, lifting her to wholeness and complete health.

May God's Love, Grace and Blessings be present on your path...

UPDATE ON MINI FUND RAISING

2008-11-18T20:19:00.002-05:00

First, thanks to everyone who has come up to bat for us, not only these last few days but all along as we have traveled this healing path of Karen's. We are truly blessed on this journey, as all of you travel along with us offering spiritual, emotional and financial help!

Seems we are about half to our goal = $6000, which we estimate we will need for air/ground transport home. We now have $2620 donated in the last few days. THANK YOU ONE AND ALL!! Our day for travel is planned for next Tuesday, Nov 25, 2008.

On a sad note:

Today, we had to make a long distance decision to let our cat (Limerick or as Karen called her "Little Girl") go, she became very ill a few days ago, seems she got poisoned. The cause was uncertain but the symptoms she displayed were not promising for her survival and the cost of tests etc. was not something we could afford at this time. She was 11 yrs. 3 months. 17 days old and one to remember!! Thank you God for that little purry blessing in our life.

I was telling some people yesterday, when she got ill, that I just could not feel sad about her, being focused on the situation here in Indiana...but when I had to mouth the words to put her down I broke down and cried. Boy was that cat something!! Some of you knew her and know what I mean. She was part of our family and will always be something Karen and I shared from early on in our relationship. For our children, she was a challenge for them to deal with. She allowed petting for a while, then when done using you would think nothing of scratching the hand the soothed her. Enough about the cat, she will always be remembered by us.

Karen remains in pain on a regular basis with her neck healing. It is quite difficult for her, but at least there does seem a light at the end of the tunnel. The transformation of the tumor on her neck is unreal.

For now I will close, asking as always to picture Karen healed healthy and whole, the power of imagery and intent are great. May God's grace surround Karen with healing blue light.

love and blessings to all...

TRANSPORT COST

2008-11-16T15:34:00.003-05:00

Hello to all...

Karen and I are solidifying plans to return home next weekend. We will travel by air ambulance or some similar type of transport on the ground. It really depends on how much money we can raise for the trip as to which modality we end up utilizing.

BOTH WAYS WILL BE COSTLY !

We need to ask for support to help defray the costs. The costliest version would run $9200 and cheapest would be about $3000; so both are expensive and certainly unplanned.

Donations can be done on this web site through Paypal, in the left column using the "MAKE DONATION" button.

More importantly Karen is doing better. Her body is in balance, just weak and sore from the cancer treatments. She is in a lot of pain at times.

We appreciate any support you can afford to us.

As always continue to hold Karen in healing blue light of God's healing grace.

I close with love and blessings to all...

Godincidences

2008-11-11T14:54:00.006-05:00

No coincidences but rather...Godincidences!!

Karen experienced some respiratory stress the last few days and it culminated in her being placed back in ICU this morning. Her strength is so low, she apparently was just too weak to keep up with the increased level of activity (PT & OT) and became over worked.

She will be on ventilator for about 3 days. In the meantime we are seeking alternative means to travel home. We drove here but it appears it would be too taxing for her to drive back. We have looked at renting an RV and driving straight home with a few drivers sharing the load. A private plane/jet would be ideal but do not have access to one. There are some organizations that fly people who are ill for free but the criteria for health and mobility is above where Karen is at right now.

Any thoughts or ideas on this would be welcomed.

So...

I opened up my e-mail today and saw this meditation regarding St. Theresa...it seemed like something I needed to see and receive. Just wanted to pass it on to everyone. I thought it would be a great way to pray for Karen as a group.

Love and Blessings to all...

Patrick

MEDITATION OF ST. THERESE OF THE CHILD JESUS

This Saint, who was humble and small, entered the convent while she was
still very young, and she died when she was 24 years old. Her only wish was
to please God, and she prayed asking that after she died, there will be a
rain of roses over the world, in a form of a present to those who pray. St.
Therese is very powerful in the world of the spirits, because she sends
real roses.

This novena can't be canceled, and you only have to make a wish before you
read the poem, that is all, nothing additional. Remember that this prayer
is very powerful..

Only send this to seven people and let me know what happens in the
fourth day. Don't break this chain, please. This prayer is one of the
biggest presents that we have received, it does not cost anything, but it
has its rewards.

Make a wish before you read this poem:

That today you find peace inside you, that you can confide in your
highest power because you are exactly where you are supposed to be, but do
not forget the infinite possibilities that are born from the faith, that you
may use the gifts that you have received and transfer the love that has
been given to you, to make you feel satisfied that you are a child of God.
Allow his presence in your bones and give your soul the liberty to sing, dance
and be warmed by the sun, that is there for everyone and each one of us.

OUT of INTENSIVE CARE

2008-11-04T21:20:00.002-05:00

Karen is in a regular room now. She is getting P.T. and O.T. as much as possible.

Today she has had a lot of pain and needs prayers.

Please send prayers of healing to her.

Will post again soon.

Love & Blessings to all...

Patrick

SLOW BUT SURE !!

2008-11-01T16:06:00.003-04:00

Hello to All...

Karen remains strong, but has a ways to go regarding physical strength. PATIENCE is the key, not my strong point, but I will work through it. The care received here continues to be superb...GOD is good to Karen/us.

I have been recently reminded, no matter where one is, there is always opportunity to learn, relearn or to become stronger in some area of life. Recently the relearning has been about setting boundaries; saying what I mean but not saying it mean, not doubting that what I know is what I know. It helps to get the reassurance of those in Karen's/our medical support network who are of like mind when being confronted, challenged, questioned and to a certain degree pressured with more conservative medical traditions. I often have noted that there are times when this journey is a lonely one, like pushing forward on a new frontier. I am grateful and honored to be blazing such a trail following the lead of such a brave woman.

Today I contacted Angel Pilots about getting a ride home to Sarasota from here via private jet. It would be a great opportunity to get Karen home quickly, with very little stress. This is a service offered free of charge, from what I understand, to people who are dealing with cancer. They are a not for profit organization.

Please continue to uplift Karen in your thoughts and prayers viewing her surrounded in healing blue light, blessed by the Grace of God and resting gently in His hands healthy and free of disease.

As always, we send love and blessings to all of you and we are very grateful for your support.

If anyone reading this would like to become a member or the e-mail update list, please let us know at karpat@karenshealingjourney.com

Patrick & Karen

MIRACLES DO HAPPEN

2008-10-28T21:07:00.002-04:00

Hey to All...

Well Karen is doing much better. She has been in ICU for the last week. Her body has returned to balance and tomorrow she begins OT & PT to get back on her feet. She is a true Wonder Woman; she was very close to making the final exit, it was very scary!!

Had a CT SCAN and it showed much dead tissue in her neck...THAT WAS GREAT !!

God does work in wondrous ways, sometimes after completing some pieces of Karen's Healing Journey, I look back over the path that we have taken and say to myself "oh, that is why we traveled that path". When traveling along, I thought we were going somewhere for a different reason. This is how I feel about Indiana and I think more will be revealed. Although Karen had to experience severe trauma, she is in a very safe and nurturing place with the most wonderful people attending to her health care. It is great to be included in the health care decisions being made; something I have not experienced frequently.

Karen will probably be getting out of hospital some time next week. We will probably get home the week after that.

We both want to thank everyone for the prayers, thoughts and intentions...the support is truly felt.

Please continue to hold Karen in healing blue light as she continues along her path to health and wholeness.

Love & Blessings to all...Patrick & Karen

HOSPITALIZED

2008-10-24T17:53:00.006-04:00

Hello to All,

Karen has needed hospitalization for the last few days. We are still in Indiana with friends. She will be in hospital probably until next week some time. Her system got out of balance with electrolytes, blood count etc. Her lungs began to fill with fluid and we needed to rush her to hospital by ambulance a few days ago.

IT WAS VERY FRIGHTENING!!

We are extremely grateful that she is being cared for by such skilled and open minded personnel.

THANK YOU GOD once again!

As many of you know Karen has sought healing via non-traditional methods, so surrendering to the traditional medical modality felt a bit risky. It was another example of fear and apprehension turning into nothing but the "boogey man". The Docs, Nurses and other medical staff are extremely supportive of Karen's choice of healing.

Since she has been here her body is slowly but surely returning to homeostasis. She is so very strong and brave!!

Her neck tumor swelling continues to die and fall away, it has shrunk dramatically to almost being flat. THIS IS SO AMAZING!!

Please send prayers, thoughts and intentions our way. Karen is being carried by God, it is so obvious. Please continue to envision her surrounded by blue healing light, bathing in perfect health.

May you be filled with love and blessings!

Prayers Needed!!

2008-10-21T14:22:00.003-04:00

Karen is doing well. She is going through a healing crisis. Please remember her in your prayers. Will update more later.

Love and Blessings from us to you. Please continue to keep Karen surrounded in a healing blue light.

AWESTRUCK

2008-10-10T01:50:00.005-04:00

Hello to All...

Karen and I have arrived safely in Indiana. I have not have had time to check e-mails etc. nor be logged on to computer at all since arriving here. It was a tiring journey. We are in awe over what is happening to Karen's tumor.

God's power is being revealed. We are surrounded by an indescribable amount of love and caring.

Our gratitude goes out to everyone and we ask for your continued prayers, asking for God's guidance as Karen and her caregivers continue on this journey. As always please envision Karen surrounded in healing blue light, completely healthy and totally cancer free.

Love and Blessings to all... Patrick & Karen

En Route to Indiana

2008-10-03T02:24:00.004-04:00

Hello to All,

Just a short note to let you know we are in transit to Indiana and need your prayers, thoughts and intentions for Karen's continued progress and healing.

Thanks as always for all your support: emotional, financial and spiritual...we need it all!

Will keep you updated as I can. Pets are taken care of thanks to a dear friend who just keeps showing up for us and if he needs some respite another very good friend has offered to help as well.

We are just in awe at the support we receive. The beginning of fund raising event is probably delayed for a while but we do need donations regardless of that. Opportunity to do that is via this web page or to our address. We know how challenging these times are for everyone and do not expect but rather are humbly asking without expectation. It is hard for me to ask for anything, period. This illness, Karen has been going through, has forced me to stretch beyond many discomforts and asking for help is merely one.

Please continue to envision Karen healed and whole, surrounded with healing blue light bathing in the power of God's grace. We also pray that the person(s) who will be focusing on Karen's healing and health in the future to be blessed with the wisdom and guidance of God.

Love and Blessings to All...

Passing of an Amazing Young Man

2008-09-28T03:07:00.002-04:00

We ask you to remember Stephen and his family in your prayers. His mom's posting on Stephen's web page this past evening was:

Stephen finally won his battle over cancer and he is with his Lord Jesus in heaven!

Karen and I feel privileged to have met him and spent some time with him and his mother; a true honor. They have become friends as we travel along Karen's healing journey.

May God Bless his soul and be with his family; they will all be in our thoughts and prayers during this tough and challenging time.

THANKS FOR ENCOURAGING WORDS

2008-09-21T01:06:00.003-04:00

I want to thank you for the words of encouragement and well wishes for Karen's birthday. It was good to see her experience the outpouring of love and care; she truly needs that.

Karen's progress seems to be continuing but is slow and continues to be painful and uncomfortable for her. Karen is getting care at the local Doctor's office 3X/week and even though relatively speaking the office visits are not much money, they sure add up to a large monthly fee. She has also been in need of some other care to help with side effects of the pain meds and that person is offering us service at about 50% off; we are truly grateful and in awe over the generosity of people who just help, that is all, they just reach out to help.

In spite of our financial challenges, we are so blessed!!

The Doc is caring for the open wound in Karen's neck, changing the packing as it continues to heal. Possibly she will need to have surgery to debulk what is left on her neck; that remains to be seen.

We have been introduced to a protocol that promises to speed Karen's healing up, so we are planning on going to Indiana for a few weeks for treatment under the guidance of an experienced health professional. We will leave within the next few weeks and guess what????.....yep we are in need of pet sitters once again. Unfortunately the 2 main people who were able to chip in and help us in the past are unavailable this time. Any ideas, we are open to suggestions, please let us know. We have a cat and 2 dogs; the dogs require the most care, needing to be fed and let out.

We are going to drive to Indiana, so that will be different than most of our past adventures.

I want to also announce that we are going to be putting the 2nd Annual Karen Beth McGeever Benefit together within the next few weeks. The prize will be similar to the 1st event and we will hopefully get a date in April again this coming year, 2009.

We need all of your continued support, the finances are just outrageous!!! It reminds me of the movie the Perfect Storm; so many things coming together at the same time to create such a challenging time not only for us but for many, many people in our country today. It is just unreal!! I am afraid, more at some times than others. What I get resolve from is remembering that God is in charge and watching over both of us; I know we will be okay and right now the most important thing is to continue to get Karen the care she needs.

I will close now and ask as I always do that you keep Karen (and me) in your prayers and hold Karen in your mind's eye surrounded by healing blue light and see her completely healthy and whole; she is, her body is just catching up. Please remember our friend Stephen who also needs your prayers.

Love and blessings to all...

Annie Appleseed Project needs support

2008-09-11T02:01:00.005-04:00

The Annie Appleseed Project, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, provides information, education, advocacy, and awareness for people with cancer and their family and friends who are interested in complementary or alternative medicine (CAM) and natural therapies from a patient's perspective. They are an all volunteer organization and are fundraising at this time. If you wish to learn more about this organization go to http://www.annieappleseedproject.org/

To contribute for the current fundraiser go to http://www.firstgiving.com/annfonfa

The Annie Appleseed Project has supported Karen on her healing journey and we appreciate it very much. This organization does very good work.

Requesting words of support to Karen

2008-09-07T21:56:00.002-04:00

Hello Everyone:

Karen is having a very tough time emotionally this week. The injections into her neck have apparently caused some side effects, one being pain.

I would like to ask, if you have time, to send her a note of encouragement either by snail mail or e-mail. You can send an e-mail message to Karen at

Karpat@KarensHealingJourney.com

and our mailing address is

PO Box 1014
Osprey, Fl. 34229

Today is 30 months since her original diagnosis and she is so over being ill. I know your notes of encouragement would be a tremendous boost for her, especially since her birthday is coming up on the 17th of this month.

She realizes that the most recent progress on her neck is very promising, but when in pain and discomfort on a regular basis, it is hard to stay positive and hopeful. At times in the past her hopes were up only to discover it was a short lived success.

Thanks very much for your support, I/we appreciate it very much.

With love and blessings to you,

Patrick

By the side of a courageous woman

2008-09-04T00:31:00.003-04:00

Karen is still moving along on a path where progress is being seen. It is GREAT to actually see change.

The content inside of her neck is being scooped out by her local Doc as much as it can on a regular basis. The tumor has collapsed into a mushy consistency and is there for the "digging". In addition to this, Karen is receiving continued injections into her neck to dissolve any remaining tumor. It is truly amazing to see!!

Karen is doing a lot, keeping herself strong and healthy and thank God she is being successful with that. She continues to have her blood work monitored and all continues to be well.

Your continued prayers, intentions and support are asked. Karen needs her strength as she goes through this, and you as part of her support network are a larger part of that.

A dear friend of ours and his family need your prayers as well. He is one of the fellow travelers we have met along Karen's Healing Journey, his name is Stephen and is having a tough time of late; he is a very special young man and his attitude toward life in general is truly something to emulate.

As always I ask you to hold Karen in your mind's eye surrounded in healing blue light, whole, healthy and complete; a beautiful child of God.

Karen joins me in sending love and blessings to you on your life path....Patrick & Karen

POP goes the neck

2008-08-25T23:56:00.002-04:00

Thanks to all for your prayers and we ask you to keep them coming. Karen did not begin another round of IVs but has been courageous enough to begin injections directly into the growth on her neck. This was first done on Friday Aug 15 and her neck swelling formed a point and popped on the night of Aug18. WOW !!
She has been getting frequent injections and the "stuff" is just oozing from her neck at times almost uncontrollably. It is quite a mess. It has been described to us as follows....
Karen's body has pushed the cancer into her neck in an effort to push it out of her body. By injecting into the neck, her body was helped along. She has a ways to go but it is moving out of her body for sure.
We have been helped by a few Docs in other countries and have sent them pics of Karen's neck and they are offering us advise per the protocol she is on. This is an unreal experience being an international effort to get Karen disease-free.
Karen has not put on much weight but is eating good most days and holding her own.
We are very grateful and ask that you continue with your vision of Karen surrounded by blue light and healthy and whole; a beautiful child of God.
We send love and blessing to all... Patrick & Karen

Breaking a 3 week silence

2008-08-13T00:45:00.002-04:00

We want to welcome our new grandson, Matty to this world. He is a real cutey!! God Bless him as he embarks on his journey through life. He has wonderful parents to guide him, a great plus for starters. We were not able to be present to see him but due to advanced technology we have been able to see him with video and pics over the Internet.

And a must say today is HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEVIN! Our 9-year-old grandson! A great young man!

I have not posted to this blog for 3 weeks because I did not feel like it. We have been extremely involved in getting Karen strong again and gaining some balance with her eating and other aspects of her healing. She has begun to eat daily and has put some weight on. She was under 90lbs and very weak. It was very frustrating and confusing. Thank God for the medical support that we have for Karen. Some of the side effects of the protocol Karen is taking have electrolyte levels askew. Since her blood levels were not normal we needed to postpone treatments. The plan now is to proceed for another 6 days beginning tomorrow or actually later today to be precise.

Karen has been receiving some sessions on a crystal bed here in town. This is type of bed used in Brazil where John of God is. John of God is the person (healer) we went to see in NY last October.

Karen neck is quite swollen and red. The Doc whose protocol we are following and the Doc who is guiding us through this have recommended doing injections directly into her neck. Karen is not too crazy about this idea but will begin that in a few days. They will use a numbing agent, so the initial pain is absent but there is pain afterward. Please pray that she will be strong enough, as she has shown for so long, to go through this.

I hope some of you have remembered to focus on Karen's healing at noon on Saturdays because I have not. Sorry, but I will work on that.

Our schedule here at home is quite erratic. Karen eats about every 3 or 4 hours now and we are generally up very late and sleep late in the morning. But, there is nothing written in stone; this schedule is very changeable. We have certainly become close and become accustomed to being together for a lot of time, basically all the time.

We are truly blessed with all the people who have crossed our path and been so helpful to us in many ways. For those of you reading this, we say THANK YOU!! This has been life changing and has shaken our world to the core.

As Karen proceeds with the next round of IVs please keep her in your thoughts and prayers; she should begin tomorrow and finish next Monday.

As always, please envision Karen surrounded by healing blue light reclaiming her wholeness with God's love and grace.

Please pass the web site for Karen's blog on to people you know; we need all the support we can get to help Karen continue on her healing path.

Love and Blessings to you all....Patrick & Karen

Another round of protocol finished

2008-07-23T22:26:00.007-04:00

Karen just finished another 6 days of IVs today. She took one day off, yesterday; she needed a break. Her stomach is frequently upset; it is difficult for her to take food in because she feels burning or nausea. She is afraid to vomit because it causes extreme headaches. She is able to swallow water but she has not eaten food orally in a few weeks or so. She told me today, she is hungry, wants to eat food normally.

Hopefully in a few days the swelling will subside and she will be able to eat some food again.
Between the last 6 days of IVs and this currently completed set she took 15 days off because of these same nutrition challenges. The suggested time off is 6 days, but common sense also needs to be followed.

Things are different this time though since Karen had minor surgery done on July 9 and that aided in setting her back as well. She was actually scheduled to renew active IV infusions the same day she had the surgery, but she was just too wiped out.

She is scheduled for another round of IVs beginning next Wednesday. When that is complete, I guess we will play things by ear as far as getting tested or proceed with some more IVs. Things are definitely being stirred in Karen's body, she experiences more pain and discomfort in the immediate area of the tumor when on the IV and she has been spitting up some blood, fresh blood which we have been told is a good sign, indicating the tumor is breaking up.

We need to remind ourselves that this process is in "God's Time, not ours!".
And life continues to happen too. We were reminded of that when surprise car repairs were presented to us today; nothing a credit card and a few phone calls can't fix, but certainly not on my daily menu for today.
There are so many lessons in life and the lessons can be subtle at times or scream out loud at other times.

A representative of John of God, who Karen and I went to see last October in NY, will be in Sarasota in a few weeks and Karen has been able to set up some time to see him. There are no coincidences!
We are very excited about the upcoming birth of our wee grandson, Dee & Matt will be having their baby arrive in a about 1 1/2 weeks. So cool!! Many, many blessings in our lives.

We both feel very blessed to have the support network that all of you represent. There is a lady who has joined this group back about 4 months ago and she recently sent a link to a song that is sung by Staci Wallace and it so demonstrates Karen's attitude as she travels along her healing journey. We invite you to listen to it at

It's Not Over Til I Win.

I would like to pass on a suggestion from a member of Karen's support network with a bit of tweaking of our own.

Here goes....

Please imagine Karen in your mind's eye as a healthy beautiful disease free woman. The picture of her on the blog could be helpful to assist your imagination. Just block me out of your vision. In prayer, as a group, we can ask God's healing love and grace to rid her of any disease bringing her to healthy wholeness, her neck and body surrounded in gentle blue healing light.

Thoughts, prayers, and intentions are powerful and even more so as a group.

I want to ask that everyone try to remember do this at noon on Saturdays until Karen's body is rid of disease completely. Just envision her in your mind or print out the picture and pray as stated above. I will provide a reminder when I post on the blog.

We both deeply appreciate your efforts and look forward to joining all of you in prayer at noon on Saturdays.

We close with love and blessings to all... Patrick & Karen

Asking for Prayers and Focused Intention

2008-07-11T00:51:00.003-04:00

Karen is having some difficulty with side effects of the protocol and has not been eating well because of it. There is a solution, it is nothing that is that complicated, but she needs prayerful support from all of you to just continue on through this piece of her path. She has delayed the start of the next IV treatments for a few days until she gets some of her strength back. She did have minor surgery yesterday to have a new IV access line placed and part of the side effects is from the pain meds used for that. She has been through so much and is so brave through it all.

I am having a difficult time with this stuff as well and I ask for you to keep us both in your prayers. As always imagine a blue healing Divine light surrounding Karen as she continues on this healing path.

We both send love and blessings to all of you...

ROUND 2 OVER -- IN THE RECOUP ZONE

2008-07-06T12:34:00.003-04:00

Karen is in-between rounds right now; she is on Day 4 of her time off from IVs. She is having challenges with upset stomach and headaches and I am having challenges watching her go through this. My big concern is about her getting the nutrition and calories that she needs.

Headaches are normal with the current protocol and the stomachaches are also a side effect. Headaches she more or less has to ride the storm with but the stomachaches are countered with some nutritional supplements readily available at the health food store. Once again it is a matter of getting the right balance according to her needs.

Karen gets her blood checked every week and it has not looked as good in about 5 months, so it is encouraging that amidst all the anti-cancer protocol her body remains strong.

Karen had temporary picc line removed on Thurs. and is going to have a more permanent IV access placed via minor surgery on Wed. She will also begin the 3rd round of protocol on Wed. The Doc said the new IV access will be usable as soon as it is placed.

Karen is doing GREAT as far as tolerating the IVs, THANK GOD FOR THAT! It is a very different experience from the previous protocol from Tulsa.

The topic of fundraising is bubbling to the surface for us again; it is not by choice but rather out of need. This time it seems a local event will be more appropriate and suitable for our needs.
We are open to ideas and suggestions and hopefully over the next 4 to 8 weeks things will begin to unravel.

Your prayers and support are felt and I ask for you continued help. This journey is a stressful time for Karen and she needs your continued help. As always I ask you to hold her in healing blue light showered in the healing grace and power of God.

As we close we send love and blessings along with much gratitude to all... Patrick & Karen

Well on her way to finishing ROUND 2

2008-06-30T23:38:00.002-04:00

Karen has just completed Day 4 of the second round of IVs, she has 2 more days to go and then has 6 days off, as the routine goes.

Her throat has been very sore and she has been unable to eat through her mouth the last few days except for water. It is good she had a peg tube placed about a month ago. She has been taking in food that way.

This protocol has been tough on her because even during the days when she is not receiving IVs she feels uncomfortable with throat soreness.

Karen discovered some organic coconut milk, which is low in sugar and high in calories (400 calories per cup). She has been taking small amounts of that along with juices and supplements to keep the calories and nutrition going into her system.

Thursday she gets her central line removed and will have something more permanent placed for IV access next week.

She told me the other day she had a dream that she was talking again. A wonderful premonition!!

Anyone interested in a 1998 Monte Carlo let us know. We have decided to sell our second car. We can use the money much more than we are using the car right now. It has 133K miles on it.

I also would like to call your attention to some Karen's Healing Journey souvenirs at Karen's Memorabilia page.

I will close for now asking as always for your continued prayers and support and to envision Karen surrounded by healing Blue Light embraced by her Higher Power.

Please also pray for a few people who are on parallel paths with Karen as she moves toward complete health; Stephen and Haldene are also receiving similar treatment as Karen. They need good energy, prayers, and healing thoughts sent their way.

I close with love and blessings to all and appreciation for all your help...

THE FIRST LEG COMPLETE

2008-06-21T02:24:00.001-04:00

Karen has successfully completed the first 6 days of her new protocol. She will rest for 6 days and then do 6 more days beginning next Friday. She is looking quite well to me, her lymph nodes are swollen on her neck more so than they have been which is a sign her immune system is working to rid her body of the “junk”. She coughed up some blood at the end of days 3 and 4 indicating some tumor tissue breaking up. We were told that might happen. She has regained a lot of her energy; she is a long way from where she was about 3 weeks ago when in the midst of an infection. THANK YOU GOD! There were a few nights back then that I was not sure what was going to happen; it was a very frightening time.

I will close for now and say thanks for all of your support. As always please continue to envision Karen healthy and whole surrounded by God’s love (all of our love) radiated in a bright blue light.

Love and blessings to you from the both of us…

Still doing well

2008-06-17T23:36:00.002-04:00

Karen continues to do well on her new protocol. She has completed day 3 today without any unexpected occurrences.

We continue to be hopeful, she will cycle off after Friday for 6 days and then begin again for another 6 days.

Thank you for all your continued support including intentions and prayers.

We are grateful for all of you and truly awestruck by the help and love extended toward Karen/us by a special lady named Cathi within the last month or so.

I ask you all to continue envisioning Karen surrounded by healing blue light and her body expelling any foreign unhealthy cells. Karen is healthy and whole, thanks be to God!

Love and blessings to all of you.....

DAY 1 of new protocol done

2008-06-15T22:33:00.006-04:00

Karen had a good day today, did the first IV of the new protocol and was very successful. We had medical support team in place in case we needed help. They are wonderful and we are very grateful to have them in our lives.

Karen has gained back some weight and seems to be doing well now that she is over the infection.

Karen will be doing this first round of the protocol for 5 more days. She will then cycle off for 6 days and continue with 6 days on/6days off for a total of 4 rounds. We estimate her to be completed by the end of July. I informed her I expect her to sing to me at the end of July.

Your prayers and support are welcome and appreciated. Thank you for all your help.

In closing we both extend love and blessings to all...

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!

Ya Wouldn’t Believe It ! June 8, 2008

2008-06-09T01:18:00.003-04:00

Today we bathed in the “non-traditional”. We had 3 Doctors at our house tending to Karen and discussing alternative approaches to healing for about 5 hours.

One door has closed and another house opened. We have experienced Tulsa and moved on, being grateful for the experience; we realize it was part of our path. Each part of our path is important because it got us to where we are at present. We are not required to like everything that happens, but it best to accept it.

Karen has completed the antibiotic regime; she stopped after 11 days. I called the Docs office and informed the Nurse and she told me Karen could not stop antibiotics until a Doc ordered it. I told her I would tell Karen about that. Of course, as many of you might suspect, that did not change Karen’s decision. Karen did get a yeast infection from the antibiotics, so needed some meds to deal with that. This happened in spite of probiotic use.

We did get to see the Doc who ordered the antibiotics (well his associate because he is on vacation for 3 weeks) and that _________ (fill in the blank) had Karen crying with her gruff attitude in a short time. She came into the examining room asking questions about the port removal and who is responsible for taking care of the pic line (temporarily installed) and blah, blah, blah. I asked her why she was so concerned about the port; it was there before her and will be there after her. She said because of a potential malpractice suit. Well, I thought, isn’t this interesting; this is about covering her ass and not about Karen at all. Forty minutes later, after calling other Docs around and finally getting one of Karen’s other Docs to commit to caring for the port, the Doc from “hell” comes back into the examining room and says “okay, Dr X will take care of port, you are all set; I will sign off on this now.” I said, “now that the legal issues are resolved, can you go over Karen’s lab work and let us know where the infection started, that is why we came?” She then spent about 90 seconds telling us the root cause of infection and we were released on our own recognizance. UNREAL!!

Of course, the Doc from “hell” and the office staff do have some rights for looking and acting with attitudes toward us. We did do some faux pas’ this week. We called and rescheduled the appointment 3 times. We did stop antibiotics without getting permission and we were 20 minutes late for our appointment. I suppose we got what we deserved; we are only the customer/patient. What rights do we have?

It is unfortunate because there seems to be a monopoly on who tracks infectious diseases here in our town. I am not sure who else we would go to for that type of “expertise” if we ever need it again.

When Karen first got diagnosed with an infection, it was May 23^rd and going into Memorial Day weekend. The Doc told us Karen should be hospitalized because she would be safer in the hospital over the holiday weekend. We disagreed and then the “death card” was played. He told us that Karen could get worse over the weekend and die. We still did not budge; we knew better than to let her go into the hospital. She probably would have died in the hospital.

On Memorial Day, we were in the outpatient Day Treatment Center, 4 days into her antibiotic protocol, and Karen experienced a bad reaction while receiving an IV, again the “death card” was played. They (the on-call Doc and the Nurses) were insistent that Karen gets checked out in the E.R. and stay in the hospital. It was another situation where they were fitting Karen into a box and inside that box all people stay in the hospital and do not go home, MAYBE NEVER!

It is so challenging, when it is assumed that the patient and/or caregiver are ignorant and know absolutely nothing about what is going on. The reaction Karen had to the IV was the same reaction she had over and over again at home; the reaction, which prompted us to check for infection. What happened was that the port was disturbed and apparently the bacteria got pushed into her blood and she got chills for about 25 minutes followed by high fever for a few hours. Scary to see? YES! Not something totally new to us, and certainly not something to let the experts poke and prod at Karen for about 8 to 10 hours in an E.R.

So, we have been in communication with a Doc in Italy. He promotes a protocol that has a history of success with Karen’s type illness. The protocol Karen had in Tulsa was a distant cousin to this protocol she is going to begin. We have been blessed with a Doc who has worked directly with the Italian Doc but who resides within our time zone, in the Caribbean. She is a wonderful woman and she has visited today with Karen in our home, and has spent most of the afternoon with her. In addition to that Karen’s primary Doc here in town also came to our house to visit and offer his input as well as make some inquiries of his own about Karen’s new protocol. If two Docs were not enough, we also had a friend of Karen’s new guide come over to the house too. This is what I mean by “bathing in the non-traditional”. I believe the last time I had a Doc to my home for medical reasons was when I was less than 10 years old.

Karen received a thorough exam and got some boosts to her immune system today using both Chinese Medicine and Homeopathic Medicine.

I was just taken back by it all, I told Karen it was surreal; the abundance of love, care and concern extended in Karen’s direction by these people.

Oh, by the way Karen has been able to eat most if not all of her food by mouth since getting over her infection. She has an occasional problem with swallowing but basically does not have any coughing fits at all.

We are grateful for Karen’s renewed strength and medical support. Karen feels very secure at this point. Probably her only concern is her private nurse (me). Believe it or not I can have a tendency to push her toward health, whether she agrees with my methods or not. It is actually rooted in my own fears. It is very hard to see my Buddee sick for so long; this past month has been especially hard for me. I was frightened quite a bit. There were a few times we were both up praying in the middle of the night because we had no idea what was happening.

As always, I express gratitude for all your prayers and support. We continue to need all of you. Please continue to hold Karen in a healing blue light, lifting her body into a healed state. It is done!

Love and Blessings to All………..

UPDATE

2008-05-30T23:26:00.001-04:00

Thanks for everyone's prayers and support.

Karen seems to have beat the infection but is still completing the course of antibiotics. And, just in case things might be boring, she had surgery for port removal and new pic line placement yesterday and today had surgery for peg tube placement in her abdomen. The peg tube will serve as a back up for nutrition and will be much better than the IV nutrition bags because she can take in foods that she chooses and we will not have to pay $225 per day for nutrition.

We are hoping to begin focusing on cancer care by the end of next week.

We have had a very disappointing response from the clinic in Tulsa regarding our request for some monetary reimbursement for supplies not used. This is the place where Karen received treatment for 4 months (Jan to May) and spent well over $10,000. We are very upset about their lack of flexibility with our circumstances and their unwillingness to at least give us the equivalent of their profit back, keeping the amount equal to the cost of the supplies and labor for themselves.

Anyway...

We are feeling very blessed by the support we are receiving now and the path that is being laid out in front of us that appears to be a much better approach for Karen's healing path.

We are amazed at the people who are being brought into Karen's life at this point. I will not mention names, at least not now, but these people are nothing short of earthly angels for us.

I will close for now and plan on keeping more frequent entries.

As always, I continue to ask for your prayers and intentions for Karen's healing. Please envision Karen surrounded by blue healing light, completely healthy and whole.

love and blessing to you all.......

Breaking The Silence

2008-05-27T00:03:00.002-04:00

Let me first apologize for the lack of communication. It has been a very challenging month. I will briefly cover some of the highlights.

Karen has decided to stop the treatment because it has been too taxing on her system, the effects are extremely traumatic. We have returned the remainder of the treatment protocol to Tulsa and are awaiting reimbursement from them. We are looking at other options now, there are a few that will create less trauma to Karen's system but the expenses are great.

We thank the people in Tulsa for their kindness and support.

In the meantime Karen has apparently developed an infection and we are currently tending to that. We have stepped into the world of traditional medicine for this to be taken care of. It is quite a change for us.

At this time I just ask that you pray for Karen and hold her in a healing blue light so she regains her strength that she can continue to focus on eradicating her tumor.

Love and Blessings to all...

Patrick & Karen

APRIL SHOWERS BRING MAY FLOWERS

2008-05-02T00:57:00.002-04:00

Hello To All....

I must admit I am losing my momentum for keeping more frequent updates to this web site. But here I am and here it is.

Karen had a PET Scan last week and the results were not what we had hoped. Since the last scan was 6 months ago and many varied treatments ago, we do not have an accurate base line for the most recent treatment protocols. The bottom line is that we have decided to proceed for 2 more months using the current protocol but trimming it back a bit to what we consider to be the most important aspects of it specific to Karen's type of illness. The protocol will be simpler and hopefully be more able to target the tumor in Karen's throat.
If we get strong indication that this is not working for Karen either before 2 months are up or at the time when she receives the next PET Scan then we will look elsewhere for alternatives.
At this point there are some alternatives we are aware of and guess what...YES, they are all extremely expensive.

In spite of the most recent benefit event we are still in need of raising more funds. The costs have been and will continue to be nothing short of astronomical. The recent benefit was a great success but relatively speaking provided reprieve to a very small degree; comparatively speaking a drop in the bucket of a huge amount of accumulated bills. The math can be very depressing. I must admit I was looking forward to a "quick fix" to our monetary challenges but that has not and will not happen. Reality can be harsh. At this point for me, the most fearful aspect to all of this is the possibility of running out of resources or of potential resources. On the brighter side of things, I know that God is watching over us and is caring for us.

In reality, we have nothing to be concerned about, we are just walking on a path and doing the best we can to carry out the will of God, putting one foot in front of the other, One Day At A Time!

What I am doing now is doing some brainstorming to raise some funds on a more regular basis and we are also looking toward to the fall for another possible fund raising event. I call your attention to Karen's Healing Journey Memorabilia as an example of what might help us for the time being; it is not much but I am exercising all possibilities.

As I mentioned God is caring for us and mountains can be moved with the Power of God, but I do believe some effort must be put in by us. I am therefore bringing along the proverbial shovel to help move the mountain.

Karen remains in a lot of pain; we are hoping the pain meds arrive tomorrow from Germany. She is taking some of the prescribed protocol orally now and it is causing more discomfort in her throat. I wish I could remove her pain for her for a time. She walks around the house at times just holding her ear, with her shoulders tight and obviously very uncomfortable. WHAT A TOUGH TIME for her!!

I close tonight asking as I frequently do that you pray for Karen's rapid healing. Let us all pray in the name of Jesus the Christ that God bring healing and health completely back into the body, mind and soul of Karen Beth now. Please imagine healing light surrounding Karen as she is lifted back into health, peace and harmony. Let us all imagine surrounding Karen with loving light, sending good intentions and blessings.

Love and Blessings to you all...

Patrick

GRATEFUL FOR THE SUPPORT!!

2008-04-20T23:17:00.003-04:00

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO PLAYED A PART IN THE FUND RAISER, IT WAS A GREAT SUCCESS AND THE SUPPORT WAS TRULY FELT AND TOUCHED NOT ONLY KAREN AND I BUT OUR ENTIRE FAMILY WAS AWESTRUCK AT THE GENEROSITY PEOPLE EXTENDED TO US FOR KAREN TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE ON HER HEALING JOURNEY.

The Grand Prize winner has been notified, so if you have not heard from us then you were not fortunate enough to have won.
___________________________________________

Karen will get a PET Scan later in the week and we are going to assess her progress with the protocol she has been on and determine which way we will go from here. She is very uncomfortable with pain in her throat and ear, along with headaches at times. It is difficult for her and it is hard to watch. We have a few ideas about alternatives but nothing solid right now. Anything that would create less pain would be welcome. The pain meds help but not enough.

We were both disappointed we were not able to attend the fund raiser but we were able to eaves drop when our daughter called us and let us listen to the bag pipers and a violinist as well as hearing some of the announcements read by our other daughter and son. That was really great to hear; it brought tears to our eyes. Feeling such love evokes a lot of emotion. This entire experience has been a wonderful education for not only us but everyone involved who were out there on a daily basis selling tickets, journal ads or receiving donations in other ways. We had a total of about 115 organizations that stepped up to the plate and either bought a journal ad or offered a gift to be raffled. Some of them did both.
Karen and I are honored by the work our family members did for us as well as our friends. Some friends that stepped in to help were people who we have not had much if any contact with in quite a while. It was very powerful to be on the receiving end of that love, caring and concern and so great to have solid connections with people even though not in their daily lives at present.

As I close I ask that you continue to support Karen on her HEALING JOURNEY, she is not done yet and we need all of your help. One important way to help at this point is to just remember to pass on Karen's web site to anyone you know. Spreading the word opens up the opportunity for people to read and learn about Karen's journey and possible offer help as well.

As always I ask that you envision Karen's throat healed and free of any disease, being surrounded by the loving hands of God in a blue light.

We send Love and Blessings to All of You----THANKS SO MUCH !!
Patrick & Karen

APRIL 9th UPDATE!!

2008-04-09T22:45:00.004-04:00

Hello Everyone,

Lately I have been struggling to stop my rapid mind so I can sit and take time to write. I am definitely on "go mode". I have made some additions to Karen's support e-mail update list, most I have asked but some I have not. Please send an e-mail to Admin@karenshealingjourney.com placing the word "remove" in the subject if you have been added and prefer not to get updates. I know some people get deluged with e-mails and would prefer to just check Karen's web page when it is convenient for them.
Enough about that.....
Karen's fundraiser is only 10 days away and the "committee engine" is moving along at full force. Our family and friends have all been wonderful to us; it is surreal that this is all happening for Karen's cause and for her healing. Not only are family and friend's stepping forward but people we have never met and may never meet are reaching out to help. Last week we had Karen's story on the front page of the Irish Echo Newspaper. It was pointed out to me by a reader just this evening via e-mail that it was a courageous move on the part of the paper to publish such a story about a woman using non traditional medical approaches for cancer care. I never even thought of it from that perspective until it was mentioned. When I gave the interview to the associate editor, he never even hesitated to write it up. I want to say
THANK YOU very much to him and the administration at the Irish Echo for unabashedly supporting Karen's Healing Journey.
Karen is doing well, but certainly not pain free. The pain has increased especially over the last week; she was to the point of tears many times. Her swallowing has been difficult but today she began eating some regular food again. Seems different phases of the protocol causes different responses in her body. Apparently the swelling has dissipated somewhat. Many have asked about acupuncture and today Karen tried it for pain management. It alleviated it to a great degree in her ear & head but not in the throat. After leaving the Doctor's office the pain was quick to return. She is returning tomorrow for another session of acupuncture, we are going to continue hoping it will help for longer period of time as the treatments progress.
Karen will get a PET Scan sometime toward the end of next week or the beginning of the following one. She is anxious to see some progress.
Some people from Karen's past, as well as mine, have stepped forward to help with a donation or provide emotional support, which is of equal value. It is quite touching and heart wrenching to feel the powerful connection among people that remains unaffected through the course of time even though there are no words spoken. When one person called on the phone that Karen knew years ago, she just sobbed, so powerful.
There are some health care practitioners and spiritual advisers who have also helped with just offering their services without charge. The organic restaurant where we frequently get food or at least soup gives us dishes on many occasions free of charge. These are people who do not have to help but they just do without being solicited or asked. People are AWESOME!
Our family has been able to get a Journal together that will have 48 pages in it. Many businesses and organizations have taken ads and/or offered prizes (click to view list) to raffle at the event. In total there are about 120 or these organizations that have been solicited and they have responded favorably to Karen's cause.
I would like to ask anyone reading this who has tickets for the GRAND PRIZE that have been sold to please be sure to return the stubs to whoever gave them to you by next week since the raffle will be held the end of next week. In my case, please be sure to return any sold tickets stubs to me by April 15, 2008.
I will close now and ask for your continued prayers for Karen's Healing, may it be rapid and pain free. I ask you to envision Karen's throat and neck bathed in a blue healing light ridding her body of any cancer that may remain. Thank you all for your continued support!
Love and Blessings to all of you on your daily paths.........Patrick

TWO WEEKS plus

2008-03-21T23:35:00.003-04:00

Hello All....
Been a while since the last posting. Honestly I am not feeling very motivated to write. As many of you know Karen's Fund Raiser is April 19th, just 4 weeks away. The organization and last minute details are getting more intense as the date gets closer; all the worker bees are buzzing around like mad. I am not sure if there is a Queen Bee, but there are some very diligent workers. I suppose if there must be a Queen, it would have to be Karen; that is what it is all about.
Speaking of Karen, she is doing well with all her treatments. She has completed her 1st protocol, last Sunday March 16, and will begin the next 20 treatments tomorrow. She had an 8 or 9 day gap between phase 2 and 3 of the 1st protocol because her port access was looking a bit sore. The Doctor advised to give it some days break. If at all possible it is best to avoid such a long pause, but we are new at this treatment and did not realize the level of importance placed on keeping the momentum going. We know for next time.
Karen was scheduled for a PET Scan last Tuesday but we canceled it because she felt inflammation and swelling in her throat (symptom was tightness and difficulty swallowing). We know from our research that inflammation cannot be distinguished on a PET Scan from cancer, so we were not interested in getting any false-positive readings. Karen will probably get one now in about 3 weeks.
Her weight, complexion and attitude are good. She is still getting quite a bit of pain but that is just the way it is for now. We were able to obtain the pain medication from Germany, my cousin helped us out with that and Karen was very grateful for him. The plus of having a large family planted around the world; the good Man above sure does provide.
Karen is continuing to surround herself with helpers of like mind. She recently returned to see a health care practitioner that she had not seen in about 4 years. It was an extremely affirming visit for her as well as I. I sat in as her voice, since she is still not speaking, leaving out of the cannula her voice activating mechanism. I am encouraging her to put it back in but she does not feel it is time yet.
We had an interesting experience last night. Karen's Doctor has been encouraging us to call a woman named Shirley who lives in Indiana. We were told she works with some special product that has been found to help many people with cancer. So, we put it off and put it off but for one reason or another we called her last night. It took a few tries back and forth but we finally connected. It was so uplifting for both of us to chat with this lady. I did the talking and relayed anything Karen wanted to say, keeping the phone on speaker phone. This person had dealt with cancer herself and was successful; she was told by traditional Docs to have surgery and cut part of her body away forever. She did not and went through use of some alternative modalities and is here today to say she is cancer free and has all her body parts.
Part of what struck me about this lady was she was not selling anything, she believes of passing it on or to take from a movie "paying it forward". I do not want to say she said that exactly but it is the impression I got. The product she used and that Karen's Doctor thought she might be able to help Karen with would not be appropriate for Karen according to her. In our conversation she mentioned several techniques she used to compliment what she mainly used to kill the cancer off in her case and she was amazed that Karen was doing most of them already. The time we spent on the phone was very affirming and validating for both of us and for me I feel like another Angel has been put in our path. Shirley shared her e-mail with us and encouraged us to feel free to use her as a resource anytime we want to call. THANK YOU SHIRLEY !!
Since writing last we had a "near but not really that close" adoption. Karen was feeling like the little Chihuahua has got to go, so we put out some feelers and had an interested party and we set up a "play date" to have a meeting. Well we arrived at the play date only to find that the lady's husband did not like the idea of getting a 3rd dog, actually more succinctly a 3rd Chihuahua. Gee I can't understand why!! Anyway, the lady loved him anyway, took his picture and showed it around and now almost 2 weeks later called and reported someone she knows wants to try our little precious for a weekend. Well, I believe the iron was hot but it had cooled and Karen is not that eager to part ways with the wee fella now. She does not say that specifically but says she would prefer is he left and there was no chance of return. Karen does not like the possibility of him coming back once he goes. And, honestly I can't say I am 100% behind him leaving either.
Yesterday was March 20th and it was our 9th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY! We had a wonderful dinner, a baked sweet potato each, but it really was not a good time to have a big hoopla. When someone is in pain, it does not make sense to even think of "partying down", but WE WILL, not sure of the date but WE WILL!! The most important thing is that we have each other, no one promised us a rose garden but we have one anyway. These last few years have taught us many things about each and about others; it was 2 years ago March 7th that Karen first learned she had cancer on her vocal cord. She is an amazing woman!
If any of you live in the NYC area and are willing to come to Gaelic Park on April 19th (a Saturday) to help us run the event please e-mail us. We need some volunteers, not sure how many but if you feel up to it let us know.
You can find more out about the event at links on the right hand column of this blog.
I ask all of you to please continue to think of Karen and her speaking and singing and being completely returned to health. It has happened, her body is just catching up with what already is. I will close sending LOVE AND BLESSINGS to all........ Patrick

MOVING RIGHT ALONG ............

2008-03-05T22:01:00.007-05:00

Hello Everyone...

For one reason or another I have procrastinated on posting to the blog; it has been about 9 days but now I am ready and raring to go, ready or not. My Dracula gene has been activated, I am staying up very late and sleeping late into the morning, seems to be where my body feels most comforted, so I am trying hard not to beat myself up over it.
Karen's status has not changed very much, I think her pain is less severe lately but at times it is very agonizing for her. She does not like to take meds and when she does give in to it, there are not any she has found that works without getting her sick. The one she has managed to get some good results with is one that is distributed in Germany, but not available here. She still gets a sick reaction but has found that if she takes a lower dose, she gets by without feeling sick and the lower dose does offer some relief for her. We contacted the pharmacy in Germany but they informed us that they were not permitted to ship it to the U.S. I found that very strange since we were able to carry it with us in our bags through customs without a problem. Apparently a private individual is permitted to carry it but commercial shipment is against the law. We are working on an alternative that will probably work for us. We are hoping to receive it in about one week’s time.
Karen has been deterred from her treatment protocol for about 1 week because her port access looked somewhat irregular; the local Doc recommended giving it a break. We are hoping to get back on track Friday and move forward for the last 8 days of the protocol.
The woman I asked all of you to remember in my last blog entry passed on 2 days ago. She has been blessed by God's grace and has gone home; she was 101.5 yrs old. She was a lovely woman and left many many memories. I knew her for about 40 years; she was the Great Grandmother of my children. I was privileged enough to call her Grandma as well; I got along very well with her. Please pray for her, her name was Agnes.
Karen and I had a very moving experience this past weekend.
Karen and I went to a healing service; we were invited by a friend of ours who also has cancer. It was non-denominational and very small, about 12 to 15 people total. Just as the service started, a police officer walked in, we were later to learn from our friend he rarely comes to the services. He was in uniform. One of the ministers asked the policeman to sing and that is when I began to slowly realize what was happening. Karen's Dad was a policeman and this policeman was in front of us, singing about birds with broken wings and God lifting them and healing them and the policeman kept looking toward Karen. Karen was crying and I started to cry as well. It was so symbolic with Karen's father being a police officer and here we go to this place we were never at before and a policeman is singing to the group and focusing on Karen. It was truly like her father's spirit was present and speaking to us relaying a message from God. Later at the end of the service, the police officer said he felt very drawn to Karen when singing and felt like God was telling him she would be healed and all the illness would be behind her; he said he sensed stuff just pealing away from her and all this illness being left behind her. The healer prayed over everyone as well and told Karen she needs faith for her healing. The police officer was not the healer but that is where we received a very powerful message. I went up to him afterwards and related the significance of a police officer bringing Karen a message. WOWSERS!! What a trip this is !!
The fundraiser is only 6 weeks away, I can't believe how quickly it is coming up for us. There are plenty of chances left to purchase and take a shot at winning a trip to Ireland. We are very grateful for many of the organizations and businesses that have reached out and supported Karen with a journal ad or offering prizes to raffle at the Benefit Event. To keep up with the Fund Raising including prizes that will be raffled click here or on the Journal Ads & Raffle Tickets link on the right side of this blog. To just see list with Prizes to be raffled at the event click here. We are both in awe over the generosity being extended to us by family, friends and people who we do not even know. THANK YOU VERY MUCH !!
In closing I ask continued focus & prayers for Karen's healing and for God's grace to bring her a speedy return to complete health. Let there be bright BLUE LIGHT surrounding her neck eradicating all unhealthy cells from her body. And again, please remember Grandma Agnes in your prayers, she has gone to her home.
Love and Blessings to All...... Patrick & Karen

Half Way Through Round 2 of Protocol

2008-02-24T23:10:00.002-05:00

Greetings to Everyone!
We are chugging along on Karen's healing path. Karen continues to feel much pain from her ear and throat but is bravely continuing daily (for the most part) with her treatments. We are grateful that we were able to bring the medication from Tulsa and administer it here at home. Because the treatments are so frequent it is taking even more of a focus for both of us. My challenge continues to be letting Karen be in charge of her own healing and respecting what she needs. My tendency is to "take charge" and think I know better what to do.
It is truly amazing how united we have become on this endeavor, We (I think I can speak for both of us) have come to realize more about what is and what is not truly important in life. Priorities have been readjusted. Love, respect, and care for one another have found their way to the top of the list and a real sense of powerlessness has been felt by us. Our level of awareness for God's will has been heightened realizing that it is nice to have plans but there are no guarantees in life; there is a bigger plan in the works and we have no clue what that is.
Personally I have had to reroute my career path temporarily, taking a LOA from school. I am grateful that the option exists because there is a time limit for me to complete my studies and if I do not meet it then all is lost. The LOA permits me to stop the clock, as it were, for up to 2 years and I have done that with the encouragement of my Academic Advisor. The degree will be gotten in a different time frame from what I thought; it is that simple!!
For the near future, Karen will continue with the remaining 11 days of her treatment protocol and then after a few days break will get a PET Scan to measure the progress she has made eradicating the cancerous cells from her body. The plan now is to continue with this treatment until all is gone and she has returned to complete and whole health.
We will travel to NY in April for the benefit event, which is creeping up on us, only 8 weeks away. Again, the support we are receiving from family and friends and even people we do not know is just phenomenal; it is an awesome experience to witness personally the generosity of people.
Stay tuned because we have decided it best to adopt our little Chihuahua out. We are in the process of searching for a good home for him. He is a good dog but is a dog that has many unique needs. Some are apparently indicative to Chihuahuas but some fall into the category of just being "special". For those of you who know him, you can understand I am sure. We are open to takers, the interview process will be ongoing until a new owner is found. He is 5 years old and fixed, no physical illnesses; he is a long hair Chihuahua.

I will close for now. Please continue to pray and send good intentions and healing blue light Karen's way; erasing the cancer and bringing her back to complete and whole health. On this evening there is someone else I would like you to remember, her name is Agnes and she is 101.5 years old. She is hospitalized with congestive heart failure as I write; she has been a very important person in my life, I have many good memories with her. Please pray for God's grace and blessings for her. She helped a lot of people and deserves nothing but the best!
Love & Blessings to All........

TULSA IS HISTORY -- HOME AGAIN

2008-02-14T01:44:00.002-05:00

Yes we are home!! Arrived about 10pm Monday 2/11/08. The uncertainty and confusion lifted and all everything became clear for us to move forward. Karen had her last 2 treatments of her first 20 day protocol on Feb 4th & Feb 6th. She took a break Feb 5th since she had some adverse reactions getting chills and fever. The medical personnel here in Tulsa assured us that taking breaks is completely okay; one's body must be listened to.
Our original plan was to complete all treatments by 2/3, take 2 days off and get a PET Scan on 2/6 but things did not unfold that way. We decided to wait until after a 2nd course of the 20 day treatment protocol to get a PET Scan and instead of flying home on 2/7 we decided to do a road trip and drive home. As it turned out driving or no driving we would have had to cancel our flight since Karen was not feeling up to traveling at all until Saturday, 2/9/08. The meds really had some intense effects on her for a few days after the last treatment. Chills and high fever are the normative response when one does have a response and she sure did have some reactions at different times.
Unfortunately it was at 2 times when we were out getting a bite to eat that she began having chills, her body shaking uncontrollably, followed by fever. These symptoms had been forecast so they were expected, the timing was just unknown. The chills generally lasted about 30 to 40 minutes and then she developed the onset of a high fever that lasted for a while and tapered off to a low grade fever lasting the entire night. It was a bit scary to watch, but it was extremely reassuring to have been told what was coming and in addition to that to have heard from other patients about their experiences with these treatment reactions.
Karen had completed her last day of treatment, it was 2 days later, we picked up the supplies to head home and stopped to get some lunch before leaving town when she came down with the chills. We were both surprised since she was a few days away from her last treatment, so we called the clinic and they said it was common to have reactions for a while as long as the meds are still in the body. We postponed departure for one day.
We left Tulsa Saturday about 1pm and headed for Hot Springs, Arkansas. It was about 5 hrs from Tulsa and a good start for the 1st day on the road. We arrived about 6:30pm, having stopped to eat along the way. Since we had heard Hot Springs was a cool town to visit we spent a little while walking around and ducking our heads into a few shops on Sunday before continuing on our journey. We both liked Hot Springs very much and would like to take some time in the future to spend hanging out there. We left Hot Springs around 2pm and arrived in McDonough, Ga. at 1:20am Monday morning. We stopped for dinner in Mississippi, I can't remember the town. It was a long day on the road and in addition to that we slipped back into EST and lost an hour.
After sleeping as long as we wanted to, we got our act on the road about noon Monday. Just before we were leaving Karen noticed blood coming from her nose and mouth. It was frightening and we called the clinic in Tulsa; they reassured us there probably was nothing to be concerned about but if it did not stop get medical treatment. It stopped within a few minutes and has not reoccurred since then.
Monday's driving was about 7 hrs and we stopped for a few hours break, ended up at home about 10pm. What a long trip, but thank God we had a safe trip and the weather was great to travel in.
Karen has had bad ear pain for a long time and her throat is also very sore. She has some drops, which do not make her sick if she takes a low dose but do make her sick if she takes a heavy dose. It has been and is very hard for her. She has so few choices to deal with the pain. We hope as the treatment continues to work that the pain will become less and less of a concern. Please pray for this to occur as soon as possible, God's grace and blessings are needed for her.
Karen did begin the 2nd course of treatment yesterday and did have chills and fever. She backed off the treatment and skipped today, Wednesday, and plans on continuing tomorrow. As of now the plan is to get a PET Scan in about 3 weeks, probably around first week of March.
Thanks to all the helpers who have watched animals and contributed to the fundraising; we are amazed at the generosity of people through both actions and prayers. God moves mountains but it is important to bring along a shovel to put in some action and that is where both actions and prayers work together to achieve God's will, grace and blessings.
Please continue to envision Karen surrounded by healing blue light and see her healthy and free from any disease. We would like to ask that your prayers and good intentions go to all those we have met along Karen’s Healing Journey and all those sick and ailing in the world today. In closing we extend our love and blessings to you all......Karen & Patrick

More Tulsa Reporting

2008-02-04T00:20:00.000-05:00

Hey to All....
Just telling Karen I feel like I am in a time warp. Hard to believe we have been here almost 3 weeks; I can recall arriving here and thinking, "3 weeks, that is a long stretch", but it has past quite rapidly.
Karen is doing well, has responded to treatments as expected, which does not mean it has been fun. Karen has had chills, fever and pain but I must say her spirits are very good and she is eating very good as well. Karen is completing the 3rd phase of the protocol in the next few days. The entire 20 day protocol is lasting about 22 days since she rested on 2 days due to severe reactions to the treatment. All this stuff is normal we are told, which is very reassuring to hear but of course does not ease the physical discomfort Karen is going through. It is encouraging as well to have been introduced to a few people with the exact same cancer as Karen, a mini support system.
We are a bit confused at the moment, we had been planning on returning home to continue with the treatments at home but because Karen has had some harsh reactions (even though normal) we are considering staying here to be close to those who are experts at dealing with this type of protocol. We have been assured that if something had gone wrong it would have happened already but just the same I can understand Karen wanting to be near the clinic for advising and observation. Right now we are taking it "one day at a time" and trusting that we are being watched over by dear old HP.
Personally I don't object at all to staying here, I want to do whatever makes Karen comfortable and secure and adds to her healing. The biggest challenge of course is the animal care. We have people helping us with that but there is a limit and it is not fair to depend on people so much. We need back up animal caregivers and as I write this I am reaching out to anyone who might consider helping or assisting with this in anyway. Just let us know if it is something you may be able to do.
The weather here has run the gamut, from being very cold in the teens to being in the 70s (today and predicted for tomorrow as well). We like it here; it is a very nice town.
The fundraising is going great thanks to our diligent family members. Karen and I are in disbelief at the efforts of our family and friends.
Raffle tickets and Journal Ads are available via the links on the right hand side of this page.
Something we want to ask and that is for your healing prayers and intentions for Karen and all those she has met along her healing path, especially those who may not had success with their healing pursuits. Wherever we travel we hear similar stories. The stories are about the need to be proactive in one's healthcare and also about the tremendous lack of support found among traditional medical personnel. These summaries are not 100% one way or the other but a large proportion of the reports resonate along similar lines. It is truly sad and fatal to those who are not savvy enough to explore and search alternate modalities.
I will close for now and ask you continue to picture healing blue light around Karen bringing her body back to perfect health which she deserves. Thank you!
Love and blessings to all of you.........Patrick & Karen

12 DAYS DOWN - TULSA WARMING UP To 60s!

2008-01-27T00:13:00.000-05:00

Hello to Everyone:
Karen is doing well, feeling sick but this is good. Karen will be completing the 2nd phase of this treatment protocol tomorrow. Nurse Patrick will administer her last day of meds. Karen was feeling weak with sore throat and ear pain yesterday. The pain has been more severe than usual and this is symptomatic of the treatment working to kill off cancer cells. She has had other side effects, which were predicted, chills and high fever. She will be glad to have this 2nd phase behind her; rumor has it that the next phase is not as severe on the body. So we are about one half of the way through our trip to Tulsa. It has been very cold here, reminding me of the chilly winters when living in the N.E. Karen and I are considering putting off a PET Scan and doing another round of treatments at home; this would postpone the PET Scan until the end of February.
We have had an interesting visit with a supervising physician here in town. He reviewed all the treatments and made sure we understood what Karen was in for. Karen has been avoiding pain meds since she does not have a good experience with any of them. She has only been taking Motrin when absolutely necessary. This morning she was feeling so ill and in such discomfort she gave in and used the pain medication we brought home from Germany. Well, it was only about 15 minutes later and she was throwing up her breakfast. She will work toward not using that, except when she absolutely needs it and on an empty stomach.
She took a break yesterday and I had a headache all day, so the two of us were homebound for the most part recouping from our ailments. I am told that headaches are not so uncommon here since the barometric pressure and weather has that effect on some people. The air has been cold and very dry, every time I touch the metal door on the car I spark, such an electric personality I have!!
One of our new friends who just headed home after 2 months of treatments had very encouraging PET Scan results; it was GREAT to hear that and our prayers and good wishes are with him. I am amazed at how many people we have met along Karen's Healing Journey who have chosen not to listen to the doom and gloom of the conventional medical practitioners and have become well while walking a less traveled but healthier path. Some of those I am thinking of have even been to a place where they were told to go home and make arrangements with Hospice since your days are numbered. Something is just not right when we are blocked from certain aspects of healing but not others when being treated for various life threatening diseases.
Tulsa is a real happening town, malls, restaurants, shops and even casinos. If Karen gets to feeling a bit better she may feel like wondering to a casino to try her luck. I doubt if they are smoke free, so that would deter her. She enjoys shaking hands with the one arm bandits for a while.
I am totally amazed at the effort and the results of our family and extended family/friends with regard to the fund raising benefit/event. They are like an army of ants marching off and doing a little bit each day but it is just building and expanding all the time. Karen and I are extremely grateful for their love and support and to everyone who is reading this blog; support comes in many forms and is just as powerful in one as the other.
Karen has been eating quite well and giving herself permission to relax a bit with her strict diet. I think it is good for her to loosen up that does not come easy to her. Personally I think it is a sign of things to come, her body and psyche are ready to be healed and it is happening.
Please continue to hold Karen in a healing light with prayer, good intentions and lots of love. The blue light surrounds her and rids her body of any cancerous cells, discharging them with gratitude to God for the lessons learned.
Love and Blessings to All.....Patrick and Karen

8 Days in Tulsa

2008-01-23T02:18:00.000-05:00

Hello All,
Karen is doing well. She has experienced more severe pain after 3rd day of phase two of this 20 day protocol. The health care professionals here claim it may be an indication of tumor death; we sure hope so. It is a bit more chilly here than Sarasota but we are dealing with it. We have met some wonderful people since we have been here; it amazes me how people dealing with life challenges such as Karen is really put things in priority and can treat others with such kindness, love and concern. We visited with a local Doc here in Tulsa today, he authorizes some of the treatment Karen needs to receive and Karen also got a script from him for pain medication. Karen is reluctant to take it since most of the pain medications have bad side effects. It is a real balancing act for her, most of the time.
We met a young boy here, he is real special young man and so cheerful and uplifting to be around. He has been through so much but manages to exude a very positive energy to others; a real pleasure to be around. He web site will be placed on this web site as soon as I receive permission to do so.
Karen will get injected with high ph solution directly into her lymph node tomorrow evening. In the past she has had a very good response to that. I think she is a bit reluctant to do it but I know she will. She is eating very well and easing up on the strict rules she has followed for 2 years.
There are 3 other people we have been introduced to that have the same type of cancer as Karen; it is great to have a mini support network such as this.
Well, it is late and since things are going along according to plan there is not much to write about.
I ask you to continue with your prayers, love, good intentions, good energy and overall care toward Karen and imagine all her cancer cells being destroyed and removed from her body. IT WILL BE DONE!
love and blessings to everyone and thanks for your continued support....
Karen & Patrick

Tulsa after 3 days

2008-01-18T01:06:00.000-05:00

Hello All...
Karen has completed day 3 of her treatment protocol here. There has not been anything earth shattering occurring. The initial phase, which lasts 4 days will be complete tomorrow and then she moves on to the 2nd phase which last 8 days. Treatment is every day, 20 days in succession. It is expected she will have some reaction to treatment next week, running fever indicating cancer cells dying off. The people here are very nice and gentle. They are very organized and respectful to Karen and the other patients; it is truly comforting to be in a place like this. One thing that has followed Karen on her healing journey has been a string of angels embodied as health care professionals from Sarasota to Germany to Boston to Tulsa; what a gift. I think it is an affidavit to the person Karen is and whom she attracts into her life.
Karen is eating very well; in fact she is eating a lot. She is having a minor "sugar slip" but I think after 2 strict years she is entitled to a little relaxation from such a stringent diet.
Karen has been very active since we left home, much more than I have seen her in a long time. It is not a response to treatment but is a demonstration of a shift in her energy level and mental attitude. It is very encouraging to see.
Tulsa is a nice town; there are a lot of stores, restaurants and overall familiarity to home. We have been eating lunch at First Watch, a chain restaurant that we have eaten at in Sarasota. So, it is quite different (less strange) having treatment in the U.S. as opposed to Germany. In Germany we were placed in a very safe medical environment, which was very special but along with that came the unfamiliarity of the surroundings. A good example was that Karen need some medication yesterday and all we had to do was go to the local Walgreens and they looked Karen's script up in their computer and we got the script filled. We are away but at the same time we are home; I think you can understand.
The fundraiser, thanks to our family and friends, is moving along nicely; in fact I am very surprised at the worker bees in our support network. We are continually reaching out for more help and this campaign will be going on for another 13 weeks + 2 days. If any of you have an opportunity to sell some chances or journal ads please let us know at Admin@KarensHealingJourney.com
Please do not take offense to my continuous mentioning of the fundraiser; I know that is takes time and effort to be involved and do not expect anyone to over extend themselves. Over extension would certainly not be in the spirit of Karen's gentle healing journey and that is what we intend to mimic in our entire lives.

We ask you to continue to send healing and loving thoughts, intentions, prayers and energy our way. We are grateful to be here and anxious for Karen to continue on her healing journey back to wholeness and complete health. She is a powerful woman and much to be admired.

Envision healing blue light engulfing her throat and neck healing and ridding her of any foreign, invading and diseased cells; anything detrimental to her being whole and healthy.

We sign off with love and blessings being sent to all...Karen & Patrick

Karen Sited in Tulsa, Oklahoma

2008-01-15T00:55:00.000-05:00

Karen and I are sitting in Tulsa, Oklahoma this evening. Karen will begin a 20 day treatment program tomorrow followed by a PET Scan and follow up care afterwards (if necessary) to be continued at home. Once again we have explored and researched and found a place here in the states, which offers treatment closely allied with protocols offered in Italy whereby patients receive highly alkalized IVs as well as other infusions to eradicate cancer cells. We have already heard from someone diagnosed with the same cancer as Karen who is doing quite well with this protocol.
We will be here for about 25 days and the follow-up care will be done at home, as needed.
It is amazing the twists and turns Karen has taken on her journey to wholeness; she is like the energizer bunny, she just keeps on going. I was quite amazed at her energy today, I have not seen her so energetic in a long, long time. And, she is actually given herself some treats, eating certain "forbidden" foods that she has not had in about 2 years. It seems like the healing has taken place on a certain level and her body just needs to catch up.
The plans for this trip evolved over the course of the past 6 days. I called the center here last Tuesday night and 6 nights later we are sitting in Tulsa. Awareness of the treatment here originally surfaced when I had received a newsletter passed on to me from a friend of mine, Howard. It was through that e-mail that we learned of the highly alkalized IVs. After gaining some info about this we asked the Docs in Germany to use some this solution during Karen's last visit there. The response was quite encouraging, the lymph node shrinking dramatically on her neck. While in Germany, Karen also had some IVs of the same substance and did feel some relief from it.

So, after being hit by the freight train of horrible prognosis in Boston, we contacted the author of the newsletter my friend had sent me, his name is John Austin. We needed to get Karen a heavier dosage of high ph solution and we did not know where to get it. I was able to read a lot about it on the web but other than that did not know where to get personal consult to at least advise Karen's Doctor in Sarasota on how to best do the IVs. Our search took us to John who let me know about the center here in Tulsa. We conversed by phone and e-mail over the course of a few days and in the mean time Karen was feeling even worse from side effects of who knows what (chemo, pain meds or cleanse she took to help with side effects ---- who knows what causes what anymore) so we decided to head for Tulsa a.s.a.p. The administrator at the Tulsa center said there was space and to come as soon as we could. So, here we are.

Want to thank the people who have been able to support us with selling raffle tickets, it has made a tremendous difference and the tickets have been distributed to many; we hope they transform into sold chances. The committee running the event is an especially devoted group of individuals and their love and care for us just overwhelms me.

I will be keeping the blog up to date frequently while in Tulsa.

Please continue to send healing energy our way; this is very important to us. Your love and support is just AWESOME!! Remember Karen's throat is surrounded in healing blue light and any foreign unhealthy cells are eradicated and pulverized leaving her completely healthy and whole.

Love and blessings to all....Patrick & Karen

BOSTON REPORT & MORE !!

2008-01-05T23:47:00.000-05:00

We were disappointed by what we were told in Boston. The specialist we saw will not be able to do anything for Karen at this time. He suggested that Karen have surgery to get her voice box removed. This was upsetting for us to hear. News like this from someone of authority in the field of ENT medicine has always been very tough to listen to anytime we have met with one of these guys; sometimes they are very abrupt and cold about their delivery as well. This was not the case this past week though, Dr. Zeitels was very patient friendly as was his entire staff; he explained things in detail to us after taking digital video shots of inside Karen's throat. He called, with our permission, a specialist here in Tampa for Karen to see. The entire experience reminded me of the feelings that were precipitated when Karen was first diagnosed 22 months ago by a local Doctor here in Sarasota. One thing that I despise is the sense of sudden urgency that prevails over the entire mood of the medical personnel once they do their diagnosis. It is like all of a sudden the ambulance is taken out of the garage, the siren is on and the patient is being sped off to be "healed". Time to think and absorb what has transpired is not offered and not even considered as an option; maybe that is just the mushy, gushy stuff that a Social Worker would think of??
After arriving home we needed to get our footing again, we were stunned and riddled with fear and uncertainty; this is the primary reason for the "news blackout" on the blog. I just did not want to write anything, needed to catch my breath.
We have contacted the specialist here in Florida and have also consulted with Karen's primary care Doctor here in town and we are doing multiple things at once. Karen has increased some treatment that she had briefly been involved with before, which had good results shrinking her lymph nodes. We have discussed some new options and are on a revised course of action at present.
Right now, one of the things Karen is having the most difficulty with is the side effects of the pain medication she is taking. Her pain, over the last few days, has subsided and she has been able to skip the pain meds. We hope these periods without meds will become more and more frequent.

Fund raising has taken on some momentum and there have been some raffle tickets sold as well as Journal Ads. I want to call your attention to the mentions regarding fund raising on this web site; we need your help to get the word out and pass tickets along to whoever would like to take chances.

I will close for now and ask that all of you continue to pray and send healing energy Karen's way, envisioning her throat surrounded and bathed in warm blue and healing light filled with the grace of God eradicating and pulverizing any cancerous growth that may exist.
Love, Blessings and Gratitude for all your support throughout these challenging times......

LAST COMMENT FOR 2007 - I think !?!?!?

2007-12-30T15:41:00.002-05:00

Hello To All !!

This past week has been quite busy. Karen has been feeling ill with some mild but annoying side effects from the chemo and the remedy suggested to alleviate the symptoms ended up causing more ill feelings than she initally had; she is still getting over it, slowly but surely. In addition to that she was still feeling the routine discomfort associated with her throat and ear pain. To me, the ear pain seems less frequent which is a welcome change. For a few days she was not able to eat because she was sick, but she is beginning to eat again, thank God!
We are looking forward to our trip to Boston on Tuesday morning; we are "turning it over" putting in the foot work and leaving the rest up to the "Big Guy".

PLEASE DIRECT YOUR ATTENTION TO THE FUNDRAISING EFFORTS BEING MADE BY OUR FAMILY. PLEASE CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK TO SEE
MORE DETAILS:
KAREN'S BENEFIT EVENT

WE NEED YOUR HELP!!
THERE ARE A LIMITED NUMBER OF PEOPLE CURRENTLY SELLING
**********JOURNAL ADS & RAFFLE TICKETS************
WE ARE NOT NECESSARILY ASKING YOU INDIVIDUALLY TO CONTRIBUTE BUT RATHER AS A MEMBER OF KAREN'S SUPPORT NETWORK, WE ARE ASKING YOU TO SPREAD THE WORD FOR US AND IF YOU CAN TO SELL SOME JOURNAL ADS AND/OR RAFFLE TICKETS TO YOUR CIRCLE OF FRIENDS AND ASSOCIATES. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS SELLING TOO FEW.
JUST PLEASE ACT AS AGENTS ON OUR BEHALF, IF YOU CAN, TO HELP RAISE FUNDS.

Thank you,

Love and Blessings your way from Karen & Patrick

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON

2007-12-25T17:26:00.000-05:00

DECEMBER 25 2007

Hello to all! Karen and I want to wish everyone a Happy Holiday Season. Whether you celebrate Christmas or not we wish you all the joy, love, peace, happiness and prosperity this Christmas day could possibly bring for you.

Had short talk on the phone with Doctor in Boston and bottom line is that he will not be able to comment on Karen's case until he sees her. We are looking forward to our visit with him next Wednesday.

We are grateful on this day for all your continued love and support.!
Love & Blessings to All... Karen & Patrick

BOSTON HERE WE COME !!

2007-12-23T02:57:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone,

Between daily routine and other bits of business I have been away from the blog. First of all, Karen is okay. She has ongoing discomfort with her ear pain and sore throat. She is continuing on her medical protocol here at home with infusions, oral chemo, and injections of immune boosting substances (my job). She sleeps on the couch, has been for about 3 months, just can not get comfortable in bed, so she sits up and sleeps. She has put some of her weight back on and is eating but it hurts to swallow.
We stumbled across a Dr Steven Zeitels most recently. I was on the phone with a medical supply house in Boston and one thing led to another in conversation with one of the reps there and the lady mentioned a Doctor who is world renowned, patients fly from all over to see him for work on their vocal cords. At first, I figured "okay another Doc who will do wonders, I have heard about a lot of them in the past 2 years". We got off phone and after a few minutes the woman, whose name happened to be Karen, called back and said she just checked with the Doc's office and there are appts. available if we wanted to fly to Boston to see him.
Alright, this was in my face for a reason so I thought "let me investigate this", so I looked him up on the web and I was excited by the work he does. He is extremely talented with his hands and opera stars, singers and many people who could afford to go anywhere; fly to see him. So, after reading up about him I called and long story short we sent Karen's records to him and he wants to see her for an evaluation. We are flying to Boston January 1 for one night and will return home on January 2.
Now, the listen up to this coincidence!! Karen saw an Intuitive on November 5, 2007; it was first time she ever met her and she spent one hour with her. The woman, Nora, told Karen (and we have it taped) that January would be a turning point or a time with a lot of health stuff going on and a Doctor here in the States would cut the tumor out of her throat.
When I initially was told that by Karen I thought this lady was way off base because the only people we have had contact with here in the States wanted to do heavy doses of radiation and chemo and if that did not work to remove her voice box. What this woman told Karen just did not seem to fit with the course Karen has been taking in her healing thus far; so I could not imagine anything like that happening.
Well, stay tune !! This Doc in Boston uses carbon laser surgery to remove nodules, tumors etc. from vocal cords. In hindsight it just amazes me how our paths unfold before us, it just is eerie at times; the people we meet and the interactions we have with them.
I am excited about Dr Zeitels but at the same time guarded. We have contacted the Doctors in Germany and they are supportive of Karen seeing Dr Zeitels. There are so many good people out there, who are supporting Karen along her path!!
Christmas is quiet here, but it does not seem it should be any different right now. This is a very exciting journey we are on and the amount we are learning along the way is phenomenal.
The April benefit is unfolding nicely; there are about 8 - 10 diligent and devoted people involved in the creation of it. We are going to probably have one here in Sarasota in late spring or in the summer.
I will close for now. I ask that you continue to visualize Karen healing, encased inside a safe and warm blue light, she deserves to be whole and healthy, singing praises of happiness for all to hear. Love and Blessings to you all and thank you for your continued support!!

WELCOME BACK - BENEFIT SCHEDULED IN NY ON APRIL 19 2008

2007-12-20T23:40:00.000-05:00

Had a challenging week with the blog situation. Finally had to abandon the old blog and start a new one. It is very frustrating to only have a computer to yell into when having a problem; google offers no phone number to speak with anyone, very MODERN aren't they??
Some of the results of this blog move are:
> I copied old blod entries as one long story, it is one post in this blog so the beginning of the story is at the beginning and the end is at the end. How unique!
> All comments made by friends, family and other supporters were not attainable to copy. So, start commenting to fill in the gaps.
> I have had to ask everyone to rejoin, since this is a different blog. Sorry about that.
> Good thing is I am taking this opportunity to invite a gang of 1st cousins to this blog, these are e-mails I recently attained and am happy to have them all participate.
> Last, I will proceed to build a web page and leave the blog world in the weeks ahead. I do not want to loose access to what has become a very vital part of our support system again. It came at a very inopportune time for us.

____________________________________________________________________________________

We are scheduling a Benefit Dinner Dance at Gaelic Park, Bronx, N.Y. on April 19, 2008. We need lots of support especially from those living in or near NY.

Here is what we are planning on as of now:

> having a Journal put together (selling pages to individuals and businesses)
> a silent auction
> a raffle
> 50/50
> dinner + band/dancing

We need people with connections to businesses, companies, big time donors to get some worthwhile prizes to raffle off. Could be anything from plane tickets to dinner for 2 at a restaurant or a basket of cheer, etc. etc. We need to get as much stuff donated as we can well in advance of the party. What we would like to do is list the prizes before the event to help entice the people to attend.

We are in the early stages of planning and coordinating so I will list all we need and if you have any ideas then bring them on.

>We need a printer to offer us a good price for the JOURNAL, if you know someone let us know.

> Would like to ask you to sell some raffle tickets for us, when we have them I can mail them to you.

> If you know of a caterer who might give us a good deal, that would be great!!

> Lastly, is the band. We need music, preferably a group that could play mixed music, and at least a few Irish songs.

Your input to whatever degree you can give is deeply appreciated.

Please feel free to pass the word to anyone and direct them to Karen's web page.

Keep the date open, April 19, would love to see as many there as possible.

You can e-mail your comments, suggestions, ideas to

TEAM@KARENSHEALINGJOURNEY.COM

___________________________________________________________________________________

Karen has been continuing with her infusions, everyone who sees her says how good she looks, her big issue is the discomfort with sore throat and pain in her ear.
Doc here in town is doing baking soda infusions and injections and would do IPT at the orders of the Docs in Germany. I am going to e-mail them and ask what they suggest.

Look forward to continuing this blog and please feel free to comment.

love and blessings to all of you and thanks so much for your continued support.

Patrick & Karen

POST GERMAN TRIP 6

2007-12-10T22:21:00.000-05:00

DECEMBER 10 2007

We have been home for 5 days, resettling is like returning from another reality to the present one. Three weeks of mail could potentially drive one into depression, gosh how much "stuff" comes in the mail. First day home was a little disturbing for me; Karen slept all day and did not eat. The next day she seemed better and began eating. She rested up for a few more days and today began her updated protocol prescribed by the Doctors when we left Germany. She is taking some chemo orally and the protocol is designed to mimic IPT treatment. Her blood sugar is being lowered via meds and the chemo hopefully will be absorbed more readily into the cancerous cells.
Spoke to an individual this evening who at different times made me feel very angry. What I was feeling was that I was getting advice by a self-appointed expert on cancer care. My reaction showed me what is really going on inside of me, I am on "go mode" and not spending much time feeling what is happening internally. I am scared at times, afraid of loosing my partner. I really fluctuate throughout the course of a day or a few days and my response to life is directly related to how I perceive Karen is doing. I hate how she is when we arrive home from intensive treatment in Germany.
Karen is scheduled to remain on oral chemo for about 7 weeks, so she may feel sick for a long time; we do not know at this stage. I am hoping her throat begins to feel better soon. She has not been speaking for a while and she is also having some tough times swallowing. She has lost some weight this trip, which is not a surprise since she did skip eating for 5 or more days while on our journey.
Karen will be starting back on her infusion therapy this week, probably by Friday; she will also need to get blood work done to keep a check on blood count. Our grant for the PROCRIT injections is about exhausted, so we will need to seek resources for that elsewhere. This is like running a small business, thinking of this and that, applying for one thing or another and following up with things....WOW !!
Some of our support network met this evening to begin putting fundraising events into place. Right now the focus is on NY but I want to get some fundraisers locally here in Florida as well. Stay tuned, more info to follow on that. Anyone with ideas is welcome to come forward and share them with me. We are going to establish a foundation in Karen's name to help her and others with similar challenges. Something good WILL come of all this!!
Please continue to visualize, from time to time during your day or whenever you can, Karen's vocal cords becoming pinker and pinker being surrounded by loving blue light as all the cancerous cells die off, becoming pulverized and disappearing from her entire body leaving her strong, whole and healthy.
With Love and Blessings to All…

GERMANY ARRIVAL TRIP 6 -- November 15 through December 5 2007

2007-11-29T09:00:00.000-05:00

November 15 2007

We have arrived safely on German soil. Our departure was delayed in Atlanta for 3.5hours due to mechanical problems. Thank God, we did not have that in the sky and it was on the ground that they found it. YES !!! We have both been dragging, Karen is especially tired, she had a lot of congestion on the plane and it was hard for her because she could not clear all the mucuous from her air passage no matter how hard she tried. She finally slept for a while but not too comfortably. As usual the arrival here at St Georg Klinik was extremely nurturing and welcoming. We are familiar faces here, we are well known and quite obviously Karen/we are cared for very much.
Karen got all checked in, blood work done, protocol drawn up by Chief Doctor and she is receiving some infusions this evening as she sleeps. I am so glad she is able to sleep, she ate a little but not much, she is just too tired. The Chief Doctor here has a new approach and we are anxious to see how it will go. She starts at 9am tomorrow.
Basically, I just wanted to check in and let everyone know we are here in the beautiful part of the world called Bavaria; it is cold and there is snow on the ground, a bit different than Sarasota.
Will be in touch. Love and Blessings to All of You, your love and support are appreciated and acknowledged by both of us....
REMEMBER THE VISION: Karens pink healthy vocal cords just revving and ready to sing to the tree tops uncontrollably, supported by two healthy beautiful lungs..........

November 16 2007

Moving right along, the place here feels very familiar and safe, like somewhere we have visited frequently, I suppose that is because we have. Met with Chief Doc who did intake appt yesterday and he injected solution directly into Karen's lymph node with a needle; it was baking soda solution to alkalize the tumor creating cell death. Tumors reside in an acidic environment so elevating the ph will kill cells off. Recently a Doc in Italy conducted a study using this methodology and it was very successful. To see report go to http://thenaturalcancercure.com sign up and get report e-mailed immediately. If you like I can also e-mail a copy to you, just e-mail me at Patrick@KarensHealingJourney.com. This technique was brought to our attention by 2 members of our support network, just a few days apart; Veronica and Howard. Howard sent a copy of the article to me and we brought it with us to show the Doc here. He agreed with the philosophy and said he will do it every day with Karen while she is here.
Karen seems to be having more success here with pain meds, but this evening she did throw up after taking a heavier dose of a med she did not have a problem with earlier today (a lower dose of it).
We saw ENT Doc today so he could report to St Georg Docs what he saw. It was no surprise to us, it was just a "bird's eye view" verification that was needed for treating Docs here at Klinik.
Karen went for hyperthermia today but had difficult time with it; regular machine is not available so she is having trouble getting comfortable with the new set up. I was not there, I was doing errands but I will be with her tomorrow and hopefully she will be able to get comfortable. Be thinking of her around 8am EST or 1pm GMT; send her some good energy and prayerful, loving support if you can at that time.
Next week some low dose chemo will be given and the Doc said IPT will be used as well.
Not sure what the weekend holds, some infusions as usual I suppose and hopefully a couple of hyperthermia treatments.
Please continue to send the prayers, love and good intentions our way. The support you offer us has been a GOD send!!
REMEMBER THE VISION: Karens pink healthy vocal cords just revving and ready to sing to the tree tops uncontrollably, supported by two healthy beautiful lungs..........
Love and Blessings to You All....

NOVEMBER 20 2007

Karen is working hard as usual. Weekend was spent attempting to find proper balance with pain meds. Glad we came few days earlier than we normally would have, it gave Karen some time to settle in and adjust. Yesterday, Monday, Karen began Insulin Potentiated Therapy (IPT) and Hyperthermia Treatment. She also had her 2nd injection of Procain Base (solution similar to baking soda) directly into her swollen lymph node on her neck. Seems lymph node is decreasing in size. Today she had 2nd treatment of IPT and Hyperthermia; she will do these treatments daily. She is receiving low dose chemo and anti-nausea medication to reduce any discomfort from the chemo. The chemo can cause nausea even though it is a very low dose.
As always the care and comfort extended to Karen and myself here is phenomenal; these people are very special.
It is wonderful to have the support back home of family and friends as well. I think I can speak for both of us when I say with all the support medical and personal relationships we feel like we are being carried as though in a cocoon of safety, love and support. God is truly caring for Karen/us amidst all of this life altering experience.
One of the unique things about St Georg is that I feel and I am a part of Karen's healing plan. It is a great experience to be treated and respected as such. The philosophy being that healing is holistic in nature and the support and involvement of a loved one is a precious ingredient of that process.
And, they are even giving us Turkey for Thanksgiving, without even asking. What else could one ask for? The weather here is cold, but we are native New Yorkers and cold weather is not strange to us. The angel from our original trip is still lending us his luftbefeuchter (humidifier) to use in the room so Karen can breathe easier. Anyone familiar with cold climates is aware of the low humidity and if the heating system does not provide humidity, it can be challenging and uncomfortable to breathe with the normal use of a nose. Karen is not using her nose, so it is even more challenging. He is a wonderful, generous man.
My sleeping is getting somewhat normalized, so I am actually tired at appropriate times now. There were a few crazy nights where I was up most of the night and looking to sleep when it was daytime. Since it is that time of night now, I will sign off. In closing I ask your continued prayers, love and support not only for us but for Karen's medical team of Doctors, Nurses, and support staff here in Germany and at home in the U.S. Your support is powerful and we feel it while conducting our daily routine. The visualization is happening, Karen's vocal cords are becoming pinker and pinker being surrounded by loving blue light as all the cancerous cells die off, disappear and become pulverized from her entire body making her strong and healthy.
Love and Blessings to All.....

NOVEMBER 26 2007

I have to admit I did not think there would be a span of 6 days between blog entries while in Germany, but here we are and 6 days have passed. Karen had 4 IPT treatments and 3 Hyperthermia treatments last week and 4 days of low dose chemo. She was sick on Thursday and sick over the weekend as well. She was unable to eat for the weekend, and was experiencing the vomiting response every once in a while. Her stomach was hurting and throat was sore; she was afraid.
Today, some time has past for her body to regain equilibrium plus some new medications were used to help with nausea and acid stomach condition, so she has been able to eat without vomiting in fact, tonight she ate food for first time in 72 hours. It is a relief for me to see her eating again and of course for her as well.
She was somewhat puzzled because she had never experienced that level of sickness during prior trips here. Apparently it was a combination of things but probably doing too much in too few days was the primary cause.
So as far as not entering posts in the blog, I have to say it was due to having an emotional, scary and uncertain weekend; really did not know what to write or where to start.
The lump on her neck (lymph node) has shrunk quite a bit, she received another injection today of the high-level ph solution. It is so wonderful to see it shrinking like that.
So it was not a wild and crazy weekend for us, or maybe it was depending on your perception of things, and we are glad it has passed. Our plans to return home Saturday are still in place; we will leave St Georg late Friday night and stay near the airport for one night. We are ready to stay extra days if necessary but the Doctors here do not seem to think that will be needed.
I, and I think Karen too, feel very safe and secure when the Doctors are close at hand and for the most part that is always the case here at the Klinik. I can't imagine how it is on their side of the fence, (being a Doctor here) being demanded upon all the time, especially when dealing with people who have a potentially terminal disease. There is absolutely no measurable way to thank them that would fit the task, but we are truly grateful to be here among these people!!!
Our family has kept us in the loop, sending us pictures of their Thanksgiving celebrations over the past weekend. It is great to have that; family unity and closeness are wonderful parts of our support while going through this challenging time.
Please visualize, from time to time during your day or whenever you can, Karen's vocal cords becoming pinker and pinker being surrounded by loving blue light as all the cancerous cells die off, becoming pulverized and disappear from her entire body leaving her strong, whole and healthy.
Love and Blessings to All of You.....

NOVEMBER 29 2007

Things are moving along. Karen had some low dose chemo today along with hyperthermia treatment; she had the same yesterday. Seems to have been some confusion about hyperthermia machine and heating up cannula in Karen's neck and getting distorted temperature feedback but all seems resolved now. The more things come up, causing little bumps in the road while staying here the more I think it would be so much better to live here for a while. On that note we have decided to return home 4 days later than originally planned. We were able to change flight arrangements without any trouble. Karen is scheduled for an IPT treatment tomorrow and hopefully one on the weekend, and will also get some more hyperthermia treatments too. She has been getting infusions of baking soda solution and daily injections of the same into the lymph node on her neck by the Doctor. Her eating has been back to normal since last Monday, thank God!! She is definitely getting a lot of care with much love and concern.
This trip has caused many emotions to surface for us, which I think is a very good thing. We have spent some tears as well as expressed some anger with each other and at each other. It has been a very challenging time for Karen and myself; the worst piece is dealing with the unknown.
Some members of our support network have begun to pray and set intentions for Karen at 3pm on a daily basis, wherever they are, just to pray in spiritual unity. Some are praying as a novena and some are praying in their own ways but all intentions are matching and they are for Karen's healing and the continued strength to go through it. Please feel free to join in pray with other members of our support network, whether it be 3pm or any other time you happen to think of it.
Please continue to visualize, from time to time during your day or whenever you can, Karen's vocal cords becoming pinker and pinker being surrounded by loving blue light as all the cancerous cells die off, becoming pulverized and disappearing from her entire body leaving her strong, whole and healthy.
WITH LOVE, GRATITUDE AND BLESSINGS TO ALL OF YOU.........

DECEMBER 2 2007

Karen had IPT treatment + local hyperthermia on Friday as planned. The first treatment was done in the comfort of her room, which was good for her. There was about 1.5 hrs between treatments, which gave her body a chance to rest a bit. Anyone interested in seeing the hyperthermia machine go to: http://www.oncotherm.org/eng/?intid=EHY2000#1
Yesterday and today, Karen has been sick. Yesterday she slept for 6 hrs in the middle of the day, skipping lunch. Today, she has not eaten at all, she is quite uncomfortable with ear pain and soreness in her throat; in general she feels sick. She has gotten some meds and it has helped a little bit. If condition persists in the a.m. we will see the ENT Doc here in Germany. Doc here at Klinik says it possibly could be a fungus infection from chemo.
We are both looking forward to returning home. It is a long stretch being in the hospital for almost 3 weeks.
Karen is very much over feeling pain and sickness as well; she had some tearful moments the last few days, it is very hard on her being ill for so long.
We both want to thank everyone for the prayers, good intentions and energy being sent our way; it is a wonderful support.
Please continue to visualize, from time to time during your day or whenever you can, Karen's vocal cords becoming pinker and pinker being surrounded by loving blue light as all the cancerous cells die off, becoming pulverized and disappearing from her entire body leaving her strong, whole and healthy.
With Love and Blessings to All…

DECEMBER 3 2007

Karen did not see an ENT Doctor today; she seemed to be feeling better and it did not seem necessary to her especially because the end result of what the treatment has succeeded in doing will not be evident for another 4 weeks or so.
In the afternoon (4pm) she received a local hyperthermia treatment along with low dose chemo. Next time Karen gets local hyperthermia, the Docs suggest she has a plastic cannula; it is safer than having a piece of metal in her neck while the tumor (within close proximity) is being heated. The risk is that the metal would heat and burn her internally causing a big problem.
We were told late this evening that an emergency case was being admitted to the hospital tomorrow and because the house was full and we were on an extension of our reserved time, we would need to be moved to a temporary room until we check out on Tuesday evening.
We were all right with this news, not our preference but we did understand. Karen was feeling like she was beginning to move from a very safe place to a place with much less security, i.e. out of the hospital and away from St Georg. She was feeling fearful about being okay away from the hospital and understandably so.
I was beginning to feel anxious since we were planning on departing on Tuesday evening and a few very important pieces needed to fall into place before we leave; one being getting Karen's drugs to take home and another being paying bill after reviewing it. Prior to ordering the medications I depended upon the Doctor writing the orders and with a full house the Doctors were running all over. A personal issue of mine is to ask for what I need without feeling like I am a burden to others and in an environment like this that issue has been tested many times.
One plus of being here for the 6th time is that I have had this feeling and been in this situation before; I knew, as always does, that things would fall into place. These Doctors do this all the time, every day and they do it very well. So, at this point in the trip it was normal for me to feel a little more anxious and now on top of it we were told we had to change rooms in the morning.
ONE DAY AT A TIME, ONE HOUR AT A TIME, ONE MOMENT AT A TIME !!!
Please continue to visualize, from time to time during your day or whenever you can, Karen's vocal cords becoming pinker and pinker being surrounded by loving blue light as all the cancerous cells die off, becoming pulverized and disappearing from her entire body leaving her strong, whole and healthy.
With Love and Blessings to All…

DECEMBER 4 2007

We moved to temporary room about 10:45am. Karen went for a Reiki session from 11am - 12noon; she did not want to return from her altered state. She began to feel nauseous and decided to stay in our new room; the Docs prescribed some anti-nausea medication for her. We had an exit interview scheduled for 1pm with Chief Doc and we did not make it since Karen was ill, instead he came to room to see her. As always his words were very encouraging, positive and uplifting, that attitude seems to trickle down from him to everyone at the hospital.
Karen had some infusions and, I think, was experiencing some anxiety about leaving. Our scheduled departure time was moved up from 7:30pm to 6pm since there was no ride available at a later time.
I managed to get medications at about 3pm and get sorted with hospital bill about 4pm. As predicted all was falling into place in perfect order. The Doctor was kind enough to supply us with a letter for Delta Airline explaining Karen's need to delay her return trip home thus avoiding a penalty fee for the change.
We managed to leave the room about 5:30pm, grab a bite to eat and get our ride at 6pm to the Hotel Henry near the Munich Airport. Karen did not eat much.
We arrived at the hotel about 7:15pm and after checking in we went to in house restaurant and had a more relaxed dinner.
We were able to get to sleep about 10:30pm, plenty of time to get a good rest to awaken for 7am breakfast and 7:45am shuttle to Airport. All is GOOD!!
Please continue to visualize, from time to time during your day or whenever you can, Karen's vocal cords becoming pinker and pinker being surrounded by loving blue light as all the cancerous cells die off, becoming pulverized and disappearing from her entire body leaving her strong, whole and healthy.
With Love and Blessings to All…

DECEMBER 5 2007 UP UP AND AWAY WE GO

Had nice breakfast at the hotel and off we went to the airport. Thank God, everything was on time and we lifted off at about 10:21am for our 10 hour 18 minute flight. As usual traveling on the plane with the dry air was a challenge for Karen; she needed to clean the cannula more often than normal, her breathing ability was compromised making it stressful for her. She ate but not much; she was feeling a little sick as well. The flight was very comfortable; flying on a 767-400 is a great way to go. We were fortunate enough to have a middle row of 3 seats to ourselves so we could spread out a little bit.
After 3 movies, 2 meals, a snack and a period of time loosing at chess to the computer we arrived in Atlanta about 2:40pm EST.
We had chosen assistance with a wheelchair, which worked out really well. Since this was the first point of entry into the U.S. we had to retrieve our luggage take it through customs and recheck it again. This was a bit of a nuisance but we knew to expect it since this is the way U.S. Customs operates. After checking our luggage, we had to go through security screening again as well; maybe it was for practice, I am not sure??
Karen got a bite to eat since she hadn't eaten much during the 2nd meal on the plane. The pickins at Atlanta Airport for someone who prefers organic meals was slim to none; so her preferences were not met.
Our flight from Atlanta to Sarasota was on time and we were met at the airport by a friend of ours who was kind enough to pick us up. It was great to fly right into Sarasota and we got home at 7:50pm.
The house looked great and the animals seemed happy to see us.
It was soooooooooooo good to be home.
All the animal sitters were OFFICIALLY relieved of their duties; what a great gift it was for them to help us out. Thanks so much to Carol, Ron, Butch, Robin & John and the understudy, Walt. It is great to have such support in this time of excessive need.
Please continue to visualize, from time to time during your day or whenever you can, Karen's vocal cords becoming pinker and pinker being surrounded by loving blue light as all the cancerous cells die off, becoming pulverized and disappearing from her entire body leaving her strong, whole and healthy.
With Love and Blessings to All…

2007-11-26T15:35:00.000-05:00

It sounds like Karen is on the road to recovery. May God bless her and heal her. She is still in my prayers.
With love,
Marshall

THANKSGIVING DAY --- November 22 2007

2007-11-21T15:30:00.000-05:00

Karen and I want to thank everyone who has supported us along Karen's Healing Journey. There has been a tremendous degree of love, care, concern and prayers sent our way and we think it extremely appropriate on this day of THANKSGIVING to acknowedge all of your generosity and thoughtfulness.

With Love, Blessings and Well Wishes from Bad Aibling, Germany...

Karen & Patrick

BLOG INVITATION AND COMMENTS

2007-11-12T22:20:00.000-05:00

SOME PEOPLE HAVE REQUESTED PERMISSION TO MAKE COMMENTS ON THE BLOG. BEGINNING IMMEDIATELY ANYONE CAN MAKE COMMENTS ON BLOG. UP UNTIL NOW IT WAS ONLY LIMITED TO BLOG MEMBERS.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE A MEMBER OF THE BLOG PLEASE E-MAIL Karpat@KarensHealingJourney.com. MANY INVITATIONS WERE SENT OUT WHEN THIS WEB SITE WAS STARTED BUT THE INVITATIONS ARE ONLY GOOD FOR 30 DAYS. IF YOU DID NOT JOIN THEN AND WANT TO JOIN NOW PLEASE LET US KNOW BY E-MAIL.

THIS BLOG "STUFF" IS A LEARNING EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE PATIENT ! WE WILL SET UP A COMPLAINT DEPARTMENT IF "GRIPES" INCREASE TO AN INTOLERABLE LEVEL. KIDDING OF COURSE!

LOVE & BLESSINGS TO ALL....KAREN & PATRICK

NOVEMBER NEWS

2007-11-06T00:57:00.000-05:00

NOVEMBER 5 2007 -- REGROUPING

Received the results of PET/CT Scan today and the results indicated more tumor growth. I must say we were not surprised with the way Karen has been feeling, but at the same time we are VERY DISAPPOINTED. We have spoken or sent out correspondence to 3 or 4 medical people and are in the process of deciding what the next step is going to be. This is so scary, facing the unknown and having no sure fire method to deal with something. I cannot imagine how it must be to be dealing with a potentially terminal disease for about 20 months; she is so brave, it just blows me away.

In an attempt to continue to get Karen's message out and hopefully gain further support my daughter has started a group on http://www.FACEBOOK.com. It would be beneficial for any readers of this blog to consider joining that and helping spread the word about Karen's plight to more and more people.

I will sign off for now. Love and Blessings to All !!

NOVEMBER 7 2007 ---- GERMANY ONE MORE TIME !!

We are heading back to where Karen feels safe and secure in her healing process, going back to St Georg Klinik in Germany. We did some research and talking and have decided with the help of the Doctor in Germany that the best for Karen is to resume treatment, shrinking the tumor as before with low dose chemo. Some other options that have not been used before are being explored as well, e.g. IPT and cyberknife. We are remaining positive as best we can and looking forward to being back in a safe and nurturing environment. We leave wed and will be there at least for 16 days.
We have found very reasonable fares on Delta this time, leaving from Sarasota.

Had another very upsetting occurrence happen this morning, my uncle in Ireland passed away suddenly while at a local bus stop with his wife. The entire family is in shock, many are traveling to Ireland for the funeral; Karen and I would be doing the same thing if circumstances were different. He was a very special guy, extremely focused on the importance of family and the importance of caring for others. If assistance was needed by anyone, he was there to help. I will miss him very much; he leaves a void behind no other will be able to fill. He was same name as me.

Next few days will be quite busy getting things in order, wire money, getting animal sitters set up, making sure all personal matters that needs tending to for next 3 weeks or so are taken care of prior to our departure. CRAZY ! CRAZY ! CRAZY ! But a good crazy, at least for a good reason.

Thanks, as always, to everyone for their continued love and support...it helps us everyday.

Love and Blessings to all of you...

NOVEMBER 13 2007

Tomorrow we head across the pond to colder lands. Karen's first few days are already partially planned. She will be checked in by Chief Doctor, Thurs at 1pm, and then on Friday, 11:30am, will see her ENT Doctor that she has been seeing since last February when in Germany. Karen is eager for this tumor situation to be brought under control (regarding the pain) and eradicated or "pulverized" as a member of her support network stated the other day.
Just had a thought. Would like to ask everyone to imagine Karen and inside her throat each vocal cord returning to pink perfect health, and Karen singing like a bird or a choir girl.
The journey will be about 16 hours door to door. We are hoping Karen's discomfort will be manageable during the trip, without any sick reaction to the pain meds. Her health care provider here has been extremely supportive of her in this regard, working with her to find the best combination. He has been a wonderful addition to Karen's care. Karen has allergic reaction to some meds, making it more difficult to conduct pain management.
Some loose ends still need to be tied up regarding money wire and pet care, but things seem to be falling into place. Funny how that happens, makes me wonder why I stress out. I suppose I just keep trying to control things; I am sure many of you are shocked to hear that.
I will sign off and hopefully will have full computer access when we are settled in the hospital. I will update blog on a regular basis as access permits.
Your prayers, intentions, thoughts, love and support are especially needed as we embark on this next piece of Karen's Healing Journey.
Love and blessings to all.....

FOR OCTOBER NEWS & UPDATES SEE BELOW

2007-10-26T01:26:00.001-04:00

HELPERS CORNER ADDED TO BLOG

2007-10-18T17:24:00.000-04:00

PLEASE DIRECT YOUR ATTENTION TO THE LOWER RIGHT HAND CORNER OF THIS WEB PAGE, I HAVE BEEN PROMPTED TO CREATE AN AREA "HELPERS CORNER" FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO TAKE PART IN SPREADING THE WORD OF KAREN'S HEALING JOURNEY OUT BEYOND THOSE REGULAR READERS OF THIS BLOG. THE INTENTION AND GOAL IS TO INCREASE SUPPORT FOR KAREN ON HER HEALING PATH.
WITH GRATITUDE, LOVE AND BLESSINGS TO ALL......

BENEFIT FUND RAISER

2007-10-13T16:01:00.000-04:00

I must say I am a bit stumped. I feel very disappointed after the raffle idea did not get off the ground. With the support of our family, we are currently brain-storming to come up with alternative ways to raise money to help with the cost of ongoing medical needs for Karen. For the time being what I want to ask the readers of this blog to do is offer any ideas you may have for raising funds in Karen's name and send them to us via the e-mail address posted for contacting us (Karpat@KarensHealingJourney.com). Secondly, to spread the news about Karen's story by letting others know about the blog. I think this is a good first step to move forward from this place of confusion.
As always we appreciate your continued love and support.....

OCTOBER 2007 NEWS

2007-10-13T14:14:00.000-04:00

OCTOBER 13 2007

Karen has been continuing on her healing path. She is still in discomfort with ear and throat pain. The antibiotic she received, Avelox, caused her to have some adverse effects, so she is on a different one now. The side effect caused her to feel more than usual difficulty with her breathing. She stopped it and got the Doc to prescribe a different one.
She received some Vit-C and Hydrogen Peroxide infusions yesterday and the Doc gave her some Homeopathic remedy to take for her throat as well. The homeopathic remedy worked instantaneously but did not last for long. The current medication (the replacement for Avelox) she has is Penicillin, we are hoping it brings her relief soon; she has a difficult time getting comfortable. For one thing it is a lot cheaper, the Avelox was about $140 and the Penicillin was $17.
She got a few lymph drainage massages this week and a colonic. She has been getting these 2 treatments fairly regularly since being home from Germany, 5 weeks now.
Karen is planning on getting a PET/CT Scan soon, but will probably wait to see if Penicillin works first. If there is inflammation in her throat from infection it can give a false positive on the PET Scan.
We are somewhat dismayed at the sluggish response of the health insurance company with regards reimbursement for some of Karen's treatments. They have denied twice and we have submitted to them for a 3rd time. Dealing with that "crap" is a big and very frustrating part of one being ill.
Right now, we do not have plans for return travel to Germany or anywhere else. After 5 German trips within 9 months we are a bit at odds for financial means to take another trip at this point anyway. I imagine will be discuss after the PET/CT Scan results and see where Karen's needs lie. If Karen needs to go, I trust that means will be provided to her.
The new protocol Karen is on will last for at least 6 months, so it is anticipated she will be feeling the effects of that for a while. We are very grateful for the support she is receiving from Bea Lydecker; she is very responsive when needed.
We were in contact this past week with the Doctor in Germany and we are ordering some more medication from Germany that cannot be gotten from here. The meds are to boost her immune system and to kill off the cancer.

Will sign off for now, love and blessings to all.......

OCTOBER 15 2007 --- COLD LASER

Hello everyone....Today much to my surprise, Karen's and apparently the Doctor's, she gained some relief from her ear pain with the use of a Cold Laser instrument. This alternative therapy stuff frequently amazes me. This little, but very expensive, devise with a blinking red laser light shining on the ailing part of the body has the ability to stimulate antibodies and enhance cell energy to allow for the body's natural healing abilities to work. About the size of a "mini mag" flashlight and adjustable to various frequency levels this mechanism is what relieved Karen from 4+ weeks of ear pain. We are hopeful she will continue to be absent of ear pain.
We have been encouraged by Karen's new Doctor to explore the Halleluiah Diet, a vegan raw food diet (85% raw, the remainder cooked). We are considering it; it would be in addition to the organic diet we have been on for the past 19 months.
I am pleased and very grateful that Karen has been led on her path to this Doctor; philosophically, he seems extremely similar to her previous Doctor who had to retire prematurely for health reasons.
Today, (I will call him Dr M) he read us the report from the ENT Doctor Karen saw in August and it was the same song we here from all the traditional Docs in town. Things such as, Germany is obviously not working, she needs to do radiation + chemo or her voice box will have to be removed....all doom and gloom. Dr. M reviewed her history since initial diagnosis, and he is a regular MD, and he was soooo encouraging. He highlighted as he was reading that the cancer on the left side of Karen's throat has just about gone; he said, "you must be doing something right for that to happen". He was very interested in what treatment was done in Germany, curious as to what methods are being used to help her along the way to health. That type of encouragement is invaluable and how sad it is that it is given so sparingly, especially to those choosing a road less traveled.
We are being presented with signs in our path, giving us ideas to raise some funds to help with the medical expenses. In particular, I think I have heard about 4 benefit drives going on in the last week or so. It appears that is one way we will go at some time in the future, possibly more that one mini benefit given locally and by family or friends elsewhere. My biggest challenge is getting past my reluctance to ask for help.
Well tomorrow will be a down day as far as treatments go etc. I plan on doing some of my own work.... I will be very happy if Karen remains pain free.
Will sign off for now.
love and blessings to all and thank you for your support and love..........

OCTOBER 20 2007

Karen has been doing well this week. She has been busy with her treatments, getting lymphatic massages, a colonic and infusions. The infusions she gets are Vit C, alpha lipoic acid, hydrogen peroxide, various vitamin supplements and homeopathic remedies. She also received cold laser therapy two times and thank God that has given her some relief from her ear and throat pain. She will be getting blood work this week; the Doctor in Germany asked her to get blood tests every 2 weeks or so. Her weight has been good and she continues on the new protocol she has been on for the last month; it is herbs, supplements and detoxing. She is planning on getting a PET/CT Scan within next week or so and after that report we will make a decision about what to do with regards returning to Germany or not.
Karen has been taking some other meds from Germany and we recently ran out. They are not attainable here in the States, so they are being shipped to us from overseas.
I am encouraged by her strength, physical as well as spiritual and emotional. Even though she is in pain, her appearance is good. It is not like 4 or 5 months ago when she was losing ground every few weeks with the hemoglobin, getting Procrit injections and blood transfusions just to stay abreast of the disease. She seems to be at the stage where she is able to stay ahead of it. My personal impression is that it is a matter of time and she will be free of cancer. How much time, we do not know, but she seems on the right course. She has left the door open for many modes of healing and it seems to be paying off. The spiritual part has been represented through prayer, support from family and friends, as well as visiting with John of God in New York. The physical aspect has been tended to via numerous treatments she has agreed to try.

This week our children have initiated a campaign seeking help for us; I want to thank them for that and also thank all of you for your continued support in whatever way you have done that. It is so evident Karen has huge support and love coming toward her every day.
One personal note: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR DAUGHTER KARA!!!
Love and Blessings to all of you....

OCTOBER 25 2007

Karen has had a tough week. Her ear pain is really stirred up and according to her seems worse. The treatments she has received caused reactions that made her feel even worse. Her body is really working hard. We began juicing on a daily basis again; we had done that religiously but fell away from it. Unfortunately, her Doctor will not be available for infusions Friday of this week, so she is only getting one of those treatments this week. Karen will get blood work done tomorrow and we are going to schedule the PET/CT Scan tomorrow for next week.
I have been pleading our case with the company doing the screenings to see if they would waive the copay cost from previous scans; they have yet to let us know their determination.
I am feeling less emotionally up at this writing than the previous one. I tend to get down if Karen is down and that is what is going on. Sometime the course of this disease is extremely overwhelming; I can't imagine how it must be for sweet Karen, she is so brave!! I am thinking that it may be a blessing in disguise that her treatments were cancelled tomorrow; it will give her body and mind a chance to catch up.
I may have mentioned this earlier, but just want to say that I am not writing daily because our routine is fairly steadfast and routine, albeit very busy. I guess my intermittent entries are a combination of just being very busy and not having much new to say...at least not new to me.
Hey here is something new...made homemade potato salad today for the first time, with Karen's guidance of course.
Will sign off for now.....Love and Blessings to all!!

November 1 2007

I am cheating, I am sticking this entry in under October News. Karen had blood work done earlier in the week and had a PET/CT Scan done today. We got the blood test results today and her H&H is low (that is medical jargon for hemoglobin and hemocrit), so we needed to get some PROCRIT to stimulate her body to bring the count up. We are somewhat surprised since her count seemed stabilized since getting home from Germany on September 7.
I am glad we caught it and knew what to do this time instead of what happened in the spring and summer when her count dropped off. At that time we did not act on it right away, and her immune system became depressed creating an environment where the cancer could regrow a little bit again; at least that is my diagnosis of the situation. What a learning experience all this stuff is!!
Karen continues to be uncomfortable with ear pain and soreness in her throat. She tried an over the counter product today, per her Doctor, and it did provide some relief but not like she would like.
The results of the PET/CT will be available early next week; will keep everybody posted on the results.
Love and Blessings to all......

Joao de Deus - NY Trip October 3rd - 5th and some additional updating....

2007-10-09T21:10:00.000-04:00

Let me first say I just have not felt like taking the time to sit and write. Seems like I am writing a lot of the same stuff over and over. So, it has been about 12 days since I last posted and that is much of the reason why.
Karen still is in pain with her ear and throat, it has been over 3 weeks I guess. Today she went to a local Doctor and got some antibiotics prescribed; I hope it alleviates her discomfort. She continues on her new protocol of herbs, supplements and detoxing...nose to the grindstone, like a real trooper.
Well we were TRULY blessed by the fact our daughter Dee paid us a visit for 4 days last week and was here to watch our animals while we went to see John of God in NY. Not only did she watch the animals, she cleaned the house beautifully and it was great to have her energy around when we arrived home; she stayed for an extra 2 days and did not stop with the domestic engineering the whole time she was here. We bathed the dogs, cut one dogs hair, cleaned gutters, trimmed bushes and I even got her to the airport with about 34 minutes to spare on Sunday night. When we arrived home from NY on Friday night we felt like we were on the Makeover Show; the only thing missing was the big bus in front of the house.

Well the trip to NY was somewhat taxing on Karen, the Omega Campus has a lot of hills and it was tough for her to climb, running out of breath. The cannula in her neck is good for breathing but when it blocks with mucous it can cause a lot of respiratory stress as well. We left home about 10am on Wednesday and arrived at Omega around 6pm. The John of God event began at 9am and it was requested all were present by 8:30am for instructions. It was awesome to see everyone wearing white; this was requested in the preliminary instructions. It was explained that when the entities scan the body, the lack of color permits a more accurate scanning to occur. There must have been about 1200 people present; for some reason I thought there were only to be 300 or 600 each day, not sure where I got that idea.
John of God, the man, (this is how they refer to him when he is not incorporated by an entity) came out and spoke to us with a translator just after 9am. That was the only time he spoke to the crowd of people. He appeared to me to be a very humble man and also had a sense of humor; there certainly was not anything audacious about him.
The day was very organized and it involved passing in front of him two times. It was requested that we meditate and pray during most of the day. Some of the people were chosen for a spiritual intervention but neither Karen nor I was in that group.
There were people there of all ages and in wheelchairs, with canes, crutches, prosthetics, limps, and various other physical handicaps, but most were there for reasons not obvious to the naked eye.
For continuity, there was soup offered at lunch that was blessed by the entities and upon leaving at the end of the day it was suggested to take some of the blessed water home as well.
It was a day where there was a lot of energy felt but because of the nature of the healing taking place there was nothing tangible to see or touch that provided absolute evidence to what was happening.
It was difficult being with so many people (and it was a warm day) and being expected to be still and meditate.
At one point I thought I was being chosen by some high and holy one because while sitting in the big tent we were all saying a prayer and all of a sudden I felt water, like rain, falling on my arm. At first I ignored it but then slowly opened my eyes and realized that it was only my arm getting wet. For a second, I thought this is it; I have been chosen. But much to my dismay, I looked up and saw droplets of water all along the roof of the tent, I imagine from the morning air causing condensate and quickly realized that I was still "unchosen", back to my normal spot as just another bozo in the tent.
At the end of the day we hung out at Omega and had dinner there; the food is just GREAT, all organic and extremely tasty. We headed to Albany afterwards and stayed at a nice hotel near the airport. On Friday, we relaxed and even took a drive around prior to going to the airport about 1:30pm; our flight was at 3:10pm. We needed the extra time, Karen needed to do some maintenance on the cannula in her neck; it was getting blocked up on her.
The flight home was good and our daughter met us at the airport and drove us home.
I think we both were glad we went; I personally think that a trip to Brazil would really be a moving experience. This man apparently only went to school for 2 years and he has this calling where he helps people in many ways and takes no money for it....really amazing !!

BETWEEN TRIPS

2007-09-11T00:35:00.001-04:00

September 10, 2007
Calling this posting "between trips" but I really don't know if that is what this period of time is. The routine Karen has followed up until now prescribes testing between 3 - 6 weeks after she returns from Germany. We have not discussed it but I am thinking it will be mid October. This will also be after the trip to Omega Institute in NY where Karen will see the healer from Brazil, John of God. This man has a very powerful story, I refer you to his web site http://www.johnofgod.com/; he has been a medium for healing for 40 years.
So the name of this posting may not be accurate but we will not know that until we plan a return trip to Germany or not.

I have contacted the drug company selling the medication Karen needs and we are hoping they offer us some financial assistance. When in Germany it was costing $100/day. She will need to take it for at least 3 months.

Karen is resting a lot; sleeping off and on throughout the day. She was feeling some discomfort today but overall she does seem to have a good energy level.

Our primary animal watcher, Cheryl is moving out of state; she will be missed sorely, she really chips in when we need her the most. I know someone else will turn up; there is a Higher Power at work here and guess who is not it??? Having animals at a time like this in our life is a challenge but they do provide a certain degree of therapy as well.

Will sign off for now, still getting over jet lag; sleep patterns for both of us are a little crazy these past few days.

Love and blessings your way from us.........

September 13, 2007
Spent last few days continuing to catch up with personal matters and setting up appointsments for lymph massage, Vit-C infusions, local Doc etc. The Doc who Karen has been using here in town is retiring earlier than planned due to medical reasons, so Karen is establishing a connection with another Doc in town who will hopefully be able to serve as a good replacement. Currently we are working on getting meds at a reduced price from the drug company and to do this the Doc has to be involved signing and authorizing etc.
Karen is having some ear pain and discomfort when swallowing today more than other days; the ear pain has intensified as the day progressed. She also had a Vit-C infusion today, that sometimes stirs things up. Again, if support is needed here (at home) the medical safety net is not as broad and comforting as in Germany.
We have purchased some products from Bea Lydecker (from Oregon) and also were told by a friend about vitamin B-17 (laetrile) and that a good source is apricot kernels. I purchased some of them on line last night at sunorganic.com. We are keeping all doors and possibilities open.
One thing that has become very clear to me is the need for constant vigilance when dealing with this disease; it is cunning, baffling and insidious (sound familiar?).
It has been different though this time, Karen is much stronger than in the past and yesterday she got to get her haircut; she is getting it trimmed more and more each time.
Her birthday is coming up in a few days, not sure how that will be celebrated, certainly no sugar filled cakes.
Made phone call to our airline angel today just to thank her for all the help; I am amazed over and over at the kindness and generosity found in people.
Will sign off for now.......

love and blessings to all

September 14, 2007

Assuring that a loved one (or for that matter one's self) gets optimum health care and services can be a daunting task at times. Karen has been prescribed a medication which she began taking in Germany. The medication can cause birth defects, and there are other precautions that need be taken as well, so it is highly regulated and monitored both by the European Medical Admin and FDA here in the States. To obtain it, a Doctor must sign the patient up with the drug company, take a survey and use a specific authorization code on the script designated by the drug company so the patient can be tracked. In addition to that the patient must take a survey as well. It did not matter that Karen was already registered in Europe, she had to be re-registered here in the U.S. The European program was different, even though the drug company is the same.

The medication cost about $100 per pill and by law the drug company can only dispense it in a 28 pill package, no more and no less; gee who is being helped by that law???? Certainly not the poor and struggling of our nation or society. It is inconceivable how complicated it is just get a medication and once the authorization has been obtained the cost is prohibitive. There is financial help available for those who seek out and apply to various foundations. We have done that for the medication Karen uses to maintain her blood levels, PROCRIT, and we were fortunate enough to be awarded enough funds for about 6 injections. On Monday, I will apply again to seek funding for this more recent prescription, Thalidomide. The Doctor in Germany explained to us that the drug was used originally to aid sleeping and help deter nausea some years ago and it was relatively inexpensive. It has now been discovered to prevent tumor growth in cancer patients (and I believe is used by athletes as well) and the cost has skyrocketed; it is the same drug just a different time period and use.

Karen received her protocol from Bea Lydecker today, she plans on beginning that tomorrow. She also had blood work done today and it looks good. I think she was really built up while we were in Germany for 3 weeks; thank God for that. Her weight has remained about the same, balancing out to where it was prior to the most recent trip. Her discomfort continues with some ear pain, hopefully that will subside soon.

All is well, from our limited perspective it may not seem that way at times but we are being taken care of in spite of ourselves.......

Love and Blessings to All !!

September 17, 2007 --> 12:30am --- HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAREN !!!
It is just after midnight as the day has changed to the 17th. Karen is concerned about her swallowing discomfort, it has been going on for about 3 days now. She will get a lymphatic drainage massage later today, hopefully that will help. She seems to think it is from her lymph node being swollen on right side of her neck.
Karen's blood levels for hemoglobin are staying good, I think it is a result of the Doctors in Germany building her system up with iron supplements, thymus shots etc. It would be great if the fluctuating blood levels were all behind us.
Karen did begin Bea Lydecker's program and plans on asking her some questions tomorrow.
One thing I have noticed the last few days is that her voice is cracking through from a whisper again; she has just been whispering for about 2 months now.
Karen is spending much more time being up and about the house researching on computer, reading and sorting through old items discarding what she does not want anymore, not a lot but some!!
She has stopped watching TV, not sure if I mentioned that earlier; I tease her saying it is great Sthat she can fall asleep without the remote in her hand. She received an e-mail today from the lady in Germany who invited us to her home 2 weeks ago on a Sunday; those people are really something !!!

Well, look forward to later today and making it special in some way for her. Maybe if we just "BE", that is sufficient.

Blessings and love to all..........

September 18, 2007 - 12:20am
Karen's birthday was calm and relaxing, nothing crazy. Karen got a treatment for lymph system, we went to lunch, visited with a friend of Karen's, Karen had some calls from family and friend with well wishes and we ended evening with a movie, Wild Hogs.
I contacted about 6 foundations seeking some financial assistance for meds + treatment costs not covered by insurance; will continue with that tomorrow. So far 4 of the 6 have criteria that we do not meet.
Karen continues to be concerned over her ear and throat pain, we e-mailed the Doctors in Germany this evening; we look forward to hearing from them.
It is sad to see her uncomfortable for such a long time. I believe it is part of the healing process; it is very recent since we were in Germany. We contacted Bea in Oregon and she assures Karen that as she progresses with her protocol the symptoms will subside. We eagerly await that to happen.
Will sign off now.......love and blessings to all.

September 20, 2007

Received some good news yesterday, the drug company (Celgene) that supplies Karen's new medication, Thalidomide, has approved our application requesting assistance with payment, which I think means they are going to give it to us when she needs it again. Unfortunately they do not offer help retroactively, so the $3500 spent already in the last month is gone for now. We are applying to some foundations for help with copays etc. as well; it is great what is out there when you seek it, but so time consuming chasing it. Some of foundations we have been directed to have criteria too strict for us to meet and some others do not offer help for people with Karen's diagnosis but we are continuing to plod on and search.

We have been brainstorming the last 2 or 3 months about getting a fund raiser going and we approached a local church who we have a connection with to act as a sponsor. The Minister(s) supported our ideas wholeheartedly and tonight I presented my ideas before the Board; the result is that they are cautious about jeopardizing their 501(c) 3 and want to consult with their Attorney before commiting to sponsorship. Additionally, they are reluctant to set precedent helping one individual rather than the community as a whole, so there are 2 issues standing in the way. I am turning it over to a Higher Power, I have put in the foot work and will wait for further guidance.

Karen is still struggling with ear pain and discomfort swallowing. Because of the pain, she is progressing more rapidly than initially planned on her new protocol taking an herbal extract specific to tumor destruction. The side effects are predicted to make her feel ill but she is willing to take that for the more positive long term outcome; she is an amazing woman.

In 2 weeks we will be seeing John of God, in fact 2 weeks from today. I am sure that will be an amazing experience.

Personally, my work is on hold; I just don't have time right now. I will get to it when I can. I spent a few hours yesterday working at a local school where I volunteer my time counseling; that is a good distraction for me. The people there are wonderful and are very concerned about what Karen and I are going through, just a great support for me to be around.

We are seeking a way to continue with Karen's Vit-C infusions since her Doc has retired. We have called around but have not found an easy transition as of yet. Karen is coninuing with other treatments in the mean time, lymphatic massage and other modalities for detoxing and we hope to get back on the Vit-C a.s.a.p.

Will sign off for now, be in touch again within next few days.

love and blessings to all........

September 23 2007

Weekend flew by with seemingly not enough time to get done what was needed. I imagine it will all get done in due time. Karen is feeling sick today, herbs side effects are apparently kicking in, it must be awful to be sick for so long; I wish I could do something to just take it all away for her.

Karen wants to get back to Vit-C infusions a.s.a.p., she does not want to continue skipping them; we need to get that in place again this week.

I will focus next few days on prepping for a meeting I must attend on Wednesday; it will be a struggle for me to give up focusing on applications to foundations etc. but I need to do it. My personal work has been ignored for past month of so and I need to keep some attention that way.

We hope in the future to start a foundation in Karen's name, in my enthusiasm I locked in a URL address the other evening, so we have it when we want to use it. I really feel excited that this life challenge of Karen's will potentially turn into something positive for others and also something that Karen and I can both work on.

But, in the meantime first things first, we need funds now to help with Karen's healing. I spoke to someone via e-mail today who has been advising us legally and he encouraged me to set me sights lower and seek out some other local churches. I think that is very good advice and I plan on doing that later this week, when the dust settles from a few other things.

As a political snippet, let me ask that you go to http://healthcarevoices.org/ and fill in a petition to our political leaders to get their butts in gear about improving our health care system in this country.

Well my mind is full, too much is spinning around inside to get it on paper. Will sign off for now. Have a good night all.......love and blessings your way !!

September 27, 2007

Not much changes here, Karen feeling "yukkie", reacting to herbal protocol she has begun about 10 days ago or so. We are set to travel to NY next week to see Joao de Deus from Brazil; looking forward to that. Our daughter has offered to visit next week and her visit will take a big load off of us regarding animal sitting; it will be wonderful to have her here as well for a few days after we return. Things do happen that are beneficial when I stand out of the way.

I have actually begun doing some work again on my own "stuff", feeling good about that.

No lightning strikes bringing a bright light revelation yet showing us the way for directing a fund raiser; but it will be coming any day now...I am looking for it. Clarity will probably come when I can handle it.

Karen is getting blood work done tomorrow, has been 2 weeks; she seems fine compared to how she was prior to Germany.

Will sign off for now.......love and blessings to all

Patrick & Karen

2007-09-08T17:38:00.000-04:00

I have been reading Karen's healing journey and I will continue to pray for you. I firmly believe in God's loving mercy and kindness. We see it everyday in the people we meet, the places we have been and the path He has chosen for us. He is all powerful and awesome. The best gift I can give you is prayer.

God's blessings,
Love,
Mary

Karen & Patrick

2007-08-27T19:32:00.000-04:00

You are both very brave. We both send our prayers. Life seems to always challenge us.
Mike & Mary

Caring Thoughts for Karen

2007-08-27T10:31:00.000-04:00

Hello Patrick and Karen,

This is great to have access to the Blog and being able to keep up with things on a daily basis. This way Patrick does not have to write multiple emails to people. I was pleased to read about the improvement in the past few days. I send much hope for it to continue.

The clinic looks gorgeous and peaceful. I know this is good place for you to be right now.

Jeannine

2007-08-25T13:02:00.000-04:00

Karen and Patrick,

Thank you both for including me in your journey.

Thank You

2007-08-25T12:24:00.000-04:00

Thank you for inviting me to this blog. My thoughts and prayers are with you on your very brave journey on the road less travelled. I look forward to hearing great news on how you proved Western medicine is not the only solution.

Peace

2007-08-25T12:07:00.000-04:00

To Karen and Patrick...I just read most of your blog, and am amazed at all this journey has involved. Your strength and perseverence are amazing! As always my prayers and thoughts go with you as you continue your journey.
Peace and blessings to you both.
Love, Mo

IMPORTANT MILESTONES O1

2007-08-03T00:18:00.000-04:00

March 6, 2006
Initial diagnosis of laryngeal carcinoma (location left vocal cord) after visual viewing by local ENT with a laryngyscope

March 8, 2006
CAT Scan of chest & Karen quit smoking after about 40 years, no withdrawal symptoms. Truly a gift !!

March 9, 2006
Biopsy confirms malignancy

March 13, 2006
PET Scan to mid thigh shows cancer activity in throat area and small nodule in lung of 8mm with minimal activity

March 17, 2006
Visit with Oncologist, who describes suggested treatment of 7 weeks radiation + about 3 doses of chemo with follow up testing to be done about 3 months after completion of treatment. Insertion of a feeding tube may be necessary also because Karen's neck will swell possibly prohibiting her from swallowing. Prior to leaving Oncologist's office an appointment is made for March 20 to be fitted for a mask. The mask is to be used to hold Karen's head in place during the 7 weeks of radiation treatment.

March 18-19, 2006
Karen & I discuss the options presented and Karen is hesitant to go forward. We decide we are going to cancel appointment on Monday.

March 20, 2006
We cancel appointment with Oncological center and decide after some discussion that we would like to speak with the Oncologist again. We make appointment for Thursday, March 23, 2006.

March 23, 2006
We meet with the Oncologist, after about 90 minutes we agree to go for a 2nd opinion to a Moffit Cancer Hospital in Tampa, Florida. An appointment is set for the next day.

March 24, 2006 -We visit Moffit Center and get a 2nd opinion which is basically a rubber stamp of the first one. We are disappointed and very unhappy about what is being offered for Karen's healing protocol. We decide to do some research on our own.

March 25 - April 5, 2006
As best we can we continue our normal lives but incorporate much research on cancer into our routine. Karen receives spiritual healing from members of the local church she attends. We learn about a Rife Machine and find a member of Karen's support network who has one. Karen begins using it every other day. Karen stops eating sugar and we begin to eat organic food. We hear from a few different people about a local survivor of cancer (42 years) who works with an Oriental Doctor (OD) and they have a reputation of helping people with cancer heal. We make an appointment for April 6th.

April 6, 2006
The initial meeting with this medical team is very different than either of us has ever experienced. The cancer survivor (CS) does not take any money for his consult but does sell products to assist in healing. He told us that Karen would be cancer free in 6 months. That made me feel GREAT !! The association with the OD was via electro-dermal screening (EDS) that she
conducted on Karen. It was a form of "body speak" for want of another term. The meridians were checked for weaknesses in the body and the computer was programmed to show the products needed to help remedy any weaknesses found. Karen was prescribed an extremely rigorous protocol that included taking 150 pills per day, coffee enemas every other day, foot detoxing, lymph drainage, sauna baths etc. The initial products cost about $7500. We were desperate and believed in this person. We were desperately seeking an answer and we felt we found it.

April 8, 2006 - December 8, 2006
Karen stuck to the protocol religiously. Karen did not get any more tests done at the suggestion of the CS. We decided in early November that a check needed to be made on how things were going. Karen got a PET/CT Scan and an MRI. The results showed metabolic activity had decreased, lung nodule had disappeared but the tumor in her throat had grown. There was now activity in her lymph nodes and Karen was having difficulty breathing. Her air passage was partially compromised. We decided a more aggressive approach was necessary. These 8 months had cost us approximately $30,000 and now we were off to another country for care. Up until this point the costs were all out of pocket or I should say borrowed; it was only filtered through our pockets.

TRIP 1

December 9, 2006 - Arrival at St Georg Klinik, Bad Aibling, Germany
Well my fears were put to rest early on in this trip. The hospitality and welcoming nature found among the German people were extremely comforting, nurturing and supportive. We were met at the Munich Airport by car service and shuttled about 1 hour to Bad Aibling. Upon arriving at Klinik we were met by a very cordial and kind nurse who helped us to our room. She reviewed some paper work with us and was sure to bring us dinner and she advised us a Doctor would come to check Karen in; this was Saturday evening. The food was excellent, the room was simple with basic needs but very comfortable and clean. We were both to stay together for the 2 weeks Karen was to be in the hospital. The Doctor arrived a few hours later and spent a good amount of time hearing about Karen's history, symptoms and concerns. The temporary plan was described to us. Sunday we were to basically rest and on Monday we would meet the Doctors in charge of Karen's protocol and more precise treatment would be outlined. At this point there was clear evidence Karen had difficulty breathing and the Doctor asked if this was something new or was it also going on at home? Karen reported it was going on at home.

December 11, 2006 - Examination and visit to local ENT
The Doctors at St Georg were reluctant to begin hyperthermia treatment on Karen's neck since it would potentially cause some swelling and possibly create a crisis situation where Karen's air passage would completely block off. We were sent to a local ENT at 5pm for an evaluation. We were appalled after meeting this Doctor. He obviously was well versed in what he does but much to our surprise, he was EXTREMELY traditional, locked in a western philosophy. I think we were both under the illusion that once in Germany we would be pleasantly engulfed by Doctors open to complimentary and alternative type treatments, no matter where we went; that fantasy was blown apart. We were encouraged by the Doctors at St Georg to basically take what we need from him and leave the rest. The ENT Doctor told Karen to go home and seek radiation treatment, he had a connection with a Doctor in Miami that he could hook us up with. This was not very validating news to be told. He also recommended Karen have a tracheotomy.

December 12, 2006 - Tracheotomy
Our hopes were rapidly turning to fears. We were told by the Doctors at St Georg, based on the ENT report, a tracheotomy was necessary. Karen was scheduled to go to local hospital in Bad Aibling for surgery today at 2pm. She had tracheotomy and we were back at St Georg Klinik about 7:30pm. This began a horrendous week for her, she did not eat except liquid infusion for 7 days. Karen is thin, but lost about 10 lbs by Dec 19; weighing 100 lbs.

December 12 - Debember 19, 2006 - learning to breathe again
This week was traumatic to say the least, there were times I thought Karen was not going to make it. Sleep was a premium item, neither of us not sleeping more that a few hours at a time. Karen needed to be vacuumed, about every 2 to 3 hours with the temporary tracheotomy in, using a catheter tube. The look on her face when the mucous was being sucked from her trache was pure fright. The hyperthermia treatments began December 14 and she was to get 7 of them before being discharged, December 22nd. On December 19th we were fortunate enough to be able to have a permanent cannula placed by another ENT Doctor in an adjoining town. The permanent cannula made the world of difference for Karen.

An Angel named Claus bearing a luftbefeuchster
For the non Germans in the crowd, this is a humidifier. Karen's new means of breathing created a need for moisture in the air, since her nose was not being used to the extent it was for normal breathing. The cold German air during December did not offer much humidity and the Klinik did not have this type of equipment. I set out to get one, whether that meant to buy or whatever. I stopped in a shop just next door to the Klinik and the cheapest one they had was approximately 80 Euro. I had no choice but to buy it. I told the shop owner my circumstance and he proceeded to pack up the humidifier for me. As he was showing me how to use it, he and his wife began talking back and forth in German and after a few minutes he confirmed with me that this humidifier would be useless to me once we check out of Klinik. I said yes, the electrical feeds in the States were different. He said to me that he would lend me his personal humidifier, if I would stop back after lunch. He would go home during lunch break and return with his personal humidifier to loan to me. I was in awe, this man I never met and he was lending me something he could easily have sold to me. I thanked him and returned after lunch to borrow his humidifier for Karen. I tell everyone he was our Santa Claus during the Christmas time in Germany.

December 24, 2006 - Homeward bound after 1st trip
We left the Klinik on Dec 22 and stayed locally in a hotel, flying out from Munich on Sunday a.m., Dec 24. We landed in Miami safe and sound in mid afternoon. The trip involved a change of planes in London Heathrow and we were glad that we did not travel a day or two prior; the airport was virtually at a complete standstill with heavy cloud cover and people camped all over. On the return trip with British Airways (BA) we made sure we made use of wheel chair travel for Karen; it made travel through security a breeze, such a difference from the trip to Germany a few weeks prior. A friend of our daughter who works for BA made arrangements for us to sit in first class, but the unfortunate thing was that the seats were not together; we opted to stay in economy class so we could be together. Karen needed me near her since she was not able to talk plus her cannula was in need of frequent cleaning as well.
We had left the hotel about 5am and being novices at the cannula business were unable to take it apart to clean. We wanted to do that since we knew a long day of travel lie ahead. She made it without it, but it was uncomfortable as the day progressed.
Since having a new hole in her neck to breathe, Karen was especially sensitive to any smells. When arriving in Miami she had a hard time traveling on shuttle bus to car rental place with the smell of fumes from the exhaust. We made the trip from Miami, arriving in our own home on Christmas Eve....that was our present to ourselves.

BETWEEN TRIPS
About Dec 29 Karen began experiencing the sensation of tightness in her throat
when swallowing and thinks it is getting a little worse. Her voice had gained
volume but seems to be deteriorating a bit again. We are planning on returning
to Germany on February 4 but after telling Doctor about most recent concerns
he suggests returning sooner rather than later. We opt to go two weeks earlier
on January 20.

On January 8, Karen visited an ENT Doctor here in Sarasota, Fl. (the 2nd one
in 5 days).  Karen abandoned the first one because she was very harsh and
insensitive to the use of alternative treatments.  She told Karen to have her
voice box out if she wanted to live.  The Doctor today examined Karen and
said her  left vocal cord is very involved with the tumor and does not seem to
be functional at all.  He said there could be recurrent growth of the tumor and
from his view it looks like stage T3 or T4.  He was surprised at how good her
voice was considering what he saw.  We asked this Doctor if he would
support Karen on her decisions and to examine her from time to time when
she wanted him to.  He said "absolutely" that he realized Karen was an adult
and would respect any decision she makes. (Later entries will reveal his
attitude seems to change upon 2nd visit to him...stay tuned!)

January 20, 2007 - 2nd Trip to St Georg Klinik
For the 2nd trip we traveled from Ft Myers to Atlanta and then direct overnight flight to Munich. It was nice arriving in Germany at the end destination after traveling all night. It is tiring enough without having to find your way from one plane to another in a foreign country with different rules etc. etc. etc. Of course to make things even more challenging in Germany the primary language is foreign to us as well.
Atlanta airport is a bit burdensome but at least it was a familiar craziness. We arrived in Munich about 10am, were met by car service and made it to the Klinik for lunch (about 1 hour ride).
Karen was traveling with cannula in her neck now so it was challenging. On Delta airlines we were offered bulk head seats so there was plenty of leg room, making the long journey more manageable.
After lunch we were checked in by one of the Doctors and the following day Karen's regular Doctors set up her protocol for the 2 weeks. This time she was set to get low dose chemo for 8 days, extending through the week and over the weekend. Along with this she was to get daily doses of Hyperthermia with other various adjunct therapies e.g. ozone therapy, galvano therapy, infusions of Vit-C, etc.
We visited with the local ENT Doctor, who checked on her progress.
As compared to the first trip this one is relatively uneventful.

February 4, 2007 - Homeward bound after 2nd trip

BETWEEN TRIPS

As requested Karen waited about 3 weeks before getting retested, this was to give opportune time for the treatment, especially low dose chemo, to do its work in her body.

February 22, 2007
Karen had PET/CT Scans done. The results were mixed. The left side tumor had shrunk but there was now some growth on the right side. The metabolic activity overall continued to drop. Our visit to local ENT was not very uplifting to say the least. His comment was "I am not familiar with what they do in Germany, but it does not work". He was a person whom I asked directly on previous visit (see note above for Jan 8th Doctor visit) if you would support Karen and he answered "absolutely". That had felt good then but now he was not very supportive of Karen being an adult at all. He told Karen if she came back to see him he would refer her to Moffit, Anderson or Sloan Kettering because he was not able to care for her at the stage of cancer she had. We began discussing the results with him and he abruptly stopped the conversation saying, "look I don't want to argue with you guys". I did not hear anyone arguing, maybe someone in the room was delusional. As he left the examining room he stated, "keep us in the loop". Was he kidding or what??

TRIP 3

March 11, 2007 - 3rd Trip to St Georg Klinik

March 12, 2007 - intake session with Doctor at St Georg Klinik

What an unbelievably different experience sitting in the Doctor's office in Germany with the same test results as we had sitting before the local ENT Doctor in Florida about 2 weeks prior. I expressed our concerns about the new growth etc. His response was that if there is a train traveling at 100mph and it must be stopped, it does not happen all at once. He reassures the both of us that this is not abnormal and he prescribes a treatment protocol that will continue to work toward Karen being clear of cancer. The protocol for this trip involves low dose chemo but much more of it. There was a new chemo used that really seemed to have a substantial impact on Karen.

March 17, 2007
Imagine, we are in Germany on St Patrick's Day....who would have ever thought!!! I was hard pressed to find a parade anywhere.

March 24, 2007 - Homeward bound after 3rd trip
(details to follow)

April 16, 2007
Karen got a PET/CT Scan and the tests resuls were phenomenal. Karen's voice had returned to a great degree and the test results certainly endorsed what was now being heard. The results showed the tumor on right side had resolved and the left side was reduced substantially. The metabolic activity had continued to drop even more so than the last tests; we were elated.

TRIP 4

May 19, 2007 - 4th Trip to St Georg Klinik

May 20, 2007 - intake session with Doctor at St Georg Klinik

Karen's blood count is down and the Doctor immediatley orders 2 units of blood to be transfused into Karen before any treatment can begin. He states there is no need for chemo this trip since Karen's results are showing great progress.

June 2, 2007 - Homeward bound after 4th trip
(details to follow)

June 29, 2007 #1 injection of PROCRIT
Due to low blood count Karen begins taking PROCRIT. This is extemely expensive. We had petitioned drug manufacturer for aid to pay but to no avail since we had a little bit of insurance coverage. They referred us to a foundation that helps people with co-pays. The foundation offered us enough money to cover about 5 injections. She is to begin taking one per week and to see how much she needs with weekly blood tests.

July 1, 2007 - Low blood count
Karen's blood count has dropped to critical level and she goes into local E.R. for blood transfusion. She receives 2 pints of blood and blood count improves. She is in hospital about 10 hours, does not stay overnight.

July 6, 2007 - #2 injection of Procrit
We are in touch with the Doctors in Germany and also following the advise of a local Doctor who administers Vitamin C infusions to Karen. The consensus is to continue with the PROCRIT until blood count is within normal range, even though at last blood test it was very close. This dose does bring blood count within normal range.

July 12, 2007 PET/CT Scan
Results of this test bummed us out somewhat. There was new growth on the right vocal cord again and the metabolic activity has also increased. We were shocked!! We contacted hospital in Germany, wanting to return a.s.a.p. Much to our dismay the hospital was closing for a few weeks of reconstruction. We were offered out patient services only and that would mean staying at a local Pension (German term for B & B) and traveling to hospital daily for treatment. This did not seem to be something Karen would be able to work with. We finally opted to wait until August 19 when Klinik opened again and return at that time.

July 12 through August 17, 2007
Karen continues to get weekly blood tests, monitoring her blood count. She seems to be responding to the PROCRIT along with the blood transfusions of July 1. On August 1, 8, and 16 she needs PROCRIT injections. Her blood count was brought within normal range after the 3rd injection.

TRIP 5

August 17, 2007 - 5th Trip to St Georg Klinik
Flew direct from Ft Myers to Munich on LTU Airline; we were fortunate enough to receive 15% off on air fare, but fare was still extreme since it was heart of high season ($1900 + for two).

August 18, 2007
Rented a car at Munich since we were staying in Erding (near Munich for 2 days) and wanted to be able to travel around if we so desired. Had relaxing few nights, got to Hotel Henryabout 11am. Hotel Henry is one we found a few trips ago and used it for lodging the night before we left on flights home since it was close to airport and was reasonable to stay at (87 Euro, including free shuttle to airport + free breakfast).

August 20, 2007
We checked into hospital about 10am on Monday, Aug 20, 2007. Had appointment to see Doctor at 11am and got to see him about 11:45am for about 1 hour. His initial commment was "you are funny girl", he was relating to the cancer growth beginning on one side and moving to the other side of Karen's voice box. He suggested NO CHEMO, because it would continue to deplete Karen. He suggested 90 mins of Hyperthermia with Vit-C on a daily basis and Galvano (ECT) treatments as often as daily but whatever Karen could tolerate plus several other infusions. We felt hopeful leaving his office. Karen began Hyperthermia in the afternoon for 90 minutes. Karen was assigned a different Doctor this trip, the same one she had on the first 2 trips, we were happy with that.

August 21, 2007
Karen receives 2nd Hyperthermia treatment for 90 minutes and all the other infusions but Galvano is cancelled because she is having difficulty keeping her throat cleared and with the 90 minute Galvano treatment she would not be able to get up to clear her throat etc. The Doctor decides to suck Karen's trache to aid in romoval of mucous. Galvano is scheduled for Wed, Aug 22 at noon.
During the night Karen has much discomfort and wakes up frequently to clear her throat but is not very successful. We try relaxation exercises and it seems to help a little bit.

August 22, 2007
Karen woke me up about 7:20am in respiratory distress, she was gasping for air. She later told me she thought she was going to die. Her color was fine but she certainly could not breathe. I got nurse immediately and the Doctor came to clear the stoma in her neck with a catheter tube. She began breathing normally (at least with enough air) again. The Doctors wanted to ensure that this would not happen again, they set out to arrange for an ENT Doctor to see Karen. The local ENT (HNO in Germany) that Karen had seen before was on vacation. The only one close-by was not available on Wednesday, since many businesses close on Wednesday afternoons in town. An appointment was set for Thursday evening at 5:30pm. In the meantime all heavy treatments (Hyperthermia & Galvano) are postponed. The Doctors here want to possibly have a small cannula placed back in her neck to keep it open for breathing especially during treatments that may cause swelling.

August 23, 2007
Karen's breathing is better so apparently the swelling has gone down
but treatments (Hyperthermia and Galvano) are still postponed. Swelling was reduced using infusions of medication. We saw the local ENT Doc this evening to see about getting a small cannula placed in Karen's neck for temporary purposes but she was useless to us for that. She did not have any cannulas at all but gave us an address where we might be able to purchase one. The Doctor here at the Klinik is stumped as to what to do, he does not want to proceed with the possibility that a breathing crisis occurs again. He is also concerned about Karen traveling home and getting into trouble on plane with her breathing. He is definitely erring on the side of caution which is good.
At this point I am thinking we are going to end up staying another week since things
are off to such a slow start here. Karen was much better today. We will await for a plan to be proposed to us tomorrow. One of the possibilities is to go to Munich or Rosenheim for outpatient treatment at a Klinik for placement of a new cannula.

August 24, 2007
Today much to our surprise the two primary Doctors we are dealing with suggested low dose chemo for 5 days, the same dose as first trip. We were a bit taken back since Karen has had such a hard time with her blood count as a result of chemo over the past few months. They proposed this to reduce the tumor size, since they think it is the primary reason for Karen's difficulty breathing and this is obviously a major issue. To ward off a repeat of what happened earlier in the week they will give an anti-inflammatory prior to Hyperthermia and close monitoring will be provided throughout. Karen agreed and she began chemo + Hyperthermia in the late afternoon.
Karen had the best sleep so far since being at the Klinik tonight.

August 25, 2007
Karen received her 2nd chemo treatment with Hyperthermia today. Her congestion is being monitored and breathing being kept clear as much as possible. All seems well, she is not having any adverse reaction to chemo. She will have chemo and Hyperthermia through Tuesday, and then Hyperthermia will continue after that for the remaining days we are here. We are not sure about when the Galvano will happen.

August 26, 2007
Karen continues to improve. She had an even better sleep during the night, much less restriction going on in her respiratory track. Received low dose chemo with Hyperthermia followed by other infusions and treatment. Weather is great here, but Karen is not up for walking around too much. Not sure about length of our stay at this point, so far still planning on leaving next Saturday but we are open to staying longer to maximize the time we have here with the treatments deemed necessary.

August 27, 2007
Karen's day today was good. Her sleeping continues to be more consisitent. She is kept very busy with infusions, Hyperthermia and low dose chemo. Today the Doctors cleared her stoma (the small hole left in her neck from the cannula) so to be sure another traumatic breathing event does not occur. It is ironic, Karen and I were impatient for the hole to heal and now we want it to slow down, at least until the treatments are complete and the tumors are shrunk back and gone. The Hyperthermia treatments today were bumped up to 90 minutes in duration. Her breathing does not seem to be much of a concern for her of late, but the dry air here makes it more difficult. In addition to her breathing issue, she is dealing with being very bloated from all the infusions. At least none of this is strange to us, we have been through this before; we know the drill. The weather here remains beautiful, unfortunately Karen has not felt well enough to get out and enjoy it. Tomorrow the Doctors will discuss with us our departure date, it looks to me like it will remain to be late Friday night and fly home on Saturday morning.

August 28, 2007
The Doctors paid a very brief visit today. We were disappointed but not surprised, this is more the norm than not when the chief Doc is visiting patients. They said Karen can plan on leaving Saturday for home. I got one question in as they left room and that was about Galvano treatment; the chief said yes she can do it everyday now. That has not happened, and I think it wise, since there is already swelling/inflammation going on from the current treatments.
Karen felt more swelling going on today, apparently from the increased Hyperthermia session yesterday (90 min upped from 60 min). This coupled with the news of leaving in a few days had her upset. She does not want to have a breathing crisis after leaving here, especially with the lack of a medical support team in the US that endorses the treatment modality she is taking. We are going to speak with the two primary Doctors tomorrow and get a clear picture of what they advise and/or suggest. We are thinking we will change flight home until Wednesday, leaving the Klinik on Tuesday.
The chemo treatments have been completed today, so the anti-nausea meds will be stopped as well. Hopefully her system will slowly return to normal status within the next few days. We are very grateful for the care that is offered here. Karen's sleep continues to be consistent, she appears as at home...sleeping with remote in hand; very relaxed and at peace.
Karen will be receiving a Reiki treatment tomorrow, that will help her relax and return to center.
God bless all for your support

August 29, 2007
Karen continues to show improvement, getting back to her normal energy level and coming down to dining room more regularly to eat. We had much more productive meeting with Docs today, it was not more lengthy than yesterday but we were able to share our concerns and felt heard. The Docs and Karen & I all agreed it might be premature to leave hospital Friday night and fly home on Saturday. Rather than doing that we are going to get our flight changed until the following Friday; this will give ample time for Karen to be monitored for a period of time after the chemo.
Thank God for our children on States side helping us out with things such as phone calls to the airline and various other business like items that are just impossible to complete so far away and with 6hrs difference in time.
The concern about swelling and her breathing will be addressed when we visit with a local ENT Doc here, hopefully on Monday when he returns from vacation. We have notified our animal watchers and they are able to hang in for another week. God bless them, they have been right there for all our trips. We have been supported in so many ways.
Karen did not need as much cortizone today as yesterday. Tomorrow she is probably going to receive some Galvano treatment and there may be some swelling after that. She is a bit afraid of it, because it can be painful as well. The Docs assured her that it will be made comfortable for her. Galvano is when a low electric charge is sent into the cancer cells killing them off. One of the ideas is to put a needle into the lymph node(s) on Karen's neck. I am sure she will be happy when it is over.
Karen was referred by a lymphatic massage therapist in the States to check out an Energy Healer in a town about 2 hrs from here. Well, he was on holiday until Monday, 8/27, and he called us today to let us know he has an opening tomorrow. Unfortunately we are booked here at Klinik tomorrow but since we are extending our stay, perhaps next week he may have a cancellation.
Well, it is quite late at this point of the earth and I will sign off for today.
Thank you for all your prayers, intentions and support. It is truly felt and appreciated.
Love and Blessings to all of you.
Karen & Patrick

August 30, 2007
Well thanks to some "angels" among us we have got our flight home changed without a penalty fee. There is a person at the Miami headquarters of the airline we have been flying who has extended herself in an unbelievable manner for us. She is someone who I never met, who I don't even know her last name but she is one who remembers me when I call and has done her best to get us the best seats and as much of a discount as she can. It is amazing!! And, of course the helper angels who are members of our immediate family and network of friends helping out with phone calls and watching animals etc. The love and care extended to us during this trying time is hard to describe in words.
Well, Karen had hard day breathing, and she is really feeling bloated with all the infusions, I.V. she has been taking. This is a common complaint among all the patients, I told Karen we could get some string and tie it to them and let them all float in the air like balloons. She did not think that was too funny. She pretty much rested and stayed in room today. She did receive her Hyperthermia treatment and had her stoma cleaned by the Doctors.
We had a visit by the same Doctors as two days ago and we felt much better after today's visit as compared to the brief encounter two days ago. We got most of our questions asked and were happy about that. Our departure day will be some time next week but we have enough time to get all done that we need to before heading back to the states.
Karen skipped some of the anti-inflammatory medication and seemed to feel the absence of it with her breathing and possibly was crashing from the withdrawal.
We impressed upon the Doctors that we want to keep her immune system strong, and not have a reoccurrence of what happened between last two visits occur. We also discussed the high cost of the new medication they are prescribing and it was suggested to possibly get some in Mexico.

Some of the stories here are sad and some are triumphant. Spoke with a woman this evening who is here along and she has scheduled some surgery for Tues. She was advised by the chief Doc here that was the best thing to do, because the treatment they have used is not ridding her of the cancer. The trust level is at such a high level here, she prefers to do the surgery here rather that go back to the States where she has not found the Doctor's to be very supportive. She is making this decision even though in the States her insurance would cover the surgery, and it will not here. There is a very powerful presence here, an amazing dynamic made up of all the people working here. It is hard to explain, nothing like it anywhere I have ever been.
love and blessing to all and to all a good night..................

August 31, 2007
Today was typically routine here, nothing out of the ordinary. Karen has put off Galvano until next week after she sees ENT Doc. She continues to have some difficulty keeping respiratory passage clear of mucous but it does seem less challenging. She is going to continue daily Hyperthermia treatments over weekend, probably until we leave next Thursday evening.

Karen and I spoke with lady mentioned in yesterday's entry who was to get surgery. That has been cancelled at least temporarily; she will head home on Sunday to the States. Karen gave her a Miraculous Medal of Mary and we both told her about John of God (Joao de Deus) whom Karen is going to see in October. We are going to fill her in more tomorrow prior to when she leaves.

Karen and I are hoping to get out a bit over the weekend. The cabin fever is getting intense.
We have the DVD's. that we brought from home, memorized.

We are both glad we postponed Karen's discharge date, it makes a lot of sense to get more treatment and not to rush out of here. We are in Germany so we may as well take advantage of what is here. We are fortunate to have such a terrific support network at home in the States to permit us to have the flexibility that we need.

The return flight works out better for us, we were originally flying into Miami but the change we made is into Ft Myers; much closer to home.
It is late and I am tired.

Blessing to all of you.

Bis morgen

September 2, 2007
Karen has restless night last night. She was over tired and asked for something to help her sleep. She was given a med (forgot name of it) that she had 3 times prior without a problem, but this time it caused her to feel agitated and very uncomfortable. The result was being relaxed but very irritable. That lasted for a few hours, thank God it did not last all night. She is catching up on some lost sleep now, seems to be breathing very good at this time. Today is a slow day; she is scheduled for Hyperthermia but may cancel it and just give herself a break.
We have been, unexpectedly, invited to someone's home today for tea and coffee. It is someone we have gotten close with during the visits here; she is very kind and caring to Karen, a very special person. It will be good to get out and the day is bright and beautiful today. Overall the weather has turned cool, today it is going to 66 F but after that will be in 50s and at night as low as upper 30s during the week.
Our other friend, the one Karen gave the Miraculous Medal to, has left today. We exchanged e-mails and will keep in touch. There is a unique bond made here with the other patients as well as with many of the staff. As someone we know frequently claims about a spiritual gathering we attend, "surely the presence of God is in this place". What has been formed here (the Klinik) and the people who have been drawn to it have combined to create a unique force/power; a very rich dynamic.

Many of the people who are seen daily just smile and nod in recognition but many others we have gotten to know more intimately and, for me at least, there is a struggle within dealing with the lack of continuity or integration into the rest of my life. When I leave here these people basically reside in my memory and my heart. Yes there is e-mail etc. etc. etc. but it is not the same as personal contact and interaction. I experience the same feeling with relatives who I feel a very close connection to but they live far away in distant places and several times zones apart. I suppose this is part and parcel of our ability in today's world to travel far from home establishing meaningful connections with friends and family; it is great to be able to do but at the same time there are sad emotions of loss and longing that come with the experience as well.

Then there are those who we have met who have passed on now and our meeting was very brief and poignant, equally as powerful and stimulating. Yes, dealing with this challenge of Karen's is cumbersome but it truly has some rich and rewarding benefits along the path as well. Paying attention to what is happening when we are not looking, how powerful !!

Blessings to you all...........

September 3, 2007 the cannula returns after 4 months
Today Karen went to see the ENT Doctor and after his laryngyscope exam he suggested Karen have the cannula placed back in her neck. Since there was still a small hole there, he was able to stretch it with his instruments and place a temporary slightly smaller cannula in until tomorrow. We are scheduled to return tomorrow for completion of the procedure. It was painful for her, stretching her skin, she bled a little bit and afterwards she cried. I think it was a combination of emotional and physical pain. It is clearly all for the best. Tonight she is sleeping better than she has in weeks. It is 4 months to the day since we took the cannula out. It was after the wonderful news that the tumor had shrunk to a minimal size. We look forward to that happening again in the near future but for the present it is important to be realistic and make sure she can breathe in a stress free manner. Her breathing difficulty even hampered the level of treatments she would have had during our stay here.
The ENT Doc was very patient and told Karen she was a very good patient. He let her be in charge and to stop him when she needed to. Very nurturing and caring person.
Keep Karen in your thoughts and prayers, especially tomorrow.

love and blessings to all...........

September 5, 2007
Last few days for Karen have been uncomfortable, her neck was sore up until today when she got her old cannula put back into her trache. It is much better for her now; it is amazing all the difficulty she was having before and now it has diminished drastically. She is an amazing woman !! She just goes through this stuff and just takes it in stride. The ENT Doc was wundebar, he was patient, caring and obviously concerned for her. He made space for us in his busy schedule at closing time all three days we saw him. I am amazed at some of the charges here. For the time he spent, about 2.5 hours, and the procedures he did, he charged the equivalent of $310. Maybe I am naive but it seems inexpensive to me. I don't think this procedure would have been handled as an office visit at home.
Karen's blood was checked today, the levels are normal for the most part, nothing to be alarmed over. She attempted Hyperthermia treatment today, but only endured it for 1/2 hour then stopped. She needed to clear the cannula, but she thought she was swelling. Tomorrow she may get the same treatment but not sure at this point. She appears to be stronger and much better than when we arrived. We are truly blessed.
We are either leaving tomorrow night or early Friday morning.
The weather here is really interesting. The temp has dropped and we have been getting rain as well; even hail stones at times along with thunder and lighting. The temp during day is in 50s and at night low 40s or upper 30s. The Alps which we can see from here are showing some snow cover after the inclement weather; a very pretty sight.

Just a note: The URL address for this web site is being amended and will be:

http://www.karenshealingjourney.com

the old one will still work which is:

http://karpat.blogspot.com

I will say "gut abend" with love and blessings to all Karen's supporters.................

September 6, 2007
Well we have left the Klinik and are in a hotel near Erding, Germany; a town very near the Munich Airport. We are ready for home. Today was an example of chaos moving toward organization or harmony. It seemed everything was just "nuts" today. Appointments were cancelled, then supposedly rescheduled but not. Miscommunication was at a high level and we were both frustrated with all the "STUFF" going on. For us I believe some of it was anticipating the upcoming transition from being in a safe nurturing environment with Medical Professionals who listen and have a similar philosophy to us, to something that is pretty close to being diametrically opposed to that. The support Karen has here is unmatched anywhere else, because it mimics exactly the healing path she seeks. Yes, there are some like minds here and there in the states but an institution such as this Klinik does not exist.
Out of the chaos truly did come some loving harmony. The good-byes are truly heart felt; it is like family and I feel the connections more bonding at each visit. Overall, the key players running St Georg Klinik have remained the same since we have started coming here; this provides a level of consistency that aids healing by affording the creation important interpersonal relationships with the healers during one's healing course. The generosity found here is just there and present all the time, whether it be via offering time, presents or little bits of monetary aid in various forms. There is not any penny pinching or nit picking about bills or monies; there is a very clear sense of fairness when it comes to that.
As I said, our frustration was high today, but at the end we had a very nice talk with the Chief Doctor and another one with the Doctor immediately in charge of Karen's care. It was just something that is not experienced on such a level with medical personnel in the States. I said to Karen today, that it is so much more than just a language difference here, it is an entire cultural shift; they work according to another paradigm than we are accustomed to. I never have seen any of them indicate frustration or any type of attitude that would seem in any way negative or opposed to a positive healing ethic. There seems to be a pervasive attitude among most here that things will get done when they get done and above all the patient is most important. In some ways those two things may seem to oppose each other but overall they do not; it seems there is recognition that there is a greater force at work and one must step out of the way and let it happen. One thing that impresses me is the importance and respect given to the patient's input about their care; that is not something I am accustomed to.

For now I will say good night. Look forward to seeing some and eventually all of you after we are home.

Love and Blessing to all and thanks for your continued support to Karen and me........

September 7, 2007 -- States Side Once Again.......
We arrived home safe and sound; the trip was long but uneventful, Thank God. The plane stayed up when supposed and came down when appropriate.
Karen had tough time with the dry air on the plane; she felt it more this flight than any other time we flew, so her breathing was strained to a certain degree.
It was quite a contrast leaving 50 F in German and arriving to 93 F in Florida.
The next few months will be similar to past periods of time in between trips. She will get tested and then we will make a decision as to what to do.
There are a few different things Karen is going to do, she is going to see John of God on Oct 4 and there is another woman she has spoken to and she may try her protocol. These are all in addition to, not in place of the treatment in Germany.
Some of the Meds she has been prescribed are very expensive, I am going to find out more about purchases in Mexico. I don't know how that works, if anyone reading this has any knowledge please let me know.
Just want to say thanks to all the "helpers" we have in our life today who have been chipping in when we are away traveling. Without these people stopping in when we are not hear to take care of the pets and some household items we would be lost. They just do want we need and they are just there for us; we are truly grateful to all of them.

Signing off as one tired traveler

Love and blessing to all.........