My story begins in 2004. I was driving on the Florida Turnpike when my vision started getting blurry. I pulled over. Because I did not have my cell phone with me, I put on my flashers and waited for someone to stop. But no one stopped. I started my car and drove with my emergency lights on; driving with my left hand on the wheel and my right hand over my left eye. I drove about 25 minutes this way to the Emergency Room at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Palm Beach, Florida.
They tested me for Diabetes. Thank goodness that test came back normal. Next they tested me for Glaucoma. This test also came back normal. After both of those tests were done, the technician then said they would like to do a Catscan on me. The results of this showed a very large mass on the right side of my brain. I was diagnosed with a brain tumor! I could not believe it.
To make matters worse, I needed immediate surgery and there was no neurosurgeon on staff. Therefore, they wanted to transfer me ASAP to St. Mary's Hospital in West Palm Beach by ambulance.
In Palm Beach County, the malpractice insurance for Neurosurgeons was $250,000 per year. On account of this, the top Doctors were not practicing at this time. The nurses gathered around me to hold hands and pray that everything would turn out okay.
Meanwhile, I was waiting for my husband to show up at the hospital. When he finally arrived, they took us to St. Mary's Hospital. My husband took charge and promised that he would do whatever it took to make sure I would be okay. We waited two days to see the Neurosurgeon. The doctor wanted to take sections of my tumor for biopsy. Stuart told them no way was he allowing this procedure by the doctor to take place. Next thing we knew, we were dismissed from St. Mary's Hospital.
By this time, I was having difficulty speaking, suffering terrible headaches, could barely walk, and had blurry vision. I also could not write, all my motor skills were not functioning and I lost the ability to maintain bladder control. It could not get any worse than that.
Faced with this dead-end, my husband and I discussed alternatives. We needed something immediate and close so we called the Hippocrates Health Institute in West Palm Beach, Florida and spoke to the director, Dr. Brian Clement, who turned out to be a very helpful, sensitive and caring individual. Dr. Clement, hearing how serious the situation was asked if we could come in the next day to meet with him. Stuart had to physically carry me to Dr. Clement's office. We all knew that I was going to need surgery as soon as we could find a Doctor to do it.
Dr. Clement urged me to change my eating habits immediately! This meant no more coffee with hazelnut cream, no sugar, sweet n low, no flour, very little fruit, no meat, no chicken, no fish. Only living foods and raw foods, lots of wheatgrass, green drink, lots of sprouts, and water with lemon. I had to make a major life change in the way that I ate in order to save myself.
Several months later I had my surgery at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. They took an MRi with contrast before my surgery. The MRI showed a tumor.
It lasted seven hours, and I lost seven pints of blood. Dr. John Park led the team. The size of my Atypical Mengioma brain tumor was close to four pounds (the size of a grapefruit).
After the surgery, they did another MRI( with contrast to make sure they removed everything.
The next morning I woke up in intensive care and my girlfriend called asked me what I was doing. I told her I was brushing my teeth and sitting in a chair. She could not believe it. The last time I visited with her - I was having speech problems, unable to see or write or walk, or use my limbs and I had trouble remembering things. But that day, I remembered exactly who I was speaking to. My memory was clear again. I felt like a new person!
My recovery time was 5 days in the hospital plus two days as an outpatient. I had forty-seven staples in my head; all of which were removed my last day as an outpatient before I headed home. I keep them as a reminder of what I went through and the people that were there for me. I did not need any rehabilitation or therapy. I was able to speak clearly for the first time in years and people understood what I was saying.
When we got home from the hospital, the first thing we did was buy a juicer to make my wheatgrass and green drink.
I started buying sprouts and wheatgrass and even started growing my own.
Because of the surgery (having to pull my skin down to get to my skull) I had trouble seeing objects around me. So six weeks later, I had eye surgery to remove the excess skin so that my vision would improve. After that surgery was done, the surgeon asked that I not get my eyes wet for he next couple of weeks. Two days later my dog Bella passed away from spleen cancer. So I cried like a baby. He was very special to me. I looked like Rocky Balboa meets the Walking Dead because my eyes were so swollen. I had to go back on steroids again because of the swelling.
I was very grateful to be alive. I knew I would have to work on my inner beauty because I did not know what would become of me. I was very fortunate that I had the best care in the entire world.
Two months later, I started feeling tired and my head was hurting again so I had an MRI with contrast. They found two small tumors in my brain at the MRI Center in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Then my husband and I flew up to the National Institute of Health and had another MRI with contrast.
The Doctors found one small tumor.
Since I had an aggressive brain tumor, the Doctors wanted to do immediate radiation on my brain for 6 weeks, once a day. I knew what the effects of radiation would bring-that I would have a malignant tumor five years to twenty-five years later somewhere else in my body. Stuart and I agreed that we would take an alternative route. After my surgery, I was very consistent with the program at first, but as time went on, I slowly started to slack off; by not juicing everyday. Also, I started to eat the wrong type of foods more frequently.
We spoke to Dr. Clement again and he recommended no fruits, no carrots, no dairy, and absolutely no sugar. Brian then asked me "If I had an ironing board" and I said "yes why?". He wanted me to put my head on the floor and raise my legs on the ironing board leaning up on the couch twice a day for fifteen minutes, so the blood would rush to my head and help with the healing process. Knowing that Brian knew his stuff I was willing to do what he asked of me. I was afraid of what could happen if I did not stick to the plan. We also went to an acupuncturist for two months, used Chinese aggressive herbs, and wore a magnetic head band, drank green drink, wheatgrass, and ate lots of different kinds of sprouts several times a day; as well as living and raw foods.
Last November, the week before I was supposed to start radiation, I kept stalling for I knew that I did not feel the need for radiation. The Hospital in Florida called to do one more MRI for radiation preparation. This MRI was short, too short. Having now had 8 MRI's under my belt, I knew this MRI was only 10 minutes long. I called my Neurosurgeon asked him for one more MRI with contrast. I told him that if anything shows up, I would go through radiation without a word. I got my wish. Because I knew in my heart, there would be nothing there. They did another MRI with contrast. The findings of that MRI was no more tumors no blood clots, no more hemorrhage. Everything was gone except the white matter disease. All the Doctors could say was that I did not need radiation.
In May 2005, we went to the NIH for my 3 month check up. I had another MRI with contrast. The white matter disease was gone.
I had made it through.
At this point I was inivited by Dr. John Gallin of the National Iinstitute of Health Clinical Center to becomea member of the Patient Advisory Group.
I was so deeply touched to be appointed to this group and help make a difference by being a living example of naturally occurring health, a state of health that came from a very simple change of action: maximally reduce synthetic chemicals in your food, medicine and everyday stuff, and eat living food. Pretty simple!
Naturally occurring health is not only possible, it is our birth right. Radical regeneration is also possible, no doubt about that! But you will have to come to terms with the impact of the synthetics belief system on your life and the lives of all those you love.
If I can face the facts, so can you.
Thank you to all who have helped me along the way. I hope to return the favor by helping others wake up from a belief system that is ruining us all. I hope my story touches something inside you and offers some hope so you can have your day of sunshine.
Best wishes,
Bonnie Lovett
www.adayofsunshine.org
