THANK YOU SONG - by Liz Farr

The Dream


Treatment - I know that you often hear a cliché nowadays called ‘mind, body and spirit’, but these are the three areas I have concentrated on since being diagnosed with cancer three years ago. It has been important to ensure that quality of life is the main objective, because you can become totally absorbed in health matters, and miss the joy in life! After taking stock of my life, I : Mind Reassessed my lifestyle. I thought about what gave me stress and ‘what brings me joy in life’. Learned to live today to the fullest (don’t look too far ahead) and ensure that you have joy built into every day. This might be just reading a book, or seeing friends, or whatever works for you. At the end of each day we say ‘how did we experience joy today?’ Was given a book by a good friend called ‘Everything you Need to Know to Help you Beat Cancer’, by Chris Woollams and this became my bible. I was impressed that Chris had the technical knowledge from being a biochemist and the personal knowledge from his daughter’s experience of a brain tumour.
Gained a supporter in my Oncology Sister and the team at the hospital. There is always a listening ear and resultant action if required. Read books, articles and theories re cancer and particularly my condition. Attended motivating talks given by Chris Woollams, Philip Day, Neale David Walsh. Joined a support group to help with the isolation I felt, particularly in the early part of this illness. Like people who knew what you were talking about and understood how you felt. Met with really good friends who were happy to let me talk about what was happening to me and my hopes and fears for the future. Being able to honestly talk about this illness and not have to pretend was paramount to my well-being. Found every opportunity to laugh – with friends and family, with Clive, and at myself. It took a while for me to laugh again, but now it happens often. Body Reassessed what I ate and drank. Stopped alcohol (understood that the liver has quite enough to cope with, without dealing with alcohol). After reading Chris Woollams book regarding the body moving more towards a more alkaline state as opposed an acid state, I determined foods which would assist this. I have since read from other sources that this would assist. Ate organic fruit and vegetables. Cut out meat and dairy products. I read through various mediums about the possible dangers of these products. My cancer was found to be hormone receptive, and the last thing I needed was more hormones. We do eat quite a bit of fish. My partner Clive joined me with my diet and lifestyle. If people do not have a partner I feel a ‘buddy’ of some sort could help. Received medical treatment for my spine condition – a bisphosphonate which seems to be working well, plus taking arimidex. Carried out investigation into various vitamins and minerals that would help my immune system to function as well as it could. Drank several cups of green tea every day. Carried out a detox (as shown in Chris’s book) every 3-6 months. This was particularly to get toxins out of the body and assist the liver and gallbladder. Visited a lady called Khai Eng who runs a successful health food shop in Berkhamsted. I had been involved with Khai Eng when I was a trainer, and I went to gain her thoughts. She recommended I had Miso Soup every day. We decided to give it a go. Clive and I have developed our own Miso Soup recipe, which gives the body and immune system a great kick in the mornings. I would be happy to give anyone the recipe. If we are away and do not have the soup, we actually miss it. Spirit Contacted a healing group, and have a wonderful healer called Ray Wilson who is the founder of Gentle Touch Healing. He visited me at the house every week to give healing. Being able to talk to Ray each week is just as helpful as the healing. This group does not charge for their services, and is a registered charity. Read books on the philosophies of life by authors such as the Dali Lama, Louise Hay, Susan Jeffers etc. Took time out to relax and think, and count my blessings. Worked in the garden and enjoyed seeing things grow – previously I only really looked out of the window and hardly had time to spend in the garden. Looked into how I could help others to ‘get out of the black hole’ that we find ourselves in when diagnosed with a life threatening illness. Visited others experiencing cancer. Visited the theatre, concerts, cinema – ‘the arts’ has always given me something special. Have written my ‘Thank You’ song for all those people who have helped me through difficult times. I would stress that all these things have happened gradually over the three years. They just started one by one, and developed throughout the time. Even though it may sound as though they take over our lives, they don’t! I usually just get on with my life and often do not think about cancer. It is only when I receive some results, which may be disturbing, when the mind really concentrates on the illness. Clive has always said to me that the trick in life is to turn a negative experience into a positive. I really do count my blessings now. We do many wonderful things and these are not always expensive things. I really feel there are benefits to having cancer and in my case they are: It made me step off the treadmill of constant work and look at another way of living. I have now worked out what is really important in life! Gave me time to visit friends and family. Gave me time to spend with Clive and thoroughly enjoy his company. If I had kept working for another ten years, he would have been that much older (he is currently 64 and would then be 74) and we may not have been able to have the special times we have together. I now have the opportunity of visiting other countries at a moment’s notice. Being there to assist my son when he needed support (this has involved moving him from one accommodation to another, and now being there for him having left university). I now have time to explore philosophies and think about ‘what is my purpose in life?’ Allowed me to explore my creative side – photography, writing songs, scrapbooking etc. I gain such rewards from having the time to help others. I believe the above has helped me to cope with cancer. I have done my part. The future will take care of itself. Sometimes with cancer we have to lighten up – find the joy!

Ray Wilson - Founder of Gentle Touch Healing has helped the dream tremendously. From the first stages of getting the song onto CD to creating this website.