Dedication:  For Tom Geraghty, whose death from cancer in 1990 at age 42 inspired my life path &  this website.  And for Ryan Geraghty (our son) who made it possible with his programming help. 

Welcome from Cynthia Chatfield

Note from Cynthia:  I am currently the president of the Natural Lifestyle Network (www.NaturalLifestyle.net), an online resource directory where natural health consumers can find local service providers and other holistic resources they may be searching for.  When Tom and I were trying to find alternative cancer treatment options, we had no idea where to start or how to evaluate what we found.  My hope is that both my websites can contribute to bringing clarity and ease to this process.

This Healing Cancer website and the ebook chapters it contains were lovingly created to serve as resources for cancer patients who wish to consider choices beyond or in addition to conventional treatments. Indeed, the concepts they contain apply to most illnesses---as well as to all of us who seek to live an optimally healthy, joyful, fulfilling life.

I spent four years at the National Foundation for Alternative Medicine (NFAM) in Washington DC, founded by former U.S. Congressman Berkley Bedell. Along with Senator Tom Harkin, Berkley was responsbile for the establishment and funding of the Office of Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). A man of great integrity and vision, he later created NFAM to identify and scientifically validate non-traditional, non-toxic, innovative and effective treatments for disease. During the four years I spent there (1999-2003) we focused almost exclusively on cancer.

As the V.P.of Educational Services, I wrote dozens of clinic reports, produced seminars and interacted with hundreds of desperate cancer patients and their families who wanted better choices. Most expressed a powerful desire to avoid chemotherapy or radiation. I left NFAM in early 2003 when the decision was made to focus on research activities exclusively. Regretfully, patient education and outreach were no longer an integral part of its mission.

My four years at NFAM provided a wealth of opportunitiees to learn about alternative cancer therapies. An NFAM representative or physician visited over 100 international cancer clinics and I learned about many exciting and promising new treatments. But even at the best of these alternative and integrative clinics, although there were a number of complete remissions and many patients did receive excellent help in treating their disease, for far too many, the cancer eventually came back. A major contributing cause for their illness just wasn’t being identified and addressed--and that's what this website is all about.

My Story

I have spent the last fifteen years learning and working within the fields of alternative medicine, holistic education and spirituality, after being inspired and guided to this path by the death of my life partner in 1990 from metastatic colon cancer. Although he was in the best physical shape of his life and had only minor symptoms, Tom was diagnosed soon after his 38th birthday and given just four months to live. His tumor had "seeded" throughout his entire peritoneal cavity, including his liver. Yet he was able to survive four full years beyond this grim prognosis. I attribute this to his unabashed joy in life even in the most difficult of circumstances, to his determination to create more time to be with his children, and yes—to the amazing gift of love that we shared during those years.

At one point, Tom went into a surprising remission immediately after being extremely ill with a virus and enduring very high fevers for several days. Two weeks later, every test clearly showed that there was no cancer left in his body! What I later came to understand was that this brief but virulent illness and high fever probably weakened the cancer and catalyzed his immune system, which then resumed its normal function and destroyed the remaining cancer cells in his body. Several of the therapies available at international CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) cancer clinics mimic this very same and reproducible effect in the body and have demonstrated significant success against various cancers. These therapies are not currently approved for use here in the U.S. Examples include Coley’s Toxins (a virulent artificially-produced infection) and whole body hyperthermia (an artificially-induced fever).

Tom's cancer eventually returned with a vengeance within six months, and in another six months he was gone. If he and I had known then what I now know about cancer and healing, I believe that he would still be here. I now believe that Tom's cancer eventually returned because he did not understand the need to identify and address the repressed emotions of a lifetime, including some long-held angers and resentments.  All of this had profoundly negative influences on the functioning of his immune system, allowing the cancer to return.  He had not addressed the "root cause" of his disease.

Several years after his passing, my dear Mother suffered the indignities, pain and invasive procedures of conventional cancer treatment and experienced one of the most difficult and horrifying deaths imaginable. She spent most of the last six months of her life alone in a hospital bed as her well-meaning doctors tried one toxic, debilitating, ineffective treatment after another. She had no quality of life during this lonely, painful time and her understandable sadness was treated with several anti-depressant and anti-anxiety medications--in addition to all the other drugs she was taking of course. I knew then that there must be another answer and I knew I wanted to be part of it somehow.

As my life later unfolded, I found my way to the newly-created National Foundation for Alternative Medicine (NFAM) in Washington, D.C. and spent the next four years learning firsthand and writing about dozens of holistic cancer treatments and protocols used internationally. Now I want to reach out and help as many cancer patients and their families as possible through the powerful and life-altering information contained within this website. The understanding and belief that I eventually came to was that the root cause of the overwhelming majority of cancers can be found in the realm of the mind and the emotions--and their direct connection to the functioning of the immune system. To ultimately heal the cancer completely, this is the area the cancer patient eventually needs to address--whether sooner or later. I hope that this website can inspire it to be sooner.

I want to offer an understanding of the reasons why illness may develop without creating a sense of guilt. I want to empower patients to take responsibility for their own healing, to educate them about how and where to begin and then encourage them to take action to create their own healing miracle. If you have cancer, there is some inspirational and profound information on this website that will make you think long and hard about how you got to this place in your life-- and what kind of joyful and fulfilling future you want to create as a survivor.

And remember—there is always hope. It is never too late to begin.

What Would I Do if I was Diagnosed With Cancer?

So....if I was diagnosed with cancer, what would I do? I really can't answer this question for anyone else, but obviously I've given it some thought over the years.  And of course it would depend somewhat on the type and stage of cancer.  But in general, I can offer the following.....and I would borrow the money to do it all if I had to.  These are all inexpensive options compared to the cost of conventional cancer treatment.  However they would most likely not be covered by most health insurance plans.

1.  I would immediately book a month or more at a place such as Hippocrates or Optimum Health Institute where I could focus on healing, a clean healthy diet, detoxification, community support and have plenty of time to meditate and go within.  I would attend the classes and seek one-on-one counseling from someone like Andy Roman to take a good hard look at my life and begin to address what is out of balance.   I know this step is critical for long-term success and healing! 

I would look for any hidden, perhaps subconscious angers, resentments, etc. and consider ways to forgive, including forgiving myself if necessary.  I would also consider Dr. Hamer's theories about a stressful or traumatic incident happening about 12-24 months before cancer manifests and consider whether this could possibly be a factor and how to address & resolve it.

2.  Before leaving for Hippocrates, I would order a report on my type of cancer from Ralph Moss PhD or from one of the other  organizations that specialize in alternative and complementary cancer treatment info and referrals. I consider these reports invaluable for educational purposes and for considering treatment options--and I could use the time at Hippocrates to ponder, weigh options, ask questions, and perhaps come to a decision about what to do next, including considering an international cancer clinic.

3.  I would seek a consultation with the Center for Natural Healing, Donald Yance's healing clinic specializing in medical herbal protocols for cancer.  I have heard Donnie speak at cancer conferences several times and his knowledge is both awe-inspiring and profound.  Supporting  and strengthening the immune system with his advanced herbal formulations would be a powerful adjunct therapy to any other options.  To read the transcript of an interview Dr. Joseph Mercola did with Donnie, go here.

4.  If--and only if---I had a large, solid, rapidly-growing tumor--I would consider surgery to reduce the tumor load and allow my immune system to have the time to do its job.  I doubt there would be circumstances that would convince me to choose chemotherapy, though perhaps combined with hyperthermia to increase its effectiveness (as is done in many European clinics), I might consider it for certain cancers.

 5.  Then I would find a beautiful and peaceful place and spend some time just "being."  For me, this would probably be a beachfront somewhere I could hear the surf crashing as I sleep (my particular nirvana).  I would  be in nature, take long walks, and become as happy, joyful and grateful as I possibly could because I know that our emotions and thoughts create much of our reality and draw to us what we focus on and how we feel.  Though it may sound simple, this is definitely not easy, yet it is do-able.  I would focus on what is good and positive about my relationships, circumstances and the world in general.  I would do my best to release any negative situations or influences because I believe my survival would depend on this.  And I would trust my body's innate intelligence and healing power to come back into balance if this is what my life plan allows.  The Abraham teachings have provided excellent resources for achieving this positive and healing frame of mind for many years now.  Find them at www.Abraham-Hicks.com

WHY WAIT?  Come to think of it....why wait for a cancer diagnosis to implement #5 above?  Most of this can be accomplished right now, from wherever we're living.  When we release the stressors from our life our immune systems can be stronger and our ability to heal from any illness, exponentially more likely.   Why not start now to clean up your mind, emotions and life?