The picture below (left side) was taken eight months ago of our sweet 21-year-old horse, Duquessa. In July of 2008, we began to notice that she was losing weight, becoming very lethargic, and had no appetite. A large tumor had developed in her mammary glands. Three weeks later, she was still deteriorating and the tumor had grown much larger. We called our veterinarian who came out two days later. After the examination, she gave us devastating news: She suspected the tumor was cancerous and suggested we do a biopsy.
When the results came back a week later, our worst fears were confirmed. Then we had to ask, “Is there anything we can do?” Our veterinarian was not optimistic about chemo or surgery. Due to the horse’s age and the progression of the disease, the vet told us to prepare for the end, which could be in weeks or a few months. At that point my husband and I discussed “putting her down” so she would not suffer, but we just could not give up on her.
Before & After
After several days of crying and feeling sorry for our baby and ourselves, a light bulb suddenly went off in my head. I had worked at the Hippocrates Health Institute for only five months. I was still learning about the program and had begun the transition to healthy living. During my short time there, I had already seen so many people heal themselves from devastating illnesses. I told my husband, “People come to Hippocrates and are healing themselves on the Hippocrates program, why don’t we try to do this for Duquessa?” At that point, we both became totally committed to the program. Dr. Brian Clement developed a program for her and with his guidance we began the journey of healing.
For the last eight months this has been her program:
• Our first step was to change her diet. We stopped feeding her processed food, alfalfa, and all products and treats containing sugar. She eats only unprocessed oats and natural orchard grass.
• She gets 50 sprays of ACZ in the morning and 50 sprays at night.
• We give her 4 ounces of bee pollen in the morning and 4 oz. in the evening.
• She has wheat grass in her food with every meal and we make juice for her every day.
• We apply a garlic and oil mixture every morning.
• She gets several sprays of Sovereign Silver twice a day.
• We apply Two Feathers healing salve in the evening.
• We exercise her for 20 minutes twice a day.
• And finally, we give her lots of love.
After eight months on this program, she has gained an enormous amount of weight, is running around the pasture with the other horses, her attitude is back and, to echo the cliche, she is eating like a horse. The tumor has shrunk from the size of a large grapefruit to the size of a lemon.
Our veterinarian called us a couple of months ago, as she had not heard from us. She assumed the worst. When we told her that Duquessa was recovering and making amazing progress, she did not really believe us. She asked to come to our house and see for herself. When she saw Duquessa, she was speechless and could not believe it was the same horse. She took dozens of pictures and wrote down all the changes we had made, including the Hippocrates lifestyle. If our story helps even just one animal to recover, or one veterinarian to see the possibilities beyond traditional medicine, we have accomplished a great deal.
Each day Duquessa grows stronger, healthier and happier. We look forward to many more wonderful years with her. We are so thankful to Dr. Clement and Hippocrates Health Institute for their direction, their support, and their love for our four-legged family member. Every day we look at her we feel so blessed for the opportunity we have had to learn how to heal our horse and ourselves.
It’s that time of year again, when you can’t walk five steps without finding some new opportunity to spend money for breast cancer. We can “Kiss for the Cause” with Revlon lipstick, “shower for the cure” with Philosophy Pink Ribbon Gel, dust our cheeks with “Hint of a Cure” blush by Ramy, and “Kiss Goodbye to Breast Cancer” with Avon products.
Before I rush out for a pink-ribbon makeover, I have some questions for these companies: How much money are they actually contributing to breast cancer charities, and what is the money being used for? And most importantly, are they willing to stop using chemicals linked to cancer?
The big beauty companies don’t want such questions raining on their pink parade. After all, Revlon reaps a lot of good will and positive press from its pink-branded products and efforts to raise money for breast cancer charities through the Revlon 5K Run/Walk.
Yet ironically – outrageously – many Revlon products contain chemicals linked to cancer. In fact, Revlon’s Colorsilk brand is ranked as the most toxic brand of all in the Environmental Working Group Skin Deep database, with an average toxicity score of 8.6 (with 10 being the worst).
Pink ribbon giants Avon and Estee Lauder don’t fare much better; each company makes more than 100 products with a toxicity of score of 8 or above, according to Skin Deep, and many of the products contain chemicals linked to cancer. (You can check the score of your favorite products at www.cosmeticdatabase.org.)
This is unacceptable – to say the least! As leaders in the pink-ribbon parade, Revlon, Avon and Estee Lauder have a special responsibility to be champions for women’s health by refusing to buy carcinogens from the chemical companies. As major (and influential) customers of the chemical industry, these companies have the power to shift the market away from harmful chemicals, and toward safer, non-toxic alternatives.
Instead, what we get from these companies are lots of cute pink-ribbon products, with an undisclosed portion of proceeds going to breast cancer research, almost none of which is focused on environmental causes of the disease such as cancer-causing chemicals and pollution. They want us to “hope for the cure” and get our mammograms, rather than having a serious discussion about how to prevent breast cancer, because prevention requires changes to the status quo.
For more about the not-so-cute history of the pink ribbon (which was co-opted by a beauty magazine) and Breast Cancer Awareness Month (which was started by a pharmaceutical/chemical company), see chapter 6 of my book “Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry.”
After these stories, trust me, you’ll never look at a pink ribbon in quite the same way again. So then what? The good news is, we have a lot of power too, because we get to decide which companies we support with our money and which products we put on our bodies. We can educate ourselves and our friends about what’s really going on, and take meaningful action for change. Here are four things you can do today:
Think Before you Pink: Share this website by Breast Cancer Action with friends and encourage them to ask critical questions about pink ribbon promotions. Another great resource on this topic is the book and film No Family History, by Sabrina McCormick.
Just say No to Toxic Beauty Products: Choose products that are free of carcinogens and other harmful chemicals by using the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database. Spend your money on companies with products consistently in the green zone (0-3 toxicity score).
Donate to Breast Cancer Prevention: Support The Breast Cancer Fund, the only national non-profit organization focused solely on prevention of the disease. Also check out BCF’s annual report, The State of the Evidence, a compilation of science about the environmental links to breast cancer.
Help Give the Beauty Industry a Makeover: The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is working to pass legislation that will require cosmetics companies to eliminate chemicals suspected of causing cancer, birth defects and other health problems. Visit our website and join our email list to get involved.
A couple months ago I wrote my first piece for Crazy Sexy Life, offering you “A Polite Introduction” into the many hopes and dreams that make up my world. But enough about me! Today, I want to share with you a tale of a kind-hearted hero who needs our help.
Chuck Pappas began working at Farm Sanctuary in 2005 as Fulfillment Coordinator at the Watkins Glen location. Described by his friends as a man with “amazing talents, a huge heart, astounding strength and incredible compassion,” Chuck’s dedication was quickly recognized around the farm.
If something needed to be installed, repaired, built or remodeled, he made sure it got done – often by doing it himself. Plumbing, electrical work, carpentry, fencing, landscaping, and even dredging the duck pond were all in a day’s work for Chuck.
Last summer major flooding overwhelmed the banks in Iowa, Illinois and Missouri. Pig production is popular in this part of the country and many farmers abandoned their animals. For 21 days, Chuck and others braved toxic-sludge-laden flood waters, scorching sun and poison ivy as they fought to save as many pigs as they could. In the end, 69 pigs were brought back to Farm Sanctuary, thanks to the efforts of Chuck and the team.
In March of this year, Chuck Pappas was diagnosed with Grade IV Glioblastoma Multiforme – or in English, a rather aggressive form of Brain Cancer.
So far, Chuck has spent over two weeks in the hospital, had more than a dozen MRIs, gone through two major operations, given six prescriptions, and was fitted with his very own shiny pair of titanium plates, which will remain in his skull for the rest of his life. Chuck has responded well to his treatment so far, but he still faces a very serious uphill battle for survival, and doctors are unsure when, if ever, he will be able to return to work.
To help raise some much needed funds, Chuck’s friends will be walking and biking from the Taking Action For Animals Conference in DC to the Farm Sanctuary Hoe Down in Watkins Glen, NY. Visit www.giveforward.org/walkforchuck to find out how you can help. AND, for the next seven days only, one of Chuck’s Farm Sanctuary co-workers, Erin Howard, has agreed to match the first $300 in donations from readers of this blog.
To help the fundraiser identify donations from Crazy Sexy Life readers – and to give Chuck a nice boost of morale – please write “Crazy Sexy Chuck!” in the comment section. You can learn more about Chuck Pappas and this awesome fundraiser at www.Chuck300.com.
If it wasn’t for my weird disease I wouldn’t have met all of you (and my perfect hubby – who ran out and got me tons of flowers this morning).
I went from wild city-girl actress to green queen in one awe inspiring, spine tingling, life-altering instant – and I would NEVER go back.
Yet, this day is a double edge sword. It’s the worst and one of the best days of my life. You can imagine the painful side, but the divine side is hard to put into words. I just love what I do. I love that I’m healing and growing and sharing and listening and getting to the bottom of why we get sick – AKA imbalanced.
Today is also day 13 of my fast. Mind blowing! Never though I could go this long without food. Other than a few bumps it’s really pretty easy. Fasting is like going to school to learn about your body. The gunk makes you smart. As I witness all the darkness fly out I have to wonder how it got there in the first place. I choose it no more.
Change the terrain baby, change the terrain. This is the mantra of the internal visionary.
This is a quick mini post. I’m writing more Cancer Faux Pas’ in the companion book I am scribbling for you. Remember that funny blog I wrote about what to say when people say the darndest things? Well I’d love to include more of some the silly, crazy, dumb ass stuff people have uttered when they hear we have cancer. Any interest in contributing? Please note that if you post then that means you give us permission to use your story in the book. I will change your name of course! Clean up the typos too. Come on share! I’ll tell you if you tell me. LOL!
xo and giggles… K
OK, here’s one from the new book – hot off the press – a little teaser for ya. That is if they let me print it! :)
“When I went on my book tour my publicist gave the local media and radio stations a list of acceptable prep questions. They were ready and so was I. Most of the interviewers tossed the page into the office shredder, but at least they hovered in the general direction of respectful. Of course there were a couple of cancer faux pas frontiers men who opened mouth and inserted foot or cheap high heel.
Example: A God awful early show in the middle of boon dock America. I show up and the host treats me like I have the plague. I fake sneeze in her direction just to make myself chuckle. Then I asked her to give me the heads up on what questions she would be asking me. The wench flat out said NO. Huh? Didn’t she want the interview to go smoothly? It wasn’t like I was asking her to cheat on her SAT’s. The crew mic’d me up and as the cameras rolled I began to sink in horror as she looked straight down the barrel of the lens with this tragic, car crash look on her face. “Wow, we’re here with Kris Carr, the author and filmmaker who bravely recorded her tragic life and possible death. Good morning Kris, how are you feeling dear?”
I wanted to stab her in the eye with a shrimp fork, to foam and cuss. I wanted to light her hair on fire with a can of Aqua Net and a Bic lighter flame thrower. Was she raised in a barn? Did she have a mother who taught her manners? You know, like elbows off the table, say please and thank you and don’t harass the cancer chick? I was trapped. Coifed and camera ready as they zoomed in on my victim close-up. I felt humiliated for catching cancer and for “bravely’ sharing my story with the world. Just then, my sass kicked in. Oh no, not today Suzie. You are messin’ with the wrong babe and I can play dirty too bitch. “Wow, that was pretty fucking dramatic for 5 am don’t ya think? Good morning city X, how’s it hanging?” OK, so I didn’t say “fucking” OR how’s it hanging because I was afraid my publishers would tan my hide and did they spent a lot of money sending me on the bus-and-truck cancer tour. But damn I wanted to!
You might get slain but more than likely those incidents will be few and far between. Humor helps tremendously so do lies! Sometimes when I just don’t feel like telling people my story I pretend that I write about bees. Or that I make porn, that always shuts them up.”
PS. Depression post this weekend. We really must dish the blues. Right? Especially now that we’re stuck inside for the winter. XOXOX
