71: Overcoming Cancer Fears: Emphasizing Healthy Living and Faith | Kathy Gilkey

Imagine a world where you are in control of your health; where healing is not just physical, but also emotional and spiritual. We promise to introduce you to such a world in our podcast, starting our journey with the amazing Kathy Gilkey. Kathy is a testament to the incredible power of natural healing methods, having defeated follicular lymphoma twice. Her story is a testament to the importance of holistic healing, giving us a fresh perspective on emotional and physical health.

As we move on, we discover other inspiring stories of those who have dared to take a different path after a cancer diagnosis. Another brave woman shares her journey with cancer and her decision to turn towards alternative medicine. Dive into her experience with juicing, her dietary differences with her husband, and her plans to start a HealingStrong group in Florida. As a florist and counselor, she brings a unique perspective to her healing journey, and to her mission of helping others find healing solutions.

Finally, let's change our perspectives on health and aging. We discuss the importance of a healthy body and lifestyle, sharing personal stories of our loved ones who have led long and healthy lives. For those grappling with the fear of a cancer diagnosis, we offer words of strength and hope. We remind you that being part of a supportive community, like a HealingStrong group, can make all the difference. So, join us as we explore healing in all its forms and remember - trust in God, and know that He is bigger than any fear or illness.

HealingStrong's mission is to educate, equip and empower our group leaders and group participants through their journey with cancer or other chronic illnesses, and know there is HOPE. We bring this hope through educational materials, webinars, guest speakers, conferences, community small group support and more.

Please consider supporting our mission by becoming a part of our Membership Program, as a monthly donor.

When you do, you will receive additional resources such as: webinars, access to ALL our past and most recent conference videos, downloadables and more, as a bonus.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Living in Florida you get two different kinds of people. You want the people who want to be healed and then those that are saying I'm older, I want to live, dream of being merry and happy. And I always say that's a good attitude, but sometimes the body starts to break down.

Speaker 1: 0:17

And if I'm going to get older. I don't want to be in a walker, I don't want to have to get up from the chair and go. I want to be able to be flexible and be able to move and be joyful and not be miserable and in pain.

Speaker 3: 0:32

You're listening to the I Am Healing Strong podcast, a part of the Healing Strong organization, the number one network of holistic cancer support groups in the world. Each week we bring you stories of hope, real stories that will encourage you as you navigate your way on your own journey to health. Now here's your host stage four cancer thriver, jim Mann.

Speaker 2: 0:58

Welcome to the I Am Healing Strong podcast. We're doing this recording at the 20th anniversary celebration at the Met Church in Houston, so if you're listening to this and you missed it, sorry about that. It's too late now. If you weren't here, you know what a wonderful time we've had and how we all have green between our teeth because we've eaten healthy. So I can eat this later on. Right, hold the stuff I've saved between my teeth. It's so sad, but I have a guest with me today, kathy Gilkey. Right, yes, all the way from Florida. Did you drive here?

Speaker 2: 1:35

No we flew, so you're more normal. I drove from South Carolina. How long have you been a part of Healing Strong?

Speaker 1: 1:42

Actually since 2017. Ok, I've known about Healing Strong. I heard it on the radio and advertisement in California.

Speaker 2: 1:53

Wow, and I live there and the radio. Yes, that's crazy. And then did you join a group? Then I did?

Speaker 1: 2:00

I joined the group from Rancho Cucamonga.

Speaker 2: 2:03

Oh, that little group.

Speaker 1: 2:03

With Don. Yeah, that little group and I sat under them for about a year and learned a lot and then was going to launch one in Lake Arrowhead, California. But, then COVID landed, so that I've heard of that.

Speaker 2: 2:20

Yeah, yes, you got a diagnosis.

Speaker 1: 2:24

I did.

Speaker 2: 2:24

Right, when was that?

Speaker 1: 2:25

That was 2017.

Speaker 2: 2:27

OK.

Speaker 1: 2:29

I woke up one Sunday morning and stretched and felt a lump underneath my armpit and went to the doctor and they diagnosed me with follicular lymphoma.

Speaker 2: 2:40

Wow.

Speaker 1: 2:41

And wanted to do chemo and radiation. And of course I was shocked and very surprised and very fearful. Right, and I know I did not want to do chemo and radiation because I had seen a lot of my family and friends saw things I didn't like and didn't know when I left the doctor's office what exactly I was going to do. But I knew God did and so I trusted him and my husband said what do you mean? You're not going to do chemo? Yeah, I said well.

Speaker 1: 3:16

So to my surprise, a friend that I had just met about two months prior to that, had come to our church at an event and sat next to me and we had become friends and so after my diagnosis she had called me up just to see how I was doing. So I mentioned to her that I was diagnosed and she said well, you know, at this church that I'm going to, we've had a few people that are following this fellow out of Lake Havasu. So I said, well, let me have his number. And so I called him and he was a fire captain and his wife had stage four kidney cancer and he had put together a protocol and is helping people and that's part of his ministry. So I sat under him and did that, what he had suggested, as opposed to doing the chemo radiation. So I juiced for 100 days.

Speaker 2: 4:13

Wow.

Speaker 1: 4:14

And I didn't eat anything solid, I just juiced 90% greens and just apple with it, or whatever that percentage is, and within four, within the 100 days, the tumor has shrunk from a four to a one. And oncologist said when I came back just keep doing what you're doing, you'll never be back in here again.

Speaker 2: 4:39

That's good.

Speaker 1: 4:40

Well, yeah, and I started doing following that. But then another twist came in my life when we decided to move to Florida and sold our house in California the first day. Then we came homeless and so my husband's brother said well, we live in Arkansas, we have an extra bedroom, come and live with us. So I gave up my church of 28 years and family and friends and sold everything and moved to Arkansas which was for me a culture shock and ended up getting depressed I had never been depressed, so I really didn't realize it, and the eating was different. So just a lot of emotional stuff started arising in my life that I hadn't dealt with before, and so the cancer came back. And how I found that out was I had a tumor, I had pain in my back, so I went to the emergency and they said, yeah, and then I went to an oncologist and they said that I had a tumor on my spine and that if I wanted to still walk, that I needed to do radiation. So I was very scared and fearful.

Speaker 1: 5:51

So, I did the 10 rounds of radiation, they said, yeah, you need to do the chemo too. And so again I said okay. So I went in and I'd started one round. But for me, my throat started to close, my fingers started getting numb, my toes started to get tingle. So I waved the doctor in.

Speaker 1: 6:16

I said you know, something's happening here, so they had to reverse it and pump me with a Benadryl and reverse that and I never went back. I started the process of natural healing again with greens and the diet and I sought out emotional healing from a doctor and I really that's a part of the journey that I thought I had dealt with, but I guess there's different degrees that are very important to the body, soul and mind and right now I'm in remission. So I'm grateful for that and doing well and got a lot of energy and excited to launch a Healing Strong in Inglewood Florida.

Speaker 2: 6:59

Wow. So after you did the 100 days of juicing, what was your diet like after that?

Speaker 1: 7:06

Afterwards, I would say, within that year, I started adding a little bit more meat, but I did add a little bit. I still kept a lot of carbs out. A lot of fruits and vegetables added fruit vegetables.

Speaker 2: 7:21

So you ate healthy pretty much yeah.

Speaker 1: 7:23

Absolutely.

Speaker 2: 7:24

It wasn't like you went back to hamburgers and pizza and stuff.

Speaker 1: 7:27

No, no.

Speaker 2: 7:29

Which you know lots of people do, because they're like hey the cancer's gone, I'm fine. Now I can do whatever yeah. Yeah, it comes back because it's like what you were doing before that caused the cancer to grow.

Speaker 1: 7:40

Yeah, I was a person who I knew that God was speaking to my heart, because I was a sugared addict.

Speaker 3: 7:52

And when they say that people?

Speaker 1: 7:54

I've heard people say that fighting the cravings of sugar is harder than what a horrible drug. I believe that, because it is not easy. So staying away from sugar is still a little bit of a battle, but I recognize it.

Speaker 2: 8:14

So yeah, that's the first thing I cut out was because I've always heard that sugar feeds cancer. So as soon as I got my diagnosis, I said and I ate a lot of sugar too, which, you know, most people do yeah, too much sugar, but I ate way too much sugar because I was always skinny, got a really high metabolism. I could eat anything you want it. I eat healthy, but I also eat a lot of unhealthy stuff. And because people thought it was funny, and they give it to me and I eat it.

Speaker 2: 8:39

Yeah, as soon as I cut that out, I lost 25 pounds. It's a skinny guy should not lose 25 pounds, but obviously it was unhealthy 25 pounds. Yes, and people thought oh cancer. But it wasn't, it was me being healthier.

Speaker 1: 8:51

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 8:52

Yeah, I'm still too skinny, but you know.

Speaker 1: 8:55

Look great.

Speaker 2: 8:55

Hey, thank you, that's really what I was getting at. Now I got you recorded saying that Okay, so what? And you moved to. For why did you move to Florida? Just you like to humidity.

Speaker 1: 9:09

My youngest son and his wife had a, has a baby.

Speaker 2: 9:14

Grandkid thing all the grandkids totally makes sense which I don't have any great kids yet, but I want to be an influence in his life.

Speaker 1: 9:22

Yeah, yeah, I did the move and I let him know it now. He's 10 now and so, but I watched him since he was Six weeks old after my daughter-in-law went back to work and so yeah.

Speaker 2: 9:35

Yeah, okay, that makes sense. Everyone understands that.

Speaker 1: 9:37

Yes.

Speaker 2: 9:39

Do you miss California?

Speaker 1: 9:40

No, A little. You know it was a beautiful state. Yeah it's changed a lot yeah. I don't really miss that right now. Yeah, some friends and family. Like I said, I had a. I have lots of church friends, but you know, phones and Taxing and social media keep us still connected.

Speaker 2: 10:01

That's true, that's true. So you're in remission now. You said yes. What kind of protocol you're following?

Speaker 1: 10:06

just still just eating healthy or, yes, you're not juicing, I'm still juicing, yes, and One of the things that I maybe want to share with the viewers is when I was juicing, it really wasn't considered Juicing because I was new at this holistic, new Natural type of stuff, so I did what I could do. I had a Bullet, so I'm the one that put all that the carrots and all the greens and salaried everything in the bullet and just did that, and that's that was my juicing at that time. Yeah, it wasn't how I do it now, but it worked. And so you know, do I have a expensive juicer now? Nope, it's the black and decker. But what I've learned is a secret is that with that pulp, I put it through again.

Speaker 1: 11:01

And it's amazing how much more you get the second and third time around. Yeah even in the lesser expensive ones. Yeah, God is you know, he can meet us anywhere.

Speaker 2: 11:11

Yep, definitely. Did your husband get on board right away? I see one you to do what the doctors want you to do, obviously because you know that makes sense. He's scared of losing you. Yes, but what? When did he get on board I?

Speaker 1: 11:23

He's always been supportive for whatever I choose to do, mostly besides just being scared about that. But as far as eating, he's not on board. He's from the South, he's from Oklahoma and he's 82 right now, and so he says I'm not going to change. So I had to learn to let him have his journey and let me have my journey. So what we do right now is we both cook in the kitchen. He makes his meal, I make mine and we eat. But we have separate meals and we're good with that. It works for us.

Speaker 2: 12:05

Yeah, I mean he saw what your diet has done for you, so obviously he's not going to fight that.

Speaker 1: 12:10

No, no, and he's very healthy. He gulps three times a week and very active and has a real positive mind. So he's got a lot of good things, a lot of things going for him. Yes, yes.

Speaker 2: 12:23

So what then? You say you're going to start a new group in Florida. Yes, because there's none in that area. Right, correct? Yeah, that's what I do with mine. I looked up in Greenville, south Carolina, thinking there's got to be a group or two here, because this is a very self-homing, very health-conscious place. But there wasn't any. So I started myself which is crazy, because that's not something I'm really good at, but we meet anyway, go through the curriculum. But now did you decide to do that just because there's none in the area? And you just feel like, hey, I got this knowledge, now I need to share it with others.

Speaker 1: 12:55

Well, when I was diagnosed and I didn't know much about alternative medicine and I felt very alone. I didn't have anyone that I could talk to or share what I was going through, and so I would like to have that something where this was before I went to the Healing Strong in Rancho.

Speaker 2: 13:18

OK.

Speaker 1: 13:18

OK. So if there's nothing here in Englewood for anybody, I would like to have a place for people to come and be able to realize that there's like-minded people. I can learn something different that you don't have, that there's more than just traditional medicine. There's a lot more different protocols out there, but people need to be educated and they need to know about them, and so if we can bring that to the community, I think that's a beautiful thing.

Speaker 2: 13:47

Yeah, I mean, of course it's great you went to the best group.

Speaker 1: 13:50

Yes, and the whore.

Speaker 2: 13:52

They won an award this weekend.

Speaker 1: 13:53

Absolutely.

Speaker 2: 13:54

So yeah, for some reason my group didn't win an award, it's OK, we're all good and bad-sized. I'm going to check that out.

Speaker 1: 14:01

Every group.

Speaker 2: 14:03

We would win an award for the coolest place to meet. Oh, I bet yes, being at the park, but apparently it wouldn't be category.

Speaker 1: 14:11

Well, where we're going to meet is in our church. There's been some business people who have come together and purchased a medical building and in this medical building it's called Epic, empowering people in Christ. And it's a facility where people come to Florida and they don't know where housing is, where their health institutes are, where they can get things, and so it's a place to help people get established in the community, and so they have different rooms available, and so they asked me if I wanted to host a Healing Strong there, and so I said yes, and so I have so appreciate what God has done in my life.

Speaker 1: 15:00

You know, and walking me through all these different journeys is such an adventure, with walking with the Lord and he's just doing stuff every day.

Speaker 2: 15:09

Yeah, what now? What's your background? What did you do for a living?

Speaker 1: 15:14

Actually I was a florist. Florist, so I was with a lot of chemicals. Yeah, yeah the florist industry. Every flower arrangement that went out was sprayed with chemicals. The foam it says right on the box that it carries can be called cause cancer.

Speaker 2: 15:30

Yeah, that's good. Yeah, I worked at a huge greenhouse in. Florida and out in the sun all the time and spraying all kinds of stuff. So yeah, not real bright.

Speaker 1: 15:40

Yeah, and then I left there. My mom came to live with us for 14 years and my husband retired. So I was thinking, hmm, there's something wrong with this picture. So I sold and then I went into counseling at our church and, wow, it's easy to counsel. That's not easy, but it's something. To counsel someone else, but there's so much to learn yourself you know, and so with that inner healing, and so I just came from the emotional healing seminar right now they just had, and so I'm looking forward to looking more into that.

Speaker 2: 16:14

Yeah, so your background is pretty good for you to have a group, being a counselor and stuff, so you'd be good with helping people finding solutions. Yes, yeah, I wish I had that background. I can open the door at my place and turn the alarm off that's my gift and then I push the button to play the videos of the curriculum, which is you know. That's all the information right there anyway. So, as soon as we finish at the curriculum, I might be stuck.

Speaker 1: 16:43

I don't think so. You're very warm and easy to talk to. Yeah, thank you for that for me, because I yeah.

Speaker 2: 16:50

Yeah, people get a little nervous on the podcast, even though there's nothing to be nervous about if you realize, hey, that guy can do it, so obviously anybody can do it. So, yeah, yeah, it is just two people sitting down having a conversation at a coffee shop without the coffee which I could use some right now. So where do you see this going from now? Is this like your? Is this your like? Your project in life right now is working with people like that and developing that group.

Speaker 1: 17:17

Yeah, I think that's my assignment, that's how I like to call it, my assignment for right now. Yeah.

Speaker 2: 17:23

Excellent and so, and you were continually healing. Are you a total remission, as a doctor say?

Speaker 1: 17:30

Yes, I know he's wants to see me every six months, right.

Speaker 2: 17:35

So how long has it been? We're going to say declared the remission?

Speaker 1: 17:38

Three months.

Speaker 2: 17:39

Okay. And when you get five years, that's when they say, okay, you're clear, right, yeah, which I just hit, by the way.

Speaker 1: 17:45

Congratulations.

Speaker 2: 17:46

Thank you, I don't want to brag but yeah, yes, yes. I like that. And so they say, hey, we don't have to see you except for once a year, which in one way makes me nervous and in other ways like why. You know, I got the right mindset, you know, a meeting, right exercising, I've forgiven everybody. Yes, actually it's easy for me to forgive people because I don't remember what they did, so it's like an automatic forgiveness. You did what, I don't remember that.

Speaker 1: 18:15

And that's one good part of getting older, isn't?

Speaker 2: 18:17

it. Yeah, who are you so? Yeah, it's good buddy. Yeah, enjoying life in Florida and, if you can get over the humidity, yes. Are you used to that now?

Speaker 1: 18:32

I wouldn't say used to it.

Speaker 2: 18:34

Yeah, it's something else, but at least you have the golf breezes coming at you, right?

Speaker 1: 18:39

You're on the golf side, right? Yes, yes, I am.

Speaker 2: 18:41

Yeah, the part I lived in was just no breeze.

Speaker 1: 18:44

We found a beautiful church and beautiful people there. You know the churches of people and so a lot of different groups. I have a home group at my home for women coming in and just active with celebrate recovery and I love that I'm involved in that and I'll be hosting a step study this coming year January.

Speaker 2: 19:08

Right, yeah, now is this the first convention you've come to.

Speaker 1: 19:11

It is, it is.

Speaker 2: 19:13

Okay, yeah, my first one was 2018. Okay, because I was diagnosed in 2016. I see so yeah, and I stumbled across this again, like everyone else, through Chris Work at his you know his square one, yes. And then I heard about that and I thought, hey, that's in Atlanta, that's pretty close to where I was living. So, yeah, this is my second ordeal here, and the fact that they're celebrating 10 years as a nonprofit and it's growing all the time is amazing.

Speaker 1: 19:42

It's beautiful. You know, when I live in Florida, you get two different kinds of people. You want the people that want to be healed and then those that are saying you know, I'm older, I want to live, drink and be merry and happy. And I always say, you know, that's a good attitude, but sometimes the body starts to break down. And if I'm going to get older. I don't want to be in a walker.

Speaker 1: 20:05

I don't want to. You know, I want. I don't want to have to get up from the chair and go. Oh, I want to be able to be flexible and be able to move and be joyful and not be miserable and pain. So why not? So there's two different outlooks and so I'm holding. I'm hoping that you know that people will see and come to this and see the benefit of it.

Speaker 2: 20:27

Yes.

Speaker 1: 20:27

They'll see the goodness that your body, can you know, heal.

Speaker 2: 20:31

Right, yeah, my dad. He passed away at 96. Wow, nice long life, yes. But the thing about him, I mean he ate everything. He did have a lot of dessert, so I don't know, but he ate healthy otherwise, and he was in construction so he's always working. So Alice's exercise.

Speaker 1: 20:50

Yes.

Speaker 2: 20:51

He was one speed, my dad was one speed. He couldn't hurry him for nothing, but he didn't stress out over anything. He worried about this kids, of course, but but yeah, he was never stressed, he was always calm and he was a little prayer warrior. But he lived to 96. He probably lived longer, except for the separated him and my wife, my wife, his wife because he had to go through some rehab. He had fallen and he had to work it and that's.

Speaker 2: 21:15

He's never been away from her and that basically is what took him out, which is it was sad, but he also was ready to go 96. That's a pretty full life?

Speaker 1: 21:25

Oh, absolutely, absolutely, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2: 21:29

And my mom lived in 91, almost 92, but she had dementia, so that I guess that's what kind of took her out. But she was pleasant all the way.

Speaker 1: 21:36

So wow, very nice so.

Speaker 2: 21:38

I got some genes.

Speaker 1: 21:41

I can. I got another 30 years to go. I was 66. Yeah. That's what my husband says I've got good genes. And I said, yes, you do His parents. His mom lived to 100.

Speaker 2: 21:49

Wow.

Speaker 1: 21:49

Yeah, and there's a family of 10 and all of them lived well into the 90s.

Speaker 2: 21:54

Yeah, so as we all probably should if we take care of ourselves.

Speaker 1: 21:59

Yes, Well, we have the. We're up against so many toxins and chemicals and stuff today that I don't know we had that many that long ago.

Speaker 2: 22:07

Yeah, that's true. My parents were born in the 20s, so they didn't have all that back then. But and most people are not totally aware of what it does to us, which is what healing strong is kind of like getting that education out there, cause, you know, I always thought these people were crazy. I was just sitting in with Jane Barlow and she grew up as a hippie and of course, you know, I didn't grow up as a hippie and those people were just strange to me. But now they make sense and she's totally healthy and she just I mean, she knows that God created all these plants for a reason.

Speaker 2: 22:43

Then we come along and have processed food and try to make things better and that's what's hurting everybody. But yeah, what? What would you say to someone who is listening right now? We just got the diagnosis. Of course you know the fear that comes with that and you're just devastated when you first get it, thinking, oh my gosh, my life is about over right now, cause I mean, that's what I thought. I could not go and make Christmas because it was in September. What do you say to someone who has just gotten that diagnosed and they're listening to this podcast right now?

Speaker 1: 23:10

You know, the verse that comes to my mind is Jeremiah 20911 and that's what I hung on to, that I have a purpose and a plan for you, for good and not for evil, and he always gives us hope. Never give up on hope and never give up that there's always. There's a way, and staying positive and finding out what. Where you want to go, drop a plan and listen to people who want to speak love and life into you, stay away from that negativity and to find others that are like-minded and that want to build you up.

Speaker 2: 23:50

Yeah, which sounds like a healing strong group. Yes, that's the one thing that I've noticed in healing strong groups is what people like the most is hearing other people's stories and they are encouraged by that. And even when they come into the meeting and they're kind of down because they just got some bad news, maybe they're encouraged once they leave because they hear other people's. You know what they're doing and everybody's different. They do different things. You don't follow someone else's protocol just because they're doing that you gotta know yourself.

Speaker 1: 24:21

I know people always say this the scripture. I didn't give you a spirit of fear, but a sound mind and it is hard to to push away that fear. But God is greater and God is bigger and we that's something that we just have to constantly retell ourselves over and over. I serve a big God and he is what is his will, and I believe his will is for us to live until he says yeah.

Speaker 2: 24:49

Yeah, he's done with us here. That's what I figured. My cousin, my younger cousin, he got diagnosed same time I did. Of course, first of all, he listened we're not bashing doctors, but you listen to doctors who said it doesn't matter what you eat. You know, in fact, eat more donuts to keep your weight up. And they just keymode him for for five years and he passed away. I was at his funeral, you know, cancer-free, and he was a wonderful person. In fact, at the funeral I was. I was so touched by that they were talking about. They named the fruits of the spirit and they go. You know, dave nailed every one of these things and I thought, gosh, it is so true, he was like the perfect picture of the fruits of the spirit. I'm like so well, maybe God wasn't finishing the. I haven't done what I'm here for yet so yes.

Speaker 2: 25:36

Dave was. That's what I'm saying anyway.

Speaker 1: 25:38

I was telling somebody earlier what we have to die to get to heaven, unless the rapture comes. But you know, to get to heaven we don't we are gonna have to die. Yeah, point, like I said, it's just trusting the Lord, and trusting the Lord, really trusting the Lord. That's been my number. I mean, that's, that's what I would paint on this wall. Trust in the Lord because trusting him, yeah, surrendering, giving everything to him, and it's more about him than it is me yes, because he's, he's greater and he's living inside of us and he knows a little bit more than we do he does that's the rumor on the street anyway.

Speaker 2: 26:17

Well, kathy, I appreciate you stopping by and in our little makeshift studio here at the convention and I'm glad I got to meet you and I'm glad you get to hear all these speakers and and see at the 20-year anniversary yes, yes.

Speaker 1: 26:31

Well, thank you for the opportunity to share with the Lord's done in my life you've been listening to the I am healing strong podcast.

Speaker 3: 26:38

A part of the healing strong organization.

Speaker 3: 26:41

We hope you found encouragement in this episode, as well as the confidence to take control of your healing journey, knowing that God will guide you on this path. Healing strong is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to connect, support and educate individuals facing cancer and other diseases through strategies that help to rebuild the body, renew the soul and refresh the spirit. It costs nothing to be a part of a local or online group. You can do that by going to our website at healingstrongorg and finding a group near you or an online group, or start your own, your choice. While you're there, take a look around at all the free resources. Though the resources and groups are free, we encourage you to join our membership program 25 or $75 a month. This helps us to be able to reach more people with hope and encouragement, and that also comes with some extra perks as well, so check it out. If you enjoyed this podcast, please give us a five-star rating, leave an encouraging comment and help us spread the word. We'll see you next week with another story on I am healing strong podcast.