Melissa: It, it was in November of 2020, so I'm just- Uh-huh ... past the one-year mark. I'm back at work, and my cancer then spreads to, to my bones, and so now it's a whole new ballgame. And my oncologist says, "This, you know, really not good news. It means it's terminal now. We don't have anything to cure it, but we do have something to slow it down."
And I was like, "With all due respect, if you don't have a cure for me, I'm gonna knock on other doors." Yeah. And then so that was my first time of like, okay, maybe our, our, uh, what's supposed to be the best in the world medical system doesn't work quite as well as we want it to. And I said, "I'm not just gonna keep putting this stuff in my body till I'm like, oh, the, you know, next step is I'm no longer here."
Announcer: You're listening to the I Am HealingStrong 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 IV cancer thriver, Jim Mann.
Jim: Melissa Rausch, we have been trying to get this together, and, uh, you were not feeling well for quite a while.
Melissa: Yes, I had influenza A. Never-- Did not know that the flu had a A and a B, and apparently the A is not a good flu to have.
Jim: Oh, yeah. Well, it's a good grade to
Melissa: have. That's true.
Jim: So there's something there.
But yeah, you finally... And you had that, uh, persistent cough that always follows those kind of things, so. And
Melissa: hopefully that's not gonna rear its, uh, head in this call. I have some water. Uh, if I really get talking- ... sometimes it does. Right now it sounds like a fake little wimpy cough. Like I'm- Oh ... making the whole thing up.
Jim: Well, th- that'll be cute, but you still have to go to school tomorrow. I'm sorry. I remember having those wimpy coughs, trying to convince my parents I was sick.
Melissa: Yeah.
Jim: Yeah, it never worked. So you were in California, Simi Valley?
Melissa: Correct. So Simi made the national news. My house was on Fox News Channel just last week.
Oh. Uh, uh, so we had one of those wildfires that unfortunately we're getting more known for. Yeah. My husband and I have lived here 26 years, and we've had close calls before, but nothing like this. So we had 11 minutes to gather some things out of our house, to put them in a car and drive away, not knowing if the house would be standing when we came back or not.
Unfortunately, the house around the corner from us did burn to the ground.
Wow.
And so it was a, it was a serious deal. And it, it used to be fear. Uh, fires were my biggest fear. We back up against beautiful hills. Generally, the wind blows the opposite direction, and, and this was, like, a freak thing on not even a windy day, where-- Uh, oh, I mean, it was breezy, pretty win- breezy, but not like the horrific winds we get.
Right. And this fire started directly downwind from us. There's hardly any brush that a fire could start downwind from us, but on this day it did. So it was interesting, 'cause when I was preparing for this call, uh, and thinking about it, I thought, "What are the things that just drive that incredible fear into your lives?"
And cancer- Hmm ... is definitely one of them. Right. And for me, it was these fires. The day before church on Sunday, so this is, uh, just a week ago Our pastor spoke on the promises of God for protection and provision. So those verses were, a- and his message is so fresh in my mind, and I'm like, "Lord, I'm scared.
This is a scary situation, but I'm not gonna be driven by the fear of this today." And, uh, me and my husband got down the street where it was a little bit safer and, uh, and made sure, like, we're, we're good to go, and had a plan as to where we were gonna go. And, and we just prayed, uh, and then just said, "God w- God will lead us through this too, as He's led us through everything."
Jim: Yeah, He kinda knew about it before it happened, didn't He?
Melissa: Yep.
Jim: You said you've lived there 26 years. Where, where'd you live before that? Did you, were you, like, raised in California?
Melissa: I was. I actually I went to high school about 10 miles from here. So I was raised- Wow ... in Thousand Oaks, which is right next door.
At the time, if you woulda told me all these years later I would live 10 miles from where I went to high school, I'd be like, "No way. Not me. I'm going to see the world." I am- Yeah ... not sticking around this place. And I did. I went out and, and, and saw some of the world, but I came back, and here's home, and we love it
Jim: What did you do for a living?
That's a guy question 'cause women don't care about that, but
Melissa: So I was a career gal and, uh, spent, uh, most of my career, uh, as a human resources professional. Mm-hmm. Uh, the latest company that I worked for, and this was where I was diagnosed with cancer, was, uh, Harman. And Harman is actually a sound company.
Hmm. And so, uh, they make, uh, Har- JBL, AKG, so as a commercial for them, this is a little AKG, uh- Ah, yes ... microphone. And it was a big global company. We were acquired by Samsung while I was working for them, so that was really interesting. And oh, they were so kind to me when I got sick and just made, uh, they were so kind, accommodated, like, everything.
But then it became clear that if I really wanted to live and have a chance of, uh, uh, God teaching me how to, how our wonderful bodies are designed and work, that I wasn't gonna be able to do both work for Harman and- Yeah ... and get through this cancer thing.
Jim: Well, if it makes you feel better, I have JBL speakers sitting here and- Okay
and plenty of those microphones. So I was keeping you in a job. It's what I was doing. Right at
Melissa: home.
Jim: Yeah. So were you always, like, healthy? Did you eat well? Yeah, you lived in California. Everybody eats healthy there, right?
Melissa: I thought I was healthy. My friends and coworkers would say I ate pretty healthy and- Mm-hmm
and yet I have a whole new d- definition of what healthy is. I was probably listening to what our culture and what America says is healthy, and that is- Yeah ... not healthy at all.
Jim: Well, let's just go right into your diagnosis, uh, which was, I think you said 2019?
Melissa: Correct. 2019, August, uh, my husband and I were in, uh, Henderson, Las Vegas, which is out, just outside of Vegas, where my mother-in-law and her husband live.
And- Okay ... I found the lump myself in the shower. Had a doctor's appointment for the first day I got home, and they wanted a mammogram immediately. I just had a, such a sense of urgency, a little bit like the fire's about to burn down my house. I mean, it was literally that kind of fear. And so I found, uh, an appointment that afternoon to get a mammogram, and they said, "Yep, you need to go have a biopsy."
Uh, they said, "Come back in three and a half weeks." That's our first appointment. I'm like, "Three and a half weeks? I might be dead by then." That's exactly what I told them. Like- Yeah ... "Can't, isn't there something sooner?" So I, I took my, um, my records and the CD of the scan, and I drove around crazy that afternoon praying that God would lead me to somewhere that could do something different.
So I got to one office live that afternoon, and they're like, "Ah, all the radi- radiologists have left for the afternoon. You're gonna have to wait until, uh, tomorrow morning. We'll-- They'll take a look at it, and they'll decide if you need one right away." And I was like, "Lord, do I leave this here and trust them?
Do I drive somewhere else? What do I do?" And, and I just had this-- felt like God was saying, "Just leave the scan with them, and I'll take care of it." So then I go to drive home. 10 minutes later, that same lady calls me, and she says, "You're not gonna believe this, but a radiologist just happened to pop back in the office-" Wow.
and he just thought he'd take a quick glance at your scan you just left me, and we can do your procedure on Friday." And this was a Wednesday, so I had it- Wow ... in two days. And, uh, and then had the cancer diagnosis shortly thereafter, stage two invasive, uh, carcinoma of the breast.
Jim: Hmm. Is this something that's, uh, common in your family or is it-
Melissa: It, it is not.
Actually had the genetic testing done. I have a really small- Yeah ... family, so I don't have a lot of cousins or aunts or, or anything like that. And, uh, so no, c- uh, breast cancer had not been on anybody's radar at all. This pretty much came just out of the blue.
Jim: So, so you didn't have any feelings about chemo or any conventional things or-
Melissa: And a- and at the time, I was not aware that there was this whole other holistic approach or- Yeah
or really even educated on how to, to best treat my body. And I just did whatever the doctor told me to do, and then, you know, did my best- Mm-hmm ... to pleasantly but persistently and with prayer, pressure them to do it quickly.
Jim: Yeah, 'cause I mean, w- obviously when you think you got cancer it's like, "Oh, I'm racing towards the back door of my life."
Yeah. Uh, I remember that feeling like, God, this is how it's ending. I didn't see it this way, but-
Melissa: Yeah ...
Jim: um, and of course the doctors make you feel like y- you gotta do it really quick.
Melissa: Right now. Um- Yep, you h- it w- it, we were- Yeah ... speaking the same language at that point in time.
Jim: Yeah, yeah. And of course, fear takes over 'cause it's, it is a s- very scary thing.
Did you do your own research right away or?
Melissa: So I, I learned that, uh, once we got all of the, the tests back, it was triple positive breast cancer. So like on a scale of one to eight, and eight being most aggressive, triple positive falls at the number seven. So, uh, I knew, I just knew because this popped up, it, so quickly that, uh, that it had to have been m- a more aggressive one.
Right.
Uh, and so I did whatever the doctors told me to do, which was chemo first. Uh, it was a hard chemo. I ended up hospitalized several times in the first couple- Wow ... months. I actually thought that I'd be able to still work and do all this, and- Mm-hmm ... and I tried, but after these hospitalizations, it was like, no, I need, I need to stop and do- Yeah
this. And so I took a, uh, it was about a six-month leave of absence from work. And then I had a lumpectomy and was told whether I did the full mastectomy or lumpectomy, it was really about the same in terms of what could happen next. And so I had been so sick, I thought, "I don't know if my body's gonna handle a major surgery."
So I did a lumpectomy. And then we needed to go back in for reworks. I didn't have clean margins. So there, there was a lot of hurdles each, really each step of the way. And, uh, had radiation, had some of the worst radiation side effects that doctor had ever seen. And this is during COVID. I, I had the privilege of driving down the 405 freeway, which is honestly one of the busiest freeways in the entire world, and I'm the only one on it because I have to go to radiation at UCLA.
And, uh, even in the pouring rain, what would've taken an hour and a half took me 25 minutes to get down there. It was surreal. Couldn't bring any buddies with me. This, this is literally the first sh- the first week of the major shutdowns of COVID. So I get through four weeks of radiation. I chose to do, uh, more intense radiation over four weeks instead of six weeks.
Hmm.
And then went back to work shortly thereafter. By this time, people are working from home because more is starting to be known from COVID. Well, we're not doing anything else. We can't go anywhere. I might as well s- sit here and work on my computer from home, even though I really was in s- poor physical shape, looking back on it.
Jim: Yeah. Well, how did this affect your husband? Was he scared spitless for you and wanted to make sure you do what the doctors say, or? He,
Melissa: he, yeah, very supportive. He was really just like, "We're gonna pray about this and you're gonna be fine." So his faith has pretty much been unshakable. Wow. And, uh, we had at the time both of my parents living with us, 'cause my mom had Alzheimer's, my father- Mm-hmm
had cancer. Wow. And so we had them with us, and my husband had a heart rhythm issue. Uh, when I was very first diagnosed, and I'm not creative enough to make this up, all four of us were in our local hospital admitted as patients for different reasons.
Wow.
It, uh... We, we, we were having meltdowns here at the Roush house.
And, uh, but it, it just, God stepped in and sent all the right people around us to, just to take care of us.
Jim: Did you get a discount for having four of you in there? Yeah.
Melissa: I, um... And then since I'd go back and be hospitalized later in the process, and it'd be like, you know, this whole part of the hospital should be the Roush family w- wing or the Erickson family- Yeah
wing because of all- ... because we have really given you guys a, a, a lot of business.
Jim: All right, so how, how many, how many rounds of chemo did they have you do?
Melissa: So it was, I believe, 16 weeks. Wow. And, uh, towards the end of that we had to, uh, downgrade the dose because of some of the severe reactions I was having.
Mm-hmm. And when we did do the, the lumpectomy, of course, I was hoping for that, uh, no evidence of disease or a complete, um, good outcome, but there was trace, uh, cancer found, and so that kinda dictated those next steps.
Jim: Hmm. So let me guess. Did you come across Chris Wark eventually here?
Melissa: So, uh, and you, you k- you kinda asked early on, did I just, you know, what, what did I do?
Did I follow the doctors? So it, it was in November of 2020, so I'm just- Uh-huh ... past the one-year mark. I'm back at work, and my cancer then spreads to, to my bones, and so now it's a whole new ballgame. And my oncologist says, this, you know, really not good news. It means it's terminal now. We don't have anything to cure it, but we do have something to slow it down.
And I was like, "With all due respect, if you don't have a cure for me, I'm gonna knock on other doors." And- Yeah. And so that was my first time of like, okay, maybe our, our, uh, what's supposed to be the best in the world medical system doesn't work quite as well as we want it to. And I said, "I'm not just gonna keep putting this stuff in my body till" I'm like, "Oh, then, you know, next step is I'm no longer here."
Yeah. I told him that and he's like, "You know, okay." And I get back in my car that day and, uh, and I went by myself. Whenever they call you in to give you the news, you kinda guess that it's probably not the best, so it didn't come as a- Right ... big surprise because he's like, "I need to talk to you in person."
And, uh, and my husband was, was busy, not able to go with me, and I thought, "I'm just driving over there right now. I'm gonna find out." Uh, so I get this news, get back in my car, and, uh, my radio was set on, and the song that's playing was by Tauren Wells, and it was like, "God's Not Done With You," uh- Wow ... which was one of his big hits.
And I thought- Yeah ... that's just of this, every step of this way, I just felt surrounded by, by God and His guidance on, on each and every thing, even, even in the valleys and the times that it was rough. I just knew He, He had this and He was gonna provide that way forward. That's when I started reading books.
Uh, read "Radical Remission," read "The Metabolic Approach to Cancer" by Dr. Winters. Um, later on read "Radical Hope," read "Eat to Beat Disease," uh, by, uh, Dr. Li. And I'm like, "I'm just gotta find out what else is out there." That's probably when I first started hearing about Chris Wark.
Mm-hmm. And
I didn't wanna read his books because he wasn't a doctor.
Yeah. That is the honest to goodness true. I laugh so hard about that now because that's g- does just went whoop to the top of my list by the time I finally read it. But in- Right ... my own stubborn mind, I was just like, "No, I need to read books that doctors have written." And so I kinda just pushed his stuff on the side.
And, and I started doing the stuff, and at first I just thought it was diet, and so I changed 100% of my diet really overnight a- and said to my husband-- My husband got me a book, the very first one I read, for Christmas that year. So this is 2020 Christmas. I read it by New Year's, so I read it in a week. It was, uh, the natural, "Natural Strategies for Cancer Patients."
Uh, and that's when I'm like, "I'm, I'm going organic. We're doing it." And my husband was completely supportive. I said, "We're gonna spend a little more money on groceries, but we're doing this." And, and I naively at that time just thought, "That's it. That's all I have to do is change my diet." Right. So for two years I was so diligent, and I joke that the only bad thing I put in my li- mouth was communion at church once a month.
And that little glass of, uh, what is probably, you know, the grape juice made with the bad corn syrup and all that- Yeah ... and then the little piece of bread. So I was so good. And, and I started seeing some improvements too. Uh-huh. At one point I had a CAT scan. I was doing CAT scan, and then three months later a PET scan, and then three months later a CAT scan, and we would just keep that going.
And- Mm At one point on my CAT scan, I had this new spot on my spine, and the doctor was like, "That's it. That's cancer. It's its favorite place to go, I'm sure." You know, and he wanted to put me on, uh, a new chemo and stop what we're doing, go on a new stronger one. And I'm like, "No. Can, can we take a moment and breathe here?"
And I said, "Can you give me a couple months to up my game, and then can we do a PET scan, and then we really know what's going on?" And he's like, "Okay, I'll give you two months and not three. We'll move the PET scan up." And, uh, and that's when I really started broadening, uh, you know, getting on my knees and praying, looking to see what else is out there.
I found the, the Center for Cancer Healing with Dr., uh, Erin, uh, Leary Khadili in Irvine, California, and made a trip down there I started doing what they now is called their Q restrain, um, treatment and through our GCC. And, and I started realizing I need to remove some toxicities, get rid of all the plastic in the kitchen.
There's a lot of low-hanging fruit there to do- Yeah ... at first. And it's, it can be so overwhelming at first- Oh, yeah ... to, to look at like, okay, there's a lot here I need to change. So I tried to break it down into those small bites and say, I will, uh, change this this month or this quarter. It was just little by little, like if I can make a positive...
And th- that's still happening. There's still things I'm learning that like- Right ... oh, I can make that change. Yeah, I hadn't thought about that one yet.
Jim: Yeah. It is overwhelming to the point where you're almost paralyzed. Mm-hmm. You know, you don't do anything. Yeah. That's definitely a specialty for me. I get paralyzed very easily.
Yeah. But, uh, we talk about this in our group all the time. If you just do one thing, you know, get really into it for that month, and then you get really good at it, then you add something the next month. It's, it's not a race- Habit stacking.
Melissa: Yep.
Jim: Yeah. 'Cause we had a couple people, we had our meeting last night.
We had a couple people that were new, and they were... You could tell they were scared. It was something new to them, and in fact, they could hardly even talk about their situation. But, you know, by the time it was over and everyone just kinda came around them and said, you know, "It's not a race. We all get into this, and we are all overwhelmed, but we just grab something that's obvious."
Of course, nutrition is one of the most obvious, and exercise, and getting rid of stress, and then the plastics and all that kind of stuff. We just take one at a time.
Announcer: Yep.
Jim: You know, it's great. And they, they left happy like the rest of us- Yeah ... which is so weird. A group of, you know, a whole room full of people fighting cancer, and they're all happy like they're at Disney World.
Yeah.
Melissa: Our, our group is a bit the same way, yeah. And, and, um, and, and I think that's one of the privileges that God entrusts us with as a group leader- Yeah ... is to have those conversations with some newly dial- diagnosed people. And, and n- and n- to me, that's one of the, the best ways to give back because I've been in those shoes.
I know the terrifying feel. Uh- Mm-hmm ... and to be able to pray with them, to, uh, to share with them, and to see right away that, that hope, uh, it's, is pretty amazing.
Jim: Yeah. So you were on that path and just adding things, like we're saying, and you started feeling better. Did you, uh, stay with the doctor to, you know, so he can kinda- Yeah.
Good ... stay up? Yeah. Good
Melissa: question. I actually had a friend of a friend who had the Square One program by Chris Wark, and- Mm-hmm ... they loaned it to me. And then after listening to that, I'm like, "Okay, I'm gonna go read his book." And his book went straight to the top of my list. And so I'm s- starting to see more and more like, gosh, I think some of these alternative treatments are more powerful than the medicine my doctor's giving me.
Although there, there was one thing that I did when I really started learning about the alternative stuff and had changed my diet I had read that sometimes that's not an overnight fix. It can take your body, like, a h- you know, a couple of years to really rebuild its gut and the immune system and all that.
And at one point, I had been given 12 months to live by my doctor, and I'm going, "Okay, that's math I can do in my own head. 12 months to live and 24 months for this other stuff to, to take hold." Yeah. I'm like, "Maybe I better do everything." I prayed about it, and I'm just like, "I'm just gonna go down this dual path and, and do it all."
Mm-hmm. Probably not ideal, but that's, that's what I did. Um- Right ... but as I did all that reading, I'm starting to see how powerful this stuff just actually is. And, uh, and so I had a reoccur- Well, through Chris' work, I found Healing Strong, and so our Healing Strong group has been going for a- about two years, just over two years.
And at that time also, I had had a b- bad fall. I had had a compressed fracture, uh, in my spine from falling and, uh, and I had a reoccurrence in the same, uh, shoulder that the bone cancer... or the, the cancer had spread to the bone. So same bone, it didn't go leave the shoulder, but just a different part of the bone.
And again, doctor came up with the same thing he wanted to do, and they thought it was a spot on my spine, which wasn't there. The PET scan was, was clear for that. Uh, he wanted me to go on what I call the last chance chemo. It was really the last thing in his toolbox to give me. Yeah. And I was like, "Uh, I really don't wanna do that."
And he's like, "Well, you're welcome to go get a second opinion." I had been on a oral chemo med that had given me so many side effects that I went off of it for a while. So it didn't technically qu- quit working. It gave me a lot- Right ... of side effects, but it didn't stop working. And I thought, "Well, why can't I revisit the one that actually kept it under control because it still worked?"
Yeah. Versus this one that's going to make me really sick again. So when, when he wouldn't do it, I did go get a second opinion from City of Hope, and that was a whole 'nother miracle. Um, one of my best friend's sister-in-law is a nurse practitioner in the cancer world. She- Mm-hmm ... out of all the doctors I picked, she worked for this doctor for 10 years and was still really good friends with him.
And so she was like, "Oh, I'm going to this appointment with you." But she actually was the one who launched this NER2 chemo drug and- Hmm ... really wanted me to go on it. She was putting heavy pressure on. So I'm like, "Okay, we'll just see what this doctor said." I w- because she was so for me going on this new drug, I didn't hold high hopes.
Anyway, this doctor was like, "I have no problem putting you back on the oral one. You know how to manage the side effects. It worked for you then. It didn't stop working. Yeah, I see your logic in that. Let's, let's do that." So he wrote it out, and we sent it to my doctor, and my doctor just said, "Well, you go be treated by him then."
And so-
Right ...
I mean, I've had to really get loud with my doctors, and- Right ... so I said, "Okay, uh, you know, with all due respect, I will." And so I went to him. That was two years ago. I am now, praise God, praise Jesus, in remission completely.
Wow.
And, uh, and, and, but I went back on that drug. I, I keep making progress on the other.
And so I just feel, you know, everybody's path is so unique, so driven- Mm-hmm ... by them. But I just feel that each step of the way, I've had that guidance. I've been, uh, and God really has straightened the, the path for me.
Jim: Like we say, our body was designed, uh, to heal, to fight all these things that, you know, we all have cancerous cells in us, and our body was, uh, greatly designed by a God who created everything, uh, to heal itself.
But then, of course, we're in a fallen world. We're full of toxins. We're surrounded by toxins and all kinds of things, and we're filled with stress, and so it gets out of balance. But sometimes, you know, it takes a while to build that body back up to where it's supposed to be, and sometimes you gotta use the conventional methods like, you know, to kind of beat it back- Mm-hmm
long enough to, so your body can take, uh, take, fight on all by itself, so. Mm-hmm. It sounds like that's where you're at.
Melissa: Yeah, absolutely. The, the latest thing I'm looking at is the gut biome and- Oh ... and how incredibly fearfully and wonderfully our bodies- Yeah ... are made, down to ways science is just still learning about.
It's fascinating.
Jim: Yeah, I just had to go on antibiotics, which I hate doing, but I had an infection that just hit me hard and put me in bed for, like, three or four days, and I'm, I'm never sick. I've never had an infection like that. It's just, I don't know where it came from. I thought it was dental, and in fact, I went to the dentist, uh, today, and they go, "Nope, there's no infection in there."
I thought, "Well, I'm glad. I don't want you to lay my gums back and be, you know, doing all that kind of surgery." But I don't know where it came from, but, uh, now I gotta build my gut health back up and-
Melissa: Yeah ...
Jim: shove that sauerkraut down there. Fortunately, I like sauerkraut, so. I just
Melissa: recently added that to my diet.
I, I love it now, but it was, it was a discipline.
Jim: It does smell weird, doesn't it? So how'd you get involved with Healing Strong after learning about it, of course? Did you, uh, join a group, you said, or- Yeah ... you just started
Melissa: one? And, and so by listening to Chris Wark and Square One, uh, all of a sudden I'm starting to hear Healing Strong everywhere, like including my Bible app.
When I saw them on the Bible app- Yeah ... I was just like, "Oh my gosh, they're everywhere." So I went to the Healing Strong website and plugged in my zip code And the nearest one is like two hours away from me. Yeah. And that's with good traffic. And so I thought, okay. Oh, I just started praying, and praying that Lord would open one up in this area.
And that was in October of 2023. And so October, nothing. November, nothing. December, nothing. And then I start thinking, "Well, maybe God's prompting me to start one." Yeah. And I go in and in January, early January, right after New Year's, and I see, "Coming soon, Healing Strong, Simi Valley." Wow. Like of all the places, like the very town I live in.
And I was just like, oh, God, our power, our prayers are just so powerful, so powerful. Yeah. So I thought, well, I looked at the gal who, uh, starting it, and she was like Um, I didn't know her. Uh, as I looked at her name, and of course I sent her a message right away. I'm very interested. And I thought, "Well, I'm gonna Facebook stalk her."
You know, CV's big. We're just outside of Los Angeles, but- Mm-hmm ... I thought, "Well, I'm here a long time. Maybe I know somebody who knows her." So I go on my Facebook, two of my closest circle of friends, I mean, these are my friends I do life with, um- Uh-huh ... were friends with her, and their kids all went to school together.
So- Wow ... we had this point of reference right from the, the beginning, and it was just when we finally had lunch together bef- uh, talked about how we were gonna start, uh, or how she was gonna start a group at that time. But just to be able to meet somebody who's doing all this stuff, um- Mm-hmm ... and they're not across the country, they're not in some book, they're in your own town doing the same thing.
Oh, it was powerful. Um- Yeah ... my, my one doctor, uh, in Irvine, Dr. Kenealy, says, "Healing happens in community." So, uh, Jul- oh, and Jul- this lady's name's Julia. She was-- she did this podcast, uh, a couple years ago. And, uh, Julia, after we met, she's like, "Oh, will you start this group with me? I was gonna do it online, but if you help, I can do it in person."
So the two of us teamed up and started it in person, and that was important to me for that same reason. I wanted to meet the people. I wanted them to, I wanted it to be local.
Right. And,
uh, and then J- Julia just had some, uh, unforeseen, uh, family commitments that d- just meant she had to step aside. So at that point, uh, which was about the first four or five months into our group, um, I, I took over as leader.
And it's not hard. All I have to have is a willing heart. Some of our best meetings have been when the computer broke and we couldn't even use the IT, uh, stuff or the, the formal lesson. So God, I feel, just has really used it and really blessed it, and it's just been really wonderful to meet the, the people that have come.
Jim: Yeah. The most powerful thing I find about the group is just people, and mine's mostly women, of course, and they just-- I, I don't have to do anything except for open the door. Next thing you know, they're, like, teaming up and talking about something they did this month and- Yeah ... and, and, you know, I have to, like, almost yell to get their attention so we can do something.
But you can just let it go like that. The whole meeting will be sharing our stories, and it's- Yeah ... you know, it's encouraging to each other. And of course you wanna learn things, but we learn by listening to other people and what they're doing- Yeah ... how they're detoxing and, and we have so many knowledgeable women in my group Uh, so I f-, you know, I've been doing this for seven years and I've prayed- Wow
to God for seven years to bring somebody in to be the leader. I thought, "Well, I'll start one here and someone's gonna step up." Someone's always wanting to step up and lead, and I'm never the one. But yet for some reason, God kept me there for seven years, and I, I just saw Him smiling like, "Yeah, it's, it's good for you- That's awesome
to be squirming." So- Yeah, it
Melissa: took us two years to get through 12 chapters, so 'cause of all- Yeah ... the gabbing and sharing that goes on. And, uh, but we got through 'em. Yeah.
Jim: But yeah, this, this past, uh, meeting, which was yesterday at, at this recording- Um ... you know, we have two new leaders, so I actually sat- Oh, wow
amongst the crowd. Yeah. It was great. So yeah, I still open the door, uh, so I do have that responsibility. But yeah, it's great. I love it so much more and, uh, and the group is growing, you know, even before I handed it over, it was just growing. We had Suzy, 'cause she's only two hours away. She came and spoke the last meeting, Suzy Griswold.
Wow. So that's always be- people came just, you know, to meet her and- That's really
Melissa: cool.
Jim: But yeah.
Melissa: Really, really cool.
Jim: If people are listening right now and they're thinking, "There's no group around me. I really should start one, but I don't feel like I'm qualified," I am the perfect example of you don't have to have any qualifications other than finding a place to, to meet.
Melissa: Yeah, I, I will second you on that, absolutely. And- Yes ... uh, the, the material and the curriculum that Healing Strong has is wonderful, it's powerful, and God does the rest. And, and I really believe that, you know, healing does happen in, in, in community.
Jim: Yeah, it takes on a life all of its own. Uh, each group I'm sure is different, but, uh, yet at the same time it's very similar 'cause people- Yeah
they, you bond. Like I've said before, like, it's kinda the same thing you hear about soldiers that, uh, are in battle together. They have a bond that lasts a lifetime and it's-
Melissa: Yeah, and, and that's one reason why I really wanted to seek out a group. When I first got sick, I was like, you know, I, I did not wanna go to some old poor me, I have cancer support group.
Yeah. And, uh, I said I would, "No, no, not gonna. I'd rather s- sit home and read books by myself if that was the case." Yeah. But when I heard about Healing Strong and that, that it's not that kinda group, it, it's just that, you know, as wonderful as my friends and family have been, you know, after, after years of this, 'cause this isn't something that just ends once you feel a little bit better.
This is a- Right ... lifestyle change. And to have friends who've been like, "Really? You can't eat at our old favorite restaurant? Not even just this once?" Or all that. Yeah. It's just so easy to slip back into those old, old habits. And the Healing Strong people get it. They so get it in a way that my, my dear, dear loving friends and family probably never will get even though they wanna get it.
Jim: Yeah. Yeah. And e- everybody wants to be healthy, but they just don't wanna do the things you need to do to get healthy. Yeah. Yeah They maybe do a little bit, but that's about it. But once your life is being threatened, that's a little bit of a motivation, I
Melissa: believe. Yeah. True. Very, very true.
Jim: Well, Melissa, it's been great to hear your story, and I'm glad we finally got this working.
You didn't cough one time. How about that?
Melissa: Yeah. End up holding it in. Oh, sorry. I, I, uh, probably have a mini coughing fit after this. The water, water has helped.
Jim: Yeah. So if you want, you can take the last minute here just to cough for a while, if you want.
Melissa: Yeah. I'm just kidding. That part will get edited out.
Jim: Yeah. True. That's true. Well, thank you so much for doing this, and I'm glad you... Obviously, I'm glad you're a thriver now and that you're a group leader, and you seem very happy.
Melissa: Yes. Yeah. Thank you. Really wonderful to meet you, and, um, I wish you and your group all the best. And on a closing note, I think prayer is so important, and so- Yeah
I've made the commitment to pray for each person in my group every day when I do, when I have my quiet time, uh, by name. Mm-hmm. And, uh, and then I started praying for all of Healing Strong, and you're part of that all of Healing Strong, and it's wonderful to have your, your face, uh, to go with, uh, the name of a group leader.
Yeah.
Jim: It's a beautiful face, isn't it? Yeah. It looks good from California. Yeah. All right, Melissa. Well, thank you, and you have a great rest of your day, and, uh, you cough away now.
Announcer: All right. Thanks so much. Take care. You've been listening to the I Am Healing Strong podcast, part of the Healing Strong organization.
We hope this episode encouraged you and gave you confidence to take charge of your healing journey, trusting God to guide your path. Healing Strong is a non-profit dedicated to connecting, supporting, and educating individuals facing cancer and other diseases through strategies that rebuild the body, renew the soul, and refresh the spirit.
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