In 2012 I was planning to celebrate the first time I have reached 5 years without cancer since my first diagnosis in 1989. (I’ve had three primary cancers and multiple recurrences.) You may have heard that “life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.” Life happened.

We’ve been watching a spot on my lung since 2007 (Cancer Again? 2010) that I had been told in 2010 was stable so nothing to worry about. We didn’t know what it was. This past year it grew from 1.2 cm to 1.5 cm. This year it became something to be concerned about. A lung needle biopsy in December showed it is metastatic breast cancer. Read More


Dear Friends,

This is the time of the year when I ask myself what impact Healing Journeys has had in the past year, and what we should plan for next year. Our programs for 2011 have just finished. We offered three Cancer-Fighting Kitchen workshops, and a one-day version of our Cancer as a Turning Point, From Surviving to Thriving™ conference, serving a total of just over 1,000 people.

Did we make a difference? Can a one- day program have an impact on people’s lives? The feedback from attendees says the answer to both questions is a resounding YES. Here is a representative quote from each program: Read More


Dear Friends,

I’ve heard a rumor that I am retiring. I will someday, but it’s not in the immediate future. I think the rumor got started when we hired Beth as the Executive-Director-in-Training. Seemed reasonable that she would take over when I retired.

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Dear Friends,

I’m excited about our upcoming events – we’ve been preparing all year for them! This year all our events are on the West Coast and I understand your disappointment if you live on the East Coast. Next year will be your turn. I’d like to share with you how locations are chosen, because it’s partially up to you where our events happen. Read More


Dear Friends,

On my recent vacation in Kauai it rained a lot, giving me the opportunity to find ways to spend time inside. I enjoyed watching DVDs, and especially appreciated The Living Matrix — The New Science of Healing. It’s about how, from a scientific perspective, we can maximize our bodies’ self-healing abilities.

This has been a major interest of mine for as long as I can remember. It was the basis of the seminars I taught at the Center for Health Awareness in the 80′s. Eventually it was what led me to design the Cancer as a Turning Point, From Surviving to Thriving™ conference in 1994.

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Dear Friends,

I didn’t know Delores very well. I met her about ten years ago when she was diagnosed with cancer. We both lived in Santa Cruz, and she went to Medford, Oregon, to attend our Cancer as a Turning Point™ conference there. We stayed in touch.

When she had a recurrence of her cancer many months later, she told me that she didn’t think she had it in her to fight it again. She felt so alone in her life. She didn’t have a partner and said she was lonely and didn’t feel loved. Her life was a struggle without much joy. She died a few months later.

I attended her memorial service and was surprised that there were about 300 people there. Read More


Dear Friends,

I appreciate how many of you supported and encouraged my following my heart and taking a vacation in Kauai. I looked forward to it for so long, and it seemed like it was so short. You know what they say — time flies when you’re having fun. I’ve been back in the office a couple of days now and am struggling not to let my time in Hawaii become just a distant memory. How can I hold onto some of what nourished me while I was there? Read More


Just like Cost Plus World Market travels the world so you don’t have to, I travel to conferences around the country to find resources for you. Last week I went to West Palm Beach, Florida, for the fourth annual CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine) for Cancer conference put on by the Annie Appleseed Project.

Some of the information was interesting and useful, and I found a few new speakers for future conferences. But what was the most profound for me were the “chance” meetings I had with some incredible people.  I want to introduce you to two of them and share with you the extraordinary resources they are creating for anyone touched by cancer. Read More


The radio in my car is usually set to listen to NPR.  About a month ago, when I started my car, the station had been changed (I had been out of town and couldn’t get my favorite station).  What came on the air was Hawaiian music. My heart melted and ached to be in Hawaii.  It has been a place of nurturing and rest for me over the years and I could feel that I needed that again.

I had many logical reasons why I couldn’t go to Hawaii this year.  Money.  Time.  My brain and my heart were having a disagreement on this subject.  Who’s going to win?

While carrying out this inner argument, I remembered several ideas I’ve read recently.  When I get the same message from several unrelated sources, I have learned to pay attention to it. Read More


Dear Friends,

If you have received an email from me in the last year, you know that part of my “signature” says, “Bless the Present, Trust Yourself, Expect the Best.” This is not what I was taught growing up, which is why I need the constant reminder. I could write a book about each one of those three statements, but today I am writing just about the first one — Bless the Present.

How can I possibly “bless the present” when I’m presented with a cancer diagnosis, or a recurrence, or a marriage falling apart, or even simple things like my cat throwing up on my white carpet, or my hot water heater not working? It comes much more naturally to be upset, angry, and want things to be different. Read More