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This lovely
book is a shining tribute to Kaisa lovingly written by her husband, the
author. Kaisa, born in Finland in 1944, was a woman of huge spirit, wit
and exceptionally mischievous humour. A person who lived life to the full,
she came to the UK during the 1960s, lived in London, Suffolk, emigrated
to New Zealand in the early 1990s, and moved to Somerset during the latter
part of the 1990s. The book is illustrated by her artist husband.
The book makes riveting reading because
it chronicles honestly Kaisa’s eighteen year struggle and methods of treatment
for a variety of cancers, beginning with breast cancer in 1983, for which
she received radiotherapy treatment. The book chronicles how, the victim
of misdiagnosis, patronization and being treated like a naughty child,
Kaisa gradually assembled a huge amount of knowledge, with the help of
the Bristol Cancer Help Centre, regarding complementary self-help treatments,
including nutritional and herbal medicine, relaxation, visualization and
meditation, which enabled her to remain in remission from 1983 to 1996.
Following a recurrence of breast cancer
in 1996, a dispute with the oncology team at Norfolk hospital, a transfer
to the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, and a residential week at the
Bristol Cancer Help Centre, Kaisa embarked upon a combined orthodox and
complementary treatment approach, undergoing chemotherapy and a mastectomy
in 1998.
It was her attitude and approach to her
treatment, and how she interacted with the medical team and her friends
and family, however, that is so intriguing about this book. Having read
that negative expectations can severely undercut the patient’s ability
to maintain hope,1 Kaisa was strong-willed
and independent, attending cancer treatment clinics by herself, keeping
her illness rather private and not revealing the true extent of her pain
and suffering, steering clear of ‘negative’ people. Lung cancer was diagnosed
in 1999 and treated with chemotherapy in 2000 which was only partially
successful, followed by the devastating diagnosis of multiple brain tumours
in 2001. She sadly died on 2nd April 2001.
Kaisa’s approach to her treatment was underpinned
by a determined search for knowledge and the answers to questions. Over
many years she became exceptionally knowledgeable about wild flowers and
herbs and their healing properties. She created a herb garden in an allotment,
creating many remedies for colds, headaches, stomach problems and the
like. She also shared her knowledge with many others as well as applying
it in her efforts to cope with cancer.
She was also attracted to spiritual healing,
used homeopathy and vitamin and mineral supplements, in an attempt to
strengthen her immune system. I am very moved that one of the publications
she referred to regarding vitamins and mineral supplements was my book
which originated from the Cancer and Nutrition database which I compiled
for the Bristol Cancer Help Centre during the early 1990s.2
To Kaisa details her regime of nutritional
and mineral supplements, herbal remedies, as well as her dietary advice
(vegetables, salads and fruits, much of it eaten raw) as well as her favourite
detoxification regime.
Other complementary therapies used to great
advantage included counselling, reflexology, aromatherapy, acupressure,
shiatsu, crystal healing and meditation.
Although it is a great sadness that Kaisa
died, it has also been a time of grief for her loving husband, who has
chosen to channel some of his energies to putting together this book as
a tribute to Kaisa, as well as a help to others who may be living with
cancer.
The author has stated that all proceeds
from the sale of this book will be donated to complementary health care.
References
1. Simonton, Simonton and Creighton. Getting Well Again. Bantam
Books. 1978.
2. Goodman Sandra. Nutrition
and Cancer: State-of-the Art. Positive Health Publications Ltd.
1998. (Currently out of print but on our website.)
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