STAYING ALIVE!
                       JULY 1999

Connie's passing has left a huge gap and also a huge challenge for the WSP. At a recent board meeting it was unanimously agreed that the WSP should continue and expand its activities. Melyssa van Ryneveld was elected Chairperson, and the new Board now includes portfolios covering our support function -support groups and telephone support, workshops and PNI training, a resource centre, national networking and linking with the medical fraternity. We look forward to some exciting developments in the coming months and will keep you informed. Our mission statement clearly indicates the service and support we want to offer to people in need.
Vision: To offer to people with life-threatening diseases a "Mind/Body Medicine" orientated support, resource and information programme, able to assist them at all stages of the disease process.
Mission: To offer you, the patient and your family the best support, resources and referrals possible within our means and at our disposal, at whatever stage of your individual challenge, through people, who, like yourself, are "there'or "have been there'. We are committed to helping you find a process for well-being that best benefits you and addresses your most important needs. We will remain abreast of the latest thinking and processes of mind-body medicine for your advantage.
Values: We are a non-profit, non-commercial and non-exploitative group. We do not seek to impose any particular "method' or "solution' on you. We acknowledge and respect the uniqueness of your physical, emotional, spiritual and psychological make-up. We may encourage you to explore new options but will not impose any upon you. We acknowledge your right to choose a given response, or none at all.

CONNIE BERTSCH MAKES FINAL JOURNEYClive Simpkins´ tribute to Connie

Many of you will have learned via telephone calls and through the media, of the passing on of Connie Bertsch-Marais, the joint founder of the Weliness Support Programme. Connie needed to have a further brain tumour removed in March and it was subsequently discovered that yet another villain was wreaking havoc in her frontal lobe.
It was at this point that Connie's neurosurgeon suggested she seriously reappraise any option of further surgical intervention. Having lived for a good two and half years beyond what Connie self-deprecatingly referred to as her "sell by date", it seems that Connie decided it was indeed the end of this particular road.
Connie spent what was to be a short three weeks with the closest members of her family and in the last week slipped into unconsciousness. Her family cared for her from home since the consensus was that nothing better could be offered by being in hospital.
At 12:30 after midnight on the morning of Easter Sunday 4th April, Connie slipped quietly away, in the company of her mom, dad and husband. Connie's funeral took place at the Primrose Catholic Church, with the service conducted by Father Kelly on Friday 9th April. Sister Lorna, the nun who had been a strong resource for Connie in her early days of diagnosis, was at the funeral, along with many who either knew Connie personally or had been influenced by her through the media or the talks she had given.
Friends and family met back at Connie's home in Bedfordview to share a cup of tea and chat with Ralf, her husband and Benjamin, her son - who at 1 0 years of age, took the passing on of Connie with strength and dignity. When some-one asked Ralf how Benj was managing, he said, "Oh fine. Benjamin responded. "No, I'm not fine. I'm very sad. " Nice that a young man of that age can be so honestly in touch with his emotions. Connie would have been proud of him.
People at the funeral and at the house afterwards, marvelled at the amazing impact Connie had succeeded in having on people's lives - particularly the "diagnosed" as she called her fellow fighters -in such a short time. Admiring comments and kind words were the order of the discussions. One of Connie's friends described knowing her in the last few years of her life as being akin to talking with a Catherine wheel firework - and a lighted one at that.
Consensus was that some people live for a short time, with high impact. Others live for a long time with low or no impact. Connie's life and example fell firmly into the former category.
With you, we will miss her madness, her laughter, her inspiration and passion. But with you, we will continue the work of the WSP and what she and her dedicated team started.
Marika Sboros, the Johannesburg Star newspaper Trends section editor, published on the funeral day, a most moving and love-filled half page eulogy to Connie, entitled, "End of an incredible journey." For those of you who might have missed it, it will be loaded on to the WSP website in due course.

8-STEP IMMUNE EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMME

From the book Immune Power (1993, St Martins Press, New Yor by Jon Kaiser MD This book was written specifically for the holistic management of HIV, but it's principles can be applied by all.
The following programme can help to strengthen your immune defences:
1. Diet - an immune-enhancing diet is low in fat, high in protein, high in complex carbohydrates, and low in simple carbohydrates, such as starches and sugars.
2. Nutrients - take supplements that contain anti-oxidants, including Vitamins A, C, E, carotenoids, selenium, zinc, cystine and glutathione.
3. Herbs - use one of more of the following herbs - echinacea, garlic, goidenseal root, chamomile, and astragulus. All are immune enhancers.
4. Exercise - moderate regular exercise improves immune function by increasing the action of .natural killer cells'.
5. Natural medicine - use acupuncture, homeopathy, and massage to off-set the negative effects of stress (note acupuncture and home-opathy work in entirely different ways. Pursue one or the other).
6. Relaxation - find a way to achieve deep relaxation. Some effective modalities include biofeedback, meditation, mindfulness, progressive muscle relaxation, and prayer.
7. Emotional support - intimate relationships can strengthen your immune system. Share your thoughts and feelings - even if only by writing them down - to improve immune function.
8. Meaning and purpose -engaging in meaningful activities helps fend off disease. Also, in scores of studies, prayer and spiritual pursuits have also been associated with better overall health and healing.

MEMBERSHIP AND MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS

We have decided at this point not to charge for Membership to the WSP. Those or you who are already members still qualify for the discounts advertised, but there will not be a renewable annual membership fee. We are aiming for corporate donations to cover our running costs so we can offer a free service to the public.
However we will be delighted to receive donations. If anyone would like to give a donation to the WSP it can be posted to us at PO Box 752292, Gardenview, 204 or deposited into our Account: FNB Bruma account number 3001155229

One of our members sent this to us as a remarkable reflection of what Connie must have said to herself at one time. Thank you.

I WILL NOT DIE AN UNLIVED LIFE

I will not live in fear
of falling or catching fire.
I choose to inhabit my days
to allow my living to open me,
to make me less afraid,
more accessible,
to loosen my heart
until it becomes a wing,
a torch, a promise.
I choose to risk my significance
to live so that which came to me as seed
 goes to the next as blossom
and that which came to me as blossom
goes on as fruit,
Dawna Markova, Ph.D

COMING UP IN OPTIONS

Options are monthly presentations convened by the WSP to help you make informed choices about the myriad of complementary offerings you may want to choose from in your ques". for recovery or sustained wellness. In hosting these educational talks we are not prescribing that you use the therapies, nor are we necessarily endorsing them, or those who present them. We are simply bringing you the Information to do with what YOU will.
31/07/99:
Dr Johan Malan, homeopath -Medical Astrology

Dr Charlotte Prout-Jones, Life Science Clinic - Raw foods, fasting and health

Venue: Linksfield Park Clinic
basement function room
Time: 09h00 to 12h30 Cost: Free

28/08/99:
Pat Whales - Colour Therapy

25/09/99:
Steph Whittle-Bennet -
Biokinesiology and lnidology
Sharon Duran - Reflexology

Booking is essential for all three presentations
Please call Shay (011) 728-5678
Check the web site or phone the office on (01 1) 728-5678 for details.

OUR WEBSITE
www.wellness.org.za

Have you checked this out recently - it has been totally revamped, with new links, new material on PNI, and hopefully it is a lot easier to find your way round - we'd love to hear from you with your views - Exciting news! From the next issue we will have the newsletter up on the web before it is posted out and it will be in full colour! Those with e-mail will be advised when it is up - so, to be the first with the news -please lot us have your e-mail address! There is a space on our site where you can give us your details or changes - please do this - it will assist us greatly! And also we can get OPTIONS info to you very much quicker than via the mail.
Before you gasp at how costly it is to use the lnternet - were you aware how little it costs to access the web, in terms of telephone call costs? If your lnternet service provider is a local call away (i.e. less than 50 kms), and you "surf" between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., or from 7 p.m. on Friday to 7 a.m. on Monday' your call costs are 5c per minute,'with a minimum call cost of 46c. That works out to R3,00 per hour, and you can visit a lot of sites in an hour! All these charges refer to calls made within South Africa, and are in South African currency.

BOOK REVIEW BY MARGO DE KOOKER

PSYCHOLOGICAL RECOVERY FROM CANCER
 By Lourens Schlebusch 1999, Maskew Miller Longman, Cape Town

Professor Schlebusch takes a very comprehensive look at the mental and emotional challenges that face someone who is diagnosed with cancer. His em-phasis is on the mind body connection and its influence on disease progression, and how to deal with a diagnosis and disease in a practical way.
He says, "It doesn't matter where you start; a positive change in one area will result in beneficial changes that flow through your whole life. You can choose to start with the step you find the most enjoyable." Eaqh chapter deals with a particular topic, and at the end of each Professor Schlebusch gives a summary of the actions to be taken to give the next positive step towards awareness and being in control of your life.
The first 8 chapters of this information-filled book deal with what cancer is, and the mind body connection. He gives a clear overview of the effects of stress, personality, mind and psychology on well being, particularly in the case of cancer. "Your emotions are a bridge between your mind and your body, and you want to strengthen that bridge.' is the clear message, with suggestions of what to do to begin the process.
The rest of the book is devoted to self-help techniques and helpful hints, which can be employed to deal with emotions, cope with symptoms and side effects, and deal with illness. Self-awareness, breathing and relaxation exercises, mental imagery and meditation are some of the tools suggested with practical advice on how to get started.
What you will have by the end of the book is a framework for your own healing journey, with many suggestions to follow. This book is not light reading, it requires concentration, followed by commitment, to make it work in your life.
It is also a valuable reference guide for health professionals and the families of those with cancer.
The focus of the book is cancer. but the principles apply to a broad range of illnesses. This approach will also benefit those who are well, and we would do well to take the professors' advice to heart, not only in times of crisis "So, don't weep or give up hope. Look again my friend, even if you glance for just a moment. You'll see, your pain is not cast in stone, and you will never walk alone."

SADLY

You may remember the friendly and compassionate face of Frank Hodgekinson who cheerfully enjoyed 3 good years past his 'sell by date" - Frank died on the 14th May and we send our loving thoughts to Elizabeth and his family.

THANK YOU

CONNIE's BOOK

Before Connie died, she had started her book - and Ralf, her husband, is determined to see her words in print - if you have any memories of how Connie inspired you, or stories you would like to share - please contact Ralf personally at 011 455 5451

IMPORTANT
If you wish to continue receiving this newsletter by post, please let us know by phoning or faxing Shay at our office - (011) 728-5678. If we do not hear from you by the end of July, we will presume that you are able to access our Website and read the newsletter there, and we will take you off our mailing list.

PUBLIC PNI WORKSHOPS
by Claudius van Wyk and Sue Corbeft

Venue: Emissary Foundation 44 Mulbarton Road Fourways

Module 5. Sat. 4 September
Exploring our spiritual nature and the energetic realms. 

CAROL´S STORY

In December 1996, as I was about to leave for the coast to see my friend Bronwyn who had just been diagnosed with breast cancer, 1 found a lump in my own breast. Aaaagh.
The gynae found me at his rooms the next morning as he opened and despite not having an appointment 1 was not going to leave until this lump had been identified. A mammogram showed 'a mass' , then an ultrasound which pretty well located it, so that with a FNA (fine needle aspiration) a sample was taken for biopsy. A phone call the next day advised that the results had come back as positive and that i should make an appoint-ment with my surgeon - like I keep one up my sleeve!
Being a week or so before Christmas, finding a surgeon that had not already left for the holidays was not so easy. Having located one at the Linksfield Clinic, I spent the next day having a myriad of tests - blood, X-rays, liver ultrasound, and MRI which also tests your bone mass, and a date was booked for surgery a week later.
In passing I must add that one is bombarded with so much information and medical jargon that to make sure 1 missed nothing, I took two friends (my dragon slayers!) with me on this entire journey through the tests and discussions. The surgeon was telling me about my options - a full mastectomy, a radical mastectomy, a partial one, a lumpectomy - what treatments if this or that, and I was still coming to terms with the fact that 1 had been diagnosed with cancer -thank heavens for the DS who could take me through all these discussions later so that 1 could make decisions. The tests showed that the cancer was isolated to the left breast, which was good news. I decided on the radical mastectomy. Of course I thought of the disfigurement - and not being in a situation of about to have kids and all made it a bit easier. Knowing there were cells that had the potential to kill me - mostly i just wanted this invasive cancerous parasite OUT!
I want to say something about my thoughts at the time - at first 1 went into complete denial - why me - it usually happens to other people, so why me? I felt rather embarrassed knowing about cause & effect and health being my responsibility, and so why would I choose THIS? I worried a bit what people would say, so for some time I chose to tell only my close friends and my family. And when 1 did tell people they would go into the pity routine, which was difficult for me to handle. And then they would shower you with horror stories of people they had known who had gone through the same process. And then came the advice -in the end 1 was totally overwhelmed.
I was determined to come out fighting, so before the surgery 1 took Arnica (for a quick healing), and coming out from the anaesthetic 1 took a homeopathic form of Opium (to move the chemicals out quickly) and then Propolis (a homeopathic antibiotic) - 1 chose a diet of mostly fruit which gave me lots of energy and enabled me to leave hospital in a few days. 1 started on a fairly heavy regimen of vitamins and anti-oxidants. And now 1 attempt to keep my immune system strong with a sensible diet - lots of cruciferous veggies (broccoli, cauliflower etc) green tea, fish is good, so are grains - soy is used a lot and a macro biotic diet is recommended. I try to limit coffee and tea (that's really hard!) and avoid alcohol and coke etc. Exercise is important too and of course the mind - if I don't get down to the gym I aim for brisk walking for about an hour a day.
In trying to answer the question WHY - I realised that my life had a rather fuzzy purpose, and this was in effect a big pointer for me to take charge. 1 hadn't been taking particular care with my diet or physical exercise and my immune system was low. So far, three check ups later, I am still clear but there is no room for complacency, and I still get nervous when there is an unexplained ache in my body.
In writing this I realise that I had the basic tenets of PNI and I didn't know it. And that's where reconnecting with Connie brought me!
And my friend Bronwyn? Not being in a city, it all happened a lot slower for her, and she then went on for chemotherapy. Like me, she's just had her third check-up and all is well!

LAUGHTER
It´s a shame we don´t laugh more, because it really is a good medicine. Four years ago in India, a physician started a new kind of laughter therapy together with a few of her colleagues. There are now 300 laughter clubs in India!
The 15-20 minute daily sessions start with yogic breathing where you deeply inhale and then fully exhale, while saying HO HO HA HA. There are other breathing exercises that include hearty laughter, silent laughter and swinging laughter.
Laughter is known to relieve stress, anxiety, depression and insomnia, and promote well-being. According to two studies done at Loma Linda University in California, laughter decreases the level of immunosuppressive hormones while boosting the levels of white blood cells that fight tumours and support immunity.

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