But it has a happy ending.
The medicinal plant is saving thousands of lives, and harming none.
In fact. There are many side benefits…
Here’s my latest article for Green Flower Media.
Cannabis Please for Parkinson’s Disease
I wrote this article last week for Green Flower Media, but mostly I wrote it for my mother. She suffers from the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. The article also links to a story I wrote about my own journey toward the medicinal weed for breast cancer.
https://www.learngreenflower.com/articles/331/cannabis-please-for-parkinson-s-disease
Decades of negative stigma and false information about the marijuana plant has prevented my mother and many from getting the relief they need.
The federal scheduling of the plant as a schedule 1 substance has prevented the research needed. But that is all changing!
As I wrote in the article, my mother was a fabulous dancer.
She dated my dad in the big band Copa Cabana days in New York City. For five decades, they were reliable for floor-clearing performances at family gatherings…
Here’s hoping my mother will dance again!
Please share the article with others who may benefit.
Just ONE thing
I was back in New York for the holidays, reminiscing with family over vintage photos and Christmas Cream, a decadent adult treat bottled and gifted annually by family friends, when I recalled a conversation I had earlier with my niece about chia seeds. 
“That’s my one thing I do to prevent cancer,” she said.
I also contemplated the topic over two or three golden cups, a favorite sister-baked pastry, NY bagels, and a slice of Grandma pizza, which I allowed myself knowing full well that “white foods” such as processed flour and sugar are cancer’s favorite feast.
If I had to choose only one thing to prevent cancer, what would it be? I wondered.
I poured a glass of alkaline water with lemon, and decided, that is it. I’ve read repeatedly that cancer can’t live in an alkaline environment, after all, and plus I planted a lemon tree before I left Florida.
But wait, maybe fermented foods should be the one thing. After all, they are alkaline-forming too, with the side benefit of being an amazing immune-system-boosting probiotic that eats sugar-loving cancer cells. 
Or should it be stress reduction? Or sunlight? A big part of my decision to move to Florida was my research and gut instincts showing that vitamin D from sunlight is a necessity, and stress is my worst enemy.
The truth is, in addition to making major life changes, I have spent the last few years learning enough to make my brain explode, and I do at least 12 things per day to prevent cancer. Most of them come quite easily as part of my health protocol.
It would be difficult to only do just one. But cancer or no cancer, I believe “the one thing” all people interested in their health should do is to take responsibility for it. We must look to the cause, trust our instincts, and do our own research.
We won’t find drug companies lobbying for sunlight and exercise, or funding research on how those two free luxuries can dramatically improve our health and mental wellness.
It can be as easy as a Google search or following noted professionals and reputable sources who regularly publish valuable research.
I am forever grateful to Dr. Mercola, who helped me to feel confident with my anti-conventional path, and who spends his time and profits standing up to big-bulling-business. I am so thankful for The Truth About Cancer emails, posts, and their documentary series for validating my own success and sharing their research, interviews and testimonials widely to help others.
The sad reality is that our government controls the safety of what we eat and drink and what is injected into our veins, and they have sold out to corporations that benefit from our illness. Pharmaceutical and chemical companies dictate ‘health’ policies including what drugs we are dosed and injected with. Our food and water supply is being poisoned and what used to be five vaccines is now around 35, with life-threatening risks. The perpetrators profit, protected from liability for the damage.
My trust is in my own mind and body, supporting the innate intelligence within.
My various careers have validated the benefit of allowing the body to heal and supporting it when necessary. I witnessed the disappearance of allergies and ear infections in children after a few chiropractic adjustments and/or elimination of dairy. On the flip side, I interviewed parents of autistic children who claim their child’s personality and all of their lives changed dramatically and negatively after a slew of shots.
I watched first hand as a medical doctor trained in natural medicine helped patients defeat disease, ditch drugs, and take control of their health with lifestyle changes and supplementation. I researched the surprising benefits of cannabis, for both seizures and cancer, despite illegality in most states and lack of acknowledgement by insurance companies, who prefer to profit from cancer-causing chemotherapy, radiation and diagnostic tests.
My one thing? To trust my experience, intuition, research, and to support my body’s functioning as the most amazing machine ever to exist…except on holidays.
The Hemp Plant Saved Charlotte, and Many Others
An excerpt from an article I wrote for the Institute for Natural Healing…
Five-year old Charlotte Figi had a genetic disorder called Dravet syndrome, she had hundreds of seizures a week. That was three years ago. Charlotte’s parents began a hospice program because she was starving to death. Their daughter was barely able to swallow water. Faced with severe consequences such as experimental horse seizure medications or putting their daughter in a coma, the Figis were lucky to hear about the possibilities of help from the hemp plant in the nick of time.
Within months of treatment with oil called Cannabidiol (CBD), Charlotte was able to walk, talk, and feed herself. The treatment has high amounts of CBD. It’s a potent, natural product of the Cannabis plant… Yet Charlotte’s Web does not contain chemicals that get you high.
Her mom, Paige Figi, recently told CNBC that they put the oil in Charlotte’s mouth…and she stopped seizing immediately. After a few months, she began to walk, then talk, and then feed herself!
‘Charlotte’s Web’ is more than a story to thousands of children who suffer from epileptic seizures. Instead, it is a form of hemp that has saved their lives. And it’s illegal in most states. The growers, the Stanley Brothers, named this strain of the cannabis plant after Charlotte.
Today, Charlotte is a healthy child. She doesn’t take any pharmaceutical drugs. She can go to school… Play with her twin sister—and older brother… She even rides a horse.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a neurosurgeon, filmed a documentary about kids like Charlotte that aired on CNN. Parents told their first-hand stories. Often, amazing results occurred with the very first doses.
Meanwhile, legal seizure meds have many severe side effects. They include an inability to speak, eat, or walk. Some kids have excruciating headaches. Parents also dislike that the drugs change their child’s personality. It makes many kids angry, mean, and even violent.
Thankfully, Charlotte does not need to suffer from dangerous seizure drugs… And she barely has a seizure anymore. Her hemp oil treatment helped reduce her seizure frequency by 99%. And she is not alone… CNBC reports that 85% of patients who use the CBD have a reduction in seizures. Paige Figi now works with the Realm of Caring to help other children have access to this miraculous, herbal treatment.
People around the world have moved to Colorado since the state legalized cannabis for those who live there. The stress of leaving or dividing their families is worth it. They want to save and/or improve their kids’ lives.
Not only the children suffer. Seizure disorders cause financial and mental stress on those who care for them. For example, many children need to stay indoors to avoid outdoor light. They require constant and intensive care. They often have to go to the hospital. Many parents stay awake all night long in fear that their child will stop breathing.
Those who tried to make the oil on their own have had little success. It is difficult to make a safe, effective dose. As a result, thousands in Colorado wait on a list for the oil. Few dispensaries carry that specific, legal strain.
Marijuana also has promise for other diseases, like breast cancer. Unfortunately, the U.S. only recently allowed limited testing of the plant for use as medicine. Historically, pharmacies sold oils from the plant for decades, until it was banned in the 1930’s.
Current federal law says that CBD and THC are Schedule 1 drugs with no accepted medical use. Big Pharma is pumping untold amounts of money to keep it that way… They don’t want to miss out on those profits…
Even conservative states such as Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida have allowed the use of Charlotte’s Web for patients with seizures. On the flip side, there are still many politicians who are not open to the plant’s medicinal uses.
Paige Figi is also working tirelessly to effect change legally to help those who suffer. Her new 501c4 coalitionforaccessnow.org just dropped a bill Wednesday in DC, HR1635, to amend the Controlled Substances Act to exclude cannabidiol-rich plants. It is the nonprofit’s first project of many.
About 2.7 million people in the United States suffer from seizures. Half of them are children. They are kept from the relief they need. Marijuana can help. Yet their health is even more at risk with the drugs doctors push on them…
The Marijuana Plant Saved Charlotte, and Many Others
An excerpt from an article I wrote for the Institute for Natural Healing…
Five-year old Charlotte Figi had a genetic disorder called Dravet syndrome, she had hundreds of seizures a week. That was three years ago. Charlotte’s parents began a hospice program because she was starving to death. Their daughter was barely able to swallow water. Faced with severe consequences such as experimental horse seizure medications or putting their daughter in a coma, the Figis were lucky to hear about the possibilities of help from the marijuana plant in the nick of time.
Within months of treatment with oil called Cannabidiol (CBD), Charlotte was able to walk, talk, and feed herself. The treatment has high amounts of CBD. It’s a potent, natural product of the Cannabis plant… Yet Charlotte’s Web does not contain chemicals that get you high.
Her mom, Paige Figi, recently told CNBC that they put the oil in Charlotte’s mouth…and she stopped seizing immediately. After a few months, she could walk, talk, and feed herself.
‘Charlotte’s Web’ is more than a story to thousands of children who suffer from epileptic seizures. Instead, it is a form of marijuana that has saved their lives. And it’s illegal in most states. The growers, the Stanley Brothers, named this strain of the cannabis plant after Charlotte.
Today, Charlotte is a healthy child. She doesn’t take any pharmaceutical drugs. She can go to school… Play with her twin sister—and older brother… She even rides a horse.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a neurosurgeon, filmed a documentary about kids like Charlotte that aired on CNN. Parents told their first-hand stories. Often, amazing results occurred with the very first doses.
Meanwhile, legal seizure meds have many severe side effects. They include an inability to speak, eat, or walk. Some kids have excruciating headaches. Parents also dislike that the drugs change their child’s personality. It makes many kids angry, mean, and even violent.
Thankfully, Charlotte does not need to suffer from dangerous seizure drugs… And she barely has a seizure anymore. Her hemp oil treatment helped reduce her seizure frequency by 99%. And she is not alone… CNBC reports that 85% of patients who use the CBD have a reduction in seizures. Paige Figi now works with the Realm of Caring to help other children have access to this miraculous, herbal treatment.
People around the world have moved to Colorado since the state legalized cannabis for those who live there. The stress of leaving or dividing their families is worth it. They want to save and/or improve their kids’ lives.
Not only the children suffer. Seizure disorders cause financial and mental stress on those who care for them. For example, many children need to stay indoors to avoid outdoor light. They require constant and intensive care. They often have to go to the hospital. Many parents stay awake all night long in fear that their child will stop breathing.
Those who tried to make the oil on their own have had little success. It is difficult to make a safe, effective dose. As a result, thousands in Colorado wait on a list for the oil. Few dispensaries carry that specific, legal strain.
Marijuana also has promise for other diseases, like breast cancer. Unfortunately, the U.S. only recently allowed limited testing of the plant for use as medicine. Historically, pharmacies sold oils from the plant for decades, until it was banned in the 1930’s.
Current federal law says that CBD and THC are Schedule 1 drugs with no accepted medical use. Big Pharma is pumping untold amounts of money to keep it that way… They don’t want to miss out on those profits…
Even conservative states such as Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida have allowed the use of Charlotte’s Web for patients with seizures. On the flip side, there are still many politicians who are not open to the plant’s medicinal uses.
Paige Figi is also working tirelessly to effect change legally to help those who suffer. Her new 501c4 coalitionforaccessnow.org just dropped a bill Wednesday in DC, HR1635, to amend the Controlled Substances Act to exclude cannabidiol-rich plants. It is the nonprofit’s first project of many.
About 2.7 million people in the United States suffer from seizures. Half of them are children. They are kept from the relief they need. Marijuana can help. Yet their health is even more at risk with the drugs doctors push on them…
What Would Hippocrates Do?
“Women don’t talk back enough,” said Brian Clement PhD, LN, referring to their patient/doctor relationships. “Women who did,” he said, “started Hippocrates.”
The esteemed co-director of the Hippocrates Health Institute in West Palm Beach, Florida was the guest speaker at a holistic health fair in Tampa a few months back, and I was there, with my pen in hand and recent cancer diagnosis, soaking up every word.
His statement caught my attention and gained my respect, at a time when I was blowing through doctors like baby wipes, seeking one that made some kind of sense.
People from around the world come to the 50-acre compound where patients have been given the tools to heal themselves for 60 years, based on the principles of Hippocrates, Our father of medicine.
“Natural forces within us are the true healers of disease.” Hippocrates
“Think before other people think for you,” Brian Clement went on, calling the modern medical system a “con job” where people are given pharmaceutical remedies that create bigger problems in most cases.
That’s how I felt, too. Yet the doctors I was consulting with used scare tactics and strongly recommended the cut, poison and burn approach as if my life depended on it.
“If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health.” Hippocrates
After hearing his story about completely healing himself of stage 4 cancer straight out of late-stage hospice. I wanted to know more about one speaker. We took the 4-hour journey to the Institute to record testimony for a documentary.
Although a large majority of doctors take the Hippocratic oath, which involves swearing upon a number of healing gods to uphold specific ethical standards, most are hypocritical in what they go on to “practice” with patients.
“With regard to healing the sick, I will devise and order for them the best diet, according to my judgment and means; and I will take care that they suffer no hurt or damage. Nor shall any man’s entreaty prevail upon me to administer poison to anyone; neither will I counsel any man to do so.” Hippocratic Oath
For example, take the surgeon who told me it would feel “just like a bee sting” before drilling a hole in my breast without sedation. I looked down at gobs of tissue and blood after jumping off the table screaming from the extreme pain I felt. His response to what was an absolute error on his part was “I know this can be emotional.”
Then he wanted me to have a post-op mammogram! Of all the times I have declined that offer (because research says it can do more harm than good), this time my manners were not involved. I said “there is no way in Hell I am doing that!”
Before the barbaric biopsy, I had a PET scan test where I drank Crystal Light with nuclear chemicals that left me radioactive for 17 hours.
And of course, the oncologists all recommend chemotherapy as a standard part of the poison, cut and burn approach. They must. It is required of them by law. They could be reprimanded by NOT following this protocol. Yet, according the former president of the American Chemical Society, a chemist trained to interpret data…
“It is incomprehensible to me that physicians can ignore the clear evidence that chemotherapy does much, much more harm than good.” Alan C. Nixon, PhD
In fact, it is widely known by many doctors that..
“Chemotherapy and radiation can increase the risk of developing a second cancer by up to 100 times.” Dr. Samuel S. Epstein Congressional Record, Sept 9, 1987.
When there is a chemotherapy spill in a hospital, it is a major biohazard that requires an outside specialized crew in spacesuits to come in and clean it up. But they want to put it in my veins! No, thank you!
Knowing that hundreds of thousands of people die from pharmaceutical drugs and that 93% of those treated for cancer with chemotherapy die, I, and the Hippocrates Institute, choose instead the ways of the father of medicine.
Look to the cause… “the way you think, eat and move.” Brian Clement PhD, LN
In addition to diet and juicing, guests receive psychological counseling, acupuncture and colonic treatments.
When my friend David first arrived at the Institute, Brian Clement told him “You have to get rid of the anger.” At the lecture I attended, he said…
“A loving, secure relationship can be what a breast cancer patient needs.”
Cleaning Out Unnecessary Files and Toxic Emotions
“Are you sure you want to remove the remnants of no-longer-used programs and files?” my computer security and cleanup system asked. Immediately, I said “yes” feeling like it was perfectly in line with what has been happening within me lately…emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
For those who may be unfamiliar, “Cache” [pronounced ‘cash’] is a reserved section of memory in computers that stores web pages visited in the past. Once deleted from the computer’s memory, it frees up space for new data. In addition, if cache is not cleared, a user is often viewing an outdated version of a website, essentially living in the past.
As part of my journey toward optimal health, I have been working at releasing stored toxic memories, emotions, and relationships that are having a negative effect on my health and the quality of my life. Prescribed this activity by Dr. Carlos M. Garcia, who I recently met nearby in Florida, I’m only a few pages into a book he wrote, called Cancer is a Symptom: The Real Cause Revealed. In it, Dr. Garcia correlates the buildup of life’s fearful, stressful, or otherwise negative interactions to pebbles thrown into a pond.
Most rarely ponder the piled layers upon the bottom, yet the accumulation of negativity lies beneath, presenting itself physically (as acidity), emotionally, socially, and spiritually.
Digging deep and addressing the issues is not quite as easy as pressing the buttons ctrl + shift + delete, but it has been flowing naturally and astrologically this week, and has also been recommended to me by other physicians and intuitives.
While most conventional doctors will perform a variety of scans, some including nuclear substances that make you radioactive for 48 hours, the scan of one’s mind, body, and soul for residual toxic emotions is rarely discussed.
I feel it should be a required part of protocol, backed by research that indicates a strong correlation between trauma and chronic stress and many dis-eases, including breast cancer.
The lingo is “find a cure” the reality is “go for conventional treatment” but where more focus is needed is on the cause.
Checking your junk folder is highly recommended. For most, there is undoubtedly some childhood stuff, when even minor events can have a lasting impact. For me what came up this week was the shock and trauma of September 11th, which changed everything for me. The resulting, unexpected challenge of the incomprehensible-to-me war and the lack of prior preparation’s effect on our casualties and returning injured devastated me.
The stored military-wife pages in need of clearing include my ex-husband’s deployment to Afghanistan as a rescue helicopter pilot, while I watched the news in the Hamptons, often debilitated by the new, constantly-scrolling alert on the bottom of the screen that spelled the words “helicopter crash” on more than one occasion.
Once the choice is made to “let it go,” the emotional debris can be cleared through talk therapy, visualization, sound healing, hypnosis, affirmations, or prayer. I am doing it all.
A “side benefit” of this healing and preventative treatment is the creation of room for beneficial new data, images, and experiences and the ability to view life in the present rather than a lens of the past.
My Coffee? I’ll Take It Rectally
Hey, we all need to lighten up a little…and I can’t avoid dishing on the procedure that dumps toxins from our bodies like nothing else can.
Think it is a disgusting subject? Well how about keeping years of parasites, bacteria, yeast colonies, toxic metals, rotting food, and hardened white flour stuck to your colon walls? Not a pretty picture either.
I read about this procedure time and time again during my holistic research. It’s nothing new! According to the Dead Sea scrolls dating back at least 2000 years, Jesus used these methods to perform his miracles of healing.
Until about 1984, the coffee enema procedure was listed in the Merck Manual, the handbook used by physicians worldwide. Why has it disappeared…hmmm I will leave that to you. I will say, however, that it is quite inexpensive, and once learned, very little assistance is required.
Max Gerson, who was a pioneer in treating cancer holistically, combined coffee enemas with a strict diet, juicing and nutritional supplements, and he used coffee enemas as an integral part of the therapy…up to 6 per day. Among its benefits which include pain relief, he found that coffee enemas enabled the body to absorb and digest toxic tumor tissue and eliminate it safely. Dr. Gerson’s method is still offered today at several clinics, most of which are in Mexico.
In fact, I watched a video recently with a doctor who works in one such clinic, who said that it is dangerous to juice heavily WITHOUT enemas, as it overloads the body with toxins.
Why coffee? Well research shows that caffeine enemas dilate bile ducts, which results in the excretion of toxic material by the liver and assists in their removal from the blood.
Coffee also contains a very desirable form of Selenium, which is a highly recommended substance for those with cancer. Few foods contain it, and it has been shown to be better absorbed through the rectum.
Though it’s still no coconut mocha latte in my book, enemas have come a long way, and have gotten a lot neater, with stainless steel buckets replacing the use of messy bags.
Combined with soft music, pillows, towels and meditation in my bathtub, my plan of one year of juicing and enemas became a ritual I looked forward to, with after effects of feeling clean, inside and out.
After a year of regular enemas, I now fill up on healthful probiotics and fats to support my body’s ability to eliminate on its own.
Defying Doctor Bullying: My Last Successful Trial
No animals were harmed in this test, in fact, one was saved. Now for my own healing.
When I was told by a doctor at an emergency veterinary clinic that my cat would die within a year if I didn’t give him a drug for his heart problem, I said “No.”
Now that doctors have been trying to scare and bully me into poisonous and life threatening “cures,” I am recalling how the cat situation worked out.
I had already researched the issue when the last doctor heard the heart murmur. Despite the visual from an ultrasound, I trusted my intuition that the drug route would complicate his life and mine, ultimately causing other health problems.
While the clinic did save my little guy’s life, this doctor’s demand could have easily shortened it. I still remember his condescending look as he uttered his threats.
I still think about finding him to tell him that for 10 years, that cat never received one pill of any kind, nor returned to a veterinarian. He is sitting on me as I write.
The only reason my cat was at the 24-hour emergency clinic was due to a serious side effect (heart failure) from a drug given to him in error by another veterinarian. That doctor decided, despite his knowledge of the cat’s heart issues, to give him steroid shot for his upset stomach (contraindicated with cardiomyopathy, I learned after the fact.) After some threats of my own, that doctor wound up reimbursing us for the $1,500 cost of the emergency clinic visit that should have never been.
Perhaps if more U.S. doctors were held accountable for the detrimental effects of the drugs they deal, instead of incentivized for it, we wouldn’t have such a sick country.
I am grateful for the experience as I look back. It contributed to my ability to trust my intuition when doctors try to scare me into using chemicals and pharmaceuticals, when those same treatments could do much more harm than good.
I am pretty sure that my cat would have died long ago from the toxic effects of long-term medication that was so strongly suggested. Without it, he has not had one symptom or issue.
I feed him a healthy diet, water, and a multivitamin, give him a lot of love, and a comfortable home. That is all he needs. He has given me so much back in return over the 17 years. Here is a slide show example of his calming and joyful presence in my life, everyday moments that bring a smile to my face and needed peace in my heart.
Curing Carrie: The Less-Traveled Road
Wisdom from my 2014 newly-diagnosed self…
During my latest holistic doctor consultation, Dr. Carlos Garcia, who offers a complimentary one-hour consultation to anyone with a cancer diagnosis, told me “This is an emotionally-based disease” with conviction as he flipped through my biopsy report and PET scans and checked his intuition via Applied Kinesiology.
I didn’t expect the same old “poison, cut, and burn” plan from him, but I didn’t expect a recommendation to get a grip on my stuffed emotional trauma either.
It resonated with me, though, and it wasn’t the first time I’ve heard it.
Working on my emotional baggage might not be easy but it will undoubtedly be more pleasant than the treatment plan of the oncologist I saw the day before.
In my opinion, there was nothing right about Dr. Wright’s recommendations, which included 6 months of chemotherapy, 10 years of estrogen-blocking drugs, 3 surgeries, and 6 weeks of radiation.
I asked for the data sheets that list the side effects of the 4-5 drugs she was recommending (heart disease, uterine cancer, liver damage, and death among them), but I already knew that was not going to be my path. I must choose a plan that I believe in for it to work. I do not believe in poisoning myself to get well.
The treatments I saw while getting the nickel tour of Dr. Garcia’s holistic health care center made more sense to me.
Alternative remedies included IV vitamin therapy, which I had already received for several weeks, detox foot baths, infrared sauna, and a hyperbaric oxygen chamber.
I also noticed a juicer and a therapist’s office, both of which I had begun to utilize.
I want to use this blog as a place to document my experiences, and to share information and opinions that may not widely available, and to tell the story in my own words.
My “Health Care” will be a permanent page, for anyone who chooses to see what I am doing.
If you’re wondering, please refer to my blog here. Though I appreciate the caring concern of friends and family, I want to conserve my energy and stay in a positive state, instead of giving the dis-ease power by talking about it all the time.
So I invite all to come along for the ride if you wish, or not to if you don’t. You may follow here to receive an email with each new post.
This story will have a happy ending, I am sure of it. I hope all who visit will do their best to believe too, and to share positive thoughts and energy. I am not owning the “c” word; I will not give it power or even capitalization.
Here’s to health and new adventures!
Veterans Day Thoughts From a Former Military Wife
“You can’t make this shit up” I told myself once again last week as I found a certificate from an Air Force black hawk helicopter rescue flight, flown in Afghanistan in my name, and the American flag that came along with that honor.
I was packing for my move back down South and was trying to leave behind the memorabilia from my former marriage. That particular item seemed sacred, however, and it reminded me of the important role I played as a military wife. Really? That happened? My husband was flying helicopters in Afghanistan while I attempted to live life as a housewife on the East End of Long Island.
I reminisced about those days yesterday, too, while on the phone with a cable representative. With time to kill during the rebooting of systems, I learned that her son is currently serving in Afghanistan, unable to contact her. It’s freezing there right now, she added. With that reality check, I told myself, “I have no problems,”and told her, I would keep her son in my prayers. The conversation brought back memories of being attached to my phone as well as the scrolling letters on the bottom of my television screen that spelled out words like “helicopter crash” while life went on like nothing was happening for most others around me.
It was different during the earlier days of living off the Army base at Fort Cambell in Clarksville, Tennessee. The other women there could relate well to my situation because their husbands were alongside mine for weeks at a time during dangerous training deployments. It was not wartime yet then, in the late 1990’s, nor did it occur to me when I signed up for this role that war would come about again in my lifetime. That oblivion also included the thought that his new “part-time job” with the reserves in the Air National Guard in Westhampton Beach would be nothing to worry about.
But everything changed that day when I watched on my East End television set as bombs were shot off like fireworks, and he came home with talk of Iraq and anthrax vaccines. I was opposed to the series of six toxic injections, and the war, yeah that too. My opinion didn’t matter. In fact, while I watched images of world wide protests on satellite TV I was told that I was not allowed to express my opposition publicly, because I was an “officer’s wife.”
This post is not meant to be a pity party for me, although those years did take a toll. I am writing about this subject because I want to share what I know to be true about those who serve, and to remind everyone that service includes the family.
I am truly grateful that I experienced military life. I would have never known the motivation, stamina, professionalism, responsibility, and brotherhood that resides there. I surely never saw it in any guy I dated before that time. It seems that just about every military person I meet can be trusted with my life, and I am in awe of the strong bond they have with each other. Many of them have seen things that many of us could not deal with, lived in uncomfortable surroundings, away from their homes and families, in extreme temperatures, and life-threatening situations. Yet they remain dedicated to their jobs, the community, and the government that sends them off to what often resembles Hell on earth. Staying active as much as possible in events that support Veterans, I have met many in years since who continue to exemplify the honor and strength I admire.
I hope that today and whenever possible, both those who know and those who don’t truly thank and support Veterans.
I am ever so grateful for doing so one December evening a few years ago when I met Joey Theinert, from Shelter Island, who was enjoying a few beers with his brothers before heading off to Afghanistan the next day. I thanked him for his service and I clearly remember the look of appreciation in his eyes.
Joey did not come back alive. He died a hero’s death and I was so grateful to have expressed my appreciation beforehand. His death shocked and forever changed the Shelter Island community and I will never forget that day or that former life of mine, and I will always support those who serve, especially those who return with mental or physical wounds, and the families of those who do not make it back alive. I hope others will, too.
Sandy Storms Shelter Island
I was living on Shelter Island during Sandy, and the island saw the highest water in decades.
I wrote about a daring rescue that took place during the storm for The East Hampton Star.
