The benefits of conventional medicine were clearly limited by Grace having heart disease, lung cancer, and diverticulosis together. She’d had much experience of alternative medicine so it was natural to seek modes of treatment there. Fortunately Sandy Warren, her Kaiser cardiologist, believes that diet plays a crucial role in treatment for heart disease. He recommended the Esselstyn vegan diet, which we adopted, trusting it would also help with her cancer.

On the cancer side, we discovered an important book for health professionals: Integrative Oncology, edited by Doctors Donald Abrams and Andrew Weil. This covers a wide range of alternative modes of treatment used in balance with conventional treatment for cancer. It includes chapters on acupuncture and Chinese medicine, diet, medical marijuana, meditation, homeopathy, and much else. The book led us to the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at UCSF, which Dr. Abrams, an oncologist, founded. Grace had a session with him and several with the acupuncturist, Beverly Burns. The Osher Center

We also learned from this site by Dr. Brian Lawenda: Integrative Oncology Essentials

Outside of institutions, Grace received distance healing from Greg Booi and Coleen Foye Bollen, enrolled in an exercise for cancer patients program, and watched lots of comedies and Bollywood dance films. Our participation in online retreats with the Tibetan Buddhist teacher, Pema Chodron, was another key support for both of us.

Through all of this Grace remained positive and committed to living fully right up to the end.