We now know that Alzheimer’s begins many years before it is detected and that fatigue and sleeping more can be a characteristic of Alzheimer’s for some people. According to the Alzheimer’s Association., it is estimated that the amount of people with Alzheimer’s will most likely triple by 2050. One in three seniors who die in a given year will have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or another dementia. It appears to be the most feared disease today.
Then toward the end of 2011, Alan was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. And only six weeks later, he was also diagnosed with laryngeal cancer. For six years Alan had a HPV viral wart removed from his vocal cord with a laser every three to four months. This is what became cancerous and it needed immediate attention.
His throat surgeon did not mention anything about the Alzheimer’s or the effect of the anesthesia on the Alzheimer’s. when he told us that Alan had to have a series of three invasive surgeries or else he would most likely die a painful death within six to twelve months. Alan was also told that the surgery might leave him without the ability to speak, swallow or breathe easily. We bought into the current medical model and scheduled the first surgery. But while we were waiting for the surgery, we asked ourselves, “Is surgery the only choice?”
Alan thought carefully about all his options and made his first unusual choice. There would be no surgery. He didn’t want to lessen the limited quality of life that was left to him, knowing that he also had Alzherimer’s Disease. Then Alan made his second unusual choice — to follow a strict naturopathic healing protocol. I became like a drill sergeant making sure Alan took all his supplements and followed his procedures from morning to night.
In addition, Alan wrote a prayer and I emailed it to friends and family throughout the world and asked them to say this prayer at 7:30pm every evening. At least 75 people did this for four months. This is the prayer that Alan wrote:
“I put my faith and trust in the flow of God’s Grace for Alan Alberts. I know that the Spirit of God flows in, through and around Alan, in every cell and every dimension. Every part of Alan’s body knows what to do and how to do it perfectly with ease so that he is free of cancer now. Alan feels well and has vitality. Alan has enough energy to play music on Sundays at Woodside Spiritual Center. I hold Alan in the Love and Light of God for whatever is Alan’s highest and best good.”
Each evening, at 7:30pm, Alan and I sat together quietly, and we read the prayer and focused on his healing, and we visualized the outcome he desired. Following this prayer and meditation, I did Therapeutic Touch on Alan, especially around his throat area. Therapeutic Touch is a deep healing energy modality that is mostly taught by nurses. I used TT touch around Alan’s throat center. I could literarily feel the energy going from my hands to his throat area. Sometimes, it felt like I was pulling out thick, invisible rope-like diseased energy out of his body.
Because we didn’t know if these healing options would cure the cancer, and because Alan did not want to have a painful death from laryngeal cancer, as his Advocate, I then contacted Compassion & Choices of Washington to learn about the DWD law. They were very kind and helpful to me and gave me all the information I needed to navigate the system within the boundaries of the law. Over the process of about one month, Alan and I met with two primary care doctors in Bellingham, and we followed all of the necessary guidelines. Then Alan qualified for and received the DWD prescription. I kept the prescription for this lethal medication in my home files. I did not go to the expense of acquiring the medication because I didn’t know if he would actually use it, and it was very very expensive. The prescription had a six-month expiration date on it.
Then only four months later, an amazing thing happened. We visited the throat surgeon and he examined Alan, and the doctor spoke the exact words that Alan had visualized: “I can find no cancer, and the HPV viral wart is gone too”. Alan remained cancer free to the last day of his life. We celebrated this good news with about 130 people who came to hear us present the details of this miraculous healing. (PAUSE)
But the joy we felt that evening only lasted about four more weeks because the Alzheimer’s became very noticeable and we could no longer deny it. I remember that for the following week we both just cried and cried and cried together.
There was a fair amount of Alzheimer’s in Alan’s biological family, and his mother had it for at least 10 years and died a shadow of a person with no physical capacities. My father also had Alzheimer’s.