“Mom, will I get cancer too?“
That’s a tough question for the mom of 6 whose 14-year-old was diagnosed with multiple cancers.
As Christians who believe that God is sovereign, Frank and Cheri Penza already discovered through prayer and research that their 14-year-old David’s life, trials, disease, and most of the chosen treatments should be as individual as he was. Statistics show that more than two children in every classroom will have cancer in their lifetime, so although their answer to David’s siblings was that they have no reason to assume they will get cancer, they are faithful to apply what God has taught them through David’s crisis: to provide a healthy, faith-filled response to their other children’s concerns and to protect them from known disease-causing agents.
Like 90% of other parents whose children have cancer, they felt overwhelmed by the immediacy of decisions following diagnosis, unsure of what questions to ask, or what their options were, and began to investigate traditional and natural responses to cancer. A little book, The Red Sea Rules reminded them that God is in control and helped them in responding spiraling feelings of loss of control of their child’s life.
Three areas to regain control formed as they gathered prayer support, resources, and research on David’s cancer.
1) Whether you choose natural, traditional or integrated treatment, make no decisions based on fear; prayerfully ask many questions and seek direction through trusted local natural medical resources.
2) Document what gave hope and healing. (i.e. a natural remedy worked better than medication, stopping David’s nausea and vomiting from chemo)
3) Implement obvious biblical life-style changes removing or adding things proven to cause or prevent cancer (fluoride, a known carcinogen of bone-cancer in youth, can be avoided, and sugar, which cancer feeds on, can be eliminated). Alkaline foods, on the other hand, are shown to prevent or inhibit cancer and other diseases, and can be increased.
Eliminate sugar? What’s left to eat? Withdrawal from the “all-American” diet of non-nutritive white foods (flour, sugar, salt and fat) sounded “too far out” or impossible to friends who had no disease, but to parents of cancer-patients, and medical staff who inhaled the fresh-bread smell in David’s room and saw him happily munching whole foods instead of constantly vomiting, the choice was an easy one. Requests for recipes and information on alkaline VS acid based diet were constant and encouraged family members to create a little book (A Healthy Response to a Cancer Diagnosis) in response to others needs.
“Dave has a healthy appetite, like his me,” laughed his dad, Frank. “I knew this would be difficult for him at first, especially with the hospital room service available to him 24 hours a day. But, I felt if I believed this diet was best for David, I should not expect him to do it alone.” Both their bodies responded according to need. The typical teen with cancer loses up to 50% of body-weight during chemo, but David was within a few pounds of his pre-cancer weight when they brought him home following the first rounds of chemo. “I on the other hand,” Frank admits, “needed to lose weight, and did – eating the same diet as Dave.”
“It takes some work,” Cheri confirmed, while reminding that it got easier with practice and recipes of other family members who joined the Penza’s goal to live healthier God-honoring lives. Cheri is modest, acknowledging she has admired much of what America’s pioneers did with natural food. She uses tools they would have loved such as a dehydrator, grain mill, and juicer enabling her to produce fresh and additive-free favorites like jerky, fruit rolls, breads, smoothies and even natural ice cream.
“God made our bodies from the earth to survive on natural things, not chemicals,” Cheri explains. We truly believe that David did as well as he did because of prayer, the natural treatments, and diet eliminations/additions we implemented. The Penza’s agreed, saying that “It’s a great joy when other families tell us that our research and faith through David’s story have been an encouragement to them.”
Each sibling has developed an awareness that they must care for their own bodies as well. Less junk food, more natural and unprocessed items, and balanced but fun lunches helped them enjoy eating again without worrying if they were harming themselves by not making right choices. Their faith has also developed watching their brother's reaction to his disease and his respect for his medical caregivers.
The family underscored that although David gained extra years through cancer trials, but lost his battle 5 years later, David’s determination to inspire others through integrative health care and his faith regarding his ultimate journey home to God encouraged many to face their struggles with confidence. David’s own words were that if one person was helped to know that God has a plan for their life then he felt his cancer-battle was ‘worth it.’
That goal was realized many times over, causing the Penza’s thoughtful reflection, “Who would have thought that cancer could be an opportunity for joy?”
Health Links:
http://www.fullnessfoundation.org/ This is the foundation that aided David and the Penza family
www.behealthyamerica.com/ David's book A Healthy Response to a Cancer Diagnosis is available at Envita, and also at
Daniels Chiropractic and Nutritional Designs in Racine www.nutritionaldesigns.com/
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