Alistair's Journey

Hello hello,
Once again it’s time to hit the road. This one is not necessarily part of my journey, in the sense that it has been planned for the past 2 years and is not all about me. It is for Carine’s cousins wedding.
That doesn’t mean I can’t be a little self indulgent and treat it like an extension of my journey. In addition to the wedding taking place in New Orleans, this is also the first time that Carine and I are going somewhere together in a long time. That fact alone is the highlight of this trip.

As some of you may have noticed, I still have yet to leave on my planned road trip through the US. Well, life as we know, likes to throw the odd curve ball. Not to worry. Nothing too serious.
In the time I had between my return from Europe and this wedding, I thought would be a good time for the road trip. It was going to be tight, time wise but feasible. Then my doctor added some additional blood work to my appointment schedule which pushed back the tentative departure date. Then…. I cracked a tooth.
I’ve always had issues with my teeth as far back as I can remember. This tooth had been in need of attention for a long time and it finally reached it’s limit and cracked right down the middle. Top right first molar.
Luckily, sort of, I had a root canal done to it years ago so there was no pain but it was clear that it had to be dealt with as I could only chew on one side of my mouth because it was moving around and it was kind of gross to be honest.
So here is where things get awesome/freaky/serendipitous. Not having a dentist in Vancouver yet, I had to call around and find one that could fit me in asap. I made a list based on online reviews and offices that were still taking new patients etc….
Literally, the last dentist on my list was the only one that could fit me in and within 48 hrs no less. Not having a job currently and no insurance coverage, I was more than a little concerned about the cost of this whole process but it had to be done so off I went.
I had to fill out all the paperwork as a new patient when I arrived and when the Dr. came in he brought up the medication I had listed on my info sheet. Turns out it caught his eye because, as fate would have it, he happens to work in the dental department at the Cancer Agency and knows my doctor there very well. Happy coincidence? Yes, but there is more. When I mentioned my concern about not having coverage and the cost etc… he says “let me make a call”. Five minutes later he comes back with an appointment card. He figured out that I could have this whole thing covered by getting the tooth dealt with at the Cancer Agency….at no cost.
Brilliant! Then, to top it all off, after he sanded down some of the sharp edges on my nasty tooth, he sent me on my way and his assistant says “no charge for the work today”!!!
My daily horoscope, that I read while in the waiting room foretold that I would receive some sort of windfall that day and that I would feel undeserving of it but should accept it because ‘you do deserve it’. Well, whether or not that is true, I accepted it and had to restrain myself from giving the hygienist a great big bear hug right there in the waiting room. I didn’t want to give the other waiting patients the idea that they were just handing out free dental work so I restrained myself as best I could. In my excitement, all I could muster was to say “You’re awesome!” in a strange, clenched tooth, whisper. We looked at each other, both slightly confused about my silent outburst and I turned and walked out.

As you probably know, dental work ain’t cheap. I’ve had to pay absurd amounts for a simple consultation and x-rays with other dentists. These guys took x-rays and worked on my tooth enough that I can chew normally for the time being and didn’t charge me a cent!!! You know, I’ve been embracing, or at least trying to embrace an unconditional love towards life and all mankind since this whole thing started and it’s not always easy or natural. Especially when you see terrible things being done by terrible people around the world in the news…. or being stuck in traffic, but it’s little things like this that fuel my positive outlook and helps maintain my faith in mankind. Sounds a little dramatic for a trivial issue like my wonky tooth but it’s true.

Anyway, the appointment to have my tooth dealt with was yesterday. I went in to the Cancer Agency, met the Oral surgeon and was promptly pumped full of anesthetic. As we waited for the numbing to set in, the Dr. checked my x-rays and explained the procedure (extraction) and all the things I could not do after the procedure such as…. air travel, submerging myself in water, drinking alcohol etc…..

Me (with numb mouth): “Ummmm, Dr.? I’m supposed to get on a plane in less than 48 hrs, I’m going to spend the first few days sitting on a dock and swimming in Florida then going to New Orleans for an extravagant wedding attended, in large part, by a bunch of hard partying Dutch people.There may be booze involved.” !!!

Oral Surgeon (with raised eyebrow): “Ok, call me when you get back and we’ll take care of it then”.

Me: “Good stuff. Thanks for the Novocaine”

So, all clear for the trip. It just so happens that this is my first time going to New Orleans and I’ve wanted to go for as long as I can remember. I absolutely love the music that comes from the southern US and I’m heading to one the most musically saturated cities in the world and arguably the birthplace of jazz. Holy crap I can’t wait!!!!
Time to pack.

Remember people, although it has been easy for me, considering the free time and opportunities I’ve had lately; however big or small, every day will present you with a reason to say “Today is great day to be alive”!
The key is to accept that and learn to find the little gems even if they may not be obvious or clear on a given day.
My wish is for all of you to find that little gem every single day and embrace life and all of it’s twists and turns.

My infinite thanks and gratitude to all of you once again for helping make this all possible.
I am currently in the midst of my first cycle of the new meds so no news or results yet on that front. I should have some feedback in a couple of weeks.
Otherwise, all blood tests and such have all come back with very positive results. Feeling good people! Feeling good!

Much love to you all!!!

Hello beautiful people!
Well, as you may know by now, I have gone through my treatment here in France and have been enjoying my time in Nice absorbing all that I have recently experienced.
It is hard to explain exactly what the whole process is and I feel a little strange trying to elaborate on it but I will give it a go.
At it's core, the concept is that of mind over matter to put it in simple terms. The power of the mind and consciousness to heal anything. I've always been more of an empirical evidence kind of guy myself but given the distinct lack of understanding in the medical community re: sudden reversals in terminal diagnoses and scientifically inexplicable changes/cures in life threatening illnesses I was compelled to embrace this concept and man oh man am I glad I did. Not to mention the fact that I am out of truly viable medical options other than certain treatments that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and have similar success rates to what I just did.
So, we were a small group of about 20 people from all around Europe with various ailments and a collective desire to be healed of them. Each day starts with a meditation and then we learned about the connection between the consciousness and the body and how things can manifest themselves in various ways that can block or impede the flow of energy in our beings. There were a series of exercises that we all participated in that were, often, so incredibly powerful and emotional and ultimately it has changed me profoundly.
Again, it is hard to explain and I am not sure I am doing it proper justice but just as an example, there was one lovely lady from London with breast cancer
and she was very distraught when she arrived. By the end, as she was examining herself daily, she could no longer locate any lumps. She knew exactly where they were but could no longer feel them.
Another guy from Switzerland, a very sharp, intelligent, energetic character, the kind of guy I would gladly hang out with and would easily fit in with my friends was cured of his colour blindness. Suddenly, he noticed that a plant in the corner of the room actually had red flowers that he could not see or distinguish from the green leaves and they suddenly jumped out at him. These are just a couple of examples out of thousands of similar stories.
What is most important, for me anyway is that I feel incredible! After working directly with the man himself, Martin Brofman, I have felt quite different. Up until yesterday I was dealing with some significant discomfort in my abdomen which started after he worked on me. As well as feeling really tired but like I said, it's hard to explain but what I can say is that I feel like things are changing, moving, healing, shrinking and my mind is in such a healthy state that everything looks and feels alive and colourful and new. Weird eh?
This is an ongoing process, the effects of which are working constantly and can take anywhere from 3 days to 3 weeks to take effect.
My instinct is to try and convince you or sell you on the validity of this whole thing but truthfully I don't think that will do anyone any good.
What matters is that I believe it worked and that thanks to all of you whom I love dearly. Yes, ALL of you! I am forever changed and soon to be blowing some minds when I head back home for the next round of scans.
Thank you all for helping me live this truly life changing experience!
Sending you all love and energy from Nice! See you soon!

Well it's finally happening!
Thanks to all of you I am now in France and I am eagerly waiting for things to get started later this afternoon. It was a VERY long ride leaving from Vancouver, via Denver, via Chicago, via London and finally Nice. 24 hrs all said and done.
Still a little rattled and sleep deprived but I've got the energy of an 8 year old on Christmas Eve.
Once again, the internet access is a little spotty but I think I found the best corner of my room for reception and will try to post updates as often as possible. I will be posting most of the content here:
http://alistairsjourney.wordpress.com/ for those who want to follow-up on things.
Thank you all so much once again. I love every last one of you more than you may ever know.
Big hugs from Nice, France.
Alistair