Synopsis

IN 2002 MY MUM WAS DIAGNOSED with six brain tumours and advanced breast cancer. This diagnosis was the start of her unconventional three month journey with cancer, a journey I have written about in the following article “Mists, Magic and my mum Miki.” It is a story of a profound time shared by my two sisters and I who cared for her. Mum chose to go the natural therapy route, and as the days passed we learned that ultimately her healing was not about outcomes, but about honouring and allowing her process to be whatever it needed to be.

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In June 2002 my mum drove into a parked car. This was completely unlike her. My two sisters and I took her to the medical centre suspecting a stroke, as she seemed to be disorientated and half of her face was looking saggy. The doctor told us that she was just suffering from shock from the car accident and we should give her some Panadol. We suggested she might need a cat scan and he said there was no need.

The next day a headache that had been hanging around for a few days was still there and getting worse. It was a public holiday so we called in an emergency doctor. He told us that maybe our mother needed to go to the dentist to get her teeth checked out. We asked him about the sagging side of her face. He told us we probably don't look at her enough and don't realise what she usually looks like. We asked for a referral for a cat scan. He told us he would give it only to appease us but they wouldn't find anything, he was sure of it.

We made an appointment for the scan and two days later took mum to the hospital to get it done. The results showed abnormalities in the brain but the doctors couldn't tell at this stage what they were.

Mum spent the next week in hospital whilst the doctors tried to work out what the brain lesions were and where they came from. They eventually told us that there were three brain tumours there. Subsequent testing showed that she had advanced breast cancer which had metastasized to the brain.

Mum was a spiritual healer and had no interest in undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy but the doctors strongly suggested we at least make an appointment with an oncologist. My sisters and I had spent the whole week doing research on chemotherapy and radiotherapy and we completely supported mum in deciding that those treatments definitely were not an option if she wanted to move toward wellbeing and quality of life.

So off we went, to a five minute session of little help. The oncologist put up her scans, and we told him she'd been diagnosed with three brain tumours.

“Oh no,” he said as if we couldn't read properly. “There are at least six here, if not more that I just can't see yet.”

“Ok,” I replied. “So what options can you suggest?”

He advised all he could recommend was chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and even that he wasn't sure about at this late stage, and with the large amount of tumours in her brain it would be quite risky.

We told him that she would prefer to follow a natural course of therapy, and asked what he could recommend? “Nothing,” was the blunt reply. Could he refer us to anyone who had used natural therapies, or integrated natural therapies into their practice? “No,” he said. “If you’re into that you’ll have to find out about it from somewhere else.” Six years in medical school and he couldn’t even recommend a helpful diet?

“Ok, so what are you telling us?” He told us that without any treatment, conventional or otherwise, our mum had four to six weeks before the tumours started having a profound affect on her ability to function. From our research we knew that chemo and radio therapy would also have a profound affect on her ability to function with their toxic immediate and long-term side-affects. With any kind of treatment there were no guarantees, but at least natural forms of healing worked in harmony with the body. And that was that. We walked out of that door and we were on our own.

Mum spent the next six weeks surrounded by love, healers and natural therapies in her own home. She had a complete change of diet, regular emotional bodywork, juice from Thailand, herbs from the Amazon, nuts from China, you name it, we tried it. She told us she had never looked or felt better in her life.

A couple of days after her 51st birthday she wanted a follow up scan. She was adamant the tumours would be gone, or at least decreased in size. The scan was not good. It showed that the tumours were still there. The doctors basically told her that this was the end, and that obviously whatever she was doing wasn’t working, even though for a woman with a head full of tumours and advanced breast cancer she was looking and feeling pretty good. What that prognosis does to someone's spirit one can only wonder, but from that day something in her shifted course. Over the next six weeks mum’s body started to slowly shut down. She could no longer digest any of the herbs or vitamins, and said she wanted to eat what she felt like eating. So she did.

During this period we experienced the most magical, bonding, joyous time of our lives with our mum. The three of us girls were all at home caring for her. The youngest was in the middle of her HSC year and at times went to school after being up half the night helping out with mum. We talked about everything, we laughed, we cried, and when she was in pain she accepted healing from us which made her feel better. Mum told us about all the angels and beings that were coming in and out of the room visiting her and working on her. She said they were building her a new body. We certainly felt them, but couldn't see them and mum told us we weren't looking.

We had moments of anger, grief, disillusionment, and complete overwhelm. Mum had moments of sadness at the possibility of her passing before she had done everything she still wanted to do. However, she never lost her complete faith that everything was happening as it was meant to be, and inspired us by example to trust this journey we were on wherever it may lead.

We lived every day to the fullest, taking it a day at a time. We allowed her to go through her process as she wished. We honoured her decision, and we honoured her process no matter what it brought each day. She cleared so much in those last weeks, especially emotionally, and it was clear that she was in a profound process of transformation and rebirth.

Whether her 'new body' would be reborn in the form of a miracle, continuing to live life here on earth, or reborn into the spirit world through physical death, we didn't know and really it wasn't relevant for the experience.

Time reveals all, and on the morning of September 23 our mum ascended into higher planes, surrounded by her three daughters. The house, and we found out later all of Sydney in a rare event, was covered by mists. She was a child of Merlin and we knew it was a message that she had made her transition peacefully.

A High Priestess has Ascended
By Jelena Iujoki

There are alternatives to conventional medicine and even when those alternatives don't work it doesn't mean they didn't work. In the end we saw that successful healing was not about specific outcomes, but about allowing a process to be whatever it needed to be. As far as we could see the path she chose did what it was supposed to do. It cleared mum's body, mind, heart and soul in a gentle way and then left her to complete her earthly life, as it was her time.

We saw that dis-ease does not have to be a painful, ugly process, indeed it can be the most beautiful, liberating and enlightening experience for all concerned. Mum lived those last three months at home, in her bed, on her own terms, under her velvety purple blanket, with candles burning and music playing, constantly surrounded by loving family and friends. Everybody should have that opportunity and choice.

She passed out of this life as she lived it, always true to her heart and soul, always accepting that there was a higher plan, always with dignity and integrity. We saw that death does not have to be resisted or seen as a failure, but that it is a natural part of life. It is merely the soul saying it has done all that it came here to do, and it is now time for it to continue living in some other realm, for some other purpose. Mum told us not to cry too much if she passed, because it would hold her back from getting her wings and being able to fly. So amidst our tears we said fly mum fly, be free.

I thank our mum for allowing us to share her experience with us, and for giving us our wings, because she taught us how to fly, and how to live, and for that we are changed forever. She is our beloved mothership, Miki Mrkich.

© Dana Iujoki, 2004

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dana Iujoki, based in Sydney, Australia is a spiritual channel, writer, teacher and healing facilitator. She produces and hosts a weekly radio show for personal and planetary change and is the co-creator of www.Wakimbo.Com. You may email her at dana@danaiujoki.com or visit her site: www.danaiujoki.com

Artwork: A High Priestess has Ascended © Jelena Iujoki. Jelena Iujoki is a Sydney based artist, graphic + web designer & photographer. Vist her website at: http://www.jelenaiujoki.com or email her at:ji@jelenaiujoki.com