Dennis Hollingsworth

Knock on Wood

Stephanie and I are back to Dallas after a harrowing week. Her father has bounced back from surgery to remove a tumor from his cerebellum and he looks great. He even has a little swagger. The hospital let him out early and he?s recuperating at home in Santa Clarita. Now, there?s the next hurdle: a combination of chemo and radiation therapy to beat down the other cancer sites in his body... then, his immune system can take over once the 'lil Bin Ladens are whittled down to size so the T-cells can finish off the job. The trouble with this is that his body is beat down too, and if he doesn?t beef up his immune system all the while, it won?t have the strength to do it?s critical job.

Diet and exercise become the big issues now. Stephanie is reading a book: ?Beating Cancer with Nutrition? by Patrick Quilliin and it is a readable, practical guide to this task. A tight summary: lower or eliminate the sugar (and starches that turn to sugar), eat fresher foods, and oxygenate your bodies with exercise. Friends, family and co-artworlders: good guidelines for anyone afflicted or not.