Its Testimonial Tuesday and this is a new one: At the Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute, I was told I had Stage IV cancer and there was no cure. My oncologist (cancer doctor) said I would be fighting cancer the rest of my life, and he couldnt tell me how long that would be. I was scared, very scared. On good advice, I went to LifeWorks Wellness Center to see Dr. Minkoff. I was in a lot of pain, I could hardly walk. The cancer had spread from my prostate gland to a bone in my back and into my right femur bone (biggest leg bone). The cancer in my back was pushing on a nerve, creating such pain that I needed a strong narcotic to be able to move. I have been a runner most of my life in junior high school, high school, and 4 years of college on a full athletic scholarship. Running meant a lot to me. My cancer made running impossible. I needed help. I wanted to live. I remember the first day Dr. Minkoff examined me in his office. I asked him many questions, but what meant the most was when I asked, Will I ever run again? He smiled and understood, being a runner himself, and said, Of course you will! However, I didnt see much future, never mind being able to run again. Once I started my tailor-made treatment program based on what I really needed, I got out of pain. I was feeling better. But although I could ride a bike, I still couldnt run. There seemed to be too much damage. But running became the standard to judge my cancer. If I could run again, then I was in control of it. Last night I experienced a miracle. I ran. I ran while crying tears of joy that wouldnt stop. I was crying so many happy tears that I almost ran into a tree! Then I laughed, and kept laughing and crying, but kept running. I want to thank all the staff at LifeWorks Wellness Center for their care, friendship and love. They are like family. I especially want to thank Tamora for her leadership and ability to create a friendly island of care and results in a turbulent ocean of wrong answers and no solutions. And to Dr. Minkoff, what can I say, you had the courage, drive and integrity to establish one of the few and unique centers in the United States that delivers cutting edge medical technology that really works. And you were right -- I ran! M.
Posted on: Tue, 16 Dec 2014 13:28:49 +0000
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