Bunny, Debbie, Rawbin, and Wendi at Raw Spirit

In the car, I excitedly tell my husband “ I have a chance, I need to figure out what it will take to make this better. I know I can do it.” But I had nothing, no ideas, no leads, and no amazing cures. Zilch. So I started at zero. This is where the story really starts.

Pre Cancer, the Internet was mainly used for emailing friends, looking up info and reading Perez Hilton. After my diagnosis, it has become my lifeline, my hang out, my support system and the source of my salvation, my raw foods diet. I searched day and night, read all about CLL, read about miracle diets, cures, all supposed to shut down the cancer factory that was my bone marrow. I cried, I screamed, I laughed and was encouraged, I thought I would lose my mind. But the truth is, I found my life.

A girl was on TV, she was young and cute and oh, yeah, she had incurable cancer. Hubby says she has a book, crazy sexy, what? I don’t know. I told him I don’t have time to mess around with some stupid book like that. Kept reading, starting meditating, looking for toxins, quit using deoderant, got distlled water. I was like a health detective, determined to find out who done it. The most likely suspect turned out to be… well, me, Mrs. Young, In the Kitchen, With a Frying Pan.

So was I cured? Did I just become canser free with one juicing session or one raw food meal?? No, actually, I got worse. Many people were concerned, told me maybe it was not going to work. But I knew it was working. I had seen painful lumps on my finger joints dissolve under my fingertips, my lower back pain was gone, I dropped over 15 lbs in the first year, my sleep improved, a skin tag dissapeared, my elimination was, finally, normal. I had energy galore and felt lighter in a way I cannot describe adequetely. My love of writing and sharing my life bloomed with my blog. I started getting colonics, juiced green every day, cut sugar, all cooked and processed foods, diary, meat, caffiene and alcohol out of my life. I made the farmers market my main place of business and friendships formed there too. Whole Foods is my pharmacy, like Kris likes to say!

Here is how my blood work went: (Normal white count is 11K or less)

3/07 At first onc visit: 17K
4/07 At bone marrow biopsy: 21K
7/07 23K
9/07 27K
12/07 (1 ½ months raw) 29K and I weighed 138 lbs
3/08 17k
7/08 14.9K
10/08 14.9K weight 126 lbs

At the last appointment, I asked if I could go for six months instead of 3 months and he agreed, warning me that I have a compromised immune system, and that if I got sick I needed to contact my Doc immeadiately. I never get sick. So whose immune system is low? Not mine!

I am sure of the fact that I will be raw for the rest of my life. CLL is part of that life, part of me. I am at peace with it. I always remind myself: I have Leukemia, it doesn’t have me! I am so very blessed by my networks and friends on line, many of whom I have had the pleasure to meet and hug in person. My story is not over and I don’t have an expiration date stamped on my forehead. May anyone who wishes to live life to the fullest find the joy of living raw foods and juicing! It literally has saved my life and I am so very grateful for that and for all my fellow raw friends.

Much Love
Peach out
Deb

You can find out more about Debbie Young, and CLL, by visiting the following sites:

• This will explain what CLL is: Disease Characteristics 
• Debbie Does Raw Blog
• Twitter
• Facebook
• crazy sexy life forum (I am an ambassador there too)
• Give it to me raw
• Raw Fu!