Now a college student Anne did not go to class in order to make her voice heard. Soon, she dropped out and went to work with her mother. In the office Annie would meet the man who 20 years later would become her husband. Her wedding was the happiest and most confused day of her life. Conflicted about her status as a claimed woman, Annie pushed on, got married. Once on a cold January day, happy with life, Annie discovered a calloused area on her left breast. She went to a doctor who performed a mammogram and sonogram. Upon seeing the results, she immediately referred Annie to a surgeon just a few blocks away. Ann saw the surgeon on a Thursday. The nurse was happy because insurance had approved the surgery. By next Monday her doctor performed a lumpectomy. No biopsy. No second opinion. Like so many others, serious illness happened fast for this 44-year old woman. One day she was healthy, hardly seeing any doctors. The next she was told she has cancer, which almost always means an early release from this mortal coil. Annies life ended. Annies life began. I always thought I would survive. She was certain. When Ann visited her oncologist, she quickly learned he was not interested in her health, but rather just her disease. She was allergic to chemotherapy (who isnt?). She went so far as to get her breast tattooed for radiation treatment. Tattoo or not, she left that oncologists office resolved to find health practitioners who were actually interested in her well-being. After Annie refused radiation, a doctor called her husband, Steve, and said his wife would die if she didnt do the prescribed treatment. Terrified, he went to his wife and told her that he was on her side and supported whatever decision she wished to make. Steve is an organic part of Annies health. Before there was an internet, Annie informed herself as much as possible regarding alternative cancer treatments. The more she read the more she refused the conventional protocols. From the beginning she shared her growing knowledge with other women who had breast cancer. The informal sharing became casual meetings. Annie was empowering herself and other women. It became clear that she embodied a healthy, optimistic relationship to her body. She immediately switched her diet to organic foods. She started acupuncture treatments with Frances H. Goodwin. She followed the Gerson program. Max Gerson had had much success in the early-mid 2
20th century treating seriously ill patients through nutrition and detoxification techniques. Annie was living past expectations, although tumors kept reoccurring. Annie had a full mastectomy. She refused reconstructive surgery. She also had some lymph nodes removed for examination. No cancer was found there, but she was left with permanent lymphedema, a probable result that she was not told about before the operation. In fact, her doctor told her that her symptoms were temporary. Later, she discovered that the lymph nodes procedure was unnecessary. She not only thrived through CAM (Complementary & Alternative Cancer Therapies), but also gave birth to an organization/website called The Annie Appleseed Project. Her informal meetings had grown and she was asked to speak at various forums around the country. Then she was asked to speak at meetings around the world. She was a woman with breast cancer and an attitude. Her tone is clear health travels many paths. But try recovering when conventional medicine believes you have an expiration date on your forehead. Annie understood the power of her idea when one day at a booth she was staffing for Annie Appleseed Project, a woman came up to her crying and said she was so grateful to Annie for the empowerment she felt after reading her website. This woman is devoted to her mission. Anyone who has ever met her will tell you that in Annies case, Marshall McLuhan was right the medium is the message. Annies example, courage and refusal to give up control of her body are what inspire her audience. Yes, her alternative treatments were obviously very important. Gersons program played a vital part in her recovery. Finally, it was a regimen of traditional Chinese herbs administered to her by Dr. George Y.C. Wong, a brilliant Ph.D. out of Harvard University, which helped the tumors permanently disappear. Her journey had begun on January 6, 1993. The day after September 11, 2001, Annie was called by her oncologist and told that she was cancer free. She was walking downtown aware of the smell of death rising from American ruins and she started to cry. Passersby consoled her telling her she would be alright. In the center of a nightmare, Annie knew she would live. If you wish to further know Ann Fonfas work, go to www.Annieappleseedproject.org.