How
Cardiomyopathy,
Meditation &
Feng Shui Helped
Me To Overcome
Cancer

About the Author

I was in heart failure. I was put on the operating schedule for open-heart surgery to replace a faulty heart valve; but instead, I went for a second opinion. During the second opinion, I was told I had cardiomyopathy (enlargement of the heart muscle) and did not need the operation, after all. I was relieved; but I had this nagging pain in my abdomen. My new cardiologist sent me for a CAT scan, then the bombshell hit-- it was ovarian cancer. I was in disbelief; I was angry. I went routinely, every six months, to my gynecologist. In fact, I had just had a check-up and was assured that everything was fine.

"How could all these health problems happen to one person, at one time? I'll do anything to make them go away." I pleaded.

After having a full hysterectomy, I went through the stages of grief. My heart was stronger than what the doctors actually thought; yet I needed something more to get me through. My family, friends and colleagues were very supportive, but it wasn't enough. Then, I remembered something that happened about three months before my diagnosis, when I was in a certification program studying Feng Shui. I was meditating with friends. During the meditation, a voice came from within. It told me that I would go through much suffering, but would not die. I told my friends what was revealed to me, but I eventually dismissed it as not being real...But it was real all right! I made a vow-- never doubt my meditations again.
My Feng Shui teacher encouraged me to keep meditating; she came to visit me in the hospital and brought a beautiful bouquet of nine flowers.

"These are more then flowers," she said, "They are part of a transcendental healing ceremony called Tracing The 9 Stars, a Feng Shui cure that transforms negative energy into positive energy."

She began chanting the Heart-Calming mantra, (a prayer said in Sanskrit). She held her hands in a Mudra, (a sacred hand gesture), placing the tips of her thumb and index finger together, to form a circle.
"This is a Tibetan Buddhist, Feng Shui cure," she said.

After she finished, she placed the flowers on the windowsill, in clear view for all to see. In three days, she advised me to throw the flowers away, even if they still looked fresh and vibrant. We chatted awhile; then, she told me that she also had a life-threatening illness. She believed it was karmic and that she would get well again. And indeed she was well.

After three days passed, the flowers were still beautiful, but I did what she said. I had my husband remove and dispose them in a trash receptacle, located on the outside of the hospital. This was exactly what I needed. A Feng Shui cure! Was my illness also karmic? Was I cured?

Something mystical happed, through the Tracing of the 9 Stars. Those nine flowers still exist; they are part of my spirit. They give me strength and hope and continue to send forth their blessings, by keeping me focused and happy. I believe one can be coached into well-being. Meditation is the most important part of my medication. It is only a letter difference, but that one letter is the medication that truly works. But most importantly, a balance in consciousness through meditation is the key to being at peace. One's belief system is ultimately what one becomes. Meditating and connecting with the universe unites me to my higher self. Meditation and Feng Shui are now a huge part of my belief system and trust in God-- they've gotten me through the storm and into the dawn of a new awakening.

I always knew, deep down, on a subconscious level, that I would recover. Why did I have so much illness appear at one time? My doctors were also baffled. They told me that environment, genetics and diet may all play a part in contracting cancer, but they thought the cardiomyopathy was caused, possibly, from a virus. They said it was bizarre to get two major illnesses at one time. But even uncannier was that heart failure and cardiomyopathy ultimately saved my life. If it weren't for my cardiologist sending me for a CAT scan, the ovarian cancer would have gone undetected.

I have stopped reliving how my cardiomyopathy and cancer came about and why my gynecologist didn't discover the cancer sooner. It is a waste of time. It is useless and fruitless to dwell in the past. I have replaced worrying with loving life. If I project a happy, healthy me, then others will see it too. Because of cardiomyopathy, my cancer was halted. A double dose of awakening was much more profound than all the medication and chemotherapy that keeps my heart functioning and the cancer at bay.

There is no doubt that cardiomyopathy saved my life, but there is something more. It is called Faith, with a capital "F". Living with cardiomyopathy and cancer is an intimate challenge. They eat, sleep and breathe with me. Even when everything is going well, they remind me how precious life is. I now believe that my cardiomyopathy was a gift. Because of this conviction, it allows me not to be consumed with fear. I will not let cancer take over my identity. I know I am not a defective heart or a cell gone awry. Both may live in me, but it's not the core of who I am.

Cardiomyopathy and cancer continually teach me to be a compassionate being with no regrets. From both, I have been taught this very valuable information: Negative and positive are in the eyes of the beholder. In my case, cardiomyopathy was definitely positive; it kept me from dying of cancer. Now, I can open my eyes each morning and smile, I am well; I am alive. I realize I have much to smile and laugh about-- For a smile is the gesture of the universe and laughter its song.