Tag Archives: Medical Illness

by Marcus Ampe | 2016/05/12 · 8:08 pm

What would you do if…? Continued trial

When you are diagnosed with a disease which doctors say you shall have to live with it for as long as you can live, it does not mean you have to give in to it and let your self go. Be realistic also not to think you shall be able to get rid of it. No way! sorry for those who have put their hope in a possibility to get that horrible monster out of their body and to be free of any such malignant adversary.

Any illness of the bones and muscles which is considered for life, has to be looked at in that way. Though you shall not be able to cure it you might postpone the badness of it or get to learn with the limitations it brings over you.

I do agree sometimes the pain and the horrible prison you might find yourself can be so much threatening that you wish you were not born or that you would not mind having an end to your life.
The pain sometimes can be so horrible you want to break the walls or explode.

But than I would advice you to try to do the same as I try to do. To speak to the Most High Who gives and takes life and let us not be tempted over that what we really can cope. And you would be surprised that can be a lot. Though sometimes others may feel the pressure even more than you yourself. Once my family had to wait for two days before they got the news I was going to survive. Be sure, it was not me, who had tried to take my life away, but some aggressive road user who had pushed me from the motorway. At the moment of the accident I asked God to be able to stay here on this earth, and I am convinced He allowed it.

An ankylosing spine in which the vertebrae become fused together.

At that time I had already fought many years against Ankylosis Spondilitis (AS, Bekhterev spondylitis or Bechterev or Marie-Strümpell arthritis) after having got Rheumatic fever or rheumatoid arthritis. My job was my salvation. Being a dancer having lots of physical training every day was a battle against my own ‘corps’. But it was also not accident free, so sometimes I was put back or remembered how weak our body can be.

It did not stay with the earliest symptom of chronic lower back pain and when in 1999 two vertebra‘s were broken and I was paralysed for six months I had time enough to be busy with trying to get my body on track again. Certain doctors noticing the destruction of intervertebral disks and the growth of spurs on the vertebrae themselves wanted me to accept I had to stay the rest of my life in a wheelchair and should have enough rest. I resisted the idea to stay the rest of my life in a wheelchair and with help of the Belgian government and health-service I started one of my biggest battles in life, now applying the Kounovsky technique, which I had, for several years, taught and used to help other people with physical and mental problems, for my self. Application of heat, and lots of exercises to learn to move my fingers and the rest again to a point where I could try to maintain a normal range of movement, brought me ten years later to a point where I could say I was ‘the old one’ again, though still more limited than I was before the accident. But we also should take into account the normal deterioration by age.

After everything seemed to go better we shall be confronted more than once by moments of declension. They may not let you down. Your mind should always be stronger than your body. You have to govern your body by your mind. You can read lots of scientific books about that, but may I advice you to take up a very strange old book perhaps? At first you will perhaps not see the reason to read such very old books, but once you started your adventure going from one book into an other, you will come to see the light and start finding answers.

Before my 1999 accident I was already busy with God. In the 1960s I even wanted to become a priest, but had most difficulty not being able to have a wife and children. The trinity matter and all the pagan rites in the Old Roman Catholic Church in which I grew up disturbed me also a lot. So much that I even went church shopping I had a look at all sorts of denominations and different faith groups.

After some long studies about religion in 1974 I became a non-trinitarian and in 1976 found myself at ease by the Baptists. But a little bit more than ten years later the American Southern Baptists got stronger and stronger and pressed their trinitarian way of thinking, so that thousands of my Baptist brethren and sisters went looking for other congregations. Most of them moved over to the Jehovah Witnesses and to the Church of God, whilst others found their way to the Church of Abrahamic Faith, the Restoration Church, and the Nazarene Friends.

1999 was a turning point and a year of many doubts, me wondering if I had chosen the right way and the right faith. then after my many doubts and my close talk to God, requesting Him to stay alive to take care of my family, I was granted an other life opportunity and got enough time, lying on my back to study once again the Bible and to do research on everything what is written in it.

Now I even became more convinced of the reality of that master-work and good reasons to believe that bestseller.

I was already convinced of our duty to care of mother earth, had been active in the green movement and also stood on the barricades in 1968 fighting for a more righteous society.

Back in the running, the biggest frustration I have to cope with is not being able to dance any more, or not able to enjoy movement, because moving demands a lot of my being (offering me ‘pain for free’). I let not others notice it and do not complain about it, but it is in me, and I know it shall stay with me. To operate my back is too dangerous, thus as long as I can cope with the pain that is my best option, to continue to do whatever I want to do, moving around and doing things I like to do.

And that is what every person should do when trapped in his own body. Not letting it become master of the inner soul, but letting it be a carrier of strive and war-zones of positivity, going forward as long as we can. Never mind that those around us not always see the struggle we have to go through and sometimes do not seem to comprehend us. For the youngsters it is often very difficult to grasp it is sometimes something we can not cope with ourselves. To apprehend the deeper undercurrents of life is not always given to the young ones. Often they also do not understand the work we do and get not paid for, can also be considered work or something necessary. And when it has to do with faith, for them it seems all a waste of energy and time. Hopefully they shall come to learn the value of it.

We can only hope that enough motor neurons shall reach from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and that they can stay enough elastic and reactive to react properly to signals we want to get to them. But also our mind has to be able to think properly. Also that is not always acceptable for the youngsters that we forget things or at certain moments can come up the right word any more. Wear and tear gets master over us, but also that should not get us to stop to continue our ‘battle’.

Having had several unpleasant and painful experiences, I had to learn the hard way that “Life is hard”. Previous to my serious accident I had put lots of energy in many people and lots of cases. Having for a third time to build up my life, this time like beginning from scrap again, because I had memory loss, and had to learn everything about what happened in the past again. This was an incredible difficult task, to take loss of languages, which still gets me frustrated at moments.
But I also learned not to loose energy any more in ‘lost cases’ and to stop in time to stay in contact with certain people or tackling certain subjects. I found out that it is better to stay in contact with the right people. It is much easier to surround oneself with people who can ‘energeticise’, those who can bring something positive to our life as well, by not pulling it down and by not considering us ‘lower’ or ‘disabled’ or ‘not performant’ any more. Yes it is much better to get positive people around you. People that won’t only rejoice with you in the good times but and who will not stay away when it goes bad with you. People who are willing to support us in the difficult times are the ones we better have around us.

For that reason I also wanted to spread more positivism and share positive ideas, and therefore created this lifestyle magazine, also in the hope people shall find some articles which can strengthen and courage them as well give them more hope and perhaps also shall get them to know other people with similar problems who can help them further.

Often it helps when we do know we are not alone and that others have foudn solutions which can be good for us as well. From each-others experiences and from sharing ideas we also can learn a lot.

But not only the people are important. Also the things we do and the things we eat.

I am convinced that what we eat and think is very important. So we should take care we try to eat and use as much as possible natural materials not burdening our body with animal material. We do not need meat and to much meat is eaten in our greedy society. A huge variety of fruit and vegetables will help you on your way to have less pain whilst avoiding as much as possible the synthetic medicinal drugs. If you never tried it, please do it, go to a homeopathic doctor and see what he can offer you to reduce your ‘hell’ to something you can bear.

With a good natural diet and natural drugs (homeopathy and phytotherapy) you shall notice life will be so much easier. Ad to it a daily dose of some walking and daily exercise and you shall go a step higher.

And yes, why should you not think about some other part of life, the spiritual life?

What would you do if you know your body is hurting you so much or luck does not seem to have come your way?

Why would you not reconsider everything that happened to you and those you love and come to see that there is more behind it all?

Would it be nice to know that there is some promise which can become a reality for you and me as well?

In the Bible are promises given to individuals and to people or nations. Prophesies have come true so why not shall the last ones which are not fulfilled yet, not come true?
Have a look at them. Think about them. Think also about some one who had a body which seemed normal and not affected by pains or limitations. That man from Nazareth walked for miles and could not stop talking about the One he loved and trusted. He showed why we too should trust Him Who is much mightier than that man who walked through desserts and was tempted more than once, but did not give in. He managed to put his own will aside, to do the will of his heavenly Father.
Why should we also not try to listen to that Father and give our hands, our life also in His hands?

You better be careful the environment you choose for it will shape you and choose for the right people around you. Always remembering that self-preservation is the highest law of nature and that being angry upon yourself or a situation is not going to help. And remember that

You only lose energy when life becomes dull in your mind

Know there is a good foundation to go your way but be always careful where you want to put down your steps or leave your marks or sow your seeds.

And most important to remember:

Never give up or never give in. Keep running the battle.

Preceding articles

What would you do if…?

What Are You Seeking?

Denis Wright looking at the world of human beings

Mourners Celebrate Life Of Inspirational Cancer Teen

Searching for fulfillment and meaning through own efforts, facing unsatisfaction and depression

Be not afraid of going slowly; be afraid only of standing still

See the conquest and believe that we can gain the victory

May we have doubts

Additional reading

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Denis Wright looking at the world of human beings

Many people do not see that our life is something which is given to us, by a ‘Thing‘ bigger than we can understand or would ever be able to grasp. It is a Spirit which created everything and still allows things to be created. For the beings which can walk around on this earth they may be a fleeting thing.

“whether you reach one year of age, or ten or a hundred years”

knew also terminal cancer patient Denis Wright. He wrote on his blog, which was selected for preservation by the Australian National Library in its Pandora Archive:

Every life is a little spark that flickers briefly, sometimes brightly, and then the spark fades quickly and passes back into an infinity of space and silence. {A Last Message from Denis}

The former historian in Asian studies, comparative religions, movie-maker and “observer of the world as we have changed it” was dealing with a GBM (4) (glioblastoma multiforme): the most aggressive form of brain tumour.

Denis Wright wasn’t meant to live long. He’s had birthdays – 66 of them – but he’s also had plenty of deathdays – the dates he thought he would “cark it”.

At one point the historian from Armidale in country NSW said:

“Every date we’ve estimated so far has been wrong … I’ve embarrassed myself by staying alive.” {A Last Message from Denis}

While he was living on this earth for this brief time he was fully aware that

our bodies are the bearers of who and what we are. They are not us; they’re just the vessels in which our true self resides. We stop sometimes, and try to take stock. We move on, and simply live. We occasionally contemplate the great questions or put them aside as an insoluble puzzle. {A Last Message from Denis}

Mr Wright has not wasted his time by moaning and shutting himself out of this world where there is much suffering. He himself suffered also much, but he wanted to use his pains and agonies to help others. That is the good attitude we should like to see by many more.

On a blog, called My Unwelcome Stranger he took the courage to write about his experiences. Writing about his troubled health he shared why he would rather call someone than send them a text (it’s too slow to say anything other than “OK”)

But why put myself through 10 minutes of torment on a screen I can’t read anyway when I can just press one button to bring up the number of the person I want to call, and say, “OK”? I could even add, “I love you” in a real voice, as long as I got the right number. What to would be bemused, but not amused, should I leave a voice message for him telling him so when I really thought I was phoning my beloved. {A Last Message from Denis}

Often people let themselves go and in their illness they do not seem to think clear or forget the easy things they could do. though when suffering the toll can be high and people can miss the true importance of small things and worse, of bigger things like a wedding (and that is “the receipt of as many and as expensive a range of gifts as possible,” he joked).

For reasons I still can’t quite figure out in view of the fact that we were going for the record for the longest engagement in history, one which had begun almost last century (millennium even), we abandoned that exercise after a sterling effort of nearly a decade, and opted to get married instead. {A Last Message from Denis}

The last fourteen years of his life he has spent with, and been loved by, and married the one who is to him

the most beautiful, intelligent and caring woman in the world. It’s impossible for me to express the amount of care and time and patience Tracey has given me, with little thought to her own needs. She has always placed mine first. This path we’ve had to share since 2009 has been more difficult than anyone can understand unless you’ve travelled a similar one – and cared as much as she has. She hid her tears from me many times, knowing how much they tore me apart; yet to cry alone and out of sight is one of the saddest things in life. {A Last Message from Denis}

For every person on this earth it is so important who can be around him or her. The close surroundings are the one part of our life we should assure a good connection. It is in those surroundings that people should be able to build up some trust with others and feel the connection with others. It is also in the close surroundings people should be able to come to understand the meaning of love through the presence in their life by others.

It is nice to hear that Dennis Wright could clung himself to life to the end. He wrote:

it’s only because of the joy of sharing life with close family and friends, and my desire to be with them as long as possible. For me, nothing else mattered but those bonds of love and friendship. To allow them to slip away is, by far, the most difficult thing to accept. {A Last Message from Denis}

All of us should find ways to help others around us. We should bring our friendship out of our boundaries and go into our neighbourhood having an eye and a heart for those in need.

When we ourselves have some bad moments let us also remember it is necessary to go looking for a balance heavily in favour of good things over bad in our life. Sometimes we shall have to take time to chose the way of relativism for certain things which happened in our life.

I’m also grateful that I had the chance to reflect on my life and its meaning through the window of terminal illness. That time for reflection isn’t something everyone gets. It’s a window through which things become sharper and more vivid than any other. {A Last Message from Denis}

Let us all learn from the lesson Mr Wright gave:

Whatever endures beyond my body will do so, especially in the form of the consequences of my actions in life, and my only wish is that whatever I’ve taken from the world, I have been able to give something meaningful back. {A Last Message from Denis}

That we may find joy in having been able to give something meaningful back.

Useful other readings:

The Waiting Room / Breast Cancer Tableau (Photo credit: Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library)

numerology for Denis Wright (newsnumerology.com)
Dr Charlie Teo, high-profile Australian neurosurgeon, has said the condition is “impossible” to cure.
‘Exploding’ Cells? Swedish Scientists Discover Potential Cancer Treatment for Glioblastoma Multiforme – The Karolinska Institute in Stockholm reverses cancerous cell growth with Vacquinol-1. (sevenponds.com)
After a five-day period in which scientists fed Vacquinol-1 to mice with GBM, they found that the substance had increased activity in the cancer cells to the point that they simply “exploded.” “Vacquinols stimulate death by membrane ruffling, cell rounding, massive macropinocytic vacuole accumulation, ATP depletion, and cytoplasmic membrane rupture of [glioblastoma cells],” explained the Karolinska Institute report. Essentially, that means the activity of the mice’s glioblastoma cells was rendered so hyper-active that the cells had no choice but to explode and die. “When cancer cells were filled with a large amount of vacuoles,” says the Institute, “the cell membranes, the outer wall of the cell, collapsed.”
Study: Chemotherapy May Lead To Less Peaceful Death (atlanta.cbslocal.com)
More than half of end-stage cancer patients receive chemotherapy during the last few months of their life, and those who received such treatment were more likely to die in a hospital intensive care unit, hooked to a ventilator, rather than at home as they would have preferred, says a new study.Patients were also less likely to have discussed their end of life wishes with their oncologist compared to other end-stage cancer patients who opted not to continue chemotherapy.Researchers say doctors have a hard time initiating conversations with their patients, especially those dying from metastatic cancer.“There’s a subtle dance that happens between oncologist and patient,” Dr. Alexi Wright, an assistant professor of medicine at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and the study’s lead author, told the Boston Globe. “Where doctors don’t want to broach the subject of dying, especially in younger patients, because it makes those patients think we’re giving up on them.”
Terminally ill cancer sufferer Stephen Sutton forced to defend himself over online ‘dupe’ accusations (manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
Terminally ill cancer sufferer Stephen Sutton has been forced to defend himself against cruel online accusations he ‘duped’ people following his release from hospital.Stephen, who has incurable bowel cancer, has raised more than £3.1 million for the Teenage Cancer Trust after his plight touched the hearts of people around the world.The 19-year-old previously said he was nearing the end but he was discharged from Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth’s Hospital on Friday after doctors gave him the go-ahead to return to his home in Burntwood, Staffordshire.
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on the Mail’s Facebook page Sarah Hill said: “Am I the only one who thinks something is not quite right here? While I hope I am wrong it feels like we are being conned.

“One minute he tweets saying he is dying and won’t see the next day, then all of a sudden he is being released to go home. As I said, I hope I am wrong but I have a strange feeling about this.”

Stephen, who on Friday met Prime Minister David Cameron who described him as “inspirational”, felt forced to defend himself.

In a message he said: “Sorry to disappoint you! So you know, I still have my cancer and it’s incurable, if that makes you feel less ‘duped’ x”
Jay Lake (murverse.com)
The day after the Hugo awards last year, he made a point to talk to me and tell me that he was in charge of caring for/keeping track of the Campbell tiara. He told me that, in addition to me winning the award, he was passing that responsibility to me, since he thought I was passionate enough about the award to make sure the tiara tradition continued. I nearly cried right there.One of the biggest thrills of my life was receiving the Campbell Award from Jay and his daughter, and then getting a picture with them afterward. Jay is well loved and will be missed.
6 Stories That Prove the Mind Has the Power to Heal the Body (thehealersjournal.com)
My book Mind Over Medicine is full of data scientifically proving that the mind can heal- or harm- the body. But data can be dry, and sometimes what resonates most deeply within our souls are stories. So sit back, grab a cup of tea, and let’s have story time. I’m going to tell you a few true stories that will demonstrate to you how powerfully the mind affects your physiology.
Chemotherapy proven to cause death (wakeupcallnews.blogspot.com)
Chemotherapy is one of the worst forms of cancer treatment there is, primarily because of the horrific chemicals involved, but also because it is simply an agonizing way to kill.According to a newly published study in the British Medical Journal, more than half of end-stage cancer patients are given chemotherapy during the final few months of their life, and those who received such treatment were much more likely to die uncomfortably: in a hospital intensive care unit hooked to a ventilator, rather than at home as they wanted.
Saudi opposition reports King Abdullah has terminal lung cancer (worldtribune.com)
In a statement on April 17, the institute, aligned with the Shi’ite opposition, said Abdullah was “suffering from terminal lung cancer.” The statement said Abdullah, known as a chain smoker, was seen wearing a breathing tube during his meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama on March 28. The king was also seen with the tube on April 4 when Abdullah returned to Riyad from his retreat in Rawdat Khuraim.
Have People Used Baking Soda to Treat Cancer for 10 Cents/Day? (therebel.org)
The National Cancer Institute says that cancer treatment costs between $31,500 and $400,000 over several years, depending on the type of cancer one is suffering from. One of the cheapest ways to treat cancer is probably something you’ve never heard of, yet Dr. Tullio Simoncini of Rome found a possible treatment that takes around three weeks and costs literally pennies. But his simple, yet revolutionary idea was shunned by the medical industry, even though he was a successful oncologist. Nonetheless, Simoncini has destroyed cancerous tumors with nothing more than sodium bicarbonate, otherwise known as baking soda. Baking soda works by ‘shocking’ cancer cells with alkalinity. The extracellular (interstitial) pH (pHe) of solid tumors is significantly more acidic compared to normal tissues.
Wilko Johnson diagnosed with terminal cancer (guardian.co.uk)
Wilko Johnson has been diagnosed with terminal cancer of the pancreas. The news became public via a story in the Echo, the local paper in Johnson’s hometown of Southend, and spread after local musician and music historian Will Birch tweeted the news, having read it in the Echo.

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Filed under Health affairs, Lifestyle

Tagged as Armidale New South Wales, Brain tumour, Cancer, Denis Wright, Giving, Glioblastoma multiforme, Human beings, Human creations, Illness, Life, Measuring life, Medical Illness, Relativism, Spirit, Terminal cancer, Terminal disease, Vessels

by Guestspeaker | 2014/05/31 · 12:12 pm

Mourners Celebrate Life Of Inspirational Cancer Teen

Stephen Sutton, a young man who had to face cancer, but did not let it bring him down, has died. His spirit, bravery and determination to live life to the full was and should be an inspiration to us all.

Sutton, from Burntwood, Staffordshire, who spent his last weeks raising more than £3million for the Teenage Cancer Trust charity, died on Wednesday after being re-admitted to hospital at the weekend with breathing difficulties and his family said his condition was rapidly deteriorating.

For all healthy and sick people it is good to take this young man in mind.

“Stephen didn’t measure life in time, preferring instead to measure it by the difference someone makes. Stephen has made an enormous difference to Teenage Cancer Trust and the seven young people diagnosed with cancer every day who need our help.”

said Siobhan Dunn, chief executive of Teenage Cancer Trust which Sutton raised his money for.

The final photo posted on Stephen Sutton’s Facebook

You may find on Facebook RIP Steven Sutton and already a Facebook page Steven Sutton deserves an OBE.

No matter his illness which he knew would bring soon bring an end to his life this boy was full of life and wanted to do many things in his life. He wanted to try to make the world a better place no matter what.

Kenneth Blanchard with many others found Stephen a fantastic lad who was always thinking of others and will be sadly missed.

The Teenage Cancer Trust wrote on its site:

Stephen Sutton, the amazing young man who did so much to raise funds and awareness for Teenage Cancer Trust has died. The thoughts of everyone here at Teenage Cancer Trust are with Stephen’s family and friends. We are humbled and hugely grateful for what Stephen achieved, and continues to achieve, for young people with cancer.

Stephen Sutton was a normal kid who did well at school, had ambitions of becoming a doctor, played lots of sports and played drums in a local band. Like anyone else his age, he liked socializing and going out with friends.

Then in 2010, when he was 15, he was diagnosed with stage 3B colorectal cancer. After 6 months of crippling symptoms he underwent a hemicolectomy to remove a tumour from his bowel, then had 6 months of chemotherapy. The treatment had all kinds of side effects but throughout it he was determined not to let the treatment and diagnosis get on top of him.

In January 2013, diagnosed with a s continued growing and spreading cancer, this young lad decided to share his life and outlook with the whole world, starting off by making a Facebook page called Stephen’s story. I’ve raised over £160,000 so far, through events ranging from charity quizzes, to a skydive to dinner parties. I think there should be some fun in fundraising, and I always encourage people to try something new.

I smile because I have a lot to smile about. I’ve seen a lot, achieved a lot — and had a lot of fun doing it too. – Now he is gone but his spirit may carry on.

Stephen’s Story has expanded to other forms of social media including Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram. Facebook acquired over 12,500 dedicated Facebook fans and over 16,000 followers on Twitter at one point, and he hoped to inspire people with motivational quotes, humour and positivity.

His time on this world was too short. Lichfield Cathedral had to be host for his death body, but had to see his spirit was much alive, seeing a sea of yellow as the vigil for Stephen was held this Thursday and Friday. The respons of local shops and homes in Lichfield to an appeal to ‘paint the town yellow’ was nicely followed and the home town, Burntwood, was covered in yellow ribbons in memory of this strong boy who made it possible that many other people could be helped in the future.

At 6pm on Thursday, Stephen’s coffin had left his home in Burntwood by horse-drawn carriage, entering Lichfield by The Bowling Green, passing along The Friary, Swan Road and Bird Street before entering the Close. He was taken into the cathedral at 7pm and laid in a place of honour and given a short opening ceremony at the cathedral. The Cathedral remained open until midnight for people to pay their respects. When I watched the Breakfast Show on BBC I could already see the many people passing from 7am on Friday, before a public farewell ceremony at 3pm that afternoon.

All are welcome to attend. At 3.45pm on Friday, Stephen’s coffin will exit the Close and leave Lichfield for a private family funeral.

His mother wrote on Facebook:

My heart is bursting with pride but breaking with pain for my courageous, selfless, inspirational son who passed away peacefully in his sleep in the early hours of this morning, Wednesday 14th May. The ongoing support and outpouring of love for Stephen will help greatly at this difficult time, in the same way as it helped Stephen throughout his journey. We all know he will never be forgotten, his spirit will live on, in all that he achieved and shared with so many.

It is nice we can see people like Stephen and Matt who had this amazing ability to just make you forget, to have you laughing at old stories or chatting away about what’s been going on at work, and suddenly nothings wrong, you’re not talking to someone who’s ill, you’re just talking to Matt or Stephen. Such personalities are needed in a society who is afraid to face the illnesses that can kill.

Under the constant shadow of terminal bowel cancer – creating a bucket list and spreading awareness to other young people Stephen saw his campaign gain rapid momentum.

In an interview with The Sun when he was well enough, the teenager said:

“You only get one shot at life. I need to make every second count.”

Before his death, Stephen, who was diagnosed aged just 15, said:

“I don’t see the point in measuring life in terms of time any more. I’d rather measure life in terms of making a difference.”

You may say he made a difference and let every second of his life be of some importance by which he also dared to put himself at the side and be there to help others.

It was that attitude which earned the highest praise and admiration, including from celebrities including Benedict Cumberbatch, Jason Manford, Simon Pegg , Russell Brand, Simon Cowell, and Ricky Gervais.
Prime Minister David Cameron went to meet Stephen while in hospital, and following his death on May 14, said:

“I’m deeply saddened to hear that Stephen Sutton has died. His spirit, bravery and fund-raising for cancer research were all an inspiration.”

The Mirror front page for tomorrow’s paper. – A fitting tribute to a courageous teenager who was taken too soon.

Rock legend Roger Daltrey paid tribute to Stephen last night.

The Who frontman, 70, said to the Sun:

“The courage of the boy was amazing. Stephen became an inspiration to teenagers around the world.

“His short life will have an impact for years to come. It is very hard for the family but he was so resilient.

“You’d never think he was so ill. He had incredible spirit and encouraged other teenagers not to hide away from the illness.

“The world needs examples like Stephen so teenagers can get the treatment they need.” {Sun Press associates}

Many can learn from how he looked at himself:

“I actually I see myself as very fortunate- despite being incurable for a while I have had a sustained period of very good health where I was able to go out and enjoy things thoroughly…”

“Ultimately, there is no miracle cure for me. I am potentially the most positive and optimistic person in the world, but we have to be realistic with what we are up against. My disease is very advanced and will get me eventually, but I will try my damn hardest to be here as long as possible.”

Jason Manford, who helped to champion Stephen’s fundraising, paid tribute to the teenager as being

“the most inspiring person I’ve ever met”.

The comedian added:

“He was an incredibly positive young man and a credit to his family, to Burntwood and to humanity itself.

“The reason we took to him so passionately was because he was better than us, he did something that none of us could even imagine doing.

“In his darkest hour he selflessly dedicated his final moments to raising millions of pounds for teenagers with cancer.

“Some of Stephen’s words will stay with me and others forever and they are words to live by – ‘life isn’t measured in time, it’s measured in achievements’.

“If that’s true, Stephen, then you had a fulfilling life full of special moments and you will live long in the memory of thousands, if not millions, of people.”

Many well wishers gave a thumbs up as the coffin of Stephen Sutton stood in Lichfield Cathedral during a two day vigil in his memory.

Stephen pictured with his mother, Jane, who left a moving tribute to her son on the Stephen’s Story Facebook page

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The Guestwriters team wishes his family strength and hope they can find comfort that Stephen could inspire many others and followed his dreams, showing others that even when their life sadly may be full of misery it is still possible to enjoy that shortened life.

Please do find what Stephen Sutton has raised at the Stephen’s fundraising page which stood at Raised: 189% on May 31 2014: £4,164,869.00 raised of £1,000,000.00 targe; 178,284 donations

Donate

Follow Stephen’s story on Facebook

#ThumbsupforStephen

Find also about Matthew Burton who was cared for at the YPU unit at the QE hospital Birmingham and who too are fund raising for The Teenage Cancer Trust (though not quite on Stephens scale) : McHeroes London 2 Brighton! … trekking 100km from London to Brighton for Teenage Cancer Trust because they do fantastic work for young people.

There’s no rule book on how to manage grief or the death of a person you know or have connected with. There’s no right or wrong way to feel and everyone will react differently.

There are some organisations who offer support at times of bereavement and loss.

www.samaritans.org

www.cruse.org.uk

www.winstonswish.org.uk

www.childline.org.uk

If you are worried about your health, speak to a doctor or visit www.nhs.uk

See Also:

Stephen Sutton’s Final Inspirational Facebook Photo‘Give Him A State Funeral’: These Stephen Sutton Tributes Are Amazing

Stephen Sutton: How a teenager touched our hearts – and raised over £3m for charity

Inspirational British teen fund-raiser with cancer dies at 19

Stephen Sutton dies aged 19: Recap reaction and tributes after cancer fund-raising hero’s death

Stephen Sutton, teenage cancer fundraiser, has died

Stephen Sutton ‘angry’ over cancer misdiagnosis

Stephen Sutton’s bucket list

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by Guestspeaker | 2014/04/22 · 1:37 pm

Searching for fulfillment and meaning through own efforts, facing unsatisfaction and depression

Dark season to cope with

On “Voice, the Christian E-book blog” in Winning the War against Depression and Anxiety: An Interview with Perry Noble is given an interview about Depression and Anxiety is with Perry Noble, founder and senior pastor of NewSpring Church, a multicampus church whose mission is to reach 100,000 people in South Carolina with the gospel.

Mostly the Winter season is marked with people having a lot of difficulty to cope with depression. Spring brings more anxiety to people feeling sometimes pressed in a corner or not able to develop their own talent. Seeing everything coming up in the parks and fields they become frustrated that nature looked death, but every year can recover so much and bring every time such new beautiful things, whilst they can not.

Today people are not concerned about God and His Creation, but they always will be confronted by that creation. In a way this may become a little bit frustrating for them and for the believers who would like to bring the unbelievers closer to the Creator. By those believers there also may rise a lot more questions when everything comes to live again, and they do not see Spring coming into their life, but see them getting older and less vibrant.

Spring-cleaning

Spring brings also the Spring-cleaning and making us to confront the old things, deciding what to throw away and what to keep but brings also questions, how to continue, and what to do this year. More than the 1st of January people now get wondering what to do and how to succeed in this New Year.

For many, like us it might be the start of trying to meet more people and getting them to see where they and we are and bringing them to where they and we need to be in a relationship with Jesus and his Father, which should be also Our Father, the Most High God.

People will always get offended—it’s inevitable. The question we have to ask is: would we rather offend religious people or lost people? When Jesus healed on the Sabbath, he offended the religious people at the same time he healed a lost person. {Perry Noble}

Searching for fulfilment and meaning

Perry Noble thinks people are searching for fulfilment and meaning through their own efforts — jobs, money, cars, kids, hobbies— whatever the next big thing might be. The reality, though, is we’ll only be truly fulfilled when we have a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Today we find a lot of people who become frustrated because they can not reach the goals they had set in front of them. Everywhere they seem to see negative elements, blocking their advancement. Lots of people do not feel they get recognition for what they do and having their work not being appreciated they start doubting in the quality of their work or in their ability to bring something others can appreciate.

Man who do not seem to get out of the darkness become struggling with depression. They do not dare to come to others with their problems and do not want to see they are depressed and perhaps need help from specialised people. They need to ask for help immediately.

Elements that can help

Noble who’s first book, Unleash! Breaking Free from Normalcy was a New York Times bestseller, also has struggled with depression. He says:

I was overwhelmed (in an awesome way) with an amazing amount of encouragement and support by my church when I shared my struggle with depression.

For so long, I thought I should be able to pray away how I was feeling or snap out of it and if I did tell anyone what was going on, they would think I was a bad Christian or didn’t really love Jesus. That’s just not true and only by speaking up and asking for help was I able to see this. I don’t think anything is wrong with medication if it’s something a doctor recommends. If you needed medicine to fix your heart you would take that, so why wouldn’t you take medicine to help fix your brain?

Our relationship with our brain and moods

Complete neuron cell diagram. Neurons (also known as neurones and nerve cells) are electrically excitable cells in the nervous system that process and transmit information. In vertebrate animals, neurons are the core components of the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It looks like many people are afraid for their own brain. Certainly when their brain does things they themselves do not like it to do.

It’s often said that depression results from a chemical imbalance, but that figure of speech doesn’t capture how complex the disease is. Research suggests that depression doesn’t spring from simply having too much or too little of certain brain chemicals. Rather, depression has many possible causes, including faulty mood regulation by the brain, genetic vulnerability, stressful life events, medications, and medical problems. It’s believed that several of these forces interact to bring on depression. {What causes depression? first printed in Understanding Depression, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical Schooll}

We got to know that the brain, and not the heart is the centre of our life and the place for all our emotions. We would love to control those areas of the brain which help to regulate mood, but we do not seem to be always in control of them.

Researchers believe that — more important than levels of specific brain chemicals — nerve cell connections, nerve cell growth, and the functioning of nerve circuits have a major impact on depression. Still, their understanding of the neurological underpinnings of mood is incomplete.

Experts have long wondered why, if depression were primarily the result of low levels of neurotransmitters, people don’t feel better as soon as levels of neurotransmitters increase.

The answer may be that mood only improves as nerves grow and form new connections, a process that takes weeks. In fact, animal studies have shown that antidepressants do spur the growth and enhanced branching of nerve cells in the hippocampus. So, the theory holds, the real value of these medications may be in generating new neurons (a process called neurogenesis), strengthening nerve cell connections, and improving the exchange of information between nerve circuits. If that’s the case, medications could be developed that specifically promote neurogenesis, with the hope that patients would see quicker results than with current treatments.

Depression connections in the brain 5 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Regulating mood

Many of our brothers in our community believe that the ultimate goal in treating the biology of depression is to improve the brain’s ability to regulate mood.

We now know that neurotransmitters are not the only important part of the machinery. But let’s not diminish their importance either. They are deeply involved in how nerve cells communicate with one another. And they are a component of brain function that we can often influence to good ends.

Every part of your body, including your brain, is controlled by genes. Genes make proteins that are involved in biological processes. Throughout life, different genes turn on and off, so that — in the best case — they make the right proteins at the right time. But if the genes get it wrong, they can alter your biology in a way that results in your mood becoming unstable. In a genetically vulnerable person, any stress (a missed deadline at work or a medical illness, for example) can then push this system off balance.

Mood is affected by dozens of genes, and as our genetic endowments differ, so do our depressions. The hope is that as researchers pinpoint the genes involved in mood disorders and better understand their functions, treatment can become more individualized and more successful. Patients would receive the best medication for their type of depression.

But mood is also a lot influenced from outside, the people we meet, the activities we see developing around us, how people interact, etc..

View of the world and influential factors

sympathy|for|the|anxiety|explosion (Photo credit: massimo ankor)

Cognitive psychologists point out that your view of the world and, in particular, your unacknowledged assumptions about how the world works also influence how you feel. You develop your viewpoint early on and learn to automatically fall back on it when loss, disappointment, or rejection occurs. For example, you may come to see yourself as unworthy of love, so you avoid getting involved with people rather than risk losing a relationship. Or you may be so self-critical that you can’t bear the slightest criticism from others, which can slow or block your career progress.

How we look at the world can be influenced by many factors, but for sure the media are not helping to have a positive look on it. Therefore we on this site world love to have an other look at the world and see the positive aspects of the world. Therefore we would like to put some photographs , like the previous one published, more in the picture. When you see all those little flowers coming up and giving colour unto our world, we should also like to give colour to our world we are living in.

Many affected by stressful experiences

In the United States of America nearly 19 million adults each year are affected by depression and worldwide we may find more than 35 million people having problems with it. Many of them do not see any more the beauty of nature and do not see any more what marvellous things this world has to offer.

The depression they got in often followed stressful experiences. The brain interprets events and decides if they are threatening, then controls the behavioural and physiological responses to those events. The brain’s reaction to stress is useful in that it supplies extra energy to help a person act on or flee from dangerous situations. Sometimes, however, brain chemical levels that increase during stressful situations stay at high levels and cause problems such as depression.

Would it not better to avoid such route where we went to far on the wrong (site) track? And can we not see by people around us when they are floating away?

Some may think

This world is becoming More Wicked by the moment: and If We; the older men and women, do not speak up: Then How Will the Young Folks learn anything about history?

Knowing history, knowing how people reacted in the past, will avoid that people go again in the same wrong direction.

Depression is a very real issue and it has impacted everyone—either it’s happened to us or someone we know. I think the church needs to talk about this issue and help people understand what the Bible says about overcoming fear, anxiety, and stress. The church should be a place where people meet Jesus, find hope, and have the courage to ask for help! {Winning the War against Depression and Anxiety: An Interview with Perry Noble}

Having eyes for the other and helping each-other

Each of us can help a person not getting so far that he or she gets into a depression. We should see when people around us get more into a deep well or in a bottomless pit. By being positive ourselves we can radiate ourselves positiveness that can infect others, making them to see the bright site of life.

Depression is dark and lonely, and there is a misconception that Christians shouldn’t struggle with depression; if you love Jesus, you should just be able to pray it away. But that’s just not true!

Many times, if things are messy, the church doesn’t want to talk about it. {Winning the War against Depression and Anxiety: An Interview with Perry Noble}

Churches should also talk about this and other matters people do have to struggle with, also when they are Christian. It is not because we have accepted Jesus in our life that we are free of pain and struggle. Do not believe that. But be sure in our faith we can find guidance and lots of help to be able to cope better with those struggles.

In most cases, people will identify with your pain more than they will your success. Sharing stories of your past and where God has brought you from could help someone take the next step with Jesus. If God can use my pain for someone else’s progress, then I want him to use it! {Winning the War against Depression and Anxiety: An Interview with Perry Noble}

Believers and non-believers, people adhering a religion or not, have to see that depression, anxiety, and fear are very real struggles. They should know that they can help each other to overcome it. Every person in the community should take care he or she is no cause that an other shall come in problems or would feel bad.

To endure

Those who are Christian should remember the pains Jesus and his family had to endure. They should remember how Jesus his mother continued her life and how the brothers and sisters went on after Jesus was killed. One of his brothers got the strength to to continue the preaching of his brother, telling not about the negative point that he had lost his brother Jesus, but telling about the positive news his resurrection for us was.

In Christianity we can see how many overcome the many struggles they had to face. Also today we still can find many living proofs that it is possible to overcome being overwhelmed.

We should stop being held back by life’s everyday struggles, and learn to overcome stress and anxiety. And we should concentrate ourselves on the nice things this world may offer to all living people, religious and non-religious. Those who have faith in the Only One True God, should show others how they are and can be further blessed by the Magical Hand of the Divine Creator. So that others may see the marvellous things this world has to offer and how we may enjoy it all.

We all can do much more than we think. Because all people are created in the image of God theyall have received inner forces from the Creator. When we are willing to look in ourselves for those inner forces, we shall be able to use them. Even when you do not believe in God, you would be better to start looking for those inner forces which are implanted in your being. By opening your mind for the search of those inner forces you might well be able to find that what gets you stronger and shall enable you to recover much faster than synthetic medical drugs can do. Animals in the wild do not have the doctor and medicines with them, but they can help themselves by what nature is providing for them. Start seeing what is in nature to help you live a better and easier life.

English: Robert Plutchik's Wheel of Emotions

Robert Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Find additional reading:

Subjects in Distress

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An Honest Christian Look At Depression: Perry Noble’s Book, “Overwhelmed” (johnweirick.com)
“I wanted to kill myself.”Few people want to admit that, and even fewer pastors would.
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“Overwhelmed” is not for people who have it all together. It’s not for those among us who seem to glide through life, unaffected by tragedy or discomfort. This book won’t help someone who lives a conflict-free life. Anyone who’s got a perfect family, a perfect past, and no fears or doubts — just skip this book. And for those who expect to get everything they want out of life and never suffer resistance of any kind, this book will be completely useless.
My Opinion on Overwhelmed book by Perry Noble (chunton.wordpress.com)
The book taught me that if you are in Christ Jesus He’s for you and if He’s for you He loves you and with all of things on your side nothing can hold you back and keep you down! No matter what you’re facing Jesus is greater and He wants you to overcome not be overwhelmed!
Blog on Perry Noble quote (chunton.wordpress.com)
The church today needs to focus more on pointing people to Jesus and the fact that He’s alive! The fact that the resurrection happened should be a weekly topic on our church’s because that’s just not something one can simply get over if they truly love Jesus.
Three Resources by Perry Noble (resourcesforus.wordpress.com)
Perry provides honest scenarios and practical solutions on how to win the war against worry.This is a book that can help you learn more about the character of God and His ability to help you through these difficult times in your life. You CAN overcome being overwhelmed!”
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Pastor Perry Noble challenges all followers of Christ to make a bold move by fully embracing the exciting adventure God has called us to. Are you ready to unleash all the life he has created you to live?
What Is Depression? Examining the Link Between The Physical and The Emotional (Part 1) (megsanity.com)
People around you owe you more than, “It’s all in your head.” Because that simply isn’t true.
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Kramer notes that depressives may actually have more realistic views of the world, for example understanding that they aren’t likely to win the lottery or a poker game. However, they are actually less likely to listen to those instincts which leads to a self-fulfilling prophecy of doom and reinforcement.
Is Depression Just Bad Chemistry? (scientificamerican.com)
The general idea is that a deficiency of certain neurotransmitters (chemical messengers) at synapses, or tiny gaps, between neurons interferes with the transmission of nerve impulses, causing or contributing to depression. One of these neurotransmitters, serotonin, has attracted the most attention, but many others, including norepinephrine and dopamine, have also been granted supporting roles in the story.
Unraveling the Mystery of How Antidepression Drugs Work (scientificamerican.com)
Depression strikes some 35 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization, contributing to lowered quality of life as well as an increased risk of heart disease and suicide. Treatments typically include psychotherapy, support groups and education as well as psychiatric medications. SSRIs, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, currently are the most commonly prescribed category of antidepressant drugs in the U.S., and have become a household name in treating depression.
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Everyone could use a little confession every now and again to get out what’s been eating them inside. The philosophical “black bile” seems like recalled memories that trigger episodes, and an inability to control the reaction. Who doesn’t engage in percussive maintenance when they encounter an embarrassing thought? Pills aren’t going to fix that unless they make you numb, which also means prevented growth.
4 Quick Tips for Helping Someone With Depression (thereseborchardblog.com)
Education is always the starting point because until a spouse or daughter or friend of a depressed person understands the illness, it is impossible to say or do the right thing to be supportive. Do your own research by going online to NAMI.org (National Alliance of Mental Illness) or dbsalliance.org (Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance), by doing your own Google search, or by reading some of the articles about depression on this site.
Pastor Perry Noble Taking 2 Month Leave from Megachurch (blackchristiannews.com)
The extended leave is not due to a marriage, family or church problem, he has clarified. Instead, Noble said he realized he needed to do “what sets me up for long-term success and sets this church up for the same way.”

With 90 percent of people entering into ministry and not finishing and some pastors being worked too hard by their church, he noted, he decided to take a sabbatical.

Noble made the announcement to his congregation, which draws around 16,000 people every weekend, last week. Attendees expressed their support of his decision.
Perry Noble on Modern Day Phariseeism (blackchristiannews.com)
I became obsessed with religious rules and legalism and forgot all about the grace that God had poured out on me through Jesus. As I look back on that time in my life there are eight things that really defined me…

#1 – I was way more obsessed with the sins and shortcomings of others and made it my obsession to point out their faults so that I did not have to deal with my own. (Matthew 23:27-28)

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Tagged as Anxiety, Believers, Brain, Control, Creator God, Criticism, Depression, Emotions, Experiences, Frustration, Fulfilment, Genes, Goals, Influences, Jobs or work, Making money, Meaning of life, Medical Illness, Mood, Mood disorders, Nature, Negative influences, Non-believers, Perry Noble, Positive influences, Positiveness, Problems, Recognition, Religious people, Spring season, Struggling, Vulnerability, Winter season

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Dark season to cope with

Spring-cleaning

Searching for fulfilment and meaning

Elements that can help

Our relationship with our brain and moods

Regulating mood

View of the world and influential factors

Many affected by stressful experiences

Having eyes for the other and helping each-other

To endure

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