We travelled to the homeland to get my friend healed up. It was a big adventure - in terms of therapies, we were in uncharted waters. I had no idea what to expect. Would they be effective? Would it be enough? Would her body respond well, or not? Would we be there long enough to make the impact she needed?
The one comfort I did know was that we were heading to a part of the world that is like home to me. Bavaria - so lush and stunning yet peaceful, a place I find so incredibly restoring, that I hoped it would infuse Kim with the healing she needed. We also had my incredibly supportive family, who had gone above and beyond just prepping for us to be there. They found us a place conducive to healing, close to the Klinik, that had everything we needed. Our home was on a farm with cows, chickens, goats, donkeys, horses, cats and a dog. My cousin even loaned us his car. What a relief it was to know that no matter what was to come, they were there for us.
Three weeks in Bavaria. I could only imagine how hard it was for Kim to leave her family. And they missed exponentially her as well. Kim has always been a mom and wife first, no matter what she was going through. With what lay ahead in Germany, every ounce of her needed to focus on healing. Not easy to do, but I am grateful that I could be there to support her and keep her focused on herself, so she could process everything that was coming her way, both physically and emotionally. Watching her over that time, it was apparent that this adventure was one she needed to complete on her own.
From the onset, things fell seamlessly into place, save for intermittent internet. We ‘fest-ed’ with family in true Bavarian style. We settled into our apartment, surrounded by mountains, which made us feel protected and grounded. The skylights above our beds opened up to the starry night sky. I wished on them each and every night.
The Klinik was welcoming - clean, bright, friendly and very, VERY efficient. During our three week stay, Kim and I made the commitment of no sugar or meat (except for one treat per week - we were in Bavaria after all!). I really believe these little rewards helped us make the big adjustment of going vegetarian, a big step in and of itself. Every day we worked on trying new things, new recipes. Kim was a rockstar at practicing to make them. To become successful habits, the goals needed to be attainable and rewarding. No matter where we landed on the spectrum of knowledge, awareness and practice of good healthy habits we just need to do our best at keeping our compass aligned with good choices. If the needle sways, we just do the work to nudge it back.
All the information from Dr. Weber and the nurses was a lot to process at first. We had a very structured schedule, which helped us to keep tabs on the multitude of therapies that were happening everyday. Kim and I loved the structure equally as much as the Germans I think ;) The efficiency of the Klinik was remarkable. Every patient/client is treated with respect and as an individual - they respect your time and keep things moving. I was always impressed that at any given moment the nurses would know exactly which treatment was next. We were asking a lot of questions, taking notes throughout the day, and jotting stuff down whenever it popped up so we could remember to ask when we were at the Klinik. With so much information, things will sink in at different times. When the information you receive is about you, it is a lot to take in. I tried to maximize being the ‘outside’ perspective as much as possible - taking notes, diving deeper into the questions, trying to think of all the variables. My brain was full, so Kim’s must have been overflowing.
Except for Kim battling cancer, the whole trip felt quite serendipitous. Everything fell into place. We easily fulfilled our laugh quota daily and sometimes went way over. There was good positive energy coming from every which way! We mostly cooked at home, had our morning routine - hearty smoothie, check - chlorophyll water, check - tea, check - royal jelly shot, check - supplements, check, check, check. The daily task of taking an army of supplements had always been a challenge for Kim, and now that we were in Germany, the amount she had to take had drastically increased. Kim has a hard time swallowing pills and doesn’t like them to touch the side of her mouth. With her pills all lined up, biggest to smallest, she would sip on a glass of water and try to get them down. I would watch out of the corner of my eye, because if I paid too much attention and she saw me watching, it could end up in laughter. I was trying to respect her mission of downing these dreaded pills, one at a time. Sometimes I think Kim was so focused on the task at hand and trying not to gag that she didn’t realize there was hardly any water left in her glass. I kept thinking to myself, there has got to be a better way to do this. First, we need WAY more water. Second, how can we get as MUCH water flowing as possible so that the pills don’t have a chance to touch any part of her mouth and just go down, reducing her possibility of gagging. I had an AH HA moment. A large straw is what we needed. When we tested my theory, I’m not sure Kim fully believed me at first, but being the trooper she is, she gave it a whirl. Low and behold, we had SUCCESS! The good ol’ straw was our ticket.
I have to say the transformation in three weeks in terms of what was palatable for Kim was drastic. It’s not easy to be forced out of your comfort zone multiple times a day. If you really think about it, how often are we poked, prodded, told to eat things that are either unappetizing or have plain old terrible tastes (tinctures, pills, vitamins, powders)? Most of us don’t do this often, let alone over and over again every day. It takes courage, and Kim did it because she knew she had to. There may have have been the odd complaint, but we would usually find the humour in it.
I feel blessed to have taken this learning journey with Kim. It was invaluable, and I am so incredibly proud of her for taking the bounding leaps she has, and with grace - like a champ. Those hurdles are now a part of her routine and habits. She has blazed the trail and in turn has helped all of us by doing the work, asking the questions, sharing her knowledge and stories - the good, the not so good, and the raw truth of it all.
- Krista
photo: Krista McKeachie