Charmane M. Vaiasanisi is a talented songwriter, composer, and writer who has long been an advocate of holistic teachings and practices. She was at one time an assistant kindergarten teacher at Rose Rock School in Oklahoma, which is a Waldorf education center. For those unaware, Waldorf schooling balances academic subjects with artistic and hands-on activities in an effort to allow the children to get to know themselves and the world in a deeply personal way. Children are encouraged to explore their artistic talents and passions to obtain deeper meaning and enrichment throughout their childhood and into their adulthood. As Charmane is such a naturally artistic individual herself, she was happy to work somewhere that encouraged young souls to discover their own talents. She says that “each child is growing into someone who is nothing less than a developing miracle who will never come again”.
During her time as an assistant teacher at the school, she began to notice that her health was declining. She hadn’t felt well for an entire year. She had been through a recent breakup, though, and didn’t think much of an actual, physical ailment. In May of 2014, she decided to quit her job and planned to start substituting in the fall after having some time to regain her health. It wasn’t long after she started back with substituting that life threw her a major curve ball.
In November 2014, Charmane was enjoying lunch at a local restaurant when she experienced a seizure. She was taken by ambulance to the ER and was eventually diagnosed with a brain tumor. Though she now had an explanation for her fatigue and not feeling well, the news devastated her and she grieved for the hope that she had in pursuing a life-long career at the school. This was the first job that made food stamps unnecessary. It was a job would allow her to stand strong on her own two feet as a single mom. She was eager to provide a better life and home for her fifteen-year-old son, and to start anew in something that she loved. Her dreams came crashing down around her and she was forced to face the reality of a serious illness. She stopped working. She lost her license due to the seizure and still to this day has to rely on transportation from friends.
After her brain tumor diagnosis, Charmane worked steadily to clean up her diet. She spent hours upon hours researching in books and on internet sites, searching for ways to heal and to make her life as natural as possible. She went on a ketogenic diet, then full GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome), which is a diet that is intended to heal and normalize the gut. She spent ten months seizure-free. In September 2015, however, she was hit with another seizure. This time she recovered faster than she did with the initial one and decided to begin supplements in addition to her GAPS diet. In February she had yet another seizure followed by a string of several more within a few days time span in May. She underwent surgery and most of her right frontal lobe was removed due to damage caused by cancer. Conventional chemotherapy and radiation were recommended, but Charmane is not one to settle for conventional nor did she want to risk harmful exposure and poisoning her body, so she looked into other treatment plans. She finally decided on visiting the Northern Baja Gerson Center in Mexico, which can be seen in a documentary The Truth About Cancer: A Global Quest, hosted by Ty Bollinger.
The center is modeled after Max Gerson’s protocol which involves juicing and supplements for healing. As Charmane had some prior experience with juicing and saw amazing results when she tried it, she knew intuitively that this was the best route for her. That is not to say that it was easy, though, and her son had to move in with his father while she focused on her health.
Her new regimen consisted of organic fruits and vegetable juices, organic coffee enemas, and dietary supplements for healing, such as B-12 injections, COQ10, Selenium, and Frankincense essential oil. The first week of the Gerson lifestyle proved to be very difficult for her. The boreholes in her skull from surgery became sore, sensitive, and her scar itched like crazy. With exfoliation, she noticed grimy skin, dandruff, and loose hair clogging up her comb. She coughed up phlegm every morning, vomited mucus, had a sore throat, and had profuse earwax for days. Pimples broke out along the scar on her scalp. She had a lot of fatigue, nausea, bloating, and up to five bowel movements per day in the beginning. She had headaches, a fainting spell, and one episode of severe chills with uncontrollable teeth chattering. Despite all of these negative reactions, she says that they were over by the second week.
She has noticed positive effects from her new protocol as well. A tooth that had been black and framed in calculus underneath due to a cavity is now completely fine with pink gums beneath it. The gray color in her teeth from Keppra, an anti-seizure medication, has also gone away. Her right eye, which had protruded ever since brain surgery, has now returned to normal and she can’t even see the scar from her surgery. Her eyes are brighter. Her lips are no longer chapped and bleeding. Her lungs feel clear and she finds it easier to inhale. Her acne has cleared, her nails have become shiny, and she no longer needs deodorant. She says that her facial features look fuller and she doesn’t look as old and ‘beaten down’ as before. Most of her grey hair has disappeared! Even the pain and numbness in her foot and hip went away during her stay at the Northern Baja Center. See below pictures of Charmane enjoying a meal, enjoying the sun, and hanging out inside a hyperbaric oxygen tank during her time there.
Even though the treatment is intense, Charmane says that she feels it is definitely strengthening her. She said she felt a deep peace and relaxation while at the treatment center. She has had no seizures since May 2016. In December of this year, she will review the results of MRI scans with her doctor to talk about whether any cancer cells have returned and what to do from that point on. She remains hopeful and is praying that she is all clear and continuing to heal.
When I asked Charmane to describe her experience and current outlook, she said,
“Yes, it has been a roller coaster—a roller coaster with no safety bars or seat belts. Fear of the uncertain future has been the hardest part of all of this—a lingering shadow sewn to the bottom of my feet—there all the time, every step of the way. I’m learning I never did know what was to come. Cancer is teaching me to be much more present in the ‘here and now’ than I was before.”
She is unsure of where the future will take her. She is living day by day and wondering if she will ever be able to sustain a normal life with a financially flourishing career. She hopes to someday return to her old job or to even become a music teacher. She is also faced with the possibility of moving in with her family in California in order to better manage the expenses that she has.
Answers for Angels is so honored to help such an amazing individual in battling this disease and the heavy financial burden that comes with it. We have awarded Charmane with a $350 gift card to Natural Grocers in Oklahoma to pay for items she needs that food stamps will not cover.
The world is made brighter by souls like yours, Charmane. We wish you all the best and will support you on your road to healing.
Check out Charmane’s musical page on YouTube to see her talents in action!
