Pain
As I lay in pain on a bed in the back bedroom, I knew that, as a teacher, I would have to finish putting in final grades. Just sitting made me exhausted and uncomfortable, so it took me hours. I could only work for short periods of time. However, somehow I managed to finish and send in my last grades. After that, things just started deteriorating in my body, and I was weak and my balance was off. One time I fell while reaching for a book. How could I live like this? I started researching online. Knowledge is power, and I wanted to understand why my body was heading downhill so quickly.
Support
Interestingly, my younger sister, who has a time-consuming job, sent a book. She said she found it at a yard sale. It was Raw Energy by Leslie and Susannah Kenton. Because the cover was slightly faded, I checked the copyright date. The first printing was 1984. As I read the forward the second paragraph caught my attention. It stated, “Healthy eating is a timeless science, researched for thousands of years in different civilizations but surprisingly neglected this century.” (p. 9) However, in the introduction, the authors also said that some people thought they were wasting their time writing about munching carrots, and others smiled indulgently and maintained a polite silence (p. 11). I was hooked. Why were people so nonchalant about their health? Why would more knowledge about causes of illness create disdain in some? My life was on the line, so I wanted to find out more.
Alternatives
So what did the investigative authors discover? Through their investigation of the enormous quantity of European research, they confirmed that fresh, uncooked food has health-promoting effects on the body. They delved into the hundreds of books and research papers on biochemistry and on the clinical uses of uncooked foods. In addition, evidence shows that when 75 percent of our foods are taken raw, bodily degeneration which accompanies long-term illness is not only reversed, but slows the rate at which we age, and gives the body more energy and even makes us feel better emotionally. Therefore, I definitely wanted to know more.
Take Responsibility
It was time to take responsibility for my health, and not just blindly follow what others were doing. I had been reading the long list of side effects on the prescription labels that came with the cancer treatment. It was a chemical and physical nightmare. So when I asked about the drugs and what I was reading, one nurse said, “You read that!” But then their answer was that it didn’t always affect everyone in the same way, and they reassured me that I would be okay. I didn’t feel okay.
A New Chapter
I finished Leslie and Susannah Kenton’s book. It renewed my hope, so I bought a juicer since it was hard for me to digest food, and I headed in a new direction. Before becoming ill, I was an active person, and now I realized I was not ready to give up on life. The book had sparked a new interest in living a mindful and healthy life. A new chapter was beginning.
Leslie & Susannah Kenton, Raw Energy, Arrow Books Limited, London, 1984.
