About Me

About Me

My name is Lee Gefen and I am a counsellor and pH Miracle Coach based in Melbourne, Australia.

In February 2011 I was diagnosed with a large and rare tumour inside my spinal cord, at the back of the neck.

I was 32 years young, health conscious (or so I thought I was) but for a number of years I was letting the routine and busyness of life to stop me from pursuing my real interest in spirituality and self development.

I had no idea at the time what a profound transformation and healing this tumour would bring into my life.

When I started having symptoms a few weeks prior, I had a feeling that something wasn’t right so following my intuition I went and had an MRI at a private clinic.

One hour and a few hundred dollars later, I got the phone call with the dreaded news.

Interestingly, in the weeks before I was diagnosed, I’ve decided to make big changes to my diet, going from a vegetarian diet of 16 years to a vegan plant based and mainly raw diet. As a vegetarian, I was eating a lot of dairy products, eggs and I also loved coffee and sugar.

It was at that time that I was introduced to pH Miracle book by Dr. Robert Young, a book that I now refer to as my alkaline bible!

His approach challenged everything I thought I knew about nutrition and health and I started transitioning into the pH Miracle program, the best I could.

It made sense to me that any dis-ease in the body is an indicator of an internal imbalance caused by an over acidic, oxygen depleted environment. It also made sense that my tumour was formed to encapsulate these acids in an attempt to protect vital organs. I learned for the first time that the tumour is not the problem; it is a symptom indicating a need for a change in diet, lifestyle, thinking, spiritual and emotional health.

My first consultation with a Neurosurgeon was pretty gloomy- an urgent surgery was required, however there was no knowing if I would be able to walk or how much function I would have after surgery.

I was caught between a rock and a hard place and I needed a bit of time to make a decision.

It was on that day that I came across another wonderful book -'You Can Conquer Cancer', by Ian Gawler, who back in the 70’s was diagnosed with an incurable bone cancer, yet he managed to heal using a holistic integrative approach, implementing lifestyle and dietary changes.

His book gave me a real sense of hope and resonated with me so much that the next day I packed a bag, said a teary goodbye to my partner, Dave, and was on my way to a 10 day residential retreat run by the Gawler Foundation for people diagnosed with cancer.

I can't speak highly enough about the support and all the skills I have gained there to assist in my healing, including meditation, emotional healing, positive thinking, nutrition and guided imagery.

Being the ‘difficult patient’ that I was (highly recommended for anyone diagnosed with a chronic illness!), I then had consultations with other Neurosurgeons and all confirmed the urgency of the situation.

So I’ve made a difficult decision to go to Brussels to have surgery with the most expert in this field.

This decision couldn’t have been actualised without the incredible support of my family, friends and whole communities, making this option viable through donations, assistance and care.

Surgery was a big ordeal and rehabilitation took months. 

The bad news was that none of the tumour could be removed without causing me quadriplegia so the tumour remained untouched and there was some damage to nerves during the procedure.

Good news was that surgery did alleviate the pressure in my spine and I was able to walk!

The medical view and (limited) knowledge of this type of tumour is that over time it will grow, which means high risk of becoming very disabled, if not worse.

Whilst I respect this view, I have also educated myself extensively about the role nutrition and lifestyle play in gaining and maintain health and it is my hope that with living an alkaline lifestyle and nourishing my body and my soul, I will manage to keep the tumour at bay.

I have a strong sense that the body has a huge capacity to heal itself, if given the right environment.

I have embarked on my own healing journey working on all areas, which in my opinion are all interconnected and have tremendous importance; body, mind, emotions and spirit.

Laughing and having fun along the way is key!

It has been the most incredible life changing journey for me and I think any illness carries with it the potential for transformation and growth.

My intention in creating this blog is to share my experiences, my thoughts and the things I am learning along the way, in the hope that this might help other people on their journeys to health and wellness.

To learn about pH Miracle coaching and counselling, as well as updates and alkaline info go to my website by clicking here


 
May we all be well and healthy,

 
                                                   Lee


2 comments:

  1. Congratulations for realizing that the body can heal itself. You are making the right decision by going alkaline. Keep up the good work, I too have been fighting breast cancer for 4 years now on the alkaline diet and it has worked very well for me. It is sometimes a scarey and lonely road as most people including Dr's are not supportive but if you surround yourself with health conscience people you will do just fine. I enjoyed reading your blog and will follow you.
    Thanks for sharing your story

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