By Pip Cornall – extracts from Grace Gawler’s memoirs – Grace, Grit and Gratitude – self published 2008 – are available on my blog
Grace wrote the book to ‘To Tell the True Story’ that the media would not publish – free downloads available on Google Books
Ainslie Meares 1978 Medical Journal of Australia (MJA) article gave medical authority to the inference that mediation cured Ian Gawler’s bone cancer after conventional treatments failed. Grace Gawler’s 2010 MJA article proves he and another 2008 MJA article inverted timelines – to make it appear meditation and a vegan diet cured his cancer. Grace shows, with photo evidence they both got it wrong! Click here
Integrated Cancer Medicine needs Integrated Participants – by Pip Cornall
Grace Gawler’s cancer work which began when her boyfriend, Ian Gawler, lost his leg to bone cancer was a blend of conventional and alternative medicine – Now with 35 years of cancer experience behind her, Grace describes her work as integrated cancer support medicine and is known for this approach within the medical community.
But not every integrative cancer practitioner practices proper integrative medicine. Too often we hear ‘alternative’ describing conventional cancer medicines as ‘ slash, burn and poison.’ I’ve heard such put downs even coming from those who call themselves ‘integrative.’
So what is needed to end the polarization between the cancer healing medicines? This is our goal at our new Grace Gawler Institute for Integrated cancer Solutions.
Integrated Cancer Medicine is touted as a ‘new paradigm,’ and indeed it offers a lot of hope! At our centre—The Grace Gawler Institute for Integrated Cancer Solutions we have a strong focus on ‘integrated cancer medicine,’ but sadly we’ve seen that many integrated cancer practitioners are not practicing integrative medicine—and may not even know it. Continue reading “Integrated Cancer Medicine needs Integrated Participants”
It’s rare for a naturopath/herbalist to be published in a prestigious Australian medical journal and even rarer that that she would take the opportunity to correct a famous alternative cancer healing myth that she was intimately involved with.
With stubborn persistence, including a decade when seriously ill, Grace Gawler has never stopped trying to correct the spread of errors regarding ex-husband, Ian Gawler’s famous cancer remission—a story she was intimately involved with for 22 years.
Now, The Australian Medical Journal, (MJA), has published her revealing letter, supporting proof and photographs. Grace Gawler is widely known as the sole care giver and researcher for Ian Gawler when he had bone cancer (1975) and given just weeks to live (1976).
Grace, respected for 35 years of contributions to cancer support medicine, highlights serious errors in an MJA article published about Ian Gawler in 2008.
Called ‘True Stories’ the article in question was written by Dr Ruth Gawler and Professor Jelinek, both employees of the Gawler Foundation, a foundation for cancer support that Grace inspired and co-founded.
The MJA article chronicles the 30 year cancer healing history of Ian Gawler. But is the ‘True Stories’ article actually true?
The following extracts from my memoirs Grace, Grit and Gratitude (self-published Oct 2008) aims to set right the long held concept that meditation and a vegan diet played a major role in Ian Gawler’s cancer cure.
For many years I have been trying somewhat unsuccessfully to correct published accounts of our story, however the true story as revealed, may hold many more possibilities, inspiration and research options for those going through the cancer experience.
To clarify, Ian first saw Ainslie Meares 12 December 1975 – when a bony metastasis was diagnosed in his right groin. Ian spent 6 weeks under Meares meditation directives – deteriorating significantly during that time; so much so that we abandoned his groups and his technique; choosing to explore other options. There has been much confusion about this point because in 1978 Meares erroneously reported Ian’s medical history, distorting the timeline and making it appear that Ian had attended his sessions when his cancer was widespread. Many may have seen the now famous pictures first published in You Can Conquer Cancer. These are not pictures taken when Ian first saw Meares (Dec 1975) but were taken July 1977 – 19 months after he first saw Meares. At that time Ian was quite well – but was carrying an enormous tumour load.
Meditation and diet had not impacted the cancer growth – but perhaps there was a silent healer within; unknown to us until Ian’s remission June 30 1978. More about that later.
In brief Meares’ error has provided the foundation for the volumes of misreporting of Ian Gawler’s remission.
February 1976:
Regarding Meditation-From my memoirs
“…..Ian and I knew how bad it was ‘24-7’, and that he would soon die meditating if we did not do something else, so that day marked the ending of our formal relationship with Ainslie Meares. I did not see him again, but Ian kept in touch with him from time-to-time.
While meditation is a wonderful tool that supports patients in many ways, it did not play the most significant role in Ian’s remission. How do I know? Simply because I was there, I was present before, during and after his cancer and believe my view to be accurate. During our darkest days when Ian’s prognosis was two to three weeks to live, an emaciated, pain riddled and rapidly deteriorating Ian kept hoping that Meares’ technique would be the turning point.
Our lives became a hellish continuum of sleepless nights, enemas and eventually morphine when the pain was beyond the pail. Weeks passed and as he tried and tried to meditate, day by day he became immobile, more ill and in greater pain such that I had to confront Meares on the ‘just keep meditating’ issue.
Ian had followed reluctantly but he knew that although meditation was helping him spiritually, it was not having the desired affects physically. He so much wanted to believe that meditation could cure; but the facts spoke for themselves; his condition was deteriorating at an alarming speed and had we not tried out other treatments at that time; he would certainly have died.
Ian in Philippines March 1976
We went on to discover the pathways of acupuncture and alternative medicine with a qualified general practitioner, which thankfully brought the first small window of pain relief. Ian’s pain had clearly become his disease and while it continued, he deteriorated so that all other therapies apart from large doses of love had little benefit. His pain absorbed every ounce of energy he had so that there was nothing left to assist his healing.”
After Ian’s remission in 1978:
PP 218-219 Grace, Grit and Gratitude
“An article that appeared in the Medical Journal of Australia saw our lives take a dramatic turn when a wave of media mayhem began due to an article titled ‘Regression of Osteogenic Sarcoma Associated with Intensive Meditation’ that appeared in The Medical Journal of Australia. (October 21, 1978)
The report summarized our healing journey in a few paragraphs and came as a complete surprise to me—I had not known about the release and publication, and felt flabbergasted by its content. The article begins “The patient aged 25 underwent a mid thigh amputation for osteogenic sarcoma, 11 months before he first saw me 21/2 years ago. He had visible bony lumps of about 2 cm in diameter growing from ribs, sternum and the crest of the ileum, and was coughing up small quantities of blood in which he said he could feel small spicules of bone…. etc.”
The article caused a media sensation, proposing a link between intensive meditation and remission of Ian’s cancer. However, as I was an intimate part of Ian’s cancer journey from the beginning and his sole carer, I could not make any sense of Meares’ version of our story.
Throughout Ian’s journey, I had documented and kept photographic records. My memories as the person who carried the daily loads during Ian’s illness were vivid, and I have no doubt that Ian’s history would have turned out differently, had we not moved on and incorporated other therapies other than meditation. I believe, as did doctors at the time, that his obituary, rather than an abstract about his recovery would have followed, had we not visited the Philippines. The supportive care, faith and love in action that we found there, inspired Ian; reconnecting him with his will to live, no doubt an element that helped him to survive.
I felt a weighing disappointment inside my body as I read the published case report, as if someone had reached into my chest and ripped out my heart. It was too late, our arduous healing journey now broadcast to the media, was an unacceptable misrepresentation that no doubt would be difficult to correct. I was angry that no one had consulted or informed me about the appearance of the abstract nor given the opportunity to review it before publication. I did not know what to do when our efforts were misreported and trivialised. Torn between acquiescence and accuracy, I had an ethical crisis. It was too late!
As predicted, the media soon ran the meditation cures cancer story while I became a voice lost in the wilderness. My concern was for the cancer population and their carers, a desperate group I had come to know well. I knew that patients and partners would try to replicate our story and I knew the unspoken hardships and pitfalls they would endure if they tried to assume our roles. Without our veterinary/medical knowledge, we could not have managed our situation—nor could we have made the crucial choices required when let down by therapy after therapy that failed us. More coming soon….
In Grace’s 35 years of cancer work she has seen increasing numbers of farmer patients and their wives with pesticide and heavy metal residues proven by diagnostic tests (blood, urine, hair analysis). Many of them have become cancer patients. So the article from Biological Farmers of Australia website is a great reminder to revise our interest in organic farming and eat like our grandparents ate – pesticide free.
Buy Organic for 20 good reasons:
1. Reduce chemical runoff and residues in drinking water, waterways and coastal areas. Runoff is the main cause of diminishing marine life, animals and plants. Approximately 30 000 tonnes of herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and plant growth regulators are used each year in Australia (OzProspect, 2003).
2. Restore soils for productive cropland and secure the future of Australian agriculture. Forty-eight per cent of Australian croplands have topsoils that are marginally acidic or worse (Land & Water Australia, 2001). Organic farming systems are based on the principle of land and soil regeneration and best environmental practice. Continue reading “Buy Organic for 20 good reasons – Biological Farmers of Australia”
Great news for cancer patients and caregivers – Grace is back after a long absence from her not for profit Foundation work – now with her own health promotion charity – Integrated Cancer Solutions – located at Hope Island, Gold Coast Queensland. A generous donor who recognised Grace’s contribution to her previous organisation, the Gawler Foundation; has gifted funds so that once again, Grace Gawler’s services can be accessed by cancer patients and care-givers.
With services including support groups, consultations, residential programs (small numbers of participants for individualised help); the Trust and Centre will soon make its mark on the map. Grace is keen to share the following story because it gives credence to the necessity at times to help patients find their solutions outside of Australia. The new Trust already has strong professional liaisons with local and national integrative doctors as well as integrated oncology clinics around the globe – in particular, Germany.
Great news for cancer patients and caregivers – Grace is back after a long absence from her not for profit Foundation work – now with her own health promotion charity – Integrated Cancer Solutions – located at Hope Island, Gold Coast Queensland. A generous donor who recognised Grace’s contribution to her previous organisation, the Gawler Foundation; has gifted funds so that once again, Grace Gawler’s services can be accessed by cancer patients and care-givers.
With services including support groups, consultations, residential programs (small numbers of participants for individualised help); the Trust and Centre will soon make its mark on the map. Grace is keen to share the following story because it gives credence to the necessity at times to help patients find their solutions outside of Australia. The new Trust already has strong professional liaisons with local and national integrative doctors as well as integrated oncology clinics around the globe – in particular, Germany.
By pip Cornall – This diet advice is taken straight from the NCI website (National Cancer Institute – USA). I’ve bolded some of the main points.
Diet and Diseases
WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?
Serious diseases that are linked to what we eat kill an estimated three out of four Americans each year. These diseases include heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, some types of cancer, and diabetes. Eating a diet that contains 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day as part of a healthy, active lifestyle lowers the risk for all of these diseases.
Most Americans don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables to keep them healthy. Despite the fact that they are important for maintaining overall good health and preventing diseases, eating fruits and vegetables is not even on many people’s radar screens.
Taking multivitamins doesn’t solve the problem–it is impossible to capture all of the vitamins, minerals, disease-fighting phytochemicals, and fiber found in fruits and vegetables, in a pill. Only fruits and vegetables, not vitamin pills, can provide all of these health-protecting nutrients together.
I run this story again because after years of high profile pioneering work with cancer patients at the Gawler Foundation in the 80’s and 90’s, Grace Gawler was invisiblised when her marriage ended.
Many ex-cancer patients whom she helped and guided for years no longer knew how to contact her.
This is a remarkable story about a great woman – please pass it around – Pip Cornall
Early Years:
Grace’s name is recognised worldwide in connection with therapeutic supportive care approaches for people who are dealing with cancer or other life threatening illness. She won the respect of many when just 21; she stepped into the support- care role for her boyfriend who was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma – a highly malignant bone cancer that 30 years ago had little hope of cure; especially when secondary cancer appeared. He would later become Australia’s most recognised cancer survivor.
They had been working in a veterinary clinic together in the country town of Bacchus Marsh in Victoria when he was diagnosed in 1974 In 1975 he had a full leg amputation and both their lives were changed forever. Secondary cancer appeared eleven months later. Despite an intensive dietary approach (Gerson) and intensive meditation – his condition deteriorated. Continue reading “The Grace Gawler Story – by Pip Cornall”
What is Integrated Cancer Solutions? by Pip Cornall
NB: Before you go any further be sure to read 11 month old Baxter’s amazing story (see below)
What is Integrated Cancer Solutions? The supportive care cancer medicine pioneering life work of Grace Gawler inspires the new institute at Hope Island, Qld.
What I find remarkable is Grace’s ability as a real team player/co-ordinator as she constantly liaises between patient, GPs, oncologists, pathology, family, care givers and anyone else involved in the successful outcome of her patients. Continue reading “Integrated Cancer Solutions?”
