Cancer and Chiropractic – Jenn Roberts, DC Student

MY Story

My name is Jenn and I am a member of the student community here at LIFE; I am a future Chiropractor. Recently, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and this article, shares with you, my personal experience.

I’m a married 40 year old woman who happens to share a 15 year old with my husband and his first wife, one of my best friends. I usually live off radar. I am quiet, non-gossipy person and don’t like cliques and exclusionists. I have friends from all walks of life and love them all with my whole heart; many of them I met while here at school.

I received my cancer diagnosis not once, but three times. I was given a 95% chance of having invasive breast carcinoma. I found the lump the Wednesday night of finals week of Winter quarter. Saw the OBGYN the next day, had the mammograms and ultrasound and close up mammograms (first diagnosis) by the end of the week and met the surgeon Monday (second diagnosis.) The Thursday morning of break, four days before Spring quarter started, I had surgery and afterwards, the surgeon again reiterated his diagnosis to my husband Adam and my Mom who flew in from Oregon. Again, the diagnosis upon examination of the excised tissue was 95% chance of malignancy. The surgeon’s physicians assistant later stated that the surgeon was being ‘conservative’.

The size of the lump I found, guided solely to that spot by the innate one evening while changing clothes, was 2×3 mm. The size of the mass they removed during the ‘breast conservation surgery’ (vs. radical mastectomy based on the triple diagnosis) was 3.5 cm, leaving a four inch scar on an area of my body many women associate with their very femininity. Most of the time I leave the compression bandages on, letting the surgeon remove them for examinations and such. The next conversation my surgeon wants to have is a talk about reconstructive surgery, but I am not sure how I feel about that quite yet.

This all happened really fast. Before I knew it, within one week I was physically scarred for the rest of my life. But it was a blessing overall that we did not proceed with the mastectomy as the pathology came back with a diagnosis of Granulomatous Lobular Mastitis, a very rare condition which mimics, nearly identically, invasive breast carcinoma.

I was in the 5% category.

I dodged the bullet and I cannot begin to describe how thankful I am for that.

While I was recovering from surgery, waiting the full week before pathology came back, I started a charity craft project to raise money to go to women who cannot afford mammograms called ‘Beads for Boobs.’ But something else was on my mind while I waited at home before classes started this quarter… how would I be received on campus.

You see, a large number of chiropractic students as well as chiropractors themselves believe that medical intervention should not be necessary if one receives regular adjustments. Part of this rings true… Better spinal alignment leads to less nerve interference, allowing the body to respond better to the environment while less stress is experienced by the body. This allows our bodies own innate intelligence to regulate itself without typical allopathic interjection. I do believe that in whole. However, some in chiropractic believe that everything can be fixed or cured, type 1 diabetes for instance, with the ‘right adjustment’. And while opinions are like hineys, everyone has one, I ask for respect in return regarding my own beliefs. And my belief says that cancer cannot be necessarily curtailed proactively via regular chiropractic care. It helps, especially during cancer treatment for allowing the body to be on top point, but is not a sure fire cure or preventative.

As Dr. Koch, a professor of mine, will tell you, an adjustment would not have helped his retinas reattach. That had to be done by an ophthalmic surgeon who specialized in retinas just as my circumstance had me rely on a surgeon who specialized in breast cancer.

I still had no pathology report before school started again and carried around within me the worry that I too would hear the same rumblings in passing; that if I had gotten adjusted, or lived a more vitalistic lifestyle, I wouldn’t have had the breast mass. The assumption however by my medical team was that the mass was driven by hormones and if it indeed came back as malignant, along with node biopsies and other procedures, I would have to go on hormone blocking agents to prevent a recurrence.

I rarely get colds and never get the flu. I have had neuro-work done and recovered from Guillaume-Barré syndrome with the help of chiropractic. I love chiropractic and its potential so much that I am here at LIFE at 40 years old, to be a chiropractor. And while this surgery has changed me forever in a lot of ways, I celebrate every sunrise, rain drop and star in the sky every single day because I have received a reprieve from the triple diagnosis. A reprieve many, like my Aunt and Sister-in-Law do not. I am now passionately motivated to raise money for women who cannot afford to get mammograms so they can have them proactively and reactively.

I am researching cancer treatments that combine the acknowledgement of innate intelligence and chiropractic, which may lead me to practice focusing a specialization in working with patients who are going through surgery, chemo and/or radiation. I am thankful – thankful I still have that possibility in my future.

The statistics for breast cancer are below but the most hard hitting is that 1 in less than 8 women will have invasive breast cancer at some point in her life. This can happen to anyone, even men. Breast cancer awareness even has its own month, but self-checks should be done monthly and if you are 40 or older, annual mammograms. If you have had a lump, mass or are cystic you will want to discuss alternative screening timelines with your OBGYN and DC.

The American Cancer Society’s most recent estimates for breast cancer in the United States are for 2010:

• About 207,090 new cases of invasive breast cancer in women
• About 54,010 new cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS) will be found (CIS is non-invasive and is the earliest form of breast cancer).
• About 39,840 deaths from breast cancer (women)
• Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States, other than skin cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer.
• The chance of a woman having invasive breast cancer some time during her life is a little less than 1 in 8.
• The chance of dying from breast cancer is about 1 in 35. Breast cancer death rates have been going down. This is probably the result of finding the cancer earlier and better treatment.
• Right now there are more than 2½ million breast cancer survivors in the United States.

The Gloria Ivy Breast Cancer Association – Kelly Milano, DC Student

Life students gets active after watching his mom’s battle

When Damarius Pernell, 9^th quarter DC student found out his mom (Gloria Ivy) had breast cancer in 2008 just after he started the DC program, his life was flipped upside down. Having been raised by his mother in a single parent household, this news was absolutely devastating to him and he knew he had to do something. After watching her struggle with the disease and the misconceptions that he heard people express, he knew he couldn’t just sit and do nothing. He started the Gloria Ivy Breast Cancer Association as a way to spread awareness, find a cure and support those needy individuals with breast cancer. To Damarius, it’s not about doing research or himself working towards a cure, but it’s about helping those with the disease. His goal with GIBCO is to help create support groups, do fundraisers and help in any way he can, including toy drives at Christmas time to give to the children of cancer patients.

Gloria Ivy Breast Cancer Organization has several Life University students sitting on the board of directors, including Danielle Jones, whose mother is also a breast cancer survivor. The organization is also a great way for student to get involved and also stress healthy lifestyle as well as to empower and enrich the lives of women who are struggling with breast cancer.

In November, Damarius also began a women’s clothing and accessory store in his home town of Indianola, Mississippi. Damarius states he was “tired of ladies in my home town having to go so far for nice clothes.” He states that there were no boutique type stores and no where to buy nice plus size clothing without having to drive a long distance to the stores. He saw the need and decided to capitalize on it while helping his female family and friends. He created Jewel Box Boutique that provides nice clothes for all types of women, regardless of size, and provides that at a reasonable price. The store also carries jewelry, handbags and shoes. Damarius plan is that when his mom retires in 2 years, she will take over the Indianola store and he will open another one. Currently he is working on an online store and states that all Life students will get a discount once it’s open for business. He is also in communication of starting a second Jewel Box Boutique in Louisiana and would like to see multiple stores open in the future.

Halloween Party Ends in Terror – Kelly Milano, DC Student

Several students injured, investigations under way

On Friday, October 29, a 5^th quarter DC student was hosting a Halloween party at his home in Marietta. A party that was supposed to be fun, and provide a break from the realities of class work and looming midterms, turned into a night of terror in a matter of minutes. A fight broke out, leaving several students bruised and injured. Then the fight progressed outside, where many people tried to break it up, and several more were inadvertently hit as well, resulting in several black eyes. Included in the injured were two female students.

Dr. Riekeman was notified of the incident shortly after it occurred, and took swift action. He began alerting the various administration members who would need to deal with the ramifications of this altercation. Life University has a strong Honor Code that all students are held to and all students agree to uphold when they start their educational experience at Life. Our Honor Code states, “As individuals and members of the Life University community, we commit ourselves to act with civility, honesty, and responsibility, and above all, with integrity and honor. We are accountable for all that we say, write and do.” It continues with, “We commit ourselves to behave in a manner which demonstrates concern for the personal dignity, rights and freedoms of all members of the community.”

What happened at this party was not in line with our Honor Code here at Life. Because of this, Student Affairs is looking into the issue to see what grounds for action exist from both the University’s and the academic programs’ standpoints, and a second investigation is being led by the athletic department, since several of the students involved were also athletes. Athletic Director John Barrett stated, “Be assured that the Athletic Department will respond, in addition to the University’s response, and the situation will be handled swiftly.” Dr. Riekeman stated, “When the investigations are complete, Student Affairs will present its recommendations, as will the Athletic Department, which may have additional recommendations.” Appropriate actions will be taken at that time.

As of this time, Vital Source is unsure of what the ramifications of this incident are or what actions are being taken against those students involved. According to Sue Dudt, Director of Student Conduct, “This is a delicate issue. The student body probably won’t hear how it was addressed, due to privacy issues.” She stated that FERPA (the Family Education Right to Privacy Act) governs how the University must handle situations like this one, and particularly as concerns what information can be shared. Vital Source will continue to watch the situation and bring you any more information as we receive it.

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A Comment From Dr. Riekeman – Kelly Milano, DC Student

Regarding student involvement in the halloween party terror

In regards to the fight that broke out at a Halloween party on October 29, 2010, Vital Source approached Dr. Riekeman for his thoughts on the issue and for a comment. This is his response:

“Every student at Life is held to the Honor Code and College policies. However, there are students who are also held to another, higher standard of behavior and responsibility. These would include students who are on scholarships, athletic or academic, and students who represent the school as Ambassadors, club sport athletes, members of Vital Source, etc. In this case, there were athletes, who sign a contract with additional expectations of behavior, who not only represent us, but may also receive scholarships. So, they will have to be accountable for their role as students and as student athletes. When the investigations are complete, Student Affairs will present its recommendations, as will the Athletic Department who may have additional recommendations.

On a larger platform, I’m always acutely aware of the Life culture. I know there are incidents like this on campuses all over the world; that is not a reason to accept inappropriate behavior at Life. We are privileged people who are professionals; and we have at the core of our philosophy the values of integrity, natural vitalistic living and constructive social change. I had the honor of being in the audience of actor Richard Gere, Alice Walker, author of the Color Purple, and the Dali Lama. It was an amazing discussion. The Dali Lama talked of his audience with Nelson Mandela shortly after his release and he asked Mr. Mandela if he ever became afraid while in Robbins Island prison for 27 years. Mandela, who had seen his fellow activists tortured and killed, said he feared deeply one time. He said, “There was a moment when I thought I had lost my compassion.” The people who come to study and work at Life need to be constantly committed to the ideals of tolerance, compassion and service. Alice Walker said that every person is involved in their own struggle and that we should have compassion for them, as well as ourselves.

The last question posed to the Dali Lama was about how to let go of our egos. The Dali Lama asked why someone would want to eliminate the ego. He said it is the ego, the I, that says I want to live with more tolerance, I want to be compassionate, I want to make a difference in the world.  He said the problem arises when the I is so self centered that it creates a THEY, because once there is an I and a THEY, we have to protect ourselves, our property and our perceived rights from THEY/THEM, which leads to aggression and violence. As Gandhi said, “An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.”

As President, I will protect the values of Life University from those who don’t honor our community, but I usually only see this in the gross extremes. More importantly, everyone here needs to make a personal commitment to Life’s values and honor them out of integrity. It’s hard to take a moral stand against other people’s behavior if we are taking drugs, planning drunken weekends, humiliating people in class, etc. Let’s recommit ourselves, not to some puritan perfection, but to a realization that how we live must be reflective of the change we want to see in others…in the world.”

 

Syllabus Hell Week – James Beuerlein, D.C. Student

Let’s Call It Like It Is

I’d say this title is an accurate description of my welcome to the D.C. program at Life. My fellow First Quarter students and I came bounding into C127 early Monday morning October 4th, full of excitement and wonder with huge anime-like stars in our eyes. Over the course of the next five days, those stars faded, disappeared, turned to tears, and finally burning fire. What could do this? What could spoil such hope and enthusiasm? What could crush such eager spirits? The tedium of reading and discussing syllabi six hours a day for an entire week.

Who is to blame here? Well, no one really. Perhaps the issue has not yet been raised. It’s possible, I guess. In that case, I’d like to address the faculty and administration of this fine institution. Ladies and Gentlemen, Doctors, on behalf of the Fall 2010 D.C. 1st quarter class, I would like to state, for the record, that we can read! Whatever loophole we may have found in order to beat the system and undeservingly gain admission to this prestigious doctoral program, I assure you that we did not accomplish it without the ability to read and understand the English language.

I know there is a mountain of circumstantial evidence to the contrary—plenty of “I didn’t know about this…” statements at the end of the quarter from desperate pupils. I posit that rather than a lack of ability to read, these statements come from a lack of responsibility and common sense, and, while those traits are important, this is a chiropractic university. Perhaps failing a class or two in the first quarter is exactly what lazy students need in order to shock them into realizing, “Oh $#!*, this is a professional degree. I guess I should take some initiative.” Educators, I believe that this is closer to the true problem – not a lack of ability to read. And, YES, we do know how to use computers and the internet. For all our talk of vitalism, we really need to give natural selection a chance here.

Surely, with that knowledge under our belts, there must be some way to streamline this process. Now, far be it from me to complain about this issue and offer no solution. No. In fact, I propose that a letter be drafted and delivered to the students in triplicate: email, post, and handed out at orientation. It could be worded something like this:

Dear New Student,

Welcome to Life University. There are a few things you should know before beginning your career at Life.

We expect you to show up day one, prepared. This means that you should have already logged on to Blackboard, read the syllabus for each class, and purchased the required text. If you have trouble accessing Blackboard, please contact the IT department. A quiz worth 5 points of your final grade will be given at the beginning of each class, and it will cover only information found in the class syllabus. Additionally, all required textbooks are available at the school bookstore. If you choose to purchase your books online, it is up to you to ensure that your books arrive before class begins or that you are able to make do until they do arrive. A copy of each required text can also be found in the university’s library.

We are very happy that you chose Life University for excellence in chiropractic education. However, should you find yourself at the end of your first week having lost 5 points in each class and unable to do your homework because you have no textbooks, this may not be the program for you. Please remember: if you hope to be called “Doctor” at the end of this program, you’re going to have to earn it.

Once again, welcome! Good luck on your studies!

Sincerely, the Faculty and Administration of Life University.

Without question, each teacher will have specific instructions for their class that they will need 15 or 20 min to explain day 1. But it does not need to be 2 hours, and it does not need to consume our whole week. Were it not for the fact that a few of the classes meet more than once per week, I may not have learned anything in the first tenth of the quarter. Please, let’s stop tithing to the syllabus.

New Student Enrollment Exceeds 400 – Carley Edwards, D.C. Student

Numbers expected to increase

As Life University continues to expand with the new café, parking deck, and green area, so does the new student body. The total new student enrollment for the fall quarter was 420 students. This includes the Doctor of Chiropractic Program, The College of Undergraduate Studies and The College of Graduate Studies and Research. The Doctor of Chiropractic Program welcomed 156 new students, making the total headcount 1543 students. However, fall 2007 exceeded this number with 178 new students enrolled in the DC program and 162 in the fall 2009 quarter.

The College of Undergraduate Studies had the highest enrollment seen in years with 240 new students, making 792 total undergraduate students. The College of Graduate Studies and Research has 102 students, 24 of them new this quarter. This number may not seem like a lot, but compared to fall 2005, there were only two new students enrolled. This brings the Life University current total student enrollment to 2437 students. This is 100 more students than last year.

Welcome to Life – Kelly Milano, D.C. Student

it’s a great time to be here

What a great time to be a student on the campus of Life University. As this quarter is getting underway, there is a buzz in the air that hasn’t been experienced before. The Village Retreat Student Housing is at full capacity. The first rugby game of the season saw full bleachers and excited students and fans, (and a massive win by the team!) The First Tuesday festivities saw students excited and the Annex C plaza was virtually at capacity with its sea of students and faculty. The Socrates Café is packed with students at all times of the day and the campus is feeling like a ‘real’ college campus.

In the past, the first day of school brought nothing more than another mundane repeat of going to classes, passing people in the hallway and possibly not even smiling. There was nothing to be excited about. Life was truly lifeLESS at that time, but times are changing. LIFE is changing!

In revitalizing the campus, Dr. Riekeman has stated that one of his goals is to create a campus with a community feel and a true college atmosphere. With increased gathering spots, such as the Socrates Café and the outside eating areas, the Life Village Retreat that is full of activities and events for its residents, sporting events and clubs, life has truly started to come to Life.

This quarter will once again see the Chiro-Games, which Life students participated in last year for the first time since the accreditation crisis. These games will bring more unity and relationships among the students, as well as a pride in the student body, as they represent Life while facing off against the other chiropractic colleges across the nation. The various athletic clubs and intramural sports on campus have support of the Athletic Department like never before. Coach Barrett, Athletic Director at Life, has stated that “Intramural sports are just as important as club sports and intercollegiate sports. We want to create a place where everyone who wants to, can compete and partake in sports”

Another great event that happens weekly on campus is the ongoing activity at the Treehouse. Just about every night, you can find some sort of activities to partake in. From movie nights, open mic nights, pool tournaments and Wii competitions, there is a little something for everyone who is looking for a place to hang out.

Speakers are beginning to flock to Life University as they have realized the quality of chiropractors that we are putting out and want to be a part of the excitement and experience of our university. This quarter will see more of the Carrick Neurology modules and trainings, Arno Burnier, Life Force Weekend with Dr. Joe Dispenza, Animal Adjusting seminars with Dr. Jay Komarek, and many more.

It’s an exciting time to be at Life. Our school’s history is being written right now, and we are a part of it. With all that is happening, you only have to open your eyes and you will find something to get involved in. Where will you find your place? What events and activities will you choose to join? Enjoy your time at Life and get involved! As always, Vital Source will provide information and details on new events and happenings at Life University. For questions or comments please email submissions.vs@gmail.com, or visit our facebook page.

Lessons Beyond the Classroom – Melissa Bettess, D.C. Student

The story of Dr. Lydia Dever’s fight to return to her life after a horrific accident

Every once in a while a student will learn far more from their teacher than what is testable by means of paper and pencil. The teacher herself may not even be fully aware of all the extra valuable lessons she is impressing upon her students. Dr. Lydia Dever is one of those fine educators available here at Life University whose teaching extends far beyond the sometimes suffocating walls of the classroom.

The greatest lessons of life often follow tragedy. On Memorial Day weekend 2009, Dr. Dever was faced with a near-death experience. After a horrific motorcycle accident, Dr. Dever ended up under a heavy-duty pickup truck’s back tire. Though in critical condition, thankfully she was still alive. The accident left her with a long list of injuries: a pelvis broken in four places, a diagonal fracture from its base to S2, two damaged ligaments in her right knee, a broken middle finger, a fifth-degree separation of her right shoulder, four broken ribs on her left side, her clavicle had become hyper-mobile, moving in front of her sternum, and a lacerated bladder.

Coming back from such trauma was not an easy feat. Questions flew around campus wondering whether Dever would ever be strong enough to return to campus or her practice in Kennesaw. She was able to leave the hospital June 19th, ahead of all the doctors’ expectations, wearing a pelvis fixator, which resembled a towel rack.

Dr. Dever’s healing progressed quickly with support from the Life community, her family and friends, daily adjustments by practice partner, Dr. Tomasello, and physical therapists. Her recovery was difficult. It was easy to push herself physically too far and she would end up paying the price through increased pain and/or fatigue. Her strong will gave her the drive to persevere.

Dr. Dever returned to the classroom last October, a mere five months following her accident, with a modified schedule that allowed her a break after teaching a class.

In November, she sought out the expertise of DC student, Brandon Shriner, to help further with her recovery. Shriner is a personal trainer at the Wellness Center, and a TRX expert. (TRX is a suspension trainer developed by a Marine that is designed to be used anywhere there is a tree or tree-like structure). When Shriner started working with Dever, she could not even start on the TRX. She had to start with simple workouts that focused on core strengthening and stability and increasing range of motion. He took a neurological approach to her workouts, to get the brain-body connection balanced. He managed this task by using exercises that unveiled Dever’s weaknesses so she built up weaker muscles instead of overdeveloping stronger muscles thereby preventing her increasing the gap between stronger and weaker muscles. This helped reduce setbacks in her reconditioning. The exercises were analogous to a chiropractic adjustment – specific and precise.

While working out with Shriner once a week, Dr. Dever also had occupational therapy to increase her shoulder range of motion in order to help propel her workouts. She did cardio on her own, had soft tissue work done, and of course, adjustments.  Shriner concluded that, “All of the soft tissue work, adjustments, exercise, love and support, etc., created a body fit for healing so that God could do His work.”

A person’s true colors come out when forced to deal with adversary. Dr. Dever’s true colors have a lot to teach anyone who is blessed to come in contact with this fascinating woman. Shriner got to experience more of that than anyone. Shriner states that, “I learned more from her than she did from me.” He saw her fight harder than any other person in her sneakers would have, “I wasn’t going to let her quit. A lot of people would have thought, ‘It’s okay to quit because I’ve come this far.’” Dr. Dever’s drive to recover was not for self-seeking reasons. No. Her feisty desire was to be back in the trenches to serve chiropractic. Dever was anxious to get back to serving her patients. She had students waiting patiently for her return to the classroom. She is a great example for the school, her students, her patients, the chiropractic profession, and especially women chiropractors. Through her life story, she emanates what chiropractic stands upon, ‘To give. To do. To love. To serve.’