80: Prostate Cancer - Adversity to Sanctuary | Jon Syvertson
Mar 05, 2024Episode 80
HealingStrong
I never knew that a cancer diagnosis would lead me to such a profound discovery. When I stumbled upon HealingStrong, it wasn't just a support group—it became a family, a place of resilience, and a source of indomitable strength. This episode is a heartfelt narrative of how community can light the way during the darkest of times. It's also where I introduce you to John Syverston, who bravely shares his own confrontation with prostate cancer and how a plant-based diet and holistic health avenues became his armor in a battle pressured by conventional treatments.
Loss, personal health challenges, and caring for a loved one with dementia—the trials that can bring us to our knees often become the forge for our greatest strengths. This episode is a testament to the human spirit. I take you on a journey from the heartache of personal loss to the creation of Upward Way Homestead, a sanctuary in California that intertwines healing with nature and spirituality. You'll hear about our new support group launch, a testament to our commitment to offer peace and solidarity for those navigating the treacherous waters of cancer and lifestyle-related diseases.
By the end of our conversation, you'll see that you're not alone, and that there are pathways marked by support, education, and community that can empower you in your healing journey. HealingStrong isn't just an organization; it's a lifeline for those seeking to take control of their health against cancer and other diseases. You'll understand why joining a group—or perhaps starting one of your own—can be a beacon of hope. And as we wrap up, I extend my heartfelt thanks for you tuning in and sharing in this mission to foster healing, encouragement, and the spread of hope.
HealingStrong's mission is to educate, equip and empower our group leaders and group participants through their journey with cancer or other chronic illnesses, and know there is HOPE. We bring this hope through educational materials, webinars, guest speakers, conferences, community small group support and more.
Please consider supporting our mission by becoming a part of our Membership Program, as a monthly donor.
When you do, you will receive additional resources such as: webinars, access to ALL our past and most recent conference videos, downloadables and more, as a bonus.
To learn more, head to the HealingStrong Membership Program link below:
I never knew that a cancer diagnosis would lead me to such a profound discovery. When I stumbled upon HealingStrong, it wasn't just a support group—it became a family, a place of resilience, and a source of indomitable strength. This episode is a heartfelt narrative of how community can light the way during the darkest of times. It's also where I introduce you to John Syverston, who bravely shares his own confrontation with prostate cancer and how a plant-based diet and holistic health avenues became his armor in a battle pressured by conventional treatments.
Loss, personal health challenges, and caring for a loved one with dementia—the trials that can bring us to our knees often become the forge for our greatest strengths. This episode is a testament to the human spirit. I take you on a journey from the heartache of personal loss to the creation of Upward Way Homestead, a sanctuary in California that intertwines healing with nature and spirituality. You'll hear about our new support group launch, a testament to our commitment to offer peace and solidarity for those navigating the treacherous waters of cancer and lifestyle-related diseases.
By the end of our conversation, you'll see that you're not alone, and that there are pathways marked by support, education, and community that can empower you in your healing journey. HealingStrong isn't just an organization; it's a lifeline for those seeking to take control of their health against cancer and other diseases. You'll understand why joining a group—or perhaps starting one of your own—can be a beacon of hope. And as we wrap up, I extend my heartfelt thanks for you tuning in and sharing in this mission to foster healing, encouragement, and the spread of hope.
HealingStrong's mission is to educate, equip and empower our group leaders and group participants through their journey with cancer or other chronic illnesses, and know there is HOPE. We bring this hope through educational materials, webinars, guest speakers, conferences, community small group support and more.
Please consider supporting our mission by becoming a part of our Membership Program, as a monthly donor.
When you do, you will receive additional resources such as: webinars, access to ALL our past and most recent conference videos, downloadables and more, as a bonus.
To learn more, head to the HealingStrong Membership Program link below:
I found out about healing strong through a newsletter from Chris Wark. I went on and looked up and I said well, is there one nearby? And they said yeah, there's one up in Steven's point, which, okay, well, it's kind of far, it's two and a half hours.
Speaker 2:
Wow yeah.
Speaker 1:
But I was like you know I can do that I said because I really strongly felt that this was really important for that community aspect and having that support in what you're doing, cause really it's you know a lot of people, they families. A lot of times you don't get that support from your direct family and support you know. So I felt in part that that was important. So I reached out to Paige, called and she's oh yeah, we're just starting our very first meeting.
Speaker 1:
So I was there at the very first meeting there up in Steven's point. I was involved with a group for almost four years.
Speaker 3:
You're listening to the I am healing strong podcast, A part of the healing strong organization, the number one network of holistic cancer support groups in the world. Each week we bring you stories of hope, real stories that will encourage you as you navigate your way on your own journey to hell. Now here's your host stage four cancer thriver, Jim Mann.
Speaker 2:
Sitting here on the East coast talking all the way across the country to the West coast to John Siebertson how you doing, john.
Speaker 1:
I'm doing great, thank you.
Speaker 2:
Technology is just crazy. I mean, we're just chatting away like we're just sitting next to each other, but we've got a whole country in between us. You're like near the Redding California area, right, Yep.
Speaker 1:
I'm just like, maybe about 30 minutes towards Mount Lassen, mount Lassen's, the beautiful volcano mountain nearby.
Speaker 2:
Yeah.
Speaker 1:
We're about 30 minutes east of Lassen or Redding.
Speaker 2:
Right, it's a beautiful country out there. What's your temperature like today?
Speaker 1:
Probably you know, maybe 58.
Speaker 2:
That's my favorite kind of weather. You're in Northern California so it's. I guess that's normal for this time of year.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, I'm feeling blessed because we have an awful lot of days with rain.
Speaker 2:
Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:
Way too many.
Speaker 2:
Yeah Well, you have a story to share, you personally, because you're a group leader.
Speaker 1:
Yes, just recently made a decision to do that in our first meeting. It was in January.
Speaker 2:
Okay. Oh, it's fresh, that's good. Yeah, you're like most people that are healing strong. You got the diagnosis correct. What year was that?
Speaker 1:
Yeah, it was 2018. I went in and I think it was June because I was having to get up at night a little too often and.
Speaker 1:
I suggested having my PSA checked, and so I did that. And then they said, well, you should have a biopsy. And I was like I don't know if I want to do that, so I just kind of let it go. And then I just I don't know for what reason, you know. Just I felt impressed that I needed to. So I called them up and the end of July we did a biopsy in 2018.
Speaker 2:
Okay, and then came back and there was some cancer there.
Speaker 1:
Oh yeah, you know, rather odd phone call.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, it's in the gut. It's in the gut, doesn't it?
Speaker 1:
Yes. I don't know if anybody's got a diagnosis and said huh, oh well, life goes on Well they immediately put on the full court press, you know, and so, like in a five minute conversation, he's telling me I have prostate cancer and that you need to have your prostate removed.
Speaker 2:
Oh nice, yeah, they like to bring in the action, don't they?
Speaker 1:
I remember it because I was at work and I jumped in a conference room.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, kind of sorted it out a little bit there, wow. And of course then you probably did a lot of research, looking for information, and that's when you came across Chris Warke.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, you know, I'm not sure how the computers figure this out, but I got an ad from Chris Warke Healing strong. Of course I had been involved in, you know, holistic health for, for I don't know, probably the previous seven, seven years, probably five, maybe six or seven years, I'm not sure exactly. But because I switched to, I want to say, mostly plant based back then for some other reasons, because I had been getting a gout pretty seriously and recurring times, and so I had been looking for ways to improve my health.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, who pointed you in that direction, or was that just through research?
Speaker 1:
You know, I don't know that anybody per se a lot of people in our church is health minded, I guess, and so I. I, however, had gotten online. I started looking and coming across you know physicians like Dr McDougal, and then I read this book called the China Study, and I was aware of Dr Esselstein's work With healing of heart disease. They were proud to be an audiologist. I believe he wrote a book on preventing and actually reversing heart disease.
Speaker 2:
Now, you originally were from Wisconsin, right?
Speaker 1:
Yeah, I'm just originally and I lived there my whole life. Basically, I just moved here last August.
Speaker 2:
Oh, wow.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, that was. That's a whole nother story.
Speaker 2:
But yes they're.
Speaker 1:
They're connected. Let me tell you. They are very connected, but it is a different story.
Speaker 2:
Okay, and what were you doing for a living then?
Speaker 1:
Um same thing as I'm doing now. I work for a company in Iowa. They're a they're a manufacturing company and I do IT work for them.
Speaker 2:
Oh, okay.
Speaker 1:
I'm a full-time remote, I don't have to ever go in the office.
Speaker 2:
Nice.
Speaker 1:
They decided that after, during COVID, I guess so. I had already been a remote worker for many years before that.
Speaker 2:
Okay, I was reading where you said that you know you got the diagnosis and you were just kind of divorced. Is that right?
Speaker 1:
Yeah, you know and I basically it was like almost a year before I got a phone call from my, my ex wife. She had been in treatment for anorexia and depression and you know I was just looking forward to her coming back home and just come to find out she just had decided she didn't know, did not want to be married to me anymore.
Speaker 2:
Wow.
Speaker 1:
So and the divorce was almost. It was just like a month shy of 30 years is when the divorce was final.
Speaker 2:
Man.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, I was not in a good place. I'll just say that after that was like yeah, it's just kind of depressed really. I shouldn't say kind of, I was very depressed.
Speaker 2:
Right, yeah, that will rock your world, but it was yeah, it was approximately.
Speaker 1:
you know, I'm really thinking that my state of mind was causative in this situation. Yeah, of course I don't have any proof of any of this, but you know, it's just conspicuous the time it came.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, it certainly didn't help. Let's say that.
Speaker 1:
No, no, because I do know that our, our mind, is very much involved in the healing process.
Speaker 2:
Oh, yeah, definitely. So at what time? From the time that you got that news from your, from your ex-wife now, to when you got the diagnosis? What was that time span? It was total of 11 months 11 months, wow, yeah, so that was not a fun year for you.
Speaker 1:
No and yeah and it was. It's like 20, it was like the end of the year I got the divorce was final because it took about three years, because I was trying to, just trying to see if we could put things back together. Yeah, yeah, but it was. It was 2021, the divorce was final. And or 2020, sorry, divorce was final. And then that year my mom passed away, my dog died. It was a horrible year we had all this cold stuff going on.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, it just seems to like pour. When things started happening, it's the same thing, kind of, with me. I had to bring my parents up from Florida because my mom got dementia. They lived with us and then I got diagnosed with cancer that same year and I had to tell my mom every 10 minutes because she had dementia, pretty bad. She goes what. We had an operation. She goes what.
Speaker 2:
What happened up here, you know cause it was on top of my head and I said, uh, I got cancer. What? Yeah, we got cancer. And then 10 minutes later, what happened up there? So it's just going on and on and then they both passed away and when my dad passed away, my cancer had came back. So yeah, it just keeps hitting. It's like I feel like I'm in a Rocky movie. We're just getting your face beat up, but as long as you keep getting back up, that's what really matters, which is why I love this Rocky movie so much. It's not how many times you're knocked down and how many times you get back up. And then, of course, fast Forward. You moved to California and you got involved with is the upward way homestead? You're involved with it, or is that something you so?
Speaker 1:
if you don't mind, I'll just back up just to smidgen, because I discovered about Chris' work over the internet and just an ad popped up and that was really my connecting point for Healing Strong and I got it. In August I found out about Healing Strong through a newsletter from Chris' work. I went on and looked up and I said, well, is there one nearby? And they said yeah, there's one up in Stevens Point, which is okay. Well, it's kind of far, it's two and a half hours.
Speaker 2:
Wow, yeah.
Speaker 1:
And I was like I can do. That I said because I really strongly felt that this was really important for that community aspect and having that support in what you're doing, because really it's a lot of people, they families. A lot of times you don't get that support from your direct family and support. So I felt that that was important. So I reached out to Paige, called and she said oh yeah, we're just starting our very first meeting. So I was there at the very first meeting there up in Stevens Point.
Speaker 2:
And.
Speaker 1:
I was involved with the group for almost four years.
Speaker 2:
Wow, you drove that far for four years.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, and in the middle of that I was like I just felt getting this little poke here and there, how the Lord kind of speaks to you. That's kind of far to drive. Maybe there's a need here and that maybe I should start a group sometime. Circumstances led me out to California, which is the whole reason I came out here was to work with someone who had helped me through my cancer walk, someone that was helping me do a detox for heavy metal. Yeah, I just became friends with Charmaine Vieira and she had been starting a place out here working on it and just circumstances led to so that I knew that he had guide, was directing me here because I had felt compelled that I needed to work in some kind of health ministry. So I just circumstances led me out here. So I just have a co-director out here for a place called Upward Way Homestead, which we work in the same space that Healing Strong is, but it's local, hands-on type of education and where people can come and learn really what's good for their health in these regards.
Speaker 1:
Wow, it's like Very simple stance for Healing Strong, yeah, and that's what Paul's got in the process. That's a very important part of it here, because ultimately, he is the one that brings the healing and we just stop kicking ourselves in the shin every day.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, that helps. So you said it's like 150, some acres there. Man, that sounds great.
Speaker 1:
It's the big properties, beautiful area out here.
Speaker 2:
That sounds fantastic. I mean, where I meet with my group, it's the Cancer Survivors Park and that's a park that's downtown in Greenville, south Carolina, that it has the same thing. Obviously it's not 100 some acres, but it's I forget how many acres it is but it's a beautiful park and it's just a place for people who have gone through cancer or currently going through cancer, just to get away from all the noise and just be with nature. I mean, there's a little river, it goes through there and all kinds of places to walk and just enjoy beautiful nature. And there's these little places. In fact, I took pictures of them last night. I gotta put them up on my little website, these little stations with QR codes, and it talks about what laughter does for you, about hope and prayer. It's remarkable, just a place to go. You don't even have to have cancer to be there. It's just so serene.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, our focus really is at cancer per se. It's lifestyle diseases, anything that's related to lifestyle diseases but also we have people coming here with anxieties, all kinds of anxieties. So it's really because getting the right nutrition in you, but also combining that with connecting people with the author of creation, our Lord and that involving him in the process of healing, and we seem to be seeing a lot of people with them in the area of healing it from whatever anxieties they go through.
Speaker 2:
There's a lot of anxiety in this world, oh my goodness, increasing all the time. Yeah, and so you started a Healing Strong group there just recently, right?
Speaker 1:
Yes, it just started in January.
Speaker 2:
So how's that going?
Speaker 1:
Well, I think amazing actually Could be better. You know what you have kind of these. You'd like to have 10 people show up at the first meeting. We had two there that were there for cancer. We had some local people that were just really excited that are interested in this kind of ministry as well. That showed up in our first meeting, so we had like maybe six people, six or seven people there.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, that's a good start, yeah two in the first one, and then we had an additional two or three, I don't recall. So we had four or five on the second meeting.
Speaker 2:
So nice yeah. Okay, when do you meet?
Speaker 1:
We meet on the second Monday of every month.
Speaker 2:
Okay, so how is your personal journey doing?
Speaker 1:
You know it could always be better, I feel like. But I feel great. I don't have any kind of health concerns outside of. I still do struggle a little bit with my blood pressure but I still do monitor my PSA and basically when I started it was it's gone down about 30% from what was originally and it's just kind of staying there.
Speaker 2:
How do you keep track of this? Do you have, like a holistic doctor or just a conventional doctor who do?
Speaker 1:
you see, I was in Richland Center. We didn't have a holistic doctor. Basically I had. Really I had healing strong. I'm not advising people to do it this way, it's just was my situation. I was in a very small town, I for about a year I continued to see my urologist.
Speaker 1:
Or maybe it was even two years, but I eventually just says you know what? I'm not going to continue to go there because what I was getting really was fear injection in my meetings with him, a full court press to have my prostate removed, despite the fact that my PSA was down. I felt like I needed to educate him and things that Dr Dean Ornish had published in the Journal of Urology regarding the benefits of many of the different things that we're teaching and healing strong, and so I eventually. My sister is a nurse practitioner, so I just went to her and have her order the tests and, forgetting, my PSA checked and I just quit going to see him because I didn't really feel he could add anything except for fear, which is not going to help you.
Speaker 2:
No, no, it's not at all. So many people are in that same situation. It's just hard to find holistic doctors or someone that is thinking the same way you are, that your body can heal itself if you have it balanced out and get rid of the toxins. And of course, everybody's different what their body needs, and so you got to pretty much figure that out. And even where I'm at I mean of course, california I thought there'd be holistic doctors everywhere, every block. But I guess not. And where I live, I thought also. But it's even hard to find some here in South Carolina, even with our own cancer survivors Park, you would think they'd be all over the place.
Speaker 1:
But I guess what I did is I turned to a lot of books right. And reading. You know Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, their resources and just listening to their podcasts that were were helpful. And there's a book collect called the China study. That book was was very instrumental in my understanding that, hey, I need to stop going to that. Culver's I don't know if you've been to Wisconsin but we have something place called Culver's and they have amazing chocolate custards.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, they just built one literally across in my neighborhood.
Speaker 1:
Oh yeah, so I that was, you know, when I discovered I had cancer and I had read the book the China study. So, I said, okay, that's got to go, and little things like that. You know it wasn't a huge adjustment, except for you know what I was looking at, what Chris work was doing, and I would. Honestly, mostly that's the kind of thing I did, and books like the radical remission.
Speaker 2:
Right, yeah, that's a good book. I had her on the podcast also. She's amazing for research.
Speaker 1:
It's an amazing book. I think she has another book on to I have.
Speaker 2:
I read the first one, but when you talked about you were doing detoxing for heavy metals. What got you that? Is it a dental thing or Well, I was concerned.
Speaker 1:
while I've had these and I still I haven't had them removed, I just chose to do detoxing for it.
Speaker 2:
Okay, but it was the dental thing that got you, yeah, okay, we talked about that last night in our healing strong meeting. We had the. We were in lesson 11, where they talk about dentistry and and that's something that you just don't think about until well, until you get a diagnosis of cancer. Then you're looking at everything and I, you know, I got, I still got metal in my mouth, I still have root canals. I'm like, oh, my goodness, got to get rid of that stuff. And it ain't cheap.
Speaker 1:
I was going to do it and then I did because it's just, you know, just the financial commitments in that area is just it's not cheap. No, you know, I guess it's hard to put a price tag on your health.
Speaker 2:
Right.
Speaker 1:
If there money was, no object I would do it.
Speaker 2:
But yeah, and insurance companies don't like covering things at work.
Speaker 1:
You'd like to think that they are interested in getting at the root cause, but they're sitting basically masking it. That's why I look at it right, yeah no, I have many friends that are in medical community. I love them. They all, they also recognize the problems that you know. They're putting band-aids on something that.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, and lots of them. Their hands are tied.
Speaker 1:
They can't really Right do what needs me when some of the just start things you learn. It's just you know well, the best you can do is a 2% Success rate, which, by the way, is like five years, I believe, for chemotherapy.
Speaker 2:
Really.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, and that's that's including, you know, the ones that, like I think leukemia is one that's very, very good at. It's like 90 something percent success with it, right, and so that kind of skews, other ones that are much lower than 2%. So it's like crazy.
Speaker 2:
Well, where do you see things going from here with with what you're doing, either with a healing strong group or your work with this other? Well, in this place, which I call an upward way homestead, Where's it going?
Speaker 1:
Well, I guess God knows that yeah we're gonna continue to Just kind of reach out and build our group here and build a community of support, right really, for people that are looking for ways to Heal strong, if I can use that word, but I mean it's. It sounds cliche at this point.
Speaker 2:
Yeah.
Speaker 1:
But you know ways to just Let me say it this way I just believe that fundamentally we are built to heal. We are fearfully and wonderfully made by our creator.
Speaker 2:
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, we have. I think that the earth is full of natural things that can help us in this healing right and. It's unfortunately that, you know, medical community can't make money on it because it can't be patented. Yeah, so it's not, therefore not a part of the process, all right, so that's you know. That's where I think that there is a lot of benefit to these naturopaths, and and I have never been involved in that, but I certainly do encourage it.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, which. What you're saying is God knows what he's doing and if there's a shortcoming it's always gonna be on our side Whenever something like this enters our life. It's not doesn't catch a guide off guard. It catches us off guard, but God knows it's coming and he uses that. He doesn't give you cancer. It's just a byproduct of of what we've been doing, how well we've been eating or the stress in our lives. Whatever it may be. In each individual it's always different.
Speaker 1:
I think that the example of the ministry that Jesus gave was he was a healer and he's said he came that we might have life, and life more abundant. So that's what we're trying to help people with is more abundant life.
Speaker 2:
Yeah.
Speaker 1:
I guess you're dealing with life and death things and we don't have all the answers, of course. Right but we do know the one that does have all the answers. So Exactly we want to lift up.
Speaker 2:
So we lean on him. He guides us in the right direction and and he uses us to help others. It's never just an isolated thing. He always uses our stories to reach out and give hope to others. So that's how I see it. Oh, I'm wondering what all that noise is. It's starting to rain here and sit in my windows. I thought do I have mice on the floor here? That worried me a little. But now rain hitting the window, okay well, john, is there anything else you want to share with us before I let you go?
Speaker 1:
just Just been a pleasure to talk to you, and there's always more we can talk about, of course, but I think that really is In a nutshell.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, what would you say to somebody who's listening and just got that diagnosis and so they're in a panic and and you know their mind is racing and they're not sure which direction to go and they're just kind of well, you know the desperate feel because you don't know what's happening, because you know We've both been through that. What would you say to them right now?
Speaker 1:
You know? I would just say, you know, take it to the Lord First you know, informed. Find, find a group that can support you in the process. You know, have community. That's not Not a support group that's gonna give you fear, but one that's gonna give you hope right for a bright future, because really it's not a death sentence. I'm really. I'm almost five years into this now. Yeah that's their, that was their Goal of success. When you have your prostate removed.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, five years of flight.
Speaker 1:
You know, and I live that five years without the downsides of all that Trauma. Right, because for a guy that's trauma.
Speaker 2:
You can say that yeah yes. Well, john, you look great. I don't know what you look like beforehand, but you look great, so just keep.
Speaker 1:
Doing all this process. You know all the juicing and I do incorporate fasting and that kind of thing. But you know, ten years ago about I was 220, something. Now I'm about a hundred and seventy and something you know, still carrying a little bit of extra weight but trending in the right direction. That's right Of course, we all know that the extra baggage we carry around is a cancer risk.
Speaker 2:
Right, right, yeah, I quit. I quit sugar as soon as I heard by diagnosis, and I I'm a skinny guy anyway, but I dropped 25 pounds and 30 days just for cutting sugar out. Wow, where did they come from? I mean, I'm already skinny, but it obviously was not healthy weight.
Speaker 1:
So yeah, so you kind of get reportioned and you just you're giving yourself good nutrition.
Speaker 2:
And now, as you can see, I'm just a beautiful man. Yeah, you're looking across the country, so it's hard to see, right? All right, john. Well, thank you so much. I'll let you go and and go on with your day, but I appreciate you sharing and giving hope to others.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, it's a nice meeting you, Jim.
Speaker 3:
You've been listening to the I am Healing Strong podcast. A part of the Healing Strong organization. We hope you found encouragement in this episode, as well as the confidence to take control of your healing journey, knowing that God will guide you on this path. Healing Strong is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to connect, support and educate individuals facing cancer and other diseases through strategies that help to rebuild the body, renew the soul and refresh the spirit.
Speaker 3:
It costs nothing to be a part of a local or online group. You can do that by going to our website at healingstrongorg and findinga group near you or an online group, or start your own, your choice. While you're there, take a look around at all the free resources. Though the resources and groups are free, we encourage you to join our membership program at 25 or $75 a month. This helps us to be able to reach more people with hope and encouragement, and that also comes with some extra perks as well. So check it out. If you enjoyed this podcast, please give us a five star rating, leave an encouraging comment and help us spread the word. We'll see you next week with another story on the I am healing strong podcast.