The large windows of Room 5 looked out across the neighboring golf course. As I and the other patients sat in the recliners that lined the room, we could see golfers driving by in their golf carts. And yes, one of the windows was broken… a stray golf ball had recently made impact. I was at Envita Medical Center in Scottsdale, Arizona, receiving IV infusions as part of my cancer treatment. (You can read the whole story in the first article of this series, “Azure Family Love: Living to Tell About It”.) Since I received IV treatments nearly every day, I got to know the other patients in Room 5 as we would spend hours there together.
Conversations usually centered around how we felt, progress we were making, treatments or procedures we had had or were going to have, and what to eat. But, discussing financial obligations wasn’t off the list. Everyone had their challenges. So far, alternative treatments, like what Envita provides, are not covered by insurance. This may change in the future, but right now, the option for payment is out-of-pocket. So, was it just the rich and privileged that were able to get treatment at Envita? Not hardly.
Without being overly specific, I’ll share with you the general profile of some of the people I met and their way of paying for their alternative treatments without insurance.
There was the Grandma and her husband who had spent their children’s inheritance money just to help her beat cancer, when all other conventional treatments had failed. There was the high school teacher who had raised a significant amount of money through her GoFundMe campaign because she had a very broad social media network. There was the man who didn’t quite have enough money to cover full treatment, so he opted for only the things most likely to help, knowing the outcome might not be as good. But, it was all he could afford. There was the girl whose church had sponsored her treatment. There is strength in numbers. And then, there was me.
When someone asks me now how I could afford to go to Envita, I don’t know exactly what to say, except my God worked a miracle for me. The love and compassion shown to me by those who know me was incredible. Through a combination of gifted monies and family-like loans to make sure I was not deprived of one helpful treatment, I came through the experience alive and with another chance to regain true health. And, with this new life, I’ve been given the opportunity to give back.
Wanting to Give
I remember asking my friends in Room 5, “How will I ever repay everyone their kindness? So many people are doing so many things for me. My co-workers and high-school friends have come to care for me. I've seen the generosity of perfect strangers who had compassion and helped in other ways besides with money -- like the hotel worker who loaned me (and my caregiver) a wheelchair for use even outside the hotel until we could find one of our own. What about the pharmacist on vacation who came to my apartment to help my caregiver understand my medications when I was unable to decipher them myself? How will I ever repay them all?”
I basically got two answers.
1) Don’t think about that right now. You just need to heal. When the time is right you will have the strength to do lots. Just rest.
2) Pay it forward. You will never be able to repay that particular person, but you can help the next person… and they will repay the next person. Once you’re recovered, you will find many opportunities to be kind and helpful to others as they have been to you.
I found that both answers are spot-on. When I was in the time of need, when I couldn’t do things for myself (much less for others), that was the time to lean on the loving arms of those who cared for me and allow them to be a blessing. Then, by accepting that generosity and gentle care, I could truly heal. Only then would I have the renewed strength to repay… to once again be a blessing to others.
Learning to Receive
Boy, it was hard, though. I’ve always wanted to be on the giving side. Being in the position of needing the care and generosity of others was hard for me. But, until I had that experience myself, I don’t think I had really ever understood the full circle of compassion and graciousness we as a community, as the Azure Family, can help each other experience. For everyone who I knew helped me (and I’m sure there were many who I will never know), I tried to express my appreciation with plenty of thank-you’s in the moment, thank you cards, and sharing the story of their kindness and compassion. But, it still doesn’t feel like enough. Now that I’m stronger and working hard to achieve full recovery, I want to give back in a bigger way.
I feel very blessed to have been given the opportunity to go to Envita in my desperate need for alternative cancer care in February of 2021. (See Envita Case Study.) It was because of the research that Kimberly Stelzer had done for her own father (when he was diagnosed with Stage 4 prostate cancer) that she already knew of and had a positive experience with Envita. So, when I urgently needed help, she was able to quickly talk to the right people and make the arrangements for me to go there. I couldn’t do it myself--I was too sick. This was such a blessing to me, and I thank our Heavenly Father for both Kimberly and her dad, Doc. I feel bad that her dad had to suffer with cancer in order for me to have a smooth and clear path to successful treatment myself. But, it gives me more reason to pay-it-forward -- so that Doc’s suffering was not in vain either.
The Alternative Care Fund
I’m happy to share that, as a result of Doc’s experience and subsequently my own experience with needing alternative cancer care, we’ve set up a new Fund through the Heritage Congregation church, here in Dufur, Oregon, to help others in the Azure Family who find themselves in need. Kimberly and I both feel honored to be involved with this as it is a marvelous way to pay-it-back and pay-it-forward. It’s a way to help our Azure Family help each other. I got such wonderful support from so many in the Azure Family… I feel privileged to be involved in helping others find hope for their cancer and a way to pay for that care.
The church has a couple of different Funds set up, but this Fund is called the “Alternative Care Fund.” It is specifically for Azure customers (and/or their immediate family) who, like me, have been living a healthy lifestyle-- eating healthy Azure food, and trying to take care of their health-- yet inexplicably find themselves faced with a serious disease (in my case, cancer). They may need alternative treatments that are not (yet) available at mainstream medical facilities or covered by insurance. It’s a tough spot to be in when you feel like you’ve been doing everything right to avoid such illness, and have chosen to spend your money on healthy organic food, yet are overtaken by a disease that could have had its beginnings decades earlier. We just don’t know what effect our environment, our circumstances, and the well-intentioned (yet perhaps misguided) “treatments” in our past may have had on our current health. But, regardless of the cause, we all need to deal with the here-and-now. When a serious illness strikes someone in our Azure Family, this Fund is here to help.
Envita’s Participation
As a patient who has experienced the care and successful treatment from Envita Medical Center, I’m happy to say that the folks there have agreed to work with both Azure and Heritage Congregation to maximize the goodness we can all do for each other. Envita has offered to give a special discounted rate to Heritage Congregation for any patient that is being funded through the “Alternative Care Fund”. They can do this, partly because the billing will all go through Heritage Congregation directly instead of the individual patient, thus cutting down on administrative costs. They will also be donating to the Fund themselves through credits they receive through our Share Azure Program. (And as they share Azure with their patients as a place to get quality organic food at affordable prices, we expect you may start meeting more Envita patients and their families at your local Azure Drop.) It is my privilege and honor to be able to work with Envita in this way. I feel like I’m paying-it-back and paying-it-forward.
Non-Profit Benefits
Heritage Congregation is closely affiliated with Azure Standard, and many of the leaders in Azure also have leadership positions in the church. But, Azure Standard (as a for-profit business entity) is quite separate. Since the church (by its very nature), is a non-profit organization, it adds the benefit that donations are tax deductible. The work done at the church is 100% volunteer, and 100% of the donated funds will be used to help someone get the alternative care they need. You’ll find the details about the Alternative Care Fund on the church website https://heritagecongregation.org/ac-fund/
Being a Blessing & Seeing the Miracles
If you have received of the Lord’s blessings financially, and you have the desire to help others in the Azure Family, I hope you’ll consider donating to this Fund. Based on my experience, alternative care treatments are life-saving and this Fund is a great way to give others hope when those treatments aren’t covered by insurance.
You may not be in a position to donate to the fund right now, and that’s okay. I learned and re-learned through my experience that indeed, sometimes the best way to help is to pray. I believe the power of prayer is in the power of the God who answers those prayers. He is faithful. I recently saw a quote by Rick Warren, “You never know God is all you need until God is all you have.” If you have nothing to give but your fervent prayer, that is enough. Our Heavenly Father has many ways of answering our prayers. When we see His mighty hand working in our lives it is amazing and humbling. He cares. And I believe He encourages others who have the resources (whether to just loan an unused wheelchair to someone who needs it, or to give monetary help) to do what they can in His service -- for the people in His Family.
I saw many miracles along my journey to overcome cancer in 2021. When I didn’t have the strength to get myself to Arizona for treatment, God sent someone. When I almost made a misstep and a bad decision about where to get a particular procedure done, He sent someone to warn me. When I was so close to death before treatment even started, He sent strength and people to encourage me and encourage the doctors to keep trying. When I almost died from the Ventricular Tachycardia attack, He kept me alive and sent someone to discover the cause. When I returned home to Oregon with a dead tumor, knowing I needed to shop for a doctor to remove it, He provided a team of doctors without any searching on my part. He has a plan. It’s amazing to watch Him work.
May You Never Need It
I hope that neither you nor anyone in your family ever needs to seek medical treatment for a serious disease like cancer. I hope that by choosing a healthy and active lifestyle, with the support and love of friends and family, minimal stress, and a clean environment with quality organic food you will never get a dreaded illness. By God’s grace I hope you’ll enjoy a peaceful, pleasant and productive life in God’s service, using your strength to help others. But, if you need help, please don’t hesitate to reach out and see if there is enough in the Fund to help you. And if you have the ability to donate monetarily, that’s wonderful. Thank you!
It does my heart good that through my difficult and trying experience with cancer last year, this goodness can come out of it. I love the Azure Family. You’re my kind of people, and I pray our Heavenly Father blesses you abundantly!