In itself though, the cancer does not make for an interesting story. What is interesting, even revealing in our context is, how Ernst Pagenstecher confronted it, worked with it, contained it – preserving his dignity and his quality as life as long as possible, which in his case amounted to a life extension of about eight years. He managed to do so in the face of adversity and, initially, no less faced with great hostility from the side of his physicians who all were dead against what he set out to do.
This approach is in line with the man’s character. On first glance Ernst Pagenstecher looked absolutely unassuming; not someone you would notice. But first impressions can prove misleading. He belonged to the small group of people who renewed the interest in Buddhism in Germany after World War II. He was a student of several very renowned Buddhist masters in India, and in the US. He also practiced and meditated regularly; in addition, he lectured, he taught, and he served as a mentor to some young people like myself. All of this happened alongside his day job at the Ministry of Agriculture of a German state government. You could say that he acted a bit the maverick. He also was one although there was no display of swagger.
Now to the cancer: it felt sort of eerie to hear about at first when I was only 25 years old myself, and I now recollect even how the subject came up. We were sitting at the table in the corner of the living room to have dinner after one of our bi-weekly Saturday afternoon gatherings. As I lived in a city 150 kilometers away, I sometimes stayed over night. In that particular night, instead of the usual staple of rye bread, cheese and vegetarian dips, my mentor had a salad – no carbs. I found that odd and commented on it. In return he mentioned, that there was a slight problem with his health, just a little cancer here and there in his body, which had compelled him to change his diet. After which he went on to tell me the story pretty much in the same way is it was written down in 9 Principles of Self-Healing:
“We had a good friend (he is deceased now) who many years ago was diagnosed during a regular check up which full blown cancer of both the prostate and kidneys. Immediate surgery was suggested, followed by the usual protocol of radiation. At that time our friend was in his early sixties, and happily married as well as deeply committed to the spiritual path. He also was physically very active, running every morning in the summer months and in the winter going to the Alps or Scandinavia for cross-country skiing. He asked the doctors what would happen to his manhood, and how long it would take him to be able to ski again (he had just booked a 3-week trip to Norway with that idea in mind).”
“The doctor’s face turned grim as the prognosis that he was going to give, regarding the likelihood of such recreational activities in the future. After the doctor had given his opinion, our friend thanked him and left, stating that he needed a second or even a third opinion. ‘But there is no time’, the doctor warned, ‘we have to operate immediately’. ‘No, we don’t,’ our friend replied. ‘It is my body and my life, and I am going to find an alternative solution that satisfies me, because with what you are suggesting I should put myself through, I might as well be dead. What’s the point of living, if you can’t enjoy life?’ He went to two more doctors who gave concurrent opinions. All the doctors almost became hopping mad trying to pressure and convince him by gravely pointing to his test results.”
“When our friend finally opted for a treatment combining juice fasting, nutritional supplementation and ozone therapy with a physician in Baden Baden, they declared him insane. And yet, he lived eight more years, quite content with his fate and taking several extended cross-country skiing trips to Norway and other places. The therapy he opted for required a lot of discipline. He had to completely change his diet, do regular juice fasting, and visit the physician for a series of ozone treatments twice a year. Yet the disciplined regimen enabled him to get on with his life in a way he had wished for.”
“He was not disabled or incapacitated, and when his time was up, he died a happy man. And why? Because he withstood tremendous outside pressure and trusted his own intelligence regarding the treatment that he finally chose.”
You may interject that, in the end, the patient did die of cancer – despite of his maverick long-term therapy and dedicated follow-through. No doubt. There can also be no doubt that, had he listened to the first three doctors’ advice (one at the German Mayo Clinic, which is located in Wiesbaden) he would have died much earlier – and under much more miserable conditions. If you don’t believe me, check out the statistics for survival rates in metastatic advanced organ cancers in a previous posting: http://healthyhealingcentergoa.blogspot.in/2011/02/efficacy-of-chemotherapy-mere-belief.html
However, the point of the story is not to malign any one person or the conventional approach in oncology. The fact is: only a patient with a strong character like Ernst Pagenstecher will indeed ever be comfortable under fire and with withstanding the tremendous outside pressure in favor of a more conventional treatment protocol – and furthermore muster the discipline needed for an integrative therapy that hinges on the client’s willingness and ability to cooperate and do his part. Many people are not made for this, and thus they will have to make a different choice.
If there is a point at all, it is that fear is a bad advisor. And in that sense, doctors who try to sell their medicine by putting the fear of death in the client’s head and heart do NOT appear to act like very good doctors. May be they are merely a bit lazy – too complacent to look beyond the fence of their particular specialization; not willing to explore new territories. However, as soon as the fear drops away, the chances increase for the patient to live with the cancer, managing it, keeping it contained.
We concede that even then the odds for a full remission and complete healing are low. But the odds for surviving for some time, and with dignity, are much higher than when a patient with advanced organ cancer, like most in fact do, goes for the conventional option. As we have seen through Ernst Pagenstecher’s story, curiosity, stubbornness and follow-through with discipline can grant someone who has the guts, as many as eight additional wonderful years.
The picture by the way shows the area of Wiesbaden where Ernst Pagenstecher and his wife used to live.