110: Diagnosis to Overcoming Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma | Benjamin Canales - I AM HealingStrong

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[00:00]
Ben Kanellis
When you read for five years, you learn a lot. And I, there's just nothing that anyone could do to, to change my mind. And I was never even, you know, the thing I was fortunate about is, you know, I mean, I wasn't 100% sure. You know, I didn't know I was going to come through it, but I just knew that, you know, there's different paths and this is the path that made the most sense to me. And so, you know, but that said, I have a lot of empathy for the folks that I meet at Healing Strong because, you know, a lot of them that come have already gone down these roads and they realize that, okay, this isn't exactly working out the way I thought it was going to work out. So now they're looking for answers.
[00:41]
Jim Mann
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 health. Now here's your host, stage four cancer.
[01:04]
Podcast Host
Thriver Jim Mann, joining me on this episode. Ben Kanellis. All the way up there in Idaho, right?
[01:12]
Ben Kanellis
Yes, sir. The Panhandle.
[01:14]
Podcast Host
You don't mind the cold, apparently?
[01:16]
Ben Kanellis
I didn't say that. I've gotten used to it for sure.
[01:21]
Podcast Host
Yeah. I was telling you earlier, I was up in. I say up, it's down for you, but McCall, Idaho, I was there for a men in radio retreat and it was like 75ft of snow. It was just incredible and actually more like three or four feet. But it was so serene. It was so quiet and relaxed. And I thought, ah, this is wonderful. Wouldn't want to drive in it, but it was wonderful. So, yeah, I have good feelings about Idaho.
[01:47]
Ben Kanellis
It's a beautiful area.
[01:48]
Podcast Host
So give us a little background of you. You, you said you were born in New York?
[01:54]
Ben Kanellis
Yeah, that's where I was originally born. My dad's from Puerto Rico, joined the service when he was young and after the service he went back to New York and. But after a couple years, decided had me. My mom and dad had me. And then they moved back to Tacoma where he had been stationed at Fort Lewis. Back in the day, that's where I grew up was in Tacoma.
[02:18]
Podcast Host
Did he move back there because he just thought it was so nice, beautiful.
[02:22]
Ben Kanellis
You know, I think it was primarily just, you know, he was a mechanic, airplane mechanic, and Boeing was in Seattle. And so that is primarily, I think why they moved back was the job Opportunities back then and. Okay, cost of living.
[02:38]
Podcast Host
So you grew up there and had a pretty good childhood. I assume you have a lot of siblings or anything?
[02:45]
Ben Kanellis
Yes, I've got a sister that's dear to me, about 18 months apart. You know, just a beautiful area. I was very fortunate, very blessed to have parents that. That took care of us and. And were hard workers and they did well for themselves.
[03:00]
Podcast Host
Are they all still in that area?
[03:02]
Ben Kanellis
Oh, yeah. Yes, they are.
[03:05]
Podcast Host
Okay, so. So what is it you do for a living?
[03:08]
Ben Kanellis
You know, I've. I've got a day job and a night job. My day job is. I have a business here, basically business consulting, and then my night job is healing strong for this area.
[03:23]
Podcast Host
Yeah, that's a good combo there. I like that.
[03:26]
Ben Kanellis
It's been a blessing.
[03:27]
Podcast Host
Let's talk about your diagnosis then. It was kind of like the same time. Mine was a few months before me, but back in 2016. How did that come about? What were your symptoms or what. What brought it about to your attention?
[03:40]
Ben Kanellis
You know what I actually think I went into the doc and the doctor in March, but I had a. I had a lump on my pelvic area, you know, just above my leg. And I thought, you know, like a typical guy just said, ah, it'll go away. So, you know, three, four months go by, it still didn't go away. But I happened to go in, you know, during the spring. March is when I usually would go in for a checkup. And so I went in and. And almost got out of there without even bringing it up. But I thought, oh, man, I'll just. I'll go ahead and bring it up. And so I said, hey, doc, you know, you might want to take a look at this. And so. So basically he looked at. He says, oh, it's probably nothing. And he goes, but let's. Let's do a blood test real quick. And, you know, the T cell test came back negative. And he goes, but, you know, we really should do a biopsy just to be sure. So did the biopsy, and that came back positive. And, you know, the rest is history from there.
[04:41]
Podcast Host
That kind of turned your world upside down at that moment.
[04:44]
Ben Kanellis
Well, you know, I was very fortunate and blessed. I've come to realize that God's had his hand on me for a long time. I just wasn't wise enough to realize it. And so what I mean by that is, is I had someone that I cared about quite a bit, and this person worked in an environment that, you know, just wasn't healthy. A lot of you Know, paint, chemicals and different chemicals. I would walk in sometimes and I couldn't breathe, but she'd be running around like, you know, no big deal and breathing in and stuff. So I'd say, hey, you know, you really should wear a mask when you're in here. And she always just blew it off. Like, you know, I was silly. And, and so I thought to myself, you know what, I'm just, I'm not going to get caught flat footed if, if she gets sick, I want to, you know, have some idea of what to do. So, you know, I love reading Geopolitical Things and, and various topics. And so when I would read before I went to bed at night, I would, you know, if I came across the cancer article, I would read it and if it resonated with me, you know, some examples would be is, you know, I'd read about turmeric and how it helped with cancer. I read about, come across articles. That's how I found Chris Warwick. And through Chris Warwick I just, you know, read some of his stuff, watched some of his interviews and learned, just became aware of who he was. Rick Simpson, CBD Oil, you know, herbs. What really educated me was learning about the, what we call the cancer, you know, cancer care industry. And so I learned a lot about some different components of that. So I just became very aware. But it's amazing what you can learn over a 5 year period. I learned a lot. And so, and like I said, all I would do is read these articles. If it resonated, I put it in my cancer folder and saved it. And so I just never expect I'd be the one to get the cancer. And so because I had done all that reading, I, I definitely knew what I would not do and had a good idea of what I would do. And so, you know, that, that was my blessing is, is having the heads up. And I've talked to a lot of people over the years and particularly when I was going, when I learned about my diagnosis, you know, I'd, I'd asked some people that I knew that had cancer and said, hey, this is what I'm thinking about doing. What's your thoughts? And I had a few people say, you know what, Ben? That's what I would have done. That's what I wanted to do is, you know, go the natural route. But you know, my conversations with the doctor, they scared me so bad that, yeah, that I just threw up my hands and said, do what you got to do, just get it out of me. And you know, just that sentence right there get it out of me. That's, you know, that's someone who doesn't understand what they're dealing with. And so with that said, that was my blessing, where I was well educated before I got the diagnosis, and that empowered me to. To make the choices that I did. And, you know, and those sorts of times you find out, you know, who loves you, you know, they'll express it, you know, and sometimes in ways, you know, I don't want to say I didn't appreciate it, but wasn't helpful to building my confidence, you know, such had a couple of friends say something like, you know, this isn't something to mess around with, Ben. You got to listen to your doctors or swinging and stop doing that voodoo witch doctor stuff and, and get serious about taking care of this. And. And so, like I said, it's because that I was blessed to have that information. I knew that I was on the right track. And, you know, I. During the healing process, you know, I continue to listen to Chris work and his interviews, particularly with Dr. Vickers. And, you know, I was implementing some of the protocols that, you know, Chris talked about. And, you know, there are other ones as well, you know, and I share this just to, you know, empower other people to take a look. But Robert Scott Bell was another great one that I learned a lot from. And so. So that's the part of how. How I kept going.
[09:06]
Podcast Host
Yeah. So what. What did the doctors themselves wanted you to do? What. What protocol they want to put you on?
[09:13]
Ben Kanellis
You know, what's funny is what happened with me is a lot of the things that I had read. I mean, it's like I, you know, Jim, literally, I experienced it. And so I broached, you know, many of the people I met in the, you know, Western medicine, you know, were very nice people. And I, my oncologist, I'll never forget it. You know, I said, you know, hey, you know, I don't remember her name right now, but, you know, I said, hey, doc, I've been doing some reading, and I really like to explore some alternative methods before we go down this road of chemo or radiation. And she was typing at her computer, and she just whipped her chair around like an angry teacher. She came up to me and she goes, ben, you need to understand right now you have non Hodgkin's lymphoma. Ben, I'm not aware of any alternative, proven methods to deal with what you have. She goes, you need to understand that it's not a question of whether you're going to do Chemo or whether you're going to do radiation. The only question is, is whether you're going to do a lot or a little. And that's when I realized, holy smokes, this is exactly some of the stuff I've read. And, and I thought to myself, immediately, okay, well, I'm just going to get the tests that I need to get so I can take them to a natural path and we can talk about some alternatives.
[10:42]
Podcast Host
Are there a lot of naturopath doctors in your area?
[10:46]
Ben Kanellis
You know, that, that was another thing that I was very fortunate. There's a, there was a place called, there's a local natural health food store in Tacoma called Marlene's Market and they were very influential. Before I got the diagnosis, I would shop there, but I also go to some of their different, you know, health oriented seminars or, you know, hour long talks.
[11:11]
Podcast Host
Right.
[11:11]
Ben Kanellis
And I had met some of the different people that I utilized in my healing process there actually. And you know, through that store I became aware of a lot of different naturopathic protocols or people that, you know, had practices that at the time I didn't really appreciate fully what they were doing because some of them were off the beaten track in, in my eyes at that time. And as you know, you become aware and you realize that there's a lot of wisdom in some of these different modalities, as they say. So yes, in Tacoma, even out here in this area, there's a lot of great practitioners that I would say are helping a lot of people.
[11:57]
Podcast Host
Yeah, I thought I heard that there's a lot in that area. And it, it's, it sounds right, even though I've never been out there, but that's the impression I have of that area. It's kind of like I'm in South Carolina and just over the border in North Carolina, in Asheville, you can find naturopathic doctors and holistic and all that because again, it's like a hippie area. But, but they know about healing and of course now, you know, they are. It's been devastated by the hurricane and I don't know how many of those doctors are still in practice. I haven't been up there since the hurricane came through as of this recording. So yeah, we just, we're still cleaning up. In fact, you might hear in the background here, we've had so many trees go down in my neighborhood. I keep hearing these some trucks out here, they're cutting down things. I thought that's typical. As soon as I start recording something, they start making noise. But, but hey, it's okay to clean these things up. It's devastated some houses, and so I'm not going to complain about that. And you probably won't even hear it. I'm probably the only one hearing it.
[12:56]
Ben Kanellis
But you're doing good on my end.
[12:58]
Podcast Host
Okay. Yeah, I. I fortunately had an oncologist who. He likes the immunotherapies, which I think is going in the right direction, as opposed to, you know, the chemo and radiation, the standards. And his thinking, which was so bizarre. I've never heard another oncologist say this, but he goes, you know, that chemo's never. Never really did work. Like, what? I've never heard a doctor say that. And he's just, you know, he's an oncologist. I said, okay, I like this guy. He goes, there's so many things coming down the road that is so much better. I'm gonna stick with him. But. But, yeah, it's good to find doctors like that. So did you leave her or just. Does she still do tests, like blood tests for you or. How's that working out?
[13:42]
Ben Kanellis
Let's see here. So I did leave her eventually, and I went to a naturopathic Clin in the area. It was a great experience. I went there, and it was a oncologist that I was speaking with, but he was more on that natural side. So, you know, the thing I think a lot of people need to understand, especially when they get that fresh diagnosis, is that, you know, in my opinion, my humble opinion, that, you know, cancer is not the problem. You know, if the symptom is something else that's not working right with your immune system.
[14:18]
Podcast Host
Right.
[14:19]
Ben Kanellis
And so he is the one that was responsible for helping me figure that out. He basically figured out that my gut. That basically, I was getting sick from malnutrition because my gut wasn't healthy and I wasn't digesting food properly, which means you're not getting the nutrients and, you know, if you have leaky gut and that sort of thing, now all of a sudden, you know, you got inflammation going on in your system. So I. That's what I determine. What. What was the problem? So the logic would be, as you fix that, then we should be able to take care of the cancer. So with that said, you know, we. He. He ran some tests and, you know, basically tests came back showing that I had some gut issues. So what was interesting, he. He. We got a little aggressive with each other because he said, well, Ben, he goes, you know, now that we know what the problem is, we're going to deal with that cancer. And you're going to do the chemo, and you are going to. And I'm going to help you recover from the chemo. And I was not expecting that at all. And I said, hey, wait a minute, doc. You know, I appreciate everything that you've done, but I'm here to see you because I have zero interest in doing chemo. And, you know, basically he said that I was crazy for not doing the chemo. Needless to say, I stopped seeing him as well. But like I said, you know, my blessing was, is that it just didn't make any sense to me to. To do chemo. And, you know, I can go into why it didn't make sense if you'd like to, but the point is, is that that was one of the things that I kept running into, is this. The. These roadblocks or these comments about that I was on the right, wrong path. But, you know, like I said, you know, when you read for five years, you learn a lot. And I. There's just nothing that anyone could do to change my mind. And I was never even. You know, the thing I was fortunate about is, you know, I mean, I wasn't 100% sure. You know, I didn't know I was going to come through it, but I just knew that, you know, there's different paths, and this is the path that made the most sense to me. And so, you know, but that said, I have a lot of empathy for the folks that I meet at Healing Strong, because, you know, a lot of them that come have already gone down these roads and they realize that, okay, this isn't exactly working out the way I thought it was going to work out. So now they're looking for answers. You know, with that said, I'm able to talk to them and communicate with them in a way that, you know, I've been there and I felt what you felt, you know, as far as, you know, being scared, confused, overwhelmed, you know, sad, all these emotions. I mean, the only time that ever really was really scared was when that first oncologist, she said, ben, we're gonna, you know, got an appointment set up for you for, you know, three weeks from now, but I want you to come in next week and I want you to do a bone marrow draw. And I thought, I mean, that rattled me. I go, what do you mean, a bone marrow draw? That's just something I hadn't even thought about, wasn't on my radar. And I go, why do we gotta do that for? And she goes, well, Ben, You've got non Hodgkin's lymphoma. You could, you could have cancer in your bone marrow. We got to figure out, you know, how far this is spread. So that bone marrow draw was a little bit of experience. Wasn't as painful as you always hear it is for me anyway. But with that said, it came back clear. It wasn't in the bone marrow. And so that was a blessing. But yeah, but yeah, my point bringing that up is that was the most scared that I ever got because I didn't know. You know, I never professed that I knew everything. I just know that I learned a lot in a five year period. But, but those experiences is, you know, really what I enjoy being able to communicate and hear people out as to what they're feeling and, you know, just try to keep them moving in the path that, that they want to, that they want to go.
[18:13]
Podcast Host
All right, well, I want to talk about your connection with healing strong in a minute here. But so many people, they want to, like, know, how exactly did you handle this? And like, for instance, how did you heal your gut health? I mean, did you just go on a raw food diet or how'd you fix that?
[18:31]
Ben Kanellis
You know, for me, it just was kind of fundamental. So what I mean by that is, you know, once I got confirmation that my gut wasn't healthy, you know, I knew a little bit about gut health, but, you know, nothing too. Nothing too detailed. So basically I just read up on the topic, you know, just focused on a lot of the things that, you know, Chris work preaches is nutrient dense food. Right. So just focused on nutrient dense food, probiotics, some of the foods that I ate that I just didn't normally eat. Ooh, man, I could not stand sauerkraut, but I started eating sauerkraut now. I like sauerkraut.
[19:12]
Podcast Host
I love sauerkraut. It's weird.
[19:15]
Ben Kanellis
What was the other thing? Oh, pineapples. You know, you know, they say, oh, well, you can't have sugar. You know, you gotta stay away from sugar. Well, I had a, you know, I do some juicing, a little bit of juicing, but more, I did a lot of. Not a lot, actually. That's not a true statement. Once a day I'd have a smoothie and it was just, you know, nothing but green. But I think the game changer for me with that was, is I, you know, I read that pineapple helps with your guts, acidity and, and health.
[19:43]
Podcast Host
Yeah.
[19:43]
Ben Kanellis
So I made sure I had pineapple in there for my fruit and, you know, I think that went a long ways. But the point is, is I just really focused on nutrient dense food supplementation. Detoxification was a big part of what I did. I was very familiar with the Gearson therapy via Chris Work, but I met a great practitioner, Dirk Yao, who lived in the area. He was what I consider my game changer as far as the detoxification. And I'm trying to think if I'm missing anything. Oh, exercise. And so I just tried to listen to my body and I ended up changing some of the exercises I did because if I started feeling too tired after doing something, I knew that, that I shouldn't keep doing it. You don't want to stress out the body by, you know, over exercising. So started out with hot yoga, which was fantastic, and then I bounced back to just pushing around a little bit of weight, a little bit of jogging, and then I pushed it back to playing nine, nine holes of golf a few times a week. So that could be stressful. Those to me are the fundamentals. You know, you're absolutely right. We'll leave it at that. But it's a, it's a humbling sport, but I love it. It's challenging and, and that's a good thing.
[21:05]
Podcast Host
And there's that one good shot at every game that brings you back the next time.
[21:10]
Ben Kanellis
Absolutely, absolutely.
[21:12]
Podcast Host
So how you doing now physically with your, with the cancer?
[21:16]
Ben Kanellis
You know, I always say no lumps or bumps, you know, done some blood tests to make sure things are, things are good. But, but overall, you know, just try to lead that, that lifestyle of just, you know, doing the solid basics. And like, you know, I preach it all the time, but what I just mentioned earlier, those are the basics. And I think if you do those things, you can definitely keep your health. But one of the things that I think that is most important is helping your body detox because, you know, we're being bombarded every day and in various ways. I'm just a big proponent of having an attitude that, you know, every day, you know, in a battle to keep my health, you know, to, to keep my mind and just try to put good things in my body every day.
[22:07]
Podcast Host
Right. You're basically getting the balance back in your life that usually we don't realize that we're out of balance until something like this happens. So basically it's like, hey, what? Where am I out of balance here? Whatever that may be. It's different for everybody. But of course, you can always start with nutrition because not everybody eats perfectly and you can always do exercise. But I mean, there's the mindset and there's detoxing and there's. You can't do it all in one day or one week. You just got to start with, you know, one step, get that corrected, and then move on. And of course, with you collecting five years of knowledge, just like a college degree, so you're able to add things on. You didn't do it all in one day, right?
[22:49]
Ben Kanellis
And no, I did not. And, well, I said, you know, it's. It's. I think it's very unique what, what happened with me. And, and, yeah, and that's part of what I'm trying to do with the Healing Strong group here in Coeur d'alene is attract people who are just. Who are interested in just their health, you know, just interested in learning. Because that's, that's where the power comes from is, is by, you know, learning about your body, learning about health, and learning about different protocols. You know, that knowledge is what gives you power to. To step through any type of autoimmune that, that, you know, could come up. But with that knowledge, the likelihood of you dealing with an issue is going to be a lot less because through that knowledge, you're going to know, you know, what you should be eating, how much exercise should be doing, you know, what is detoxing and why is it important. And that, I think, will go a long way and keeping you healthy. But if you do, you know, run into a stumbling block, you'll. You'll know how to get around it.
[24:01]
Podcast Host
Yeah. And you. You're unique in that you knew about Healing Strong before you got sick doing all that research. Right.
[24:07]
Ben Kanellis
You know, I got to think about that. No, you know, I should know this when Healing Strong started, but I think it was after I got the diagnosis. I just.
[24:18]
Podcast Host
Okay.
[24:18]
Ben Kanellis
Because, you know, Chris was doing his crispy cancer, and I think he was, you know, just either a couple years either into it, or he had, you know, got the clean bill of health. But.
[24:30]
Podcast Host
Right.
[24:31]
Ben Kanellis
He was doing the. The YouTube videos. And like I said, I just. That's how I found him. He had talked about the Gearson therapy, and I just thought, wow, I wonder what. I want to learn a little bit more about that. And I saw this great video that, you know, like I said before I got the diagnosis, I was aware of these protocols, and I saw this video where this gentleman had a tumor behind his eyeball. So his eye was like bulging from the socket. And so they did a time lapse video basically every day. They took A picture of his face every day that he did his gearson therapy and, oh, I think it was like over a 90 day period. Might have been a 6 month period, but the time lapse actually showed the eyeball going back into his socket. So that's, you know, was an educational thing that I would, would never forget. And that was a big component in helping my body detox and, you know, get back to health.
[25:31]
Podcast Host
Okay, so how long ago did you start the Healing Strong group?
[25:35]
Ben Kanellis
I believe it was four years ago. Yeah, so. Yeah. So it just is. It's gone by fast, that's for sure.
[25:43]
Podcast Host
Is it in person or is it Zoom?
[25:46]
Ben Kanellis
It's in person. Thinking about, you know, doing, you know, doing it via Zoom, you know, online as well. You know, for me, it's just getting to more people and, you know, show them, showing them.
[25:58]
Podcast Host
Yeah.
[25:59]
Ben Kanellis
Giving testimony. That's. That's what it's about, right?
[26:02]
Podcast Host
Yeah. I had that feeling myself. After you, you know, get healthier and you beat this cancer and you have all this information, you just feel like you got to give it back. You can't just like move on like nothing happened. You got to give back. And because there's so many people, I mean, more and more people are getting cancer. It's like you can't go through life without knowing somebody or many people actually who have cancer. And so you just feel like, hey, I got this information, I got to share it with people. So that's pretty much what makes. Motivated you right there in Idaho. Is it, Is it a pretty big group or just stay at a certain amount? I'm just being nosy.
[26:38]
Ben Kanellis
You know, on average it's been about, you know, actually people showing up has been somewhere between eight and 12 people. But what's been awesome is we've got some great folks that come. I've got a gal. Well, I don't know if that's the right word, but I have an attendee whose name is Nancy and she's a fantastic lady. Just admired her tenacity and regaining her help, and she was influential in helping to create the largest group we've had. We had 30 people.
[27:15]
Podcast Host
Wow.
[27:16]
Ben Kanellis
Two months ago. And so, yeah, so that's been another thing that I didn't really expect in creating the group, which is the blessings that I actually get from the folks that show up. We do a thing. We do a thing where I just ask people to do three things, you know, before we start the meeting. A, tell us your name, B, what brought you here? And C, what do you hope to gain and what's awesome is to come back the next month and find out that, you know, a lot of these people connected with each other because either they had the same form of cancer or somehow, you know, know they just, you know, were drawn to each other. So they either go out to coffee, go out to lunch, and now they're supporting each other. And it's just. It's just a beautiful thing to see.
[28:05]
Podcast Host
That seems to be the. The draw in the group because I have the same core people that come. There's like five or six people that have contacted me and said, hey, I'm just moved to the area and I'm interested in. And. And they've yet to show up, but they say they're coming, but they haven't yet. So I just keep them on the mailing list. So, you know, it's not about having a huge crowd. It's just about reaching people that are, you know, going through something and they're scared and they're looking for hope. So how can people get a hold of you? I know you like to help people and reach out to them, so how can they get a hold of you?
[28:42]
Ben Kanellis
You know, the best way is just shoot an email to info app healing strong cda.org okay. And I'm pretty quick to respond and, you know, provide, you know, info or let them know when the next meeting ends. Yeah, the website's healing strong cda.org okay.
[29:08]
Podcast Host
Well, Ben, it was. It was great to meet you and. And I'm glad your journey is in the right direction now. You're getting healthier and healthier and feeling good about things, getting the balance back in there and helping other people. Helping other people is also very healing, I find.
[29:24]
Ben Kanellis
Definitely a blessing to meet the people that come and then, you know, I've been meeting a lot of the practitioners in the area, and so it's definitely been a. Been an interesting journey and. And an enjoyable one at that.
[29:38]
Podcast Host
All right, well, thanks for sharing that story with us, Ben.
[29:41]
Ben Kanellis
All right, thank you. Appreciate your time.
[29:43]
Podcast Host
I like to take this moment to recognize a partner of Healing Strong Barlow Herbal, led by owner and master herbalist Jane Barlow Christensen, offers potent herbal products. Jane is known for her expertise in herbal remedies and natural healing with a focus on educating individuals about the health benefits of medicinal herbs for daily wellness. To learn more, go to BarlowHerbal.com and use Heal Strong 10. That's HealStrong 10 to save.
[30:10]
Jim Mann
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. It costs nothing to be a part of a local or online group. You can do that by going to our website@healingstrong.org and finding a 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 us 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.

Summary5 min read

Podcast Summary: I AM HealingStrong – Episode 110: Diagnosis to Overcoming Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma | Benjamin Canales

Introduction

In Episode 110 of the I AM HealingStrong podcast, host Jim Mann engages in a profound conversation with Benjamin Canalis, a resilient survivor of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. This episode delves deep into Benjamin's personal journey from diagnosis to recovery, highlighting his holistic approach to healing, the challenges he faced, and his unwavering commitment to helping others through the Healing Strong community.

Ben Canalis: Background and Early Life

Benjamin Canalis begins by sharing his roots and upbringing. Born in New York to a Puerto Rican father who served in the military, Ben's family relocated to Tacoma, Washington, where he grew up alongside his sister. His father’s career as an airplane mechanic with Boeing influenced their move, providing the family with stability and opportunities. Ben fondly recalls a blessed childhood, emphasizing the strong work ethic and supportive environment fostered by his parents.

The Diagnosis: A Life-Altering Moment

Ben recounts his unexpected diagnosis of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in 2016. Initially noticing a persistent lump in his pelvic area, he visited his doctor who, despite initially dismissing his concerns, recommended a biopsy after a blood test came back negative for T-cells. Ben shares:

“I was very fortunate and blessed. ... I didn't know I was going to come through it, but I just knew that there are different paths and this is the path that made the most sense to me.”
— Benjamin Canalis [04:44]

This pivotal moment marked the beginning of his journey towards alternative healing methods, driven by extensive research and a desire to explore options beyond conventional treatment.

Choosing an Alternative Healing Path

Ben's proactive approach to his health involved five years of dedicated research. He delved into various natural therapies and became acquainted with influential figures like Chris Warwick and Rick Simpson, focusing on nutrient-dense diets, CBD oil, and herbal remedies. He explains:

“I had a lot of empathy for the folks that I meet at Healing Strong... they realize that this isn't exactly working out the way I thought it was going to work out.”
— Benjamin Canalis [04:44]

Despite encountering skepticism from traditional medical professionals, Ben remained steadfast in his conviction to pursue natural healing, which he felt was more aligned with his understanding and comfort.

Interactions with Conventional Medicine

Ben shares a challenging encounter with his oncologist who was dismissive of his interest in alternative treatments:

“She just whipped her chair around like an angry teacher... she goes, 'Ben, you need to understand that it's not a question of whether you're going to do chemo or radiation. The only question is, is whether you're going to do a lot or a little.'”
— Benjamin Canalis [09:12]

Frustrated by the limited openness to alternative methods, Ben sought out naturopathic clinics, where he found practitioners who supported his holistic approach. This shift was crucial in his healing process, allowing him to focus on underlying issues like gut health and inflammation.

Healing Strong Group: Building a Community of Support

Driven by his experiences, Ben founded a Healing Strong group in Coeur d’Alene four years ago. The group serves as a sanctuary for individuals seeking holistic support in their cancer journey. Ben emphasizes the importance of community and shared knowledge:

“The power comes from by learning about your body, learning about health, and learning about different protocols. That knowledge is what gives you power to step through any type of autoimmune...”
— Benjamin Canalis [22:06]

The group typically consists of 8-12 members, fostering intimate and meaningful connections. Ben highlights success stories, such as a group meeting that swelled to 30 participants, illustrating the profound impact of shared healing and mutual support.

Holistic Healing Practices: Nutrition, Detoxification, and Exercise

Ben’s recovery centered around fundamental principles of health:

Nutrition: Emphasizing nutrient-dense foods, probiotics, and specific items like pineapple for gut health.

“I focused on nutrient-dense food, probiotics... Once a day I'd have a smoothie and it was just nothing but green.”
— Benjamin Canalis [19:43]
Detoxification: Engaging in detox protocols inspired by Chris Warwick and working with practitioners like Dirk Yao to cleanse his system.

“Dirk Yao was my game changer as far as the detoxification.”
— Benjamin Canalis [19:43]
Exercise: Incorporating manageable physical activities such as hot yoga, weightlifting, jogging, and golfing to maintain bodily balance without overexertion.

“I started out with hot yoga... then pushed back to playing nine holes of golf a few times a week.”
— Benjamin Canalis [19:43]

These practices not only supported his physical healing but also fostered mental and emotional resilience.

Current Health and Ongoing Commitment

Today, Ben is in remission, maintaining his health through his established routines. He underscores the importance of continual learning and adaptation:

“I always say no lumps or bumps, done some blood tests to make sure things are good. But overall, just try to lead that lifestyle of just doing the solid basics.”
— Benjamin Canalis [21:16]

His holistic lifestyle not only keeps him healthy but also empowers him to assist others in their healing journeys through the Healing Strong community.

Conclusion: Empowering Others Through Knowledge and Support

Ben Canalis’s story is a testament to the power of knowledge, resilience, and community in overcoming life's most daunting challenges. His dedication to holistic healing and his role in Healing Strong exemplify how personal experiences can transform into avenues for helping others find hope and strength. As Ben aptly puts it:

“Knowledge is what gives you power to step through any type of autoimmune... if you run into a stumbling block, you'll know how to get around it.”
— Benjamin Canalis [22:06]

Key Takeaways:

Proactive Research: Five years of dedicated research empowered Ben to make informed decisions about his health.
Holistic Approach: Focusing on gut health, nutrition, detoxification, and tailored exercise regimes.
Community Support: Founding the Healing Strong group to provide a supportive environment for others facing similar challenges.
Resilience and Empowerment: Ben’s journey underscores the importance of resilience, continual learning, and the power of shared experiences in healing.

For those seeking support or interested in joining Ben’s Healing Strong group, he encourages reaching out via email at info@healingstrongcda.org. Ben’s inspiring journey offers hope and practical strategies for anyone navigating their own path to health and healing.

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Transcript72 lines

[00:00]
Ben Kanellis
When you read for five years, you learn a lot. And I, there's just nothing that anyone could do to, to change my mind. And I was never even, you know, the thing I was fortunate about is, you know, I mean, I wasn't 100% sure. You know, I didn't know I was going to come through it, but I just knew that, you know, there's different paths and this is the path that made the most sense to me. And so, you know, but that said, I have a lot of empathy for the folks that I meet at Healing Strong because, you know, a lot of them that come have already gone down these roads and they realize that, okay, this isn't exactly working out the way I thought it was going to work out. So now they're looking for answers.
[00:41]
Jim Mann
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 health. Now here's your host, stage four cancer.
[01:04]
Podcast Host
Thriver Jim Mann, joining me on this episode. Ben Kanellis. All the way up there in Idaho, right?
[01:12]
Ben Kanellis
Yes, sir. The Panhandle.
[01:14]
Podcast Host
You don't mind the cold, apparently?
[01:16]
Ben Kanellis
I didn't say that. I've gotten used to it for sure.
[01:21]
Podcast Host
Yeah. I was telling you earlier, I was up in. I say up, it's down for you, but McCall, Idaho, I was there for a men in radio retreat and it was like 75ft of snow. It was just incredible and actually more like three or four feet. But it was so serene. It was so quiet and relaxed. And I thought, ah, this is wonderful. Wouldn't want to drive in it, but it was wonderful. So, yeah, I have good feelings about Idaho.
[01:47]
Ben Kanellis
It's a beautiful area.
[01:48]
Podcast Host
So give us a little background of you. You, you said you were born in New York?
[01:54]
Ben Kanellis
Yeah, that's where I was originally born. My dad's from Puerto Rico, joined the service when he was young and after the service he went back to New York and. But after a couple years, decided had me. My mom and dad had me. And then they moved back to Tacoma where he had been stationed at Fort Lewis. Back in the day, that's where I grew up was in Tacoma.
[02:18]
Podcast Host
Did he move back there because he just thought it was so nice, beautiful.
[02:22]
Ben Kanellis
You know, I think it was primarily just, you know, he was a mechanic, airplane mechanic, and Boeing was in Seattle. And so that is primarily, I think why they moved back was the job Opportunities back then and. Okay, cost of living.
[02:38]
Podcast Host
So you grew up there and had a pretty good childhood. I assume you have a lot of siblings or anything?
[02:45]
Ben Kanellis
Yes, I've got a sister that's dear to me, about 18 months apart. You know, just a beautiful area. I was very fortunate, very blessed to have parents that. That took care of us and. And were hard workers and they did well for themselves.
[03:00]
Podcast Host
Are they all still in that area?
[03:02]
Ben Kanellis
Oh, yeah. Yes, they are.
[03:05]
Podcast Host
Okay, so. So what is it you do for a living?
[03:08]
Ben Kanellis
You know, I've. I've got a day job and a night job. My day job is. I have a business here, basically business consulting, and then my night job is healing strong for this area.
[03:23]
Podcast Host
Yeah, that's a good combo there. I like that.
[03:26]
Ben Kanellis
It's been a blessing.
[03:27]
Podcast Host
Let's talk about your diagnosis then. It was kind of like the same time. Mine was a few months before me, but back in 2016. How did that come about? What were your symptoms or what. What brought it about to your attention?
[03:40]
Ben Kanellis
You know what I actually think I went into the doc and the doctor in March, but I had a. I had a lump on my pelvic area, you know, just above my leg. And I thought, you know, like a typical guy just said, ah, it'll go away. So, you know, three, four months go by, it still didn't go away. But I happened to go in, you know, during the spring. March is when I usually would go in for a checkup. And so I went in and. And almost got out of there without even bringing it up. But I thought, oh, man, I'll just. I'll go ahead and bring it up. And so I said, hey, doc, you know, you might want to take a look at this. And so. So basically he looked at. He says, oh, it's probably nothing. And he goes, but let's. Let's do a blood test real quick. And, you know, the T cell test came back negative. And he goes, but, you know, we really should do a biopsy just to be sure. So did the biopsy, and that came back positive. And, you know, the rest is history from there.
[04:41]
Podcast Host
That kind of turned your world upside down at that moment.
[04:44]
Ben Kanellis
Well, you know, I was very fortunate and blessed. I've come to realize that God's had his hand on me for a long time. I just wasn't wise enough to realize it. And so what I mean by that is, is I had someone that I cared about quite a bit, and this person worked in an environment that, you know, just wasn't healthy. A lot of you Know, paint, chemicals and different chemicals. I would walk in sometimes and I couldn't breathe, but she'd be running around like, you know, no big deal and breathing in and stuff. So I'd say, hey, you know, you really should wear a mask when you're in here. And she always just blew it off. Like, you know, I was silly. And, and so I thought to myself, you know what, I'm just, I'm not going to get caught flat footed if, if she gets sick, I want to, you know, have some idea of what to do. So, you know, I love reading Geopolitical Things and, and various topics. And so when I would read before I went to bed at night, I would, you know, if I came across the cancer article, I would read it and if it resonated with me, you know, some examples would be is, you know, I'd read about turmeric and how it helped with cancer. I read about, come across articles. That's how I found Chris Warwick. And through Chris Warwick I just, you know, read some of his stuff, watched some of his interviews and learned, just became aware of who he was. Rick Simpson, CBD Oil, you know, herbs. What really educated me was learning about the, what we call the cancer, you know, cancer care industry. And so I learned a lot about some different components of that. So I just became very aware. But it's amazing what you can learn over a 5 year period. I learned a lot. And so, and like I said, all I would do is read these articles. If it resonated, I put it in my cancer folder and saved it. And so I just never expect I'd be the one to get the cancer. And so because I had done all that reading, I, I definitely knew what I would not do and had a good idea of what I would do. And so, you know, that, that was my blessing is, is having the heads up. And I've talked to a lot of people over the years and particularly when I was going, when I learned about my diagnosis, you know, I'd, I'd asked some people that I knew that had cancer and said, hey, this is what I'm thinking about doing. What's your thoughts? And I had a few people say, you know what, Ben? That's what I would have done. That's what I wanted to do is, you know, go the natural route. But you know, my conversations with the doctor, they scared me so bad that, yeah, that I just threw up my hands and said, do what you got to do, just get it out of me. And you know, just that sentence right there get it out of me. That's, you know, that's someone who doesn't understand what they're dealing with. And so with that said, that was my blessing, where I was well educated before I got the diagnosis, and that empowered me to. To make the choices that I did. And, you know, and those sorts of times you find out, you know, who loves you, you know, they'll express it, you know, and sometimes in ways, you know, I don't want to say I didn't appreciate it, but wasn't helpful to building my confidence, you know, such had a couple of friends say something like, you know, this isn't something to mess around with, Ben. You got to listen to your doctors or swinging and stop doing that voodoo witch doctor stuff and, and get serious about taking care of this. And. And so, like I said, it's because that I was blessed to have that information. I knew that I was on the right track. And, you know, I. During the healing process, you know, I continue to listen to Chris work and his interviews, particularly with Dr. Vickers. And, you know, I was implementing some of the protocols that, you know, Chris talked about. And, you know, there are other ones as well, you know, and I share this just to, you know, empower other people to take a look. But Robert Scott Bell was another great one that I learned a lot from. And so. So that's the part of how. How I kept going.
[09:06]
Podcast Host
Yeah. So what. What did the doctors themselves wanted you to do? What. What protocol they want to put you on?
[09:13]
Ben Kanellis
You know, what's funny is what happened with me is a lot of the things that I had read. I mean, it's like I, you know, Jim, literally, I experienced it. And so I broached, you know, many of the people I met in the, you know, Western medicine, you know, were very nice people. And I, my oncologist, I'll never forget it. You know, I said, you know, hey, you know, I don't remember her name right now, but, you know, I said, hey, doc, I've been doing some reading, and I really like to explore some alternative methods before we go down this road of chemo or radiation. And she was typing at her computer, and she just whipped her chair around like an angry teacher. She came up to me and she goes, ben, you need to understand right now you have non Hodgkin's lymphoma. Ben, I'm not aware of any alternative, proven methods to deal with what you have. She goes, you need to understand that it's not a question of whether you're going to do Chemo or whether you're going to do radiation. The only question is, is whether you're going to do a lot or a little. And that's when I realized, holy smokes, this is exactly some of the stuff I've read. And, and I thought to myself, immediately, okay, well, I'm just going to get the tests that I need to get so I can take them to a natural path and we can talk about some alternatives.
[10:42]
Podcast Host
Are there a lot of naturopath doctors in your area?
[10:46]
Ben Kanellis
You know, that, that was another thing that I was very fortunate. There's a, there was a place called, there's a local natural health food store in Tacoma called Marlene's Market and they were very influential. Before I got the diagnosis, I would shop there, but I also go to some of their different, you know, health oriented seminars or, you know, hour long talks.
[11:11]
Podcast Host
Right.
[11:11]
Ben Kanellis
And I had met some of the different people that I utilized in my healing process there actually. And you know, through that store I became aware of a lot of different naturopathic protocols or people that, you know, had practices that at the time I didn't really appreciate fully what they were doing because some of them were off the beaten track in, in my eyes at that time. And as you know, you become aware and you realize that there's a lot of wisdom in some of these different modalities, as they say. So yes, in Tacoma, even out here in this area, there's a lot of great practitioners that I would say are helping a lot of people.
[11:57]
Podcast Host
Yeah, I thought I heard that there's a lot in that area. And it, it's, it sounds right, even though I've never been out there, but that's the impression I have of that area. It's kind of like I'm in South Carolina and just over the border in North Carolina, in Asheville, you can find naturopathic doctors and holistic and all that because again, it's like a hippie area. But, but they know about healing and of course now, you know, they are. It's been devastated by the hurricane and I don't know how many of those doctors are still in practice. I haven't been up there since the hurricane came through as of this recording. So yeah, we just, we're still cleaning up. In fact, you might hear in the background here, we've had so many trees go down in my neighborhood. I keep hearing these some trucks out here, they're cutting down things. I thought that's typical. As soon as I start recording something, they start making noise. But, but hey, it's okay to clean these things up. It's devastated some houses, and so I'm not going to complain about that. And you probably won't even hear it. I'm probably the only one hearing it.
[12:56]
Ben Kanellis
But you're doing good on my end.
[12:58]
Podcast Host
Okay. Yeah, I. I fortunately had an oncologist who. He likes the immunotherapies, which I think is going in the right direction, as opposed to, you know, the chemo and radiation, the standards. And his thinking, which was so bizarre. I've never heard another oncologist say this, but he goes, you know, that chemo's never. Never really did work. Like, what? I've never heard a doctor say that. And he's just, you know, he's an oncologist. I said, okay, I like this guy. He goes, there's so many things coming down the road that is so much better. I'm gonna stick with him. But. But, yeah, it's good to find doctors like that. So did you leave her or just. Does she still do tests, like blood tests for you or. How's that working out?
[13:42]
Ben Kanellis
Let's see here. So I did leave her eventually, and I went to a naturopathic Clin in the area. It was a great experience. I went there, and it was a oncologist that I was speaking with, but he was more on that natural side. So, you know, the thing I think a lot of people need to understand, especially when they get that fresh diagnosis, is that, you know, in my opinion, my humble opinion, that, you know, cancer is not the problem. You know, if the symptom is something else that's not working right with your immune system.
[14:18]
Podcast Host
Right.
[14:19]
Ben Kanellis
And so he is the one that was responsible for helping me figure that out. He basically figured out that my gut. That basically, I was getting sick from malnutrition because my gut wasn't healthy and I wasn't digesting food properly, which means you're not getting the nutrients and, you know, if you have leaky gut and that sort of thing, now all of a sudden, you know, you got inflammation going on in your system. So I. That's what I determine. What. What was the problem? So the logic would be, as you fix that, then we should be able to take care of the cancer. So with that said, you know, we. He. He ran some tests and, you know, basically tests came back showing that I had some gut issues. So what was interesting, he. He. We got a little aggressive with each other because he said, well, Ben, he goes, you know, now that we know what the problem is, we're going to deal with that cancer. And you're going to do the chemo, and you are going to. And I'm going to help you recover from the chemo. And I was not expecting that at all. And I said, hey, wait a minute, doc. You know, I appreciate everything that you've done, but I'm here to see you because I have zero interest in doing chemo. And, you know, basically he said that I was crazy for not doing the chemo. Needless to say, I stopped seeing him as well. But like I said, you know, my blessing was, is that it just didn't make any sense to me to. To do chemo. And, you know, I can go into why it didn't make sense if you'd like to, but the point is, is that that was one of the things that I kept running into, is this. The. These roadblocks or these comments about that I was on the right, wrong path. But, you know, like I said, you know, when you read for five years, you learn a lot. And I. There's just nothing that anyone could do to change my mind. And I was never even. You know, the thing I was fortunate about is, you know, I mean, I wasn't 100% sure. You know, I didn't know I was going to come through it, but I just knew that, you know, there's different paths, and this is the path that made the most sense to me. And so, you know, but that said, I have a lot of empathy for the folks that I meet at Healing Strong, because, you know, a lot of them that come have already gone down these roads and they realize that, okay, this isn't exactly working out the way I thought it was going to work out. So now they're looking for answers. You know, with that said, I'm able to talk to them and communicate with them in a way that, you know, I've been there and I felt what you felt, you know, as far as, you know, being scared, confused, overwhelmed, you know, sad, all these emotions. I mean, the only time that ever really was really scared was when that first oncologist, she said, ben, we're gonna, you know, got an appointment set up for you for, you know, three weeks from now, but I want you to come in next week and I want you to do a bone marrow draw. And I thought, I mean, that rattled me. I go, what do you mean, a bone marrow draw? That's just something I hadn't even thought about, wasn't on my radar. And I go, why do we gotta do that for? And she goes, well, Ben, You've got non Hodgkin's lymphoma. You could, you could have cancer in your bone marrow. We got to figure out, you know, how far this is spread. So that bone marrow draw was a little bit of experience. Wasn't as painful as you always hear it is for me anyway. But with that said, it came back clear. It wasn't in the bone marrow. And so that was a blessing. But yeah, but yeah, my point bringing that up is that was the most scared that I ever got because I didn't know. You know, I never professed that I knew everything. I just know that I learned a lot in a five year period. But, but those experiences is, you know, really what I enjoy being able to communicate and hear people out as to what they're feeling and, you know, just try to keep them moving in the path that, that they want to, that they want to go.
[18:13]
Podcast Host
All right, well, I want to talk about your connection with healing strong in a minute here. But so many people, they want to, like, know, how exactly did you handle this? And like, for instance, how did you heal your gut health? I mean, did you just go on a raw food diet or how'd you fix that?
[18:31]
Ben Kanellis
You know, for me, it just was kind of fundamental. So what I mean by that is, you know, once I got confirmation that my gut wasn't healthy, you know, I knew a little bit about gut health, but, you know, nothing too. Nothing too detailed. So basically I just read up on the topic, you know, just focused on a lot of the things that, you know, Chris work preaches is nutrient dense food. Right. So just focused on nutrient dense food, probiotics, some of the foods that I ate that I just didn't normally eat. Ooh, man, I could not stand sauerkraut, but I started eating sauerkraut now. I like sauerkraut.
[19:12]
Podcast Host
I love sauerkraut. It's weird.
[19:15]
Ben Kanellis
What was the other thing? Oh, pineapples. You know, you know, they say, oh, well, you can't have sugar. You know, you gotta stay away from sugar. Well, I had a, you know, I do some juicing, a little bit of juicing, but more, I did a lot of. Not a lot, actually. That's not a true statement. Once a day I'd have a smoothie and it was just, you know, nothing but green. But I think the game changer for me with that was, is I, you know, I read that pineapple helps with your guts, acidity and, and health.
[19:43]
Podcast Host
Yeah.
[19:43]
Ben Kanellis
So I made sure I had pineapple in there for my fruit and, you know, I think that went a long ways. But the point is, is I just really focused on nutrient dense food supplementation. Detoxification was a big part of what I did. I was very familiar with the Gearson therapy via Chris Work, but I met a great practitioner, Dirk Yao, who lived in the area. He was what I consider my game changer as far as the detoxification. And I'm trying to think if I'm missing anything. Oh, exercise. And so I just tried to listen to my body and I ended up changing some of the exercises I did because if I started feeling too tired after doing something, I knew that, that I shouldn't keep doing it. You don't want to stress out the body by, you know, over exercising. So started out with hot yoga, which was fantastic, and then I bounced back to just pushing around a little bit of weight, a little bit of jogging, and then I pushed it back to playing nine, nine holes of golf a few times a week. So that could be stressful. Those to me are the fundamentals. You know, you're absolutely right. We'll leave it at that. But it's a, it's a humbling sport, but I love it. It's challenging and, and that's a good thing.
[21:05]
Podcast Host
And there's that one good shot at every game that brings you back the next time.
[21:10]
Ben Kanellis
Absolutely, absolutely.
[21:12]
Podcast Host
So how you doing now physically with your, with the cancer?
[21:16]
Ben Kanellis
You know, I always say no lumps or bumps, you know, done some blood tests to make sure things are, things are good. But, but overall, you know, just try to lead that, that lifestyle of just, you know, doing the solid basics. And like, you know, I preach it all the time, but what I just mentioned earlier, those are the basics. And I think if you do those things, you can definitely keep your health. But one of the things that I think that is most important is helping your body detox because, you know, we're being bombarded every day and in various ways. I'm just a big proponent of having an attitude that, you know, every day, you know, in a battle to keep my health, you know, to, to keep my mind and just try to put good things in my body every day.
[22:07]
Podcast Host
Right. You're basically getting the balance back in your life that usually we don't realize that we're out of balance until something like this happens. So basically it's like, hey, what? Where am I out of balance here? Whatever that may be. It's different for everybody. But of course, you can always start with nutrition because not everybody eats perfectly and you can always do exercise. But I mean, there's the mindset and there's detoxing and there's. You can't do it all in one day or one week. You just got to start with, you know, one step, get that corrected, and then move on. And of course, with you collecting five years of knowledge, just like a college degree, so you're able to add things on. You didn't do it all in one day, right?
[22:49]
Ben Kanellis
And no, I did not. And, well, I said, you know, it's. It's. I think it's very unique what, what happened with me. And, and, yeah, and that's part of what I'm trying to do with the Healing Strong group here in Coeur d'alene is attract people who are just. Who are interested in just their health, you know, just interested in learning. Because that's, that's where the power comes from is, is by, you know, learning about your body, learning about health, and learning about different protocols. You know, that knowledge is what gives you power to. To step through any type of autoimmune that, that, you know, could come up. But with that knowledge, the likelihood of you dealing with an issue is going to be a lot less because through that knowledge, you're going to know, you know, what you should be eating, how much exercise should be doing, you know, what is detoxing and why is it important. And that, I think, will go a long way and keeping you healthy. But if you do, you know, run into a stumbling block, you'll. You'll know how to get around it.
[24:01]
Podcast Host
Yeah. And you. You're unique in that you knew about Healing Strong before you got sick doing all that research. Right.
[24:07]
Ben Kanellis
You know, I got to think about that. No, you know, I should know this when Healing Strong started, but I think it was after I got the diagnosis. I just.
[24:18]
Podcast Host
Okay.
[24:18]
Ben Kanellis
Because, you know, Chris was doing his crispy cancer, and I think he was, you know, just either a couple years either into it, or he had, you know, got the clean bill of health. But.
[24:30]
Podcast Host
Right.
[24:31]
Ben Kanellis
He was doing the. The YouTube videos. And like I said, I just. That's how I found him. He had talked about the Gearson therapy, and I just thought, wow, I wonder what. I want to learn a little bit more about that. And I saw this great video that, you know, like I said before I got the diagnosis, I was aware of these protocols, and I saw this video where this gentleman had a tumor behind his eyeball. So his eye was like bulging from the socket. And so they did a time lapse video basically every day. They took A picture of his face every day that he did his gearson therapy and, oh, I think it was like over a 90 day period. Might have been a 6 month period, but the time lapse actually showed the eyeball going back into his socket. So that's, you know, was an educational thing that I would, would never forget. And that was a big component in helping my body detox and, you know, get back to health.
[25:31]
Podcast Host
Okay, so how long ago did you start the Healing Strong group?
[25:35]
Ben Kanellis
I believe it was four years ago. Yeah, so. Yeah. So it just is. It's gone by fast, that's for sure.
[25:43]
Podcast Host
Is it in person or is it Zoom?
[25:46]
Ben Kanellis
It's in person. Thinking about, you know, doing, you know, doing it via Zoom, you know, online as well. You know, for me, it's just getting to more people and, you know, show them, showing them.
[25:58]
Podcast Host
Yeah.
[25:59]
Ben Kanellis
Giving testimony. That's. That's what it's about, right?
[26:02]
Podcast Host
Yeah. I had that feeling myself. After you, you know, get healthier and you beat this cancer and you have all this information, you just feel like you got to give it back. You can't just like move on like nothing happened. You got to give back. And because there's so many people, I mean, more and more people are getting cancer. It's like you can't go through life without knowing somebody or many people actually who have cancer. And so you just feel like, hey, I got this information, I got to share it with people. So that's pretty much what makes. Motivated you right there in Idaho. Is it, Is it a pretty big group or just stay at a certain amount? I'm just being nosy.
[26:38]
Ben Kanellis
You know, on average it's been about, you know, actually people showing up has been somewhere between eight and 12 people. But what's been awesome is we've got some great folks that come. I've got a gal. Well, I don't know if that's the right word, but I have an attendee whose name is Nancy and she's a fantastic lady. Just admired her tenacity and regaining her help, and she was influential in helping to create the largest group we've had. We had 30 people.
[27:15]
Podcast Host
Wow.
[27:16]
Ben Kanellis
Two months ago. And so, yeah, so that's been another thing that I didn't really expect in creating the group, which is the blessings that I actually get from the folks that show up. We do a thing. We do a thing where I just ask people to do three things, you know, before we start the meeting. A, tell us your name, B, what brought you here? And C, what do you hope to gain and what's awesome is to come back the next month and find out that, you know, a lot of these people connected with each other because either they had the same form of cancer or somehow, you know, know they just, you know, were drawn to each other. So they either go out to coffee, go out to lunch, and now they're supporting each other. And it's just. It's just a beautiful thing to see.
[28:05]
Podcast Host
That seems to be the. The draw in the group because I have the same core people that come. There's like five or six people that have contacted me and said, hey, I'm just moved to the area and I'm interested in. And. And they've yet to show up, but they say they're coming, but they haven't yet. So I just keep them on the mailing list. So, you know, it's not about having a huge crowd. It's just about reaching people that are, you know, going through something and they're scared and they're looking for hope. So how can people get a hold of you? I know you like to help people and reach out to them, so how can they get a hold of you?
[28:42]
Ben Kanellis
You know, the best way is just shoot an email to info app healing strong cda.org okay. And I'm pretty quick to respond and, you know, provide, you know, info or let them know when the next meeting ends. Yeah, the website's healing strong cda.org okay.
[29:08]
Podcast Host
Well, Ben, it was. It was great to meet you and. And I'm glad your journey is in the right direction now. You're getting healthier and healthier and feeling good about things, getting the balance back in there and helping other people. Helping other people is also very healing, I find.
[29:24]
Ben Kanellis
Definitely a blessing to meet the people that come and then, you know, I've been meeting a lot of the practitioners in the area, and so it's definitely been a. Been an interesting journey and. And an enjoyable one at that.
[29:38]
Podcast Host
All right, well, thanks for sharing that story with us, Ben.
[29:41]
Ben Kanellis
All right, thank you. Appreciate your time.
[29:43]
Podcast Host
I like to take this moment to recognize a partner of Healing Strong Barlow Herbal, led by owner and master herbalist Jane Barlow Christensen, offers potent herbal products. Jane is known for her expertise in herbal remedies and natural healing with a focus on educating individuals about the health benefits of medicinal herbs for daily wellness. To learn more, go to BarlowHerbal.com and use Heal Strong 10. That's HealStrong 10 to save.
[30:10]
Jim Mann
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. It costs nothing to be a part of a local or online group. You can do that by going to our website@healingstrong.org and finding a 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 us 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.