Goodbye.... For Now

by Amy L. Silva Rigtrup


Thursday was my final live episode on the glorious radio waves of WSAR 1480AM. Being able to have been on the air for almost two years talking about necessary topics that are very hard to discuss, has been a journey I will always treasure. 

I'd like to thank every guest, listener, caller supporter and the entire family at WSAR for the experience. Though I will no longer be on the air every week, I vow to continue my mission of bringing light to the darkness, perspective to the pain and awareness to the unspoken. I invite you to subscribe to this blog and stay updated on what is to come as it comes.  

I was so emotional about this last episode, that I truly didn't know what I would say - about as much as I now am unsure how to describe it. Therefore, I will let the podcast speak for itself because amazingly, everything that needed to be said - and more - was said.

 It all comes down to the lives that we touch, the love that we share and the lessons we learn...

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Thomas: Healing by Haven's Hands

by Amy L. Silva Rigtrup


Lori Brooks, founder and president of the Haven's Healing Hands Foundation, came back on the show to share some updates on the foundation's progress. Since August of 2014, the 501c3 non-profit organization has strived to spread awareness and education about the natural alternatives available to help fight pediatric cancer, support families and newly diagnosed children - all in honor of Lori's son Haven Henry Brooks who became an angel on June 23, 2014. With the help of The Petteruti Center in Warwick, RI, they have been able to fund Intravenous Vitamin C treatments for two children. 

One of those children is Thomas Harrington who, along with his mother Elisabeth, joined Lori and I to discuss the incredible effects of this treatment. I was quite literally blown away by getting to meet Thomas after hearing everything he has been through. He has such an amazing spirit. Thomas has a maturity perfectly mixed with his innocence and a dash of witty sarcasm that most people try so hard to emulate. 

 

Elisabeth shared with me a very poignant summary of Thomas' story from diagnosis to how he is doing today:

"He was diagnosed with metastatic Ewing Sarcoma in July 2013 at age 10. He went through chemo, radiation, and surgery to remove his entire 3rd right rib. Then we did additional "maintenance chemo". He finished all conventional treatment in December 2014. They've declared him of having "No Evidence of Disease" in the summer of 2014, but the docs said that because of his initial presentation, his chance of relapse was 80%. Because of that, we consulted with additional doctors at hospitals as far as away as North Carolina, and although he was prescribed additional chemos to throw at the cancer, we wanted something to build his body back up and help stimulate his own immune system to fight any lingering cancer cells. That's where the IV vitamin C came in. It was a mom I knew from Hasbro who had just lost her 5 year old daughter to Ewing Sarcoma that told me about Dr. Petterutti and IV Vitamin C. We started it in Feb of 2015. I've never stopped researching since the day he was diagnosed, and although no one has yet unlocked the key to curing metastatic Ewing Sarcoma, I will know the second that they do because of all the list serves, Facebook groups, etc. that I'm a part of. We are so blessed to have so many amazing people along this journey. Lori is an incredible person to be doing what she is doing in Haven's name, and we are so grateful to be beneficiaries. We want to do whatever we can to spread the message of HHH. I am not one to throw out conventional medicine completely, but I truly believe that we need a revolution in cancer treatment and we need naturopathic, wholistic medicine to complement conventional medicine. I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but I do believe that we're missing some big pieces of the puzzle when it comes to treating children and adults with cancer."

Here, you will see the heartbreaking image of Thomas in July of 2014, totally depleted from treatment. The other picture is of Thomas now - thriving, rosy-cheeked and smiling! He is currently preparing to perform in Les Miserables, Jr. with The Studio Theatre Company in just a few weeks.

I'm not sure of much in this world, but I can say without a doubt that Haven is smiling down with pride as he watches Thomas soar through his life, spreading joy with everyone around him, all thanks to the beautiful legacy that his mother Lori and all of the family and friends created with Haven's Healing Hands.

To support and learn more about Haven's Healing Hands, you can visit their website and Facebook page to stay updated on all of the events they have planned. On July 17th, they are holding their 2nd Annual Memorial Golf Tournament at Swansea Country Club - $125 per player/4 person scramble. It will be a 1pm shot gun. Price includes 18 holes, carts, contests, lunch and dinner. Join us just for dinner tickets $30 and raffle prizes. Please contact Lori Brooks 508-951-1509 for your registration form and/or if you'd like to donate raffle prizes.

As for The Petteruti Center, I urge you to learn more about their amazing work. Thanks to Lori, I spotted the "Headache Stopper" treatment and after just three weeks I haven't had a single migraine. A stretch this long hasn't happened for me in 3 years. As a mother of 3 children under 5, funeral director and radio show host it's been a blessing for me. I also feel more centered, focused and infused with energy. The center's Drip Bar can help with anything from Cancer, Lyme's Disease and Fibromyalgia to fighting a cold/flu, beating a hangover, weight loss and more - all delivering essential nutrients right at the cellular level for maximum absorption.

 

The Silva Lining is thankful for our wonderful sponsor, St. Anthony of Padua Credit Union. We are proud to be sponsored by such an incredible bank, that in an age of conglomerate banks treating people like numbers, maintains a relationship with its members based on trust, friendly service and loyalty. With competitive rates for savings accounts and various loans, St. Anthony of Padua can handle all of your financial needs. Convenient online banking and more information at www.stanthonyofpaduafcu.com

 

 

 

 

 


Seeking Jordan

by Amy L. Silva Rigtrup


It's not an easy thing to give someone a gift that truly touches them. But that's just what Dr. Matthew McKay, author of Seeking Jordan: How I Learned the Truth about Death and the Invisible Universe, gives to each person that reads his book. Last Thursday, he was also able to continue the gift that his book gave to me and spread that gift out to my listeners. Reading the book that McKay co-wrote with his deceased son Jordan was truly an experience that I will appreciate and always treasure. McKay joined me to talk through the process of losing his son and how he was able to reunite with him and start the process of healing. 

This journey, which for McKay began with induced after death communication, allowed him to experience hearing his son speak to him seven months after his tragic death. This convinced McKay to continue looking for ways to reach out to his son in the afterlife, if only to be able to ask him the two most common questions that we all have when we lose a loved one, "does their soul still exist and are they happy?" McKay began using the ancient art of channeled or automatic writing to communicate with his son on the other side. Through these conversations, McKay was able to begin a journey of healing and understanding that he and Jordan decided should be shared. 

Jordan and McKay's explanation of what happens when we die is both reassuring and relatable for anyone that is fortunate enough to read and experience it. No matter what your beliefs, this description of the afterlife is both comforting and filled with hope. The idea that there is an existence waiting for us that is filled with nothing but love and understanding truly touched my heart. McKay and Jordan's book gives us a better understanding of death but also a better understanding and appreciation for our lives here on earth. 

CLICK HERE to listen to the podcast, dated 6/2/2016

The Silva Lining is thankful for our wonderful sponsor, St. Anthony of Padua Credit Union. We are proud to be sponsored by such an incredible bank, that in an age of conglomerate banks treating people like numbers, maintains a relationship with its members based on trust, friendly service and loyalty. With competitive rates for savings accounts and various loans, St. Anthony of Padua can handle all of your financial needs. Convenient online banking and more information at www.stanthonyofpaduafcu.com


Let Go & Let LOVE

by Amy L. Silva Rigtrup


My guest on this week's episode was Gabrielle Doucet, RN, Energy Healer, Survivor of Suicide Loss and Author of Let Go & Let LOVE: Survivors of Suicide Loss Healing Handbook. When her son Drew, took his own life, Doucet plunged into grief. The earth shattering grief left in the wake of suicide is multi-faceted with emotions, unanswered questions and social stigma, the weight of which is immeasurable. In her book, she shares her journey forward, the steps that helped her navigate towards health, gratitude and love while moving away from anger, resentment and regret.

"I found the way to keep from endlessly trying to comprehend the why of losing Drew to suicide, and instead I managed my life in response to it. That still small voice in my soul told me that I did, and still do, have choices that I can make that meet my needs and move me forward every single day. Tools of survival existed that helped keep me from the crumbling. Tools I still use today - years after Drew's passing. I am stronger now than ever before."

Love really is at the center of it all. Grief and love are inexplicably tied together, for there would be no grieving if we didn't love those we have lost. Gabrielle highlights the importance of love from all angles, especially inward. In the midst of grief, trauma and stress we always have a tendency to put ourselves last on the list of priorities. We need to remember - even if it's only for five minutes a day - that we are the most important thing in the world. Yes, even you! Starting inward is key to healing and finding the strength to move forward.

On the show, Gabrielle expanded upon the Seven Tools for Survivor Healing, that are very eloquently explained in her book:

1. Intention: a simple statement that captures what you would like to have, become, achieve or be; a positive desire that you are working on, but not yet worked out. It involves your thoughts, emotional input and mindset - not your muscles.

2. Deep Breathing: by breathing deeply, you allow your body to engage the stressor coming to, or at you, decrease your physical reaction to it, and allow the brain tissues to get the oxygen and nutrition you need to get through to the other side of it.

3. Gratitude and Appreciation: Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive. Find a way to be thankful for your troubles and they can become your blessings. Gratefulness can give you a perspective 180 degrees away from anger, fear and pain.

4. Silence, Meditation and Release: Silence and meditation calms the mind and allows us to have a voice from the inside out, when most of the voices we receive are bombarding us from the outside in. Release is purposefully and immediately letting go of anything that no longer serves us.

5. Allowing and Zero-judgment: When we Allow we are recognizing, through deliberate action and understanding, everyone's given right to have a thought, opinion or personal declaration. Done perfectly, this process includes Zero judgment - no one is right or wrong - just different. I don't have to own yours and you don't have to own mine.

6. You manifest what you think: "The mind is everything. What you think you become" (Buddha) Words are so important - what you think and say is exactly what you get. This is the basic philosophy of the law of attraction.

7. Be in the Now Moment: This is Mindfulness; where you are being very present in what you are thinking and feeling, using absolutely no energy toward judgment. Your thoughts are not concerned with the past or concerned with the future - it is only Now.

CLICK HERE to listen to the podcast, dated 3/19/2016

The conversation speaks for itself, but having the opportunity to share a room with Gabrielle, I can attest to her incredibly genuine, loving nature and healing presence. To anyone seeking guidance in their loss, you can get information on Let Go & Let Love, read her blog and are welcome to reach out directly to Gabrielle at survivorhealing.com

We discussed many elements of the social stigma that seems to always come with suicide. This stigma especially is a topic that I have personally vowed to keep bringing up until the stigma is shed. Gabrielle has a lot of insight on all of the dimensions of stigma associated with suicide and offers this list of 10 Things You Can Do That Will Help A Survivor of Suicide Loss:

  • Always look the survivor directly in the eyes.
  • Tell the survivors that you love them, and that you loved their loved one.
  • If you don't know what to say, tell the survivor that you are without words, but you possess honest loving presence and support for them.
  • If words fail you, touch. Hold hands, hug from the heart, stand with them, stand behind them, touch shoulder to shoulder.
  • Remember, this is not about you; If you feel the need to vent, you should choose someone other than the survivor to spill any angry and hurting thoughts, as righteous as they may be.
  • If the survivor wants to talk, be quiet and listen. Speak when asked - your silence is not a bad thing.
  • Reflect when invited to do so. Walk down memory lane when they say they are ready.
  • Please don't be curious and ask questions everyone will regret.
  • Accept humor. Humor on the part of survivors is not a bad or irreverent response. It is very healing.
  • Remember the survivor, long after everyone has gone home. Their pain and isolation remains, often for years. Continue to reach out, even offer tangible invitations - the attempts will remind them you care and one day they will accept.

 

The Silva Lining is thankful for our wonderful sponsor, St. Anthony of Padua Credit Union. We are proud to be sponsored by such an incredible bank, that in an age of conglomerate banks treating people like numbers, maintains a relationship with its members based on trust, friendly service and loyalty. With competitive rates for savings accounts and various loans, St. Anthony of Padua can handle all of your financial needs. Convenient online banking and more information at www.stanthonyofpaduafcu.com