Loving Elaina: The Journey of Dom

Dom and Elaina: The Dynamic Duo

Elaina Love: Raw food chef, teacher, mom to 14 year old Dominic
Ok, nothing too unusual there, sounds like any other raw food mom right?
oh, no, so very very not usual, so very extraordinary!

 This is the story of a mom and her son and their fight for healing from Leukemia.

 I will let her tell it:

In January of this year, 14 year old Domonic was diagnosed with ALL Leukemia. Dominic, his father and I were in complete shock that this beautiful, once vibrant, healthy child now had a disease that could be fatal. We were also told that there was good news: with chemotherapy he had an 80% chance of surviving and going into remission. When we brought Dominic into the hospital on that fateful day and were given the news that he had leukemia, his organs were so enlarged that they were literally squishing his stomach and he could not eat more than a couple bites at a time. He was very emotional and cried a lot for no apparent reason, and he was so thin that all of his bones were protruding. His body was covered with red blood blister like bumps that were called piciatta. His organs were on the verge of failing and without immediate hospitalization in intensive care he could have died in a day or 2. So the chemotherapy began within a day or so and has continued since. Less than one month after Dominic's diagnosis, we got more heart wrenching news. It turns out that he had a rarer form of leukemia, which, without a bone marrow transplant (BMT) he had very low odds of surviving. That began a search for the donor to match Dominic. He has continued with increasingly strong chemotherapy to keep him in remission until a donor was found. In May, we got the news that a match was found. Someone from out of the country had a 9 out of 10 match to Dominic which is considered very good. At this time Dominic just finished a quite nasty round of chemotherapy and is being prepared to enter the hospital this summer for a long journey of chemotherapy, radiation and transplant which is not without painful side effects. His stay will be 6-8 weeks in an isolated room in the UCSF 7 Long Bone Marrow Division (with healthy visitors over 12 allowed). Then he will go home to recover for the next 6 months to 1 year before going back to school and having a strong immune system again. We are all hopeful and optimistic that this treatment will save his life and help him to live a long, healthy and cancer free life! I am so grateful for all the strides that have been taken over the years both by fundraising walkers and runners and by researchers to find a cure. I have decided to run this marathon both for Dominic and for future children who are diagnosed so that we may soon have a cure and so that other families will not have to suffer as we have. Team In Training One of the greatest contributions of the Society is toward research. Significant progress has been made in the treatment of this disease, and researchers are now optimistic that they will find a cure soon! Research is the key to finding a cure, and funding for this research is essential. I have set a personal goal to raise $4000 toward this effort. For those of you who know me as a raw foodist, you may be wondering why I am not trying to cure Dominic naturally with foods and other remedies. Believe me, everything is in play and I have done a lot of phone calling and hand wrenching to make sure I am making the best decisions. In the end, after praying and surrendering, I have decided that this is the best path to take at this time. After Dominic recovers, we will be using natural herbs, supplements and raw, green foods to help him become stronger than ever. He is excited about his future and about becoming a great skateboarder, body builder and snowboarder. I trust that there is a divine plan in all of this and I have been asked to trust, surrender and find a blending of both worlds. This is Dominic's right of passage and Dominic's journey. I am here to hold his hand and support him in whatever choices he makes along the way. As I run the 26.2 mile marathon, you will be with me in spirit, and your sponsorship will inspire me to run stronger and faster to the finish line. A donation of one dollar per mile is suggested, but whatever you can do to contribute matters. It all adds up! With over 75% of your donation going directly to research, you truly can make a difference. If possible, please send your donation along with the enclosed pledge form by July 15th so I can monitor my fundraising efforts. However, I will continue to accept donations until the day of the race. Thank you so much for your support and generosity! P.S. visit my facebook or twitter page for the latest news on Dominic's progress! P.S.S. If you are interested in supporting Dominic and me personally during this time, I am also accepting personal donations which will help pay my bills while I am in the hospital and at home caring for Dominic over the next few months to a year. If it feels good, you can send a matching, or any amount, donation to me personally at 904 Evelyn Avenue, Albany, CA 94706. With Love and Gratitude, Elaina Love Dominic If you would like to contribute to Elaina's epic marathon run go HERE. She Needs 800.00 more dollars to meet her goal! From Elaina's Blog: We had a discussion just the other day about what awaits him in through this journey of 2 months in isolation in the hospital with chemo, radiation and transplant. He knows it is something he must go through to become the man he is to be. He is taking this on as a spiritual journey in which he will emerge triumphant. He is very pleased that his father and I have become friends again through all of this and has decided he is living “The Best Life Ever!” He doesn’t want anyone to feel sorry for him or even feel sad, he knows it is in the divine plan and that all is well. As for me, I am right there with him and will be there to love him through it all. I fully support Dominic and all of his choices as I will for the rest of his life. He will continue throughout his life to make choices that feel best to him, not to me. And he may make some mistakes along the way, but I trust that his guidance is strong and that The God Power will show him the way. Whenever I think of the path that I would choose vs. the path that Dom chose, I am reminded of a poem by Kahlil Gibran, a famous prophet from the 1920’s. And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, Speak to us of Children. And he said: Your children are not your children. They are the sons and the daughters of life’s longing for itself. They come through you but they are not from you, and though they are with you they belong not to you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts, For they have their own thoughts. You may house their bodies, but not their souls. For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, net even in your dreams. You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you. for life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday. You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth. The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrow may go swift and far. Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness; For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable. To Donate to the marathon I am running to heal Leukemia, click here: Running for Dom

Life Saving Marrow

Elaina sent me this update on Dom a few days ago:

Dom Working For Mom
Dom got a bone marrow transplant in July and is now leukemia free. The marrow was donated by a 28 year old man in France. He is a soccer player and a very sweet person (he found me on facebook).
Dominic is home now and recovering well. He has his good days and bad days, but overall is in good spirits and recovering to his full self.

Bringing pure joy and gourmet bliss to the planet,
Elaina Love
www.PureJoyPlanet.com
510-647-9474

 

Elaina in Her Booth At Raw Spirit- photo by Rawbin Anderson

A Sampling of the Fabulous Raw Foods Elaina Creates:

Elaina, I am sending healing prayers and lots of love to you and Dom on your incredible journey. May his body regain it's strength and may he grow up to be a magnificent person, like his Mom!

Love 

deb