Ann McKeever, M.A., LMT, knows what it is like to fight for her life. And now she is helping other cancer patients do the same.McKeever was diagnosed with Stage 4 liver cancer in 1997, and was told she had six months to get her things in order. The doctors recommended a surgery where three-fourths of her liver would be removed ó a risky procedure rarely performed at the time, she said.She underwent weekly chemotherapy treatments for five months; the type of chemo she had is called red devil because it is harsh, she said. ìI had a 15-year-old, and I was determined to live; I was not leaving her behind,î McKeever said. ìI felt like it was my problem to solve, so I researched, read about 50 different books and talked to lots of people, trying to sort through what was sound advice and what was not sound. And (I) came up with a holistic protocol to help my body. What I learned in that process is our bodies want to heal, and the key is to give it what it needs to heal.îShe put herself on a strict protocol. ìI had to be smarter than cancer, more determined than cancer, more fanatical than cancer and I had to be meaner than cancer and run faster than cancer,î McKeever said. She eliminated sugar, ate raw vegetables and salmon on a daily basis and juiced twice a day. She also said she detoxed her body, drank lots of pure water and hired a trainer to keep moving.McKeever also got adequate sleep, reduced stress in her life and practiced meditation and Chinese traditional energy work, called Qi, she said. And she also took about 90 supplements a day. ìEverything I put into my body had a job to do, and I knew what it was because of all the research I did,î McKeever said. She also took lots of enzymes and minerals because cancer does not like living among a heavy mineral content, she said.ìI also had to learn to deal with fear,î she said. ìI would wake in the morning and immediately be fearful, thinking, ëIím a cancer patient and Iím supposed to die soon;í the fear would grab hold and immobilize me. So, I started with focusing on living for the moment with no fear for three hours,î she said. Once she mastered that practice, she added hours until she was going a full day without fear, McKeever said.Anyone who is serious about fighting cancer needs to get serious about taking care of themselves; get ìfanaticalî about it, she said.The doctors had warned her that the cancer would come back because they had removed an aggressive nine-pound tumor; they knew it was already traveling, and they were waiting for it to land somewhere, McKeever said.About one year after her initial surgery, the tumor marker or alpha-fetoprotein was on the rise; it took them about three months to finally find it in her left lung. The lung surgeon, who was expecting to find an aggressive cancer, was thrilled when he found ìone tumor and no friends.î The tumor was not as aggressive as the original cancer, McKeever said. All of her doctors told her to keep up with her self-ascribed program because they had never seen a second cancer less aggressive than the first. The only other treatment left at that point was experimental, and she decided against it.By 2000, she realized she didnít want to keep going back to the doctor every month. ìI didnít want to keep going back to Baylor, to keep looking for cancer, to keep doing blood work, because when I would go back, it would take me right back emotionally; itís very traumatizing,î McKeever said. She decided to remove the port and stop going to the doctor, however, she would not recommend that for everyone.Before her diagnosis with cancer, McKeever had completed training to become a massage therapist. So, she decided to continue that path. In 2000, she re-trained in medical massage and is now a medical massage practitioner. She said she wanted to be able to offer safe massages to cancer survivors and people fighting cancer.ìItís a real privilege to put my hands on someone who is going through cancer Ö people struggling with it are in a very vulnerable place; and, hopefully, what I can provide for them is a deeply personal experience,î McKeever said. She said an oncology massage is modified to meet the individual needs of a person with cancer, taking into consideration the effects of chemo or radiation, surgeries related to cancer and sensitive pressure points.Last year, McKeever said she became certified as a holistic cancer coach. McKeever said one of the most important things to help someone going through cancer is to offer them a sense of connection, to feel heard.When people are first diagnosed, they are usually in a panic, bombarded with many emotions and fears, questions ó and dread. ìAs holistic coaches, we donít try to influence medical decisions at all, thatís between you and the doctor,î McKeever said. ìWe help you understand the power of holistic treatments to add support to your body while you are going through the medical treatments,î she said. This is the time to learn to do everything you can to take care of yourself; it is not selfish; and women especially have trouble with this, McKeever said.She recommended Beatcancer.org as a helpful website for people with cancer. ìThe person who started that site had a husband who died of cancer when she was a young mom of two children; and she dedicated the rest of her life to researching how to beat cancer,î McKeever said. To find a knowledgeable oncology massage therapist, visit S4OM.org.ìAfter 21 years of being cancer free, rather than having six months to live, I still write to my doctor to let him know how Iím doing.î
