by Pam McGaffin

On the day before September 11, 2001, changed the world, Ellen Chung's private universe closed around her 76-year-old husband, Robert, who went in for a major heart bypass operation.

Against a backdrop of national grief, Ellen had to cope with the possibility of losing her husband. One complication after another kept him in intensive care for more than a month. Many lost hope, but not Ellen.

Not then, nor a year later, when she had a life-changing experience of her own "" being diagnosed with lung cancer.

Now Robert, who did recover, is helping her. The Federal Way grandmother knows she may not be cured, but she's already lived almost two years longer than the nine months her first oncologist gave her in December 2002.

"You have to have hope, you have to believe," says Chung, 77. "My life has been extended. To me, that's a miracle from God."

Her lung cancer diagnosis in September 2002 came as an absolute shock, she says. She never smoked or lived with smokers. She didn't feel sick.

Her only indication that something might be wrong was some indigestion and pain in her left chest and shoulder. She told her primary doctor, who immediately called for a chest x-ray.

It revealed a dark spot, which turned out to be stage-four cancer.

The oncologist who gave her nine months told her that her only effective treatment option was chemotherapy, which may or may not give her more time.

She cried "for about three days" and decided she would not go back to that doctor.

Meanwhile, she remembered seeing a television advertisement for a cancer clinic, but couldn't remember the name.

A trip to a natural foods store and a glance through the pages of a health directory jogged her memory. She told her husband, "Bob, this is it. This is the ad."
That afternoon, she called Seattle Cancer Treatment and Wellness Center, a Capitol Hill clinic where oncologists work side-by-side with naturopaths, practitioners of Eastern medicine and other complimentary care providers.

The idea of combining traditional cancer care with naturopathy appealed to the health-conscious Chung, who had already put herself on a diet that included natural foods and homemade breads and juices.

She started treatment in January 2003, receiving lower, more frequent doses of chemotherapy (which is easier on the body) in addition to immunity-boosting supplements and a diet rich in "good" proteins such as salmon, lean chicken, nuts and legumes.

The proteins aid healing and counter the cell-killing damage of the chemo, explains naturopathic physician Mark Gignac, who works in tandem with Chung's oncologist Nick Chen.

"I was scared to death to have this tube in me for three and a half hours," says Chung, who is in her third year of chemotherapy. "But the nurses were so good, so gentle."

Chung has been a good patient, keeping up with her weekly and bi-weekly chemo treatments and maintaining a positive outlook, says her oncologist, Dr. Chen.

She brought home-baked treats to clinic often throughout her treatment, even when her own taste was affected by the chemotherapy, he said. "I think it's her love for life that has really made the difference."

Gignac says that the patients who find their way to the cancer center want a range of treatments to address their disease; and they want to direct their own care.

The clinic gives them the information and options to do that, because "patients who feel empowered tend to do better."

Gignac also praised Chung's attitude. "Cancer is a wake-up call for many people because it stops you in your tracks," he says. "Long-term survivors tend to talk about cancer being a pivotal part of their life."

It has been for Chung, who's learned to take time for herself after years of hard work as a public school teacher, mother of four, and now grandmother of five.

Always too busy before, she's lately discovered the joys of gardening, sewing and baking.

"My poor kids always had cake made from instant cake mix," she says. "Now I make it from scratch. After three attempts, I finally made a successful sponge cake!

"I'm definitely more appreciative of life," she adds. "Even though the cancer is still with me, I'm grateful for each day that I have."

No case is typical. You should not expect to experience these results.