By Pam McGaffin

Jeannie Dews had lost all hope, what with cancer spreading through her body "like a flower gone to seed" and her doctor gently suggesting she forego painful treatments to enjoy the time she had left.

"I'm too sick to have any quality of life," she protested. "And I don't choose to go home and just die either."

For two weeks early last year, the Burlington grandmother despaired. She cried. She paced the floor. She prayed and read Bible passages. Eventually, her faith, the support of others and an innovative cancer center in Seattle gave her back her optimism - and her life.

Now Dews, 66, is sharing her story to help others facing the disease.

"I'm a cancer survivor," she told those gathered for services at the United Methodist Church in Mount Vernon recently. "I just read the definition of that phrase a couple of days ago. It means anyone who has cancer and is still alive."

In her testimony, Dews talks about how God has guided her through the last year and a half. She shares Bible passages and a little cancer humor (she can blame her memory lapses on "chemo brain."). She also shares information on local support groups and advises routine colonoscopies for people age 50 and over.

"By the time you have symptoms, it's too late," she says.

Dews had been suffering from severe abdominal pains for months before she was diagnosed early last year with colon cancer. A later biopsy brought more bad news. Her cancer had spread to her abdomen and liver.

Her general practitioner, informed of her condition, told her she had such a short window left - three to six months - that she might want to skip painful chemotherapy and spend time with her family.

His words, though well intentioned, left her devastated. At night, when she couldn't sleep, she would pace the floor and have "conversations with God."

She believes her faith led her to the help she needed: two other women with cancer who threw her a lifeline. One was Vickie Girard, a cancer patient and author of the book, "There's No Place Like Hope."

The other was Sandy Frazier, a friend and neighbor in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, where Dews and her husband, Donald, spend their winters.

Dews didn't know she and Frazier would end up having cancer in common when the two first met a few years ago. Later, after Dews was diagnosed, Frazier stuffed a brochure in her mailbox for Cancer Treatment Centers of America, a network of hospitals and facilities that combine traditional oncology with complimentary treatments, including naturopathy, acupuncture, mind-body medicine and massage.

Dews made an appointment with CTCA's Seattle Cancer Treatment and Wellness Center and started treatments there in March 2003.

Center oncologist Welby Cox put her on smaller but more frequent doses of chemotherapy drugs, which aren't as hard on the body. Dews also saw acupuncturist Darin Bunch and naturopathic physician Mark Gignac for treatments, nutrition guidance and supplements - all aimed at keeping her healthy and relatively pain-free during chemo.

The clinic's staff takes as much time as is necessary to listen, answer questions and make sure patients are as informed as they want to be, Cox said, noting that treatments are tailored around what the patient wants and chooses.

Everybody works cooperatively, doctors and patients, oncologists and complimentary care providers, he said. "If the patient gets better, then I think everybody can feel proud of that."

Scans have shown Dews' cancer counts steadily dropping. She's had some side effects from the chemotherapy, but no pain, and she's been able to do the things she likes to do, including gardening, refinishing furniture, playing piano and spending time with her family. She and husband Donald have four grown daughters and one grandson.

"When somebody's diagnosed with cancer, it's not a death sentence any more," Dews said. "You can continue living with cancer. There's a lot more hope than there ever used to be."

Since Dews has shared her story, she's been overwhelmed and comforted by all the cards, letters and telephone calls she's received. She continues to be a font of information for those who need it, and continues to recommend Girard's book, which compares a person's hope to a house's pilot light.

"Without it, we truly cease to exist," Dews said, quoting Girard to other members of her church. "Let no one ever steal your hope or extinguish your pilot light."

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