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Sage woman credits healing to prayer, medical treatments

In March 2015, Lynn Sargeson of Sage, now 61, noticed a small lump in one of her breasts during a routine selfexamination. “It felt very different from any of the other lumps I had tested over the years,” she said. After visiting her local nurse practitioner, Sargeson had a diagnostic mammogram and an ultrasound in April, followed by a biopsy the following month that confirmed that the mass was indeed cancer — stage 2, triple-negative, grade 3 poorly differentiated carcinoma, a type of cancer that tends to grow and spread quickly. A minister’s wife and a woman of faith, Sargeson describes herself as an optimist, adding that she was taught from an early age to look for the good in any situation. She and her husband, Rob Sargeson, lead seminars and workshops designed to help others experience a deeper relationship with God.The couple are also friends of the Lakota nation and are part of the Blue Star Church family. “A great sense of humor is a necessary tool to move through times like this,” Lynn Sargeson said. “Even at the outset, we surprised the radiologist who came into the ultrasound room to deliver the ‘very suspicious of cancer’ message, only to find us laughing because the lump pictured on the monitor looked suspiciously like a teddy bear. He was trying to help us understand that this was serious, and we said, ‘It can’t be that bad if it looks like a teddy bear.’ He must’ve thought we were nuts.” Her next step was to meet with a surgeon, Dr. W. Steve Alexander, with the White River Health System in Batesville, to discuss treatment options. “I chose Dr. Alexander mainly based on his knowledge and expertise, and his ability to clearly communicate his opinions and advice while allowing me to express my beliefs and ask the countless questions I had,” Sargeson said. After receiving the final results from the biopsy, Sargeson was advised to have chemotherapy, followed by a lumpectomy and radiation treatments. In late June, she met with her oncologist, Dr. Raman Desikan, to discuss treatment options. Sargeson said she was initially resistant to the idea of chemotherapy, that “white-man’s medicine” was not her way. “As I was standing in the hallway about to leave, waiting for [Dr. Desikan’s] nurse to provide some paperwork about the side effects of the various drugs I would be treated with, I distinctly heard God’s voice saying ‘Do the chemotherapy.’ I responded, ‘Really? You’ve got to be kidding,’” she said. “After a few days of prayer to make sure I heard right, I surrendered. Most of my fears subsided in that moment, although I held onto a few fears for good measure — mostly just because I could,” she said. “In hindsight, I wish I would’ve surrendered more completely. I wouldn’t have needed to deal with those fears later.” The couple were not the only ones praying. “We had a worldwide ‘army of prayer people’ praying for us and for the doctors, medical staff, caregivers, etc. — and we felt those prayers surrounding us like a cosmic hug,” Sargeson said. “I also began a nutritional regimen focused on eliminating the cancer or retarding its growth.” That dietary regimen included drinking oxygenated water and eating alkaline foods (such as fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts) to help make her body less hospitable to cancer cells. “I applied frankincense essential oils to my skin at the site [of the lump] because frankincense has anti-tumoral properties,” she said. “I also took extra doses of vitamin C, which I understood to be helpful based on the work of Linus Pauling, [a Nobel Prize-winning chemist and biochemist].” Sargeson underwent two rounds of chemotherapy, with the first treatment in early July and the last in January of 2016. She said the primary side effect she experienced was hair loss, along with “chemo brain,” which made it difficult to express her thoughts, and fatigue. “Do you have any idea how much debris gets in your eyes when you have no lashes?” she said with a laugh.“And a terrific benefit was that no ticks or mosquitoes would come near me while I was doing chemo. There’s always a bright side. “I purified in the Sacred Stone People’s Lodge Ceremony (a sweat lodge) as often as I could during chemo, and I’m sure that helped. As a matter of fact, I scheduled my chemotherapy appointments early in the week so I would have the energy to sweat on weekends.” After completing chemotherapy, Sargeson said, the lump was no longer detectable. “I asked why I needed a lumpectomy for a lump that wasn’t there,” she said, adding that because there was no pathological proof that the cancer was gone, she continued to pray about her next step, keeping surgery as an option. In the end, she elected to forego surgery and radiation. “Dr. Alexander made sure I knew it wasn’t the standard protocol and recommended I get a breast MRI in six months and a mammogram six months after that,” Sargeson said. “I promised him that he’d be the first call I’d make if I detected anything of concern in my selfexams.” The required MRI and mammograms were clear, she said, and two years later, Sargeson’s scans continue to show no signs of cancer. “All praise and glory go to God for his blessing. Each day is such a gift,” she said. “I’m overflowing with gratitude for this entire experience because it put so much into perspective for me. The really important things in my life became clear through this healing.” While Sargeson’s path may not be the right one for every woman dealing with breast cancer, she said, she hopes her story will inspire others, no matter what treatment plan they choose. “For the first few months during the initial tests, we struggled with knowing how to be with all of it,” she said.“It was here right in the middle of our lives, but we were dancing around it without directly addressing how we were feeling about it. It didn’t just happen to me; it happened to all of us. I was so focused on learning all I could about it and hadn’t considered how it was affecting my family. “We finally were able to talk about these feelings, to cry, laugh and process together. What a relief to bring all that out in the open and embrace the idea together that it was all going to be OK.” As a survivor, Sargeson seeks to support other women who are dealing with breast cancer. One way she does this is by volunteering for the Knitted Knockers program, which provides lightweight, comfortable knitted or crocheted prostheses that fit easily into a standard bra. Sargeson also offers words of encouragement to other women dealing with cancer: “Breathe. Pray. Love yourself, even in this. Be grateful, even for this,” she said, adding that faith is a vital part of the healing process and that it’s OK to ask for help. “Trust God — however you understand God — that everything is exactly as it should be. He will make straight the way,” she said “Talk with others who hav walked this road before you Know that you are loved and have already been prayed fo by countless people. “Let people help you. It’s gift you give to them by allowin them to express their love.”

I’m overflowing with gratitude for this entire experience because it put so much into perspective for me. The really important things in my life became clear through this healing.” LYNN SARGESON Sage

STACI VANDAGRIFF/THREE RIVERS EDITIO Lynn Sargeson, 61, a resident of Sage, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. After undergoing che motherapy, she said the lump was no longer detectable, and she opted to forego surgery.Three year later, she remains cancer-free.