Ten Days of Okra

The story was great even if the promise seemed slim. There was little to lose in completing Ten Days of Okra. I started serendipitously after a year of keeping it on the back-burner. I had told some friends over Friday night dinner about the okra cure as we sat worrying about my ca 125 being on the rise despite heavy-duty treatment. We felt a bit desperate. On Sunday, October 5^th a friend showed up with a half dozen baggies of okra, parboiled to perfection. Barriers removed, it was time to start my okra cure.

There was little instruction beyond the great story that motivated us. Larry, husband to Belinda my vaccine partner during the UPenn Trial, narrated the tale. He was tasked with picking up a swing set for their five-year-old. He pulled up to find an 80-year-old man rising from his rocking chair to greet him. The guy was full of stories and had lots of time. He wore his britches up towards his armpits. He amplified each point with the use of his remaining arm. He started by explaining the missing arm he lost at birth. It was a rough start in life. The unborn child was presumed dead and to save the mom they yanked him out, tearing off his arm and leaving him unattended while they worked on the mother.

He pinked up on his own finding oxygen and eventually made a noise that got him attention as a living creature. He views his entire life as a gift. He evangelizes the point. As a young man he was diagnosed with terminal cancer and sent home to get his affairs in order. Praying in his car he heard god clearly state, “If you eat okra for ten days you will be fine.” He did. He was there as proof. An 80-year-old orating from his front porch to every car that stopped.

Larry’s wife, like me, has advanced ovarian cancer. The old man shared the okra story then moved to an outside freezer filled with bags of okra. He handed Larry a big bag. Belinda and he were just finishing up their ten days as Larry summarized the experience with great humor. (Please note: okra is a powerful cleaner out of you gi system.)

A year later Belinda is the only patient in our trial that hasn’t recurred, keeping in mind that we don’t know all the other patients. I was game to try okra.

Okra relishes extended, hot weather. I am a northern gal. You don’t find okra fresh, frozen or pickled with ease here. But it is the end of the longest, hottest summer I recall in Oregon and my friend tracked some down at the state’s largest farmers market. I had to parse out what I had, not sure I matched the big bag pulled from the freezer in the story. But I ate it every day for ten days and loved it.

A great story should have a rousing end. This one might but not yet as today’s test results show a third uptick in my ca 125. I must replace carboplatin with a tougher alternative not because it is better but because my body can no longer tolerate the first choice. I don’t like loosing drugs; I don’t like increased side effects; I don’t like cancer growing. I wonder if I need to double (triple?) my intake of okra – desperate times call for desperate measures. If you find any pickled okra, send it on.

Ever hopeful