a near or full reversal of the disease. And he always made people laugh. This was part of the package. He also successfully treated numerous so-called “incurable” conditions and diseases with just his “bare hands.” And he never took credit for it. He always said, “The Big Guy (pointing to the sky) did it.”
Being around Anthony was like a ray of sunshine. I could not wait until I got to see him again.
Eventually we started dating, and my life took a complete 180 degree turn. I went from feeling unloved to experiencing the deepest, most fulfilling, supportive, and passionate pure love I have ever known. It was everything I had ever hoped for and more! Our lives were filled with affection, meaningful conversation, and laughter so unbridled that it made me cry and caused spasms of the abdominal muscles. He worked very hard to repair my broken self. Every day he told me that I was beautiful and how much he loved me. Many times he said, “I don’t want a day to go by without telling you that ‘I Love You!’” My life was complete.
Then he started getting sick more and more often. He thought it was food poisoning from restaurant food, but I had a bad feeling. Despite my urging him, he didn’t want to go to a medical doctor. Maybe he knew it was going to be bad news. Actually, he told me how, when he was a little boy, he would tell his mother, “I’m going to die young, so you better get used to it.” He was also gifted with a keen sense of intuition.
We married in July of 2004, and the following January he was in the hospital fighting for his life. He was hooked up to every monitor and medical machine you could imagine. He was in an induced coma due to a severe bout of pancreatitis, among other things. Unbelievably, he recovered and was released from the hospital eleven days later. The doctors and nurses were amazed as even his kidneys had stopped working at one point.
As the years went by, we visited doctors of every kind—sometimes getting results, sometimes not. He had been misdiagnosed as having diabetes and was experiencing recurring bouts of pancreatitis. The pain you feel with pancreatitis has been described to us as natural childbirth or amputation without anesthesia.
He fought as hard as he could to try to stay alive. Despite working twelve hour days on a regular basis, he would exercise on the treadmill before work and go to the health club to sit in the sauna after work. He changed his diet, took loads of supplements, and even took medications he didn’t agree with. He didn’t want to “die on me.” He lived for years with his triglycerides over 2,000. Sometimes they went over 3,000. According to the AMA, healthy triglyceride levels are supposed to be 150 or under. Anything over that can cause heart disease and strokes. He was clearly a walking time bomb. In addition, he had very high levels of iron in his blood. We saw medical doctors, specialists, toxicologists, acupuncturists, and a medical intuitive. Since I was a massage therapist and an energy worker, I gave him treatments whenever he would allow me to. Some things helped for a while and then stopped working. Other treatments actually made him ill. We exhausted our funds since we had a high deductible insurance, and most of his expenses were out of pocket.
Our dear friends Sherry and Gordon Shayne convinced us to go to their amazing naturopathic doctor in Colorado Springs named Mark Cooper. Since we were very low on funds, Sherry and Gordon generously offered to cover the costs for Anthony’s initial treatments with Mark. Finally Mark Cooper, after spending countless hours researching his case, found out what he had. We were very excited to hear the news and that we would finally know what was making him sick. Mark said, “Well, there’s good news and there’s bad news. The good news is that I know what you have. The bad news is that it is a rare genetic disease that has no known treatment or cure.” That was a heavy blow to take. Mark let us know that there were things we could try, but of course, there were no guarantees. Mark explained how he thought things would progress for Anthony. Eventually, the high triglycerides in his blood would prevent enough oxygen from nourishing his vital organs, and he would basically asphyxiate. He was the only doctor who was able to explain this to us and did it with compassion and concern.
As time went by, we tried to live our lives to the fullest. It was as if Anthony knew his time on earth would be very limited. He studied every possible theory, ideology, religion, and healing method. Anything relating to God, he knew or would learn. He lived in the moment which was wonderful but at times was upsetting to me, especially if he missed or was late for an anniversary or birthday dinner. His response was, “I lost track of time.” He often ran behind during his appointments, but most people didn’t mind since they knew that when it got to be their turn, he would give them 100 per cent of his attention. He didn’t let people walk out the door if he wasn’t satisfied with how their bodies had responded to the treatment.
Although very sick and getting weaker after each bout of pancreatitis, he continued to work extremely long hours, as he knew his patients needed him. I was in a state of denial (a coping mechanism) thinking that for sure God would not let him die, considering all of the people he was helping and saving (including me). I believed God would continue to save him and eventually heal him. The time came when with greater frequency he suffered from more bouts of pancreatitis, often screaming at the top of his lungs in pain—sometimes ending up at the hospital, sometimes not. Many times we both thought this was the one that would take him out. However, he kept surviving them against all odds, until the last time. He died in my arms on August 14, 2011. It was exactly one month before his forty-second birthday.
As he had been an extraordinary person in life, he turned out to be also extraordinary after death. Because he died at home, paramedics and the police came to the house and then the coroner took his body away. I cannot put into words the way I felt at that time. Frantic, I decided to start vacuuming as I figured many people would be coming to the house. Then I heard Anthony’s voice say, “Calm down. Lie down. I want to show you something.” Not knowing what to think, but trusting what I heard, I laid down on the couch. Then I felt (his) energy merge into mine. Every cell, molecule, of my being was vibrating. With that, he was telling me, “I will never leave you!” Then I was able to get a glimpse of where he was. I felt an incredible feeling of joy and elation—more than I had ever experienced. Then I felt the freedom he felt in being out of his “miserable body” (as he would often refer to it). The incredible pain and suffering he had felt during his life had been lifted! He helped many by relieving pain that they thought they would never be free of. He did this while no one was able to relieve his pain . . . until now!
For about a year and a half, he continued to talk to me. I could hear him as clearly as if he were standing right next to me (he was, and is!). The beauty of this was that now he was able to be with me 24/7! There was no more waiting late at night for him to get home only to find that he was exhausted and just wanting to collapse on the couch. Now he was with me no matter where I went! Of course I was still devastated by his loss and went through (and still going through) deep grief. Even though I was overwrought with sadness and despair, I remember thinking of other widows and how difficult it must be to not hear and experience their loved one as I was able to. I couldn’t imagine suddenly experiencing a loss such as that without receiving any signs “from beyond.” I have many magical moments where he came through for me “from the Other Side.” For example, last February I went to Chicago to learn the Bengston Energy Healing Method. Actually it was during a session with a medium that Anthony told me to learn this technique. Anyway, it was Valentine’s Day. It was very cute and touching to see that everywhere I went, there were many men frantically running around to buy flowers, chocolates, and cards for their wives/girlfriends. Then I was a little sad to think that I wouldn’t be getting any of those things. I thought to myself, “I guess I won’t be getting any flowers from my baby this year.” Since I had some time to kill before the workshop, I decided to walk around the vicinity of the hotel to see what there was in the area. It was downtown Chicago amidst the hustle and bustle of a big city and during a busy time of day. Still a bit sad, I had my head down. I took a few steps and there, right in my path, was a perfect beautiful yellow carnation! All of the sudden it was as if the time stopped and the busyness of the city faded away. That took my breath away! I knew it was from Anthony and I could feel him smiling! Yes, I still have it!
I continued to experience remarkable things and hear Anthony talking to me but eventually the frequency and intensity diminished. Anthony told me that it was for my own good. Now that I was getting stronger, he was able to pull away a