Off the grid… This is where I was when I picked up the phone to call Utopia. I had an awful phone consult with another alternative doctor who ripped me to shreds the night before – ridiculing me for all the decisions I had made to the point and telling me repeatedly that I was in conflict. That I had put gasoline on a fire by getting chemo. It was after that call and the resulting devastation that I stumbled upon the book, “America’s Best Cancer Doctors.”
I picked myself back up and resolved to listen to the chapter about Dr. Garcia the next morning while out for a walk. This was not accomplishable with 2 kids, so I took a big gulp to keep the nervous butterflies down and just decided to call Utopia.I honestly was surprised to hear a male voice answer on the other end. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it at first, after listening to a male berate me the night before. But Mark LISTENED to me, even through my walking pant pushing the stroller back home. I was torn, I was hanging on his every word as would rush back home in excitement yet pause every few steps to make sure I heard him exactly. Mark was the voice I absolutely needed to hear that day. I felt understood. He spoke with kindness yet assertiveness and conviction about the team at Utopia. I felt in this couple of minutes that I had a special person – on MY side – taking me under his wing and guiding me so that I could finally take a deep breath and let go. To this day, I sit in the back infusion area and every time I hear his articulate, astute yet authoritative voice, I am calm as I know I’m in the right place – no longer panting to get direction and answers. How wonderful it is that he and the team at Utopia could make the extreme discomfort of going off the grid, so reassuring. I have found every single staff member to have the utmost expertise in their field.
- Dr. Garcia asserts, “Many of us have been brought up to believe that our health depends solely on the quality of the healthcare we receive. The truth is, your health is your responsibility. You are the only person who can make the lifestyle decisions that contribute to your well-being. You are the one who must take the steps to preserve your health and promote your wellness. Only you have the power to create wellness for yourself.”
