‘By the Time I Was Diagnosed, I Felt Like I Was Dying’

“My Healing Journey” is a special series of stories written by people who found unconventional paths to wellness when they had nowhere else to turn.

Ted Marshall (on the right) with 2 of his friends building a hot tub and sauna earlier this month.Haven Village

I was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in July 2020. For two years before the diagnosis, I had been feeling progressively bad. As an acupuncturist and herbalist, I was trying to treat myself—I thought I had IBS, Crohn’s disease, gluten sensitivity, etc. I didn’t like going to Western medical doctors and I didn’t have health insurance, which delayed diagnosis.

By the time I was finally diagnosed, I felt like I was dying. I stopped drinking alcohol at that point because I knew it was contributing to the cancer, and it just felt like I was drinking poison at that point. (I had been drinking five or more drinks a day.)