Déjà Vu

Hello, beautiful people. To mark Eliza Jaye’s album release this day last year, here is the music video of what would have been the album’s single. Eliza loved this song. It captures her sensitivity and creativity. It’s timeless.

Déjà Vu:

A special treat for fans of Eliza Jaye

Here is Elizabeth in 1993 in a submission for a music scholarship. Her performance of The White Cliffs of Dover is both subtle and clear but strong.

Elizabeth’s professionalism and dedication to her art, from even before her age in this video, would lay down the path that she would walk as Eliza Jaye.

Life Is Art!

Dear friends, it has been a little time since I put thoughts to virtual pen & paper. There has been a lot of activity within this time which I will tell you about, but firstly a picture of right now.

As I lie in bed exhaustion pervades my body and a feeling of great calm after the storm. I’ve just finished my first cycle of a new chemo. My doctor has told me that from a medical point of view there are no more treatment options and this will only extend my life by a matter of around twelve months.. I have taken this option as the tumors in my liver have been growing ever closer to essential veins and arteries and the chemo may keep them from growing or hopefully shrink them. Needs Must eh!? Regardless I feel like everything is going to turn out as it should. I am learning to let go, trust, and allow my story to unfold. I may die but I may not.. life is unpredictable and surprising. I have hope.

I find that as long as I am making positive steps towards health in a practical sense, that I can keep myself from becoming overwhelmed by my situation. I am eating a plant based diet, using key supplements and I have a schedule which includes lots of ‘grounding’. I regularly partake in incredible bush walks, putting my feet in the wet sand at the beach, making pizzas with my three year old niece, philosophical conversations with my dad and all the best entertainment Sydney has to offer with my partner and friends. I have bought an infrared sauna and trampoline & use resistance bands regularly to maintain strength and fitness. Soon I will be doing yoga again!

From a medical point of view, I have sent tumor samples to a lab in Germany. The lab is called NextGen and they are at the cutting edge of cell analysis. They work in tandem with a clinic in Vienna called Kleef clinic who I am in consultation with and this will hopefully allow me to receive a more targeted treatment. The Kleef Clinic also specialise in hyperthermia which I believe works along the same lines as infrared, heating up and cooling down the cells from their core.

I am also in consultation with MoST trials at The Garvan Institute here in Sydney who undertake clinical trials. They perform molecular screening of cells using a person’s tumor samples and offer targeted therapies that correspond to a persons gene mutations.

Either could present a lifeline to me or open up my knowledge to explore further areas of treatment. I wish I had access to these options a year ago before all of the surgery that did not go according to plan… speaking of which..

I had some more surgery last June. Around the time I found my abdomen becoming more and more swollen over the course of two months until finally I went to the emergency department at the hospital. The doctors ordered a CT scan and discovered a tumor on my left ovary the size of a large grapefruit. It was 13 cm in length and had ruptured. I was told that I was very lucky to have survived the rupture and could have bled to death. Emergency surgery was scheduled at which my surgeon removed both ovaries including the tumor and drained fifteen litres of fluid from my abdomen. I cant tell you how uncomfortable it was to go from my normal body shape, to looking like a nine month pregnant woman in the course of two months! The surgery went very well and I am grateful for having had access to it so quickly! Thank you to my surgical team and the Australian health care system! Apparently this type of tumor is rare and only occurs from the primary tumor in the bowel.

Ok, enough medical stuff! To be honest I am so sick of talking about cancer that I refuse to engage in any conversation about it. I have made a blanket rule amongst family and friends. ‘Don’t ask me because I wont answer you’. Life is waaaaaay too short to spend my time endlessly explaining.. bla bla

Music!! My sweet friend music 😀

My website has received a pimp & I’m so pleased with its style and elegance! Many thanks to Jo’ Paul Mamuyac for all your work. Have a sneaky peak here:

elizajaye.co.uk

I am spending my time making plans for my new, as yet unreleased album called ‘Middle Child’.

We have settled on the design for the cover and this week I am getting it mastered in Tasmania by Grammy Award Winning mastering engineer William Bowden.

Thank you to everybody that keeps sending me the good vibes and well wishes. I feel so blessed to have such a crew as you, from across the world all gunning for my return to health and supporting my strength, happiness and of course music. We will get there soon enough..

Until then, enjoy the party 😀

All my love Eliza

xxx

Hurry, Hurry

How could the soul not take flight

When from the glorious Presence

A soft call flows sweet as honey,

And whispers, “Rise up now, come away.”

How could the fish not jump

Immediately from dry land into water,

When the sound of water from the ocean

Of fresh waves springs to his ear?

How could the hawk not fly away,

Back, back, to the wrist of the kind

As soon as he hears the drum

The king’s baton hits again and again,

Drumming out the signal of return?

How could the Sufi not start to dance,

Turning on himself, like the atom in the sun of eternity,

So he can leap free of this dying world?

Fly away, fly away, bird, to your native home.

You have leaped free of the cage,

Your wings are flung back in the wind of God.

Leave behind the stagnant and marshy waters,

Hurry, hurry, hurry, O bird, to the source of life!

– Jalal-ud-Din Rumi

Gonna Keep a-Swingin’, Baby, I’m a Real Wild Child

Woohoo, these last two months have been great!

I’ve managed to fit in some amazing experiences considering my current chemo schedule of one week on & one week off.

My week on chemo looks something like this:

Two days of fasting, which means only drinking water, whereby I slowly descend into my cave with growing fatigue. On the 3rd day of fasting I drag myself up to the hospital. The nurses access the port on my chest to administer pre-meds including anti-nausea medication and steroids. My mouth feels dry and I start to feel sick then the chemo is hung and slowly dripped into my body for around three hours. I stretch out on my reclining chair, cover myself with my blanket and cover my face with my floppy hat. I doze and avoid communication as the steroids make me feel really weird. I then have a pump attached to my port which will administer more chemo into my body at home. My dad picks me up and takes me home where I go straight to bed and lie there In a vegetative state, like slowly waving sea grass, until the pump starts beeping 24 hours later. This is my signal to start drinking juice. My mum juices fruit for me and, with the sugar waking up my cells and system, I quickly ascend out of my vegetative state, ready to face the world and rejoin the human race. I quickly feel stronger I am taken back to the hospital whereby the pump is removed and I am free! It takes another two to three days of juicing, eating fruit and salad before I can eat normally and then, over the next week, I get stronger and I am able to enjoy my life. My week off chemo allows me to do all the things I enjoy, as well as my chores, only to descend into my chemo cave again the following week. It surely is a gruelling schedule..

This is where I got the inspiration for my combined fasting and chemo method from: https://news.usc.edu/63669/fasting-triggers-stem-cell-regeneration-of-damaged-old-immune-system/

This month on my week off I flew to Melbourne where I met up with dear old friends and saw the one and only Iggy Pop! He has been an icon for me since I was a teen and the concert hall reverberated with explosive excitement as he cavorted around the stage like a 20 year old. What a legend! Here are some snaps and footage from the weekend.

This month has also seen me getting together with a wonderful photographer https://www.jasondeplater.com/ in order to take photos for my new album campaign. We had a great time making use of locations in and around my parents house in the south of Sydney. The new album is a very personal work with much of the inspiration stemming from experiences in childhood, so we thought the locations should reflect that – and, of course, I have had immense inspiration from living in my van.

I continue to amplify my healing using meditation and enjoyed another weekend retreat with the Brahma Kumari in The Blue Mountains north of Sydney. I can’t express my gratitude at the opportunity to unwind in such a beautiful location and spend time with wise and generous people.

I was recently asked to give a talk at a fasting seminar by Greg and Dawn Fitzgerald at http://www.healthforlife.com.au Greg asked me to explain to his audience about my experiences in combining chemo and fasting. The audience of around 100 people cheered as I announced that my most recent CT results showed no sign of the rectal tumour. It seems to have vanished!! Woo hoo!! I GOT THE POWER!!

And of course no blog post would be accomplished without a trip to the hospital.. I’ve had a further infection in my liver from the operation so here I am making use of my time by writing to you all.

love and warmth from the bottom of my ♥️. Chat soon.

Eliza xx

Feeling Better

Hello & welcome back 🙂

This is the lookout where I go running near to my parents house in Sydney. I’ve been coming here all my life. My infant school is only 10 minutes walk from here through the bush. Isn’t it lush.. ❤ ❤

I hope you are all well and enjoying our beautiful and complicated world. I have been feeling much better over the last couple of months. It has taken me a few chemo cycles to get on top of things but, as you can see, I’m back on track!

I have continued fasting with my chemo & am feeling some good results. The nerve pain from the rectal tumour has almost completely subsided and I am no longer on pain killers and, on my week off chemo, I am bushwalking and running in the National Park. I have started back on my yoga and resistance training and continue with daily meditation. I went to a meditation retreat in the Blue Mountains last weekend. Here are some snaps:

And LOOK! NO DRAINS!!

Unfortunately, as I explained in my last post, I have 4 new tumours in my liver which are inoperable. My surgeon explained that because of my strange liver anatomy due to the surgery there’s no way he can know where the bile ducts are and so would not feel confident in being able to avoid them during surgery. My best option at the moment is to remain on chemo and continue to support my health with good food, relaxation, rest and exercise and of course love & hugs ❤

Buying veggies at the local organic market:

In hospital getting hooked up to chemo today:

I am currently making plans to release my new record. Keep your eyes out for the next post with more exciting details!

Massive love Eliza xx

A Complicated Xmas

Hello dear friends,

I am receiving lots of correspondence from you guys asking about how I’m doing so I thought I’d give you a pre Xmas update. Its wonderful to feel so loved ♥️ thanks for all the best wishes, prayers, support and contributions to my fundraiser.

https://chuffed.org/project/eliza-jaye-cancer-treatment

Sometimes the amount of correspondence can be overwhelming as I rest and recover from my op & multiple procedures & manage my current treatment plan. My sister Anna has stepped in to be my PA recently & field questions. Please understand if I can’t reply personally. I am practicing surrendering my anxiety and trusting that everything is as it should be. I hope you guys feel you can do the same.

In my last blog post in September i explained about the liver operation and about how my bile duct had been damaged during surgery. Unfortunately, after five repeat procedures to fix the damage the specialists are still scratching their heads as to how. Apparently the damage is extensive & so plugging up the leaks is complicated. As I write this I am nil by mouth, in a hospital bed. I’ve been in hospital for a month. In fact I’ve been in and out of hospital since the liver op three months ago.

Despite this I feel confident with my team of physicians & the hospital facilities. The op was always going to be tricky due to the location of one of the tumours & I feel grateful that my surgeon agreed to do it.

The problem with my situation is that, in order to keep the cancer from growing & spreading, I should be on chemo. Unfortunately this has not been ideal because of the risk of infection associated with having an external drain for the bile leak from the liver complications. During these three months of repeat procedures and waiting the cancer has progressed & there are two new tumours in my liver. My rectal tumour has also grown & is causing neuropathic pain down the back of my legs. I can only walk for a couple of minutes before needing to sit down because of the nerve pain. I am actually looking forward to getting back on chemo as last time it shrunk the tumour & sorted out the nerve pain very quickly.

Great News! Finally!!

My doctor dropped by a couple of days ago & my wish has been granted! Chemo starts today. The bile leak has not been resolved but the specialists have reached a compromise whereby I can have a more gentle chemo whilst being monitored in hospital. I have fasted for the last two days, and will continue fasting for the duration of the chemo. Looks like Xmas is going to be spent fasting and in hospital this year.

https://news.usc.edu/63669/fasting-triggers-stem-cell-regeneration-of-damaged-old-immune-system/

Regardless, I am still in good spirits, surrounded by loving family and friends & I am looking forward to better times ahead.

I am excited to say that I have been offered a position to study a bachelor of music/composition next year at The Sydney Conservatorium of Music. The degree focuses on avant-garde classical music which I feel will expand my music practice wonderfully!

Here’s a selection of recent snaps:

Merry Xmas everybody! I wish you much joy, warmth & merriment. I’ll update you again soon.

Eliza xx

Liver Surgery

 William Shakespeare

Dear friends,

I have no more tumours in my liver! Isn’t that amazing?!? I’m so happy!!

I arrived home last night after spending a few weeks in hospital. I have had several procedures, starting with a liver resection and ablation. My surgeon opened up my abdomen from my sternum down to my belly button and horizontally outwards to my right creating a neat incision. He was then able to lift out my liver and, using his scalpel, remove segment 1V containing a smallish but growing tumour located towards the centre close to blood vessels and the main bile duct. This tumour was removed as a matter of urgency as it grew ever closer to these arteries and bile ducts and became life threatening. After the ‘resection’ there were two other tumours burnt out using a technique called ablation. Ablation is performed by a radiologist who locates the tumours using ultrasound and inserts a burning hot probe into them, burning all visible cancer cells. I spoke to the radiologist afterwards and he said that both tumours had been ‘well ablated’. Good news! I awoke in the intensive care unit with a tube down my throat. I couldn’t breathe properly or speak. I pleaded with the doctors to remove the tube but they were concerned that I had sleep apnea and would not. The next 10 hours were the most unpleasant I’ve ever experienced as I struggled to breathe, my lungs filled up with fluid and they occasionally poked a tube down my throat to suck out the fluid, making me gag and causing excruciating pain at my operation sight. I wrote several pages pleading with them:

The staff arrived in the morning at 8am and removed the tube, shaking their heads at the   unnecessary traumatic experience I’d had. They gave me a bed bath with lavender oil and I started to feel human again:

I returned home after a week in hospital but was taken back by ambulance with a high temperature. Subsequent tests showed that the main bile duct had been damaged during surgery and I had bile pooling inside my liver and an infection. I was put on IV antibiotics which cleared up the infection and the fever and a new drain was inserted through my abdomen into my liver (under local anaesthetic only and without pain killers) As the local anaesthetic wore off the pain became unbearable as I waited for the doctors to give me some pain relief. It has taken me another week to feel more comfortable with the drain and be able to breathe properly. I have since had another procedure whereby a camera was inserted down my throat and up through my small bowel inserting a stent into the damaged bile duct in the hope that it may patch the hole and provide an opportunity for it to heal. It seems to be working and the fluid output is going down slowly but surely. Lets cross fingers that it has resolved the issue! I need to repeat the procedure this coming Tuesday to remove a stent that they have placed in the pancreas.

Apart from these challenges I have had some lovely experiences in the hospital. I got some beautiful flowers, received friends and, on occasion, took a wheelchair into the sunshine and the fresh air. I have been so impressed with the professionalism of the nursing staff. Thank you everybody for your kindness and for looking after me so well.

The next step, when I have recovered more from the operation, is to embark on three months of chemo.

I am accepting contributions for my ongoing treatment costs on my fundraiser page. Massive thank you to everybody who has already contributed

https://chuffed.org/project/eliza-jaye-cancer-treatment

In the mean time I am felling better every day. I’ll keep you posted..

Wishing you warmth and happiness.

Eliza

My Cancer Treatment Fundraiser

Hello dear hearts. I have received a diagnosis of stage four colorectal cancer. I am in good hands but accumulating significant debt. Please help me to raise funds for my treatment. Click the below link for more details and to donate:

https://chuffed.org/project/eliza-jaye-cancer-treatment

My beautiful friend Suwindi has offered to run this campaign for me throughout August, September and October to help raise funds for my cancer treatment. Cancer is an expensive hobby!!

My treatment and costs thus far have involved:

• Colonoscopy, Hospital fees, blood tests, anaesthetist. Paid for independently.
• IVF egg harvesting (as the chemo is damaging my fertility). Hospital fees, blood tests, anaesthetist. Paid for independently.
• I have had numerous MRIs and CTs paid for independently.
• I have a liver surgeon, colorectal surgeon, radiation oncologist and chemo oncologist all of who’s appointments are paid for partly by Medicare/ NHS but there is a gap. I pay approximately half.
• I have undertaken three months of chemotherapy, paid for by Medicare/NHS.
• I attended a residential program ‘Living Mindfully With Cancer’ at the Quest For Life Centre, which has been an incredibly useful resource as regards my mental health. Paid for independently.
• I have a naturopath/osteopath and nutritionist who has expertise in the area of cancer prevention and treatment which I pay for independently.
• I had an infected tooth removed as the combination of dental infection and chemotherapy have a detrimental effect on the immune system. Paid for independently.

As there are multiple issues to contend with in my case there is no set procedure. My team of oncologists and surgeons are advising me as to the best course of action as events occur. Recently my CT showed that the liver tumours are no longer stable but are growing and so we are looking to schedule liver surgery as a matter of urgency. My rectal surgeon has advised that they may want to perform both surgeries at the same time so that the primary tumour is not creating further metasteses in my liver. He is scheduling theatre within the next two weeks.

My forthcoming treatment will most likely involve:

• Liver surgery to resect the tumours + Rectal surgery to remove the primary tumour (this will be a combined opperation involving two surgeons, 2/3 of my liver being removed, a section of my colon removed and a temporary stoma created)
• A period of months to heal and recover from surgery.
• Three months chemotherapy to ‘mop up’ residual cancer cells.
• Two-three months to heal and recover from chemo.
• Rectal surgery to reverse temporary stoma.
• A period of months to heal and recover from temporary stoma reversal.

These procedures are paid for by Medicare/ NHS and extra costs will become apparent as treatment progresses. Throughout this period I will need finance for further MRIs and CTs and some funds to pay for a carer when my family are not available. I am looking at probably another year of hard work to get things under control and hopefully I will achieve remission at the end of it.

My specialists have advised that there is a very high likelihood of recurrence after achieving remission and so my life post treatment will need to be as stress free as possible. It is not advised that I return to work with autistic children or partake in any intense touring with my music.

We are trying to raise £20000 to cover the expenses that have already occurred and for the forthcoming treatment ahead as well as a trip away upon treatment completion. We have added a contingency so that I can rest and recuperate after treatment completion and so that I have an opportunity to engage further alternative and medical options as they become available. This will hopefully include access to a new immunotherapy option for metastatic colorectal cancer which is currently in clinical trials and showing promising success rates for complete cure in the long term.

What you can do to help:

• Raise awareness by sharing this campaign with those who you think may be interested in supporting/contributing: https://chuffed.org/project/eliza-jaye-cancer-treatment
• Share my blog post: https://elizajaye.wordpress.com/2018/07/30/cancer-my-journey-thus-far/
• I am being very careful to manage my stress levels at this fragile time. Please contact Suwindi if you would like more info about the campaign at suwindikadir@gmail.com or on facebook:https://www.facebook.com/suwindi
• To save fees you may prefer to make a direct deposit in my UK or Australian bank account. Get in touch for bank details.

The last six months have been quite exhausting but now, post crisis, I am feeling positive and optimistic.

I feel fortunate to be surrounded by really great natural health professionals and medical doctors and nurses. The below photo is of myself and my new mate Megan in the hospital chemo ward.

I have been busking to raise money for the treatment and have experienced an outpouring of well wishes, kind gestures and heart felt support from complete strangers. I am so relieved to be playing again!

It is a very moving experience to mingle with the public under these circumstances. Everybody is affected by cancer at some stage in their lives, we are not alone as we have each other. A kind stranger left this note in my case one day:

The show I did in the UK last December was a great success. I bid farewell to my beautiful friends, colleagues and supporters and had a really fun night. Half of my adult life has been spent in the UK.

Image Chris Sheffield

I am thinking of you all with much affection.

Eliza xx