Remembering Nancy Brakhane...

Nancy and Elton Brakhane came from Glendale, AZ, he a tall lanky gentleman, quiet, reserved, and she a bubbly blonde who made friends with Bob and me as soon as we met her. As the breakfast conversations usually go, people pretty much tell their stories the first day, and continue to build on them the rest of their stay. We found out that Elton had Leukemia, and that it was in remission. Amazing.

Bob had always been interested in health and healing, and vitamins and minerals, and so he prodded Nancy regarding how Elton had been treated. This was in 1996, and we had yet to go through the loss of our daughter Janice to breast cancer, 11 years later.

We talked about Chelation therapy, (dripping high doses of vitamin C directly into the blood stream over a long period of time), and so on. We told them about our hosts, Ruth and Herb Bockelman. They were due home in just a day or two, from the Mainland. Herb was suffering from high blood pressure, and when Bob and I went to meet them at the airport in Lihue, they brought Herb down in a wheel chair! We were shocked to say the least. Immediately, I wondered how Ruth was going to run the B&B if Herb was in a wheelchair.

Bob and I were scheduled to leave for home in a day or two. Later, we found out that Nancy was able to convince Herb and Ruth that Chelation therapy could help his condition. So, their doctor with the help of another doctor on the island began this unusual lengthy treatment.

Later, we learned that Herb regained strength, happily lost some weight, and stood tall and strong all the next year. Able to serve the guests at the B&B as he had for years. Until on vacation in California, after a long hike in the desert, he had a massive heart attack on December 5, 1997 and the Lord called him Home, to the real Paradise in the heavenlies.

Nancy and I exchanged emails for all these years. Usually they were a copy of some humorous story, or perhaps a lovely spiritual article. Then, I began sending her the "blonde jokes" and she took them all in stride. Elton seemed to be thriving, and we were thankful for this.

Last week I sent her another blonde joke. I was shocked when I received an email from Elton, that the Lord had called Nancy Home. She never complained to me, or even told me she was suffering from cancer. She just got herself ready and went to be with the Lord. What a testimony. She's the first of all "our" hundreds of guests at Hale 'Aha, to go to the real Paradise.

I wonder if going to Kauai was just the preparation we all need?