Our Story (page 3)

clarity

Hi AuntFancy & Hubby... great to hear your story,

sorry about the illness.

The stress & lack of harmony within the jworganization,

is no doubt the cause of such illnesses!

>

All the best to you both!

clarity

ps your font looks fine to me!

villagegirl

Do not give up - I had an 8 centimetre advanced stage aggressive maligant cancer - 20 years ago !!

I had chemo, surgery, radiation, the works - and I am sure it was the final push that got me free from the WT after 30 years.

I am now doing fine - and you can too, don't get depressed just follow the treatment and don't go for any weird alternative herbal cure.

I knew many who were afraid of the chemo and surgery and radiation, they are now dead , I am alive, just grit your teeth and march into Hell.

You will come out the other end with many more years to live and enjoy.

LoisLane looking for Superman

VillageGirl>>>>>Wow! You have been through a lot. What an encouraging story.

Just Lois

Welcome Aunt Fancy , sorry to hear about your illness , and yet a few here have gone through similar scares and have come out trumps. It was excellent news that your hubby shared your journey , and that your family never gave up on you . It`s amazing how " evil" worldly familys never shun jw`s but those lovely jw`s shun the closest of family members . My daughter in-law , lovely girl as she is, has been cut off from all her family ,mother,father,and all her siblings ,simply because she walked away from it. I highly recomend reading Don Camerons book "Captives of A Concept"

It helped me immensely, all the best to you and hubby.

smiddy

Lozhasleft

Welcome! It's great that you made it here. The way the KH makes you 'ill' resonates with me, for a long time I suffered similarly. Lovely to hear about your family too.

Loz x

Reopened Mind

Aunt Fancy,

Your story is very similar to mine. My husband was a born-in and I was a convert and we left the organization together. He also served as an elder for many years as well as volunteering on the Regional Building Committee and various local remodeling projects. I see we are about the same age; my husband is 58 and I will be turning 60 next week.

At the beginning of our fade my husband read "Crisis of Conscience" with the idea of finding something wrong. When he finished he said he could identify with everything Ray wrote.

Do you have any children or grandchildren? We have two married boys whom we raised in the cult. We are in the process of a slow fade until their families are completely out.

When you realize that the WT is a multi-billion dollar publishing company you begin to understand why field service is put above everything else. We, too, experienced the lack of love when the man we were taking care of (a brother, by the way) died the week there was a district convention. The response from the "friends"? "Sorry, we are getting ready to go to the convention." Lucky for us my nonJW cousin and her husband came and sat with us and brought us dinners and gave us the support sorely lacking in the cult.

Best wishes on your recovery from cancer and from the cancerous cult.

Reopened Mind

Aunt Fancy

Thank you everyone! I will respond to the question that were asked but I just want all of you to know how much your responses touched me and my husband because he has been reading some of the posts I send to his email. He signed up but I don't think he he did the last part to be a member.

My heart goes out to all of you that have and are going through cancer too. I have been very positive going through this and know that having a good attitude will help with the recovery. It all hit at one time with leaving the religion and getting the diagnosis so at times it is confusing with what emotions I am really feeling. It is so encouraging to hear how well all of you are doing. My family has been so supportive through both situations which has helped so much.

I have one son that is grown, married and has two beautiful children. Because he was from my first marriage he thank goodness never bought into the religion. It was very difficult because his natural Dad was a RC and he would read him apostate literature (which now I am thankful for) and it made for a stressful time. He would go to meetings and FS but when he turned 14 he went to live with him in order to play sports. Boy, would I do things differently. He ended up back with us but at a certain age it was his decision. My relationship with him has changed 100% since we left the religion and I couldn't be happier.

NoRegrets, my husband would love it if I would quit shopping too! LOL but I have noticed it has gotten much better since then. It is amazing how destructive this cult is on our emotions.

I can't tell you how thankful I am that my family never deserted me. My brother in law read books on the WTBTS and my family knew it was a cult but they knew enough to know that they couldn't just come out and tell me. They were there for us when we opened our eyes and they also saw how sick I was becoming and that worried them. I still cry when I think of the pain it caused my family knowing I was in a cult and I could cut them off if they made the wrong move.

Oz, I marked your post on how you helped your children and sent it to my husband for him to read. He has 2 nieces he wants to help out. He doesn't have a lot of family left and his only brother died DF so it breaks his heart that he was never able to tell his brother what he found out but he wants to make sure his daughters have the opportunity to live a free life! He has helped a cousin and a few friends out by reading Steve Hassen's books. It is so good to see you were so successful in getting your children out.

Lois, thank you for the kind words. That scripture "the love amount them" is what has gone through my mind for years. I kept asking where is it?

Quandry, I am sorry you were not able to spend the holidays with your family. Your parents would be so happy to know you are out! My husband never celebrated them but this year we traveled to be with my son and his family and they made it so special. My husband wanted me to have a great one to help make up for all of the ones I lost and the time I lost with my family.

Aunt Fancy

Clarity, I too believe that the stress of the org causes our health to fail. I have never seen so many sick and depressed people!

Villagegirl, thank you, I have followed everything my drs have told me to do. I am not messing around with this because I want to enjoy whatever time I have left! That is one thing I never understood with many JW's and health care. There are some pretty strange thinking with them!

Smiddy, it breaks my heart that so many that leave lose their family. My husband's Mom knows just a little right now because she lives 1700 miles away but she wouldn't totally shun him. She knows we aren't going to meetings and he has some disagreements with some teachings but she is in her 80's and he is just telling her only what he has to at this point. I have Don's book but haven't gotten to it yet.

Loz, I hope your health has improved!

Reopened, wow, our stories are very similar! I am 57 and my husband is 59. I hope you are able to get your family out too. I know it really weighs on your mind when they are still in. I am not surprised at all by your experience. It is so sad they put selling magazines and meetings ahead of the brothers and sisters. That has bothered me for many years but I always stopped short of checking out why it is like that. I hope all goes well for you too.

Thank you again!

Roberta804

Welcome Aunt Fancy

WhoLovesMagic

Hi Aunt Fancy:

This my first post, I have lurked for 2 years and had troubles signing up for an account the past 18 months , was only able to a few weeks ago and haven't put my story in words, but I can relate to your story so much that it brings tears to my eyes!!!

February 2011 I came to terms with the TTATT, it was painful but I felt at peace, almost as if I died, coming to terms with my mortality and the realization that this life IS all we have, I was ready to seize the life I have and live it fully!!

Then the rug was pulled from under me, a matter of weeks later I am diagnosed with cancer and I am relatively young, still in my 40's. It was a very confusing time for me because it had only been 6 months since my last meeting and a month from fully realizing that I would never go back! I felt as though I turned my back on god and left my what would be my support network behind.

In retrospect this diagnosis and subsequent treatment fast forwarded my fade as my focus was on the battle for my life. I underwent the whole host of treatment, surgery, radiation and chemo. During this time, the treatment had me reliving my childhood (Im born in), of being humiliated and embarressed and of course I felt as though people pitied me, because of when undergoing cancer treatment everyone knows what is wrong with you and you see the looks. Just like when I was a kid. It was a horrible time for me.

Well I soldiered through finishing treatement in the summer of 2011, without going back to the Hall, and losing many family and friends in the mean time, but I am far happier than if I stayed in. I feel incredibly free and liberated and for the first time in my life feel alive, enjoying the very essence of life!!

At times it is hard not to feel ripped off in life, first having to escape one C - a cult, only to have to deal with another C - cancer on the heels of being liberated from the first but I am a far stronger person. I try to look for the silver lining - I appreciate each and every single day, don't waste time on anyone who doesn't accept and love you for you are - unconditionally and don't put off things you want to do, do everything you can NOW! Life is a gift not to be squandered, but enjoyed to the fullest! Wish you all the best Aunt Fancy!!!!

Our Story