In January of 2006, I was diagnosed with having prostate cancer. It felt like the world had punched me in the gut.
After a great deal of emotional turmoil (that’s a novel in itself) and several “second opinions” that all recommended either surgery or radiation, I eventually found two doctors in New York City, Dr. Aaron Katz and Dr. Geovanni Espinosa who offered me a treatment plan that made sense. It was a non-traditional approach (no surgery, no radiation, no chemo). As Dr. Katz told me, “You don’t need those yet. ”
He was right. Within six months, my cancer was gone—undetectable by biopsy, imaging, or PSA testing—and remains that way today: Adios, sayonara, arrivederci. Both of these amazing doctors (and my current urologist, Dr. Emilia Ripoll) have all told me that I will die someday, but not from prostate cancer.
Since my recovery from “the Big C,” I have longed for a way to give back and share what I’ve learned along the way.
In the summer of 2010, I was working on my Web site, Bartlett’s Integrated Health Journal, when it occurred to me that there had to be a fun, entertaining, and engaging way to deliver information about health and wellness. Sure, preaching to the choir about the virtues of meditation, exercise, and a plant-based diet is fulfilling, but how do I reach people who think “gym” is a four-letter word?
And then it hit me—live music. Live music makes everything better. It’s really hard to have a bad day listening to the live music you love. If you’re outside in the open air fully loving life, you’re much more likely to try activities you’ve never done before, explore new ideas, sample different food, and maybe even find the courage to do something scary—like rock climbing. Taking these steps is even easier if you’re in an outrageously fun environment, enjoying TED-style talks by top thought leaders, and eating the best food you’ve ever tasted. What’s not to like?
That was the moment of conception for the BOOM (Boulder’s Outrageous Outdoor Music) Festival and our companion philosophy: a spoonful of music helps the medicine go down. From that moment on, I’ve been working to make this dream become a reality. And never has that reality been more needed.
Yesterday, my partner was diagnosed with very early stage cervical cancer. Had she known a decade ago what she knows today about diet, meditation, yoga, and how your emotions impact your health, she might not be in this position. In fact, the American Cancer Society predicts that 1-in-2 men and 1-in-3 women will have cancer sometime in their lives. That’s tragic. But the bigger tragedy is that many of those cancers are preventable. So is obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension, dementia…the list goes on. To put a price tag on it, the CDC reports diabetes treatment in the United States in 2007 cost $116 billion.
What would it take to turn these trends around for people like you, my partner, and me? What if there was a festival with incredible live music acts; fantastic activities; great food; and leading edge information about how to make your life healthier, happier, and a lot more fun? Would you come? My hope is that you just said “yes.” To be completely honest, I’m counting on it—that you and thousands of people like you will say “yes” too. We need your sense of hope and support.
Armed with a sense of playfulness and some really great music, we set out to change the world—one music festival at a time.
Be well,
Mark B. Saunders
Promoter
