It was a HARD, hard decision to make, so I decided not to torture myself. I have picked one grand prize winner, but decided that everyone who entered the giveaway should get an incentive to have a better life and health, so EVERYONE will get a prize. 
I will email each person who entered with a special giveaway prize of their own today, so, if you entered, make sure to check your inbox–NO ONE, who entered, will be passed over. I want ALL OF YOU in my hands in August!
NOTE: Should you choose to accept your prize and register for August Boot Camp, you will thus waive the right to cancel you registration, should you change your mind.
The chosen beneficiary of the Vegalicious Giveaway #7 is Lisa. Her story had really touched me in the deepest recesses of my soul, since I had same diagnosis, and also saw my husband undergo a brain surgery, so I know that the recovery from one can be very tumultuous, not to mention, extremely expensive. Here is her entry:
“In 2003 I found that I had elevated prolactin levels. I was 23 years old. It was determined that I had a prolactinoma. In 2006 I got MRI’s, which confirmed I had two prolactin secreting tumors in my pituitary gland. Left to the advice of my doctor I went on Cabergoline to suppress the release/production of prolactin. I was on this medication for 2 years. My hair became brittle and thin and if I remained on this medication I faced becoming sterile. Lovely how they don’t tell you the side effects they just push the medication. I didn’t want to be on the medication any further after I learned this but once I came off the prolactin levels increased and I decided to have the tumors removed along with the fear that if I lost my job I couldnt afford the medication to continue suppressing my condition as it would be $800 a month for 8 pills. Looking back I lived in fear of miseducation on my condition as well as what I learned from my doctors and the internet. Never did I think to a healthy alternative, I always saw that as weird and unconventional. So in January 2008 I had minor “brain” surgery to remove the tumor, we found that the medication had successfully reduced one of the tumors. Man was that an experience that I never want to go through in my life again however it was successful. A interesting side note is that pituitary glands are normally compromised with this type of removal and you run the risk of having to be on synthetic hormones for the rest of your life. My surgeon said that my tumor was mushy and not attached to any of the structural surfaces of my pituitary and the gland was not compromised, God is amazing in that he protected me from further damage. I was placed on thyroid medication for 6 months after because I was borderline hypo-thyroid and once that treatment was done I have been getting my prolactin and thyroid levels checked every six months for the first year and once a year after that. I also got a few MRIs afterwards to make sure the tumors didn’t come back because I was told that it was “possible” the tumors would come back.
In December my sister told me about your blog, I slowly started reading it and found that you have successfully tackled similiar conditions to what I had gone through and it opened my eyes. Still a little weary of all the new knowledge and the weirdness that I felt towards it I continued to follow your blog. Slowly from conversations with my sister I started to implement green smoothies, which I LOVE, more vegetables and have been slowly removing meat and dairy from my diet. I went to a health fair and had a finger stick test to see what my cholesterol was and it came back at 212. I became a little more dedicated to adding green smoothies and veggies to my diet after learning this. I totally see the health benefits of changing the way I eat.
Last month I had some blood work done to see where I stand with my cholesterol and D3 and B12 because I was turned onto the book Preventing and Reversing Heart disease and wanted to see what my numbers looked like and what they would look like in 3 months if I really stuck to the findings of Dr. Esselstyn. To my surprise my cholesterol was 179 and I attribute that to changing the way I eat. It was neat to see that it was no longer 212 as well. Another surprise I had was that in the 4 years my prolactin levels were excellent normal they are now elevated, not as high as they were before but higher than the high normal. It made me feel terrible and brought back some of the emotions I experienced from my struggles with it and the surgery. I also have elevated potassium levels and I don’t want to go through the motions of just doing what doctors tell me to take or surgical options or anything. I want to do what I can to take care of the body that God has given me. I am concerned seeing an endocrinologist again because I am not confident that they will offer me alternative ways to prevent the elevated prolactin.
I am serious about changing the way I live my life, yes it is hard and I am learning where my weaknesses are and where I need to improve and educate myself. I have been interested in doing the boot camp but find that spending the amount of $$ is a little tough when I was still learning if I was going to take this seriously, after getting my blood results I am very motivated and I thought this giveaway was a great chance to have that fee reduced to really have this be a jump start to eating healthy for life and share the background to why this is important to me. I never want to go through what I did before or continue to treat my body poorly when I have the power, with God, to change things. Thank you for considering my story and post.”
Lisa, I cannot wait to see you (and others) next month and help you overcome of the most vicious diagnosis one can have. I know that “with God all things are possible” 
… and with His amazing healing foods. And I sure hope you know what you just signed up for .
To your health and mine!
