GREG SCHELKUN
Alternative/Complementary Healer
JEAN MARIE MURPHY, CYT
Kripalu Yoga Instructor
JAN ZELLER, RN
Novato Community Hospital
FRANCINE HALBERG, MD
Cancer Institute, Marin General Hospital
GREG SCHELKUN
Alternative/Complementary Healer
After witnessing a spiritual healing in the Philippines, Greg spent years learning and researching spiritual healing. Greg came to Marin in 1976, at the invitation of a person he had treated in the Philippines. Since then over 5,000 people have come to him for healing and spiritual help, all arriving through word of mouth.
In the Philippines, those with Greg's skills are called "Espiritista." Greg says, "I've never felt so fulfilled as when a patient walks in and then their pain is gone. It is also part of my work to help patients pass over, working with them to not be afraid. Other than my family, there is nothing more important to me than this work. It is my spiritual path."
JEAN MARIE MURPHY, CYT
Kripalu Yoga Instructor
Jean Marie Murphy is a certified Kripalu Yoga Instructor and a Certified Yoga Therapist. "When I gave up being an accountant and started teaching yoga, cancer patients started showing up. I feel this is what I was created to do," Jean Marie explains.
Jean Marie approaches life by offering herself as an instrument of service. In addition to her work as a full time yoga teacher, she has two volunteer jobs, including one as a hospice caregiver. "What brings me joy is any moment that my actions, deeds, or words relieve suffering in some way. I opened myself up to life and this is what life offered me. I love it."
JAN ZELLER, RN
Novato Community Hospital
Jan Zeller is an intensive care unit staff nurse at Novato Community Hospital. When she became a breast cancer patient, Jan Zeller joined a support group at Marin Ballet, and realized that in her community there were few resources available to her for education and follow-up. Through the American Cancer Society, she began teaching a course in Novato entitled, "I Can Cope."
Jan learned techniques for visualization and relaxation, and began outreach to cancer patients at the hospital. Mostly she works one-on-one. "That's what I'm best at, reaching out to one person at a time," Jan explains. "I try to make things less mysterious, explaining the basics so they know that after this happens you can go forward. I tell my own story and it helps others in relieving the fear of the unknown."
FRANCINE HALBERG, MD
Cancer Institute, Marin General Hospital
Francine Halberg is a Radiation Oncologist at the Marin Cancer Institute, Marin General Hospital, and an Associate Clinical Professor at the University of California, SF. She has been named among the top 1% of "Best Doctors in America" by Woodward & White, Who's Who in North America, and Good Housekeeping of America.
Dr. Halberg, who received her undergraduate degree from Stanford and her M.D. from Cornell University, has authored 34 scientific papers, and lectures widely on breast cancer. She is on numerous professional boards and has a longstanding interest in breast cancer research and treatment. She is an integral part of the Marin General Hospital Comprehensive Breast Health Project. According to one patient, "she is gentle, empowering, a great source of knowledge and the most compassionate doctor I have ever had."
