What comes to my mind when someone mentions Medellin, Columbia is cocaine, cartels and Pablo Escobar. My husband not only mentioned Medellin, but informed me we would be traveling there for renewal. I said, ‘No Way!’ Cartels are groups organized together for a common purpose. Pablo’s drug cartel goonies operated a side hustle in Medellin kidnapping and ransoming Americans. That did not shout, ‘ reclaim your youth!’ But after decades of athletic pursuits, my husband’s body balked at allowing him the grace to participate in an active lifestyle. His knees swelled and ached if he ran, skied or golfed, morphing into puffy soft balls by the end of the day. He learned surgery might be avoided via stem cell treatment in Medellin. Pablo would not stop him from reclaiming his youth— and he would not go without me. My son heard the news, and being the financial guru he is, asked if he could track down ransom insurance for me! All my friends said, “BE CAREFUL! WATCH YOUR BACK!”
This second largest city in the country of Columbia in South America, it turns out, is a popular choice for renewal opportunities. Famous athletes and various monied folks travel to the myriad of high end medical clinics dotting the hills of Medellin to reverse the hands of time. When I ponder exploring my own venture into a Benjamin Button, I imagine removing the lines and saggy skin that affirm my many trips around the block of life. Though erasing wrinkles is how I imagine becoming younger, my husband chose to focus internally, on his joint mobility and cellular health through infusions of millions of stem cells. Stem cell treatment outside of the choking medical restrictions in America is the Holy Grail of salvation for those with spinal injuries. Though we had a vague idea about this controversial treatment, we had no idea that in lieu of knee surgery you could restore damaged joints via stem cell injections. Then, we heard personal claims of success from folks who had gone to the BioXcellerator Clinic. One story I heard was a young man rendered unable to walk after a severe allergic reaction attacked his brainstem. Through diligent therapy and strict adherence to a healthy diet he gained back the function of his legs. He donated his wheelchair to the clinic and ambulated out of Medellin with the use of a cane. Another man whose sense of smell was robbed during Covid passed by a coffee shop after his stem cell infusion and noticed for the first time in two years the fragrant waft of coffee beans. Then, someone from our company had gone to BioXcellerator and it restored completely the function of his left wrist, which had been rendered immobile after a dirt bike accident in his teens. Ken plunked down the money and I booked a flight on Delta to Medellin, with a two day work trip in Atlanta on the front end.
My entire trepidation to travel to Medellin spun out of its infamous notoriety as the cocaine capital of the world and the home base for drug lord Pablo Escobar. The terrible 20 year reign of Escobar beginning in the1970’s flung open the door to widespread crime in Columbia, specifically Medellin. It was not unheard of for Americans coming from the airport into downtown to be abducted and held for ransom. Should travelers venture about the city, their safety was not assured. But, Escobar did have a heart for the poor as he himself grew up in poverty. His ‘renewal’ was in the sense of beginning again and his growth ultimately spiraled downward to his demise. His foray into a life of crime began with the sandblasting of stolen headstones for resale and ended with him running a massive drug cartel. His ill-gotten wealth eventually funded the development of the poorest neighborhoods of Medellin, leading some Columbians to hold him in high regard. (Still, the massive cities tax structure and demographic areas are demarcated by zones: 1/2, 3/4 and 5/6. Tourists like to stay in the wealthier 5/6 zones. We traveled to Zone 1/2 and the poverty was overwhelming and all encompassing.)
After he was gunned down in 1993 the massive city of some two million inhabitants elected leaders who endeavored to renew the image of Medellin. Now, the drug cartels and government have a deal to leave the tourists alone, making way for the ‘new cartel’—the medical clinics. Anyone who causes harm to visitors or sullies the image of Medellin is severely punished. This refreshed and revitalized Medellin is one where an American like me can visit and become revitalized too. The town had a bold vision and has sustained and advanced their efforts toward renewal and their intention to be a vibrant destination for tourists. I had the pleasure to enjoy their hard won transformation and enjoyed the lovely people, delicious cuisine, warm equatorial climate and....cutting edge stem cell treatment. I felt ‘safe’ there. I felt taken care of as a ‘patient.’
Renewal doesn’t happen overnight nor does it exist in a vacuum. Renewal requires intention, wise mentors and patience. It’s always a process and rarely is it easy. I endured renewal with a health crisis last year and came out on the other side closer to Jesus. Renewal can be of the mind, body or soul and for me last year, it was all three. My mind grew stronger in not listening to negative input or allowing fear to occupy space in my brain. My body needed restoration after years of eating nitrates and M&M’s and demanded I infuse it with renewing foods and nutrients. And my soul; my soul is at peace knowing whose I am. It was a tough year. It was a year of experts guiding me and Godly humans praying for me. Like a tulip bursting out of its bulb come springtime and flowering into the world, renewal is the same—a shedding and growth toward positive growth, with the goal of blossoming into a better version of you.
Ken’s week of daily treatments and infusions are working within him every minute to instruct his ‘old’ stem cells on how to be young again. It is a multi-month process; we wait with excitement to see the outcome of our investment.
As a companion, I could participate too! I chose ozone therapy and the hyperbaric chamber. Both processes send in armies of oxygen to do battle against inflammation and disease. Ozone therapy involves removing approximately a cup of blood from your vein, saturating it with ozone and then forcing it back into the body via the same vein. The circulating, ozone rich blood then infiltrates the cells and organs, overwhelming with goodness any ongoing inflammation or disease process, gunning it down for good. The hyperbaric chamber, in use for years as a modality for scuba divers with the bends or stroke patients with a brain injury, is used to deliver oxygen rich blood, via 100% pressurized air, to any damaged tissues and organs that are starved for oxygen. My goal: Send in reinforcement to my diligent and over worked cells to ensure they win the battle against any disease process. Here in Medellin and then onward in life with continual treatment, the intent is sustaining a body system so healthy and robust that a disease won’t consider taking root ever again.
Renewal is ongoing and intentional and necessary for every town, every animal, plant and every person. One must remain diligent or risk a back slide into dysfunctional, destructive or out dated habits and patterns that choke off our good health, holding for ransom our mind, body and soul. With God; oxygen; nutrition; nature—and a trip to Medellin if you can— renewal, beginning again for good, can happen right now...and wherever you are.