212: Death & Transition of Momma Bear’s Passing

“It’s an in-your-face moment.”
- Nick Onken

Hello, my friends! Welcome to another episode of the OnkenRadio podcast (previously NION Radio), where we explore the body, mind, and soul of the creative entrepreneur. It’s my goal to help you take your creativity, business, and life to the next level. I’m so glad you’re joining me on this journey! 

I appreciate you being here, and today is going to be slightly different as I share my recent experience and the lessons I’ve learned from my mother passing away a couple of weeks ago. I’m still navigating how I feel, but it’s fresh, and talking through all of it helps me process my emotions and get things out instead of all bottled inside. Who knows — maybe I’ll discover something new with you.

Have you lost a parent? Maybe a dear friend? A partner? With all the craziness from COVID, perhaps you understand exactly what I’m going through. Losing a parent is a new experience for me, and I will do my best to walk you through everything, so let’s jump right in.
My Momma’s Journey With Cancer
My momma was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2019, and that news was shocking. The idea that my momma, one of the sweetest people on the planet, could get cancer tore my world apart.

The doctors caught cancer in stage one, and she immediately had surgery to remove the tumor from the pancreas six months after detection. I live in New York City, but I flew out to Seattle for the surgery. Being there for her during that time of need taught me a valuable lesson about making an effort to fly out more. Supporting a loved one through cancer had never entered my mind, but that’s how quickly things can change. 

My focus became supporting my momma and my dad and spending as much time with family as possible. Jumping across the country frequently isn’t easy, but it became vital to me. 

I’m one of the lucky ones who had both an amazing set of parents and a great upbringing filled with encouragement and love, and I was able to return what they’d given me. 

Our worldviews might not be identical as my parents are conservative Christians, and that upbringing didn’t resonate with me — no matter how hard I tried to believe it. I simply see our differences as how we operate and move through the world — it’s only a different perspective. Whatever works for them works for them, and the same goes for you — whatever works for you, works for you!

I’ve been on a journey to expand my consciousness, tap into other worlds, and learn to bridge the gap between this world, the matrix, and other worlds. I’ve come to realize the movie The Matrix feels more like a documentary now than a movie! I saw a clip of Bruce Lipton, a doctor dedicated to bridging science and spirit, talking about our world as a hologram — and we are consciousness receptors in human form. 

Developing that perspective has shifted how I see and interact with the world, which created a different journey with my momma’s health. Early in 2020, we received the awful news: Her cancer spread to her liver and stomach. The doctors decided to take her off chemotherapy because it was doing her body more damage than good — they gave momma three to six months to live.

Unfortunately, she ended up having even less than that. 
Differing Views on Cancer Treatment
Our differing world views came to a head as we discussed how to deal with cancer. Hearing their point of view was a battle for me. I believe in alternatives that work in conjunction with Western medicine, and throughout my life, I’ve discovered many different healing modalities that aren’t tested or seen in the light of day because, in my opinion, they don’t support the profit incentive that currently exists. 

I witnessed first-hand the world of Western medicine and big pharma’s focus on profit and keeping people dependent on medications and processes. It’s not all bad. There are certainly places where Western medicine is helpful — I just don’t believe it’s done with the best in...