P53
An exploration of my spiritual calling to be P53 during an undergraduate oncology class at age thirty-two.
I discovered protein 53 while taking a Genes and Cancer course during my undergraduate premedical training at age thirty-two. At the time I knew intuitively that the class material would be important to my life, but it wasn’t until my father and cousin were diagnosed with Stage IV Cancers the next year that I understood why.
The professor was a decently engaging, with comments like, “if you’re going to start smoking, do it at age 70 because it generally takes around 20 years to develop into cancer.” (Not accounting for stroke or heart attack effects of course). But, in most of the classes we were wading through some pretty detailed cellular mechanisms and even I had some trouble staying up and excited (I get stupid excited about nearly all explorations of body physiology). Plus, the class was right after lunch during a Montana winter, so some days I did a LOT of doodling to stay engaged.
Many lectures were on the process of apoptosis. Apoptosis is cell suicide. If a cell’s genetic coding (DNA) gets too damaged it sets off a series of signaling events which call out to the body’s immune response system to come and end its life.
Cells are selfless (or maybe Cellfless ;)- acting for the common good of the organism (you).
Cells are selfless—acting for the common good of the organism (you). But, they can’t die without help.
Apoptosis is a crucial function in the health of the body because cells can’t die without some help.
DNA is like a library of many gene codes for creating proteins. Proteins are the worker force of any cell and carry out all of the jobs that need to be done in the cell. There are certain genes that are always crucial to the basic function of the cell: I think of these as the pillars of health within the genetic code. If there is too much damage to certain or too many of these pillars, the cell can become cancerous.
Photo of metastatic cancer cells. Don’t they look hungry?
Cancer means 1) the cell de-evolves (becomes less specialized) and 2) propagates (focuses its resources primarily on consuming, growth, and replication only).
Cancer means the cell has de-evolved and is focused on consuming, growing, and replicating only.
A Cancer cell IS “cellfish”. It upregulates its ability to grow faster and outside of its boundaries, making more copies of itself. Cancer cells get very, very, hungry, so they start sending chemical signals out to nearby blood vessels, calling for help.
In the body, normal cells can call for blood supply in a process called angiogenesis (the creation of blood vessels), this happens most during development and regeneration. (Photo of a chick embryo growing vessels)
When cancer cells use angiogenesis, more blood supply means they can bring themselves more nutrients to eat and that they can access the main blood networks of the body to travel to other locations. Yikes!
This is where P53 comes in. (Hero music swells).
Just as the professor started discussing P53 in class, I had a sudden Epiphany, “That’s me. I’m P53!”
That’s me. I’m P53!
I teared up with a swelling remembrance and sense of my calling. My logical side had no idea what to do with this information, but it made me curious to listen much more closely. If this was me, I had better figure out what the heck P53 was.
P53 is a protein working inside the nucleus of each cell. P53 has the job of reading the DNA every day. I imagine her (check your own internal pronouns for your p53 respectfully please) walking across the DNA library, touching and checking in. “How are you doing today?” When she notices anything is off, she calls for the code to be repaired. I imagine she is very precise at determining what exactly is going wrong, how bad it is, and directing the healing process.
It is also her job to determine when the mutation has gone too far.
P53 is also an intracellular guardian badass. She upholds the health of the cell in service to the entire body. If she determines that the cell is beyond repair, she will set the process of Apoptosis into motion, so the cell cannot be turned to the dark side.
Image is of a protein—not specifically p53, but the closest I could find.
I made Apoptosis sound all sweet and “Cellf-sacrificing” earlier, but what really happens is quite drastic. There are a series of activations which have to be triggered in a particular way. First, all the fail-safes are disabled and then a big signaling complex is sent to the cell surface, flooding chemical signals into the blood and calling forth the Complement.
The Complement Cascade
The Complement is a group of nine special proteins that float through the blood all the time: individually incognito proteins of no consequence. But, when they are activated, they suddenly draw together, morphing into a complex killing machine—The Complement Cascade—drilling a huge hole into the cell wall (Lysis) and causing it to spill its contents out and die.
Yeesh!
As the cell dies and its protein contents flood into its surrounding environment, the immune system sends special White Blood Cells called Macrophages to eat it. Macrophages engulf all debris, digesting and assessing the damage. They communicate with the immune response system in order to keep the nearby cells safe from whatever went wrong.
This week’s EmBody Map actually looks a bit like the complement has already struck. Nine drops coming together at the top.
Check out my website HERE if you want to see what an EmBody Map is.
Since she is has more leverage, P53 protein is often under attack. Over 50% of cancers have a mutated (or damaged) P53. When she is hurt, she can no longer direct the cell to heal or to die, so cancer can take over.
But, when she is strong, P53 protein is also a cell-level healer. Research has shown that if the P53 can be re-established inside a cancerous cell, the cell actually reverts back to a non-cancerous state!
Research has shown that if the P53 can be re-established inside a cancerous cell, the cell actually reverts back to a non-cancerous state!
P53 also helps direct cellular metabolism. In cells, that means how they make energy and carry out activities. In my imagination, she works to remind each bit of DNA of its specific individual identity-what it is best designed to do. When P53 is gone, the cell can forget who it is and becomes at risk for mutating into a cancerous consuming machine.
I’m almost fifty now. I am beginning to understand how I have been rather P53 like.
I lost my father to cancer. I didn’t lose my cousin.
My way of P53-ing others is through my work as a medical intuitive, doctor, and teacher. My work is in reminding people of their special identities. I’m not sure if that means that each of us is one piece of the DNA?
I have a gift of seeing beauty in every person. I can also see the imbalances most of the time as well. A huge proportion of illnesses are caused by things that are way outside of what I have been taught to look for as a doctor. The art of my Medical Intuitive EmBody Maps helps me begin to share a glimpse of what I can see in others in a language they can understand on a visceral level—even if they aren’t understanding it on a cognitive one.
A huge proportion of illnesses are caused by things that are way outside of what I have been taught to look for as a doctor. The art of my Medical Intuitive EmBody Maps helps me begin to share a glimpse of what I can see in others in a language they can understand on a visceral level—even if they aren’t understanding it on a cognitive one.
And, I don’t really know how the colors and images of the maps do what they do, but they seem to bring healing to the ones who use them. Perhaps its an activation of remembrance? Or, perhaps and anchor to the healing they already possess. I don’t actually care why, I just care that it helps.
I have also been attacked—many times and in many ways. Loudly and quietly. Inside zones of so-called safety in particular. It hasn’t been easy to be me. But, I’m blessed to be supported by a powerful and gifted network of family, wife, offspring, dear friends, students, and other amazing humans. I am driven to service through my love and loyalty to these incredible people. I’m not damaged beyond repair and I’m not done with my work.
I am smart. I am powerful. And, I am extremely soft, intuitive, and sensitive. I am not designed for one-on-one fights. However, if I need to protect the people I love because things have gotten heavy, I can call in a whole complement of angelic support. I don’t know why they come. They just always have. And, when they do, they end the darkness quickly and completely.
I can call in a whole complement of angelic support. I don’t know why they come. They just always have. And, when they do, they end the darkness quickly and completely.
I wrote the first portion of this article in my thirties. I’m not sure why I haven’t felt ready to share it until now. I guess it’s time to trust that the world is ready for what I have to say.
Thank you for listening. Thank you for your beauty.
Thank you for changing the world by being you.
In a way, we are part of the universal DNA. There is a universal intelligence that guides the universe, our world, and each of us. We access it when we quiet the constant chatter of our personal thinking. This is where wisdom, insight, and creativity reside. When we quiet the mind, and connect, people and things start showing up when we need them to. This is also where the angelic support comes from.