"My family was very supportive emotionally of my decision, but [they] could not help me financially," Helvie recalls. "I took a business course in high school and got the highest grades in my class. Subsequently, I was offered a position running the stock room at the new local hospital. The nurses started having me prep patients for surgery and doing other odd jobs for them. I enjoyed it and decided I wanted to be a nurse. It was financially possible to go to one of the state hospitals in New York State (about 35 miles from home) to study nursing where I was given free room and board in the nurses' home and $30 a month for spending money."
Helvie learned a lot from his medical experience, even at the very beginning, and chose a path different from the one he had thought he was going to take.
"I enjoyed [studying nursing] and expected to stop after obtaining my R.N., but circumstances changed after each segment of education, and I continued on through a doctorate," he says. "I obtained my R.N. and then went to New York University for my baccalaureate in nursing — working days at Bellevue Hospital and going to school evenings."
After working for a while in various hospitals and departments, Helvie was offered a scholarship to go back to school at the University of California in San Francisco. There he decided to obtain his M.S. with a major in public health nursing.
After that, he taught for many years at the university level in California. He then decided to go to Johns Hopkins University's School of Public Health to get a second master and his doctorate in public health with a major in mental health.
Quite a resume for somebody who was told by his doctor, at 44 years of age, that he had only six months to live.
| Q. What do you do for fun? A. [My] hobbies include antiques, art, theatre, symphony, opera, ballet, travel (especially Europe and Russia), walking on the beach, meditating and other alternative techniques. In addition...I like the old classics and musicals on videos. Q. What CD is in your CD player right now, or what was the last song you heard? A. Ethel Merman — American Legends. Q. What is the last magazine you read? A. American Journal of Public Health. Q. What is your favorite TV show? A. I do not watch T.V. Q. Who is your role model? A. Franklin Roosevelt. Q. Your favorite ice cream flavor? A. Praline and Cream. |
"I found out about my cancer through a dream," Helvie says about what initially made him go to the doctor's. "My initial reaction was shock, but after talking with a close friend who was available to me throughout the treatment period, I accepted the diagnoses and worked to correct the problem. There was a knowing that God was with me and I would survive."
"I learned a great deal when I was diagnosed with cancer. It was the beginning of applying a holistic approach in my own life and also looking at complementary alternative treatments for health conditions," he explains. "In retrospect, I believe I had this experience so that I might help others in a similar situation and have written and talked about this on the radio, in lectures, and so forth. I have also talked by telephone with others who have cancer, and believe I have been able to be supportive of and encouraging to them."
Although Helvie retired from the healthcare industry in 2000, he is still actively involved in it. He published his seventh book last February (his first for public consumption) and was interviewed on over 40 radio stations last summer. He is also preparing for his own radio show, which will start in a month. He says it is a half-hour weekly Internet show about holistic health in California, and he will also be hosting a live one-hour weekly show on holistic health in Washington, D.C., later this year.
Helvie has several years of experience in the medical field, and has some notable advice for future healthcare professionals, especially the ones who have faith in the holistic method.
"New graduates should learn all they can from clients and try different areas of nursing to find the area that they are passionate about. They should use a holistic approach and consider alternative approaches if appropriate," he says. "I would advise them to continue learning and adding to their knowledge for use with clients…After obtaining experience and applying concepts from their baccalaureate program[s], I advise continuing education at the graduate level. I would also advise finding a role model and mentor [who] can serve as a resource for professional growth."
