The Norris Group Blog

Marsha Norris Cancer Survivor and wife to Bruce Norris (Full Bio)

September 17^th, 2010, The Norris Group returns with its award winning event I Survived Real Estate 2010. The Norris Group has assembled an incredible line up of industry experts to discuss the state of REO from the inside. Topics will include regulatory intervention and aftermath, bulk buying, myths and facts, and opportunities emerging for real estate professionals. 100 percent of the proceeds support the Orange County affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. This event would not be possible without generous help from the following platinum partners: Foreclosure Radar and Sean O’Toole, the San Diego Creative Real Estate InvestorsAssociation and Bill Tan, Investors Workshops and Shawn Watkins and Angel Bronsgeest, Invest Club for Women and Iris Veneracion and Bobby Alexander, San Jose Real Estate Investors Association and Geraldine Barry, Claudia Buys Houses, Frye Wiles, MVT Productions, and White House Catering.

This week Bruce is joined by his wife Marsha Norris. She is the reason The Norris Group has the I Survived Real Estate events. September 17^th will be the third I Survived Real Estate event. The event will be held at the Nixon Library in Orange County for the dual purpose of discussing the future of real estate and raising money for breast cancer research.

Marsha has a very positive attitude despite the fact that she has breast cancer. Her attitude comes from her great faith that God isn’t finished with her yet. Marsha believes this positive attitude is critical, because it sets the tone for how you live your life. If we live our life positively, all of life seems better.

Many people know that Marsha has cancer, but when they see her they are surprised by the fact that she is not down trodden and sickly-looking. She never tries to get sympathy from people. Many people often forget that Marsha has cancer when they are with her. They often approach with a cautious and contained manner. Marsha’s friends refer to her as the Ever-ready Bunny, because she just keeps on going. It has been amazing for her family to observe her will to thrive.

Marsha was told she had cancer in 1995 after a breast examination. They were sitting in an office full of people with limbs missing, and it gave them a feeling that they were about to take part in a shocking meeting, but nothing could have prepared them for the information they were about to be given. When you hear that you have cancer, you go from shock, to sadness and grief, and then to anger, because you think, “Why me?” The doctor telling them about Marsha’s situation was unsympathetic and unfeeling. It was the worst experience Marsha ever had. The doctor told them that Marsha had stage 2 breast cancer, and then told them that they had an appointment open for surgery, and that he would give them a minute to make a decision. His presentation facilitated their quick exit from his office.

Dealing with cancer has constant ups and downs. There are moments where you feel that you have it control, and then you are reminded that it can show up again.

The first day is really tough. Marsha remembers leaving Bruce that day to visit her best friend, and she broke down and cried. However, she did not stay in that mood long. She was concerned about what she could do to help herself.

You cannot leave your health in the hands of just the doctors. They have protocols and they treat everyone the same, but we are not all the same. We all have different needs, and out bodies have different needs. You need to choose doctors and a team that you can trust.

When Marsha was diagnosed with cancer, they did not have the right insurance. Their insurance limited the number of doctors they could talk to, and they were rejected by a few before they went to UCLA. Her experience at UCLA was great because they treated you as a person, not a number. The UCLA specialists, including the surgeon, the anesthesiologist, the psychologist, and the cosmetic surgeon, worked at as a team. UCLA gave Marsha a lot of hope.

Marsha has been given bad information from doctors in the past. It is very uncomfortable to know that you could be told something that isn’t true. Most doctors have a specific protocol that they have to follow, and they give everyone the same treatment. The UCLA specialists actually met together as a team, and came up with a game plan that was specific for Marsha. Up until they went to UCLA, all the doctors told her that she needed a radical. The UCLA doctors told her that she did not need a radical, and that she only needed a lobectomy and radiation.

Even at UCLA, the specialists had a protocol to take Marsha’s lymph nodes, and Marsha denied them. Several years later, Marsha went to another doctor, and the first thing he asked her was, “What did you lymph nodes say?” When Marsha told him that she did not allow them to take her lymph nodes, he congratulated her and told her that in a few years doctors will not be doing that any more.

Bruce and Marsha had a really bad experience with a doctor in Riverside. Marsha told the doctor that she would not follow along with the treatments he was offering, and he got angry. In frustration, the doctor said, “If it is good enough for the celebrities that have received this treatment, it should be good enough for you.” When Marsha continued to deny the treatments he was offering, he said, “I will be sending you a letter, and you will sign it, so that I can be absolved from any further liability.” All the equipment in his office was old, and that scared Marsha.

After that meeting, Marsha got a call from the doctor who told her they were unable to get a clear margin. For Bruce, that was the worst day, because he thought the problem had been solved but then had to realize that the problem was just being pushed forward.

After Marsha’s second surgery they had a period of 5 years where she was symptom free. Doctors usually say that if you are symptom free for 5 years then you are in remission. However, in the next year, Marsha found out that the cancer had gotten worse. Bruce thinks that may have been even worse than the previously mentioned experience. After the five year period, Marsha was told that her cancer had metastasized. When they discovered that metastasized meant stage 4 cancer, they cried. They did not think there was much healthy time left. When you hear stage 4, you think, “I’m not long for this world.” A doctor even told her that her cancer was terminal. Marsha refused to be let down by this doctor. When they left the office that day, Marsha turned to Bruce and said, “I just want to remind you that we have heard this before, and I’m not buying it.” This event took place a long time ago, and Marsha is still here. Many of Marsha’s doctors are surprised by how well she has done over the last fifteen years.

Whenever Marsha goes to an alternative treatment, she gets educated about it. Marsha reads constantly about cancer and new treatments.

Marsha’s current doctor is a UCLA doctor in Rancho Cucamonga. She is very open to allowing Marsha to try what Marsh feels is best, and she also works as back up for her, and runs her tests.

Once a year, Marsha has a crisis. It is always something different, but they always figure out what to do. Marsha’s experience has made her realize how resilient the body can be if you try some different tools.

Marsha tried taking chemotherapy, and that works for a lot of people, but it didn’t work for her. She took very low dose therapy, so she didn’t get sick or lose her hair. The kind of chemo Marsha took was in a pill. She is also taking vitamin C IVs and hormone therapy. Right now, this stuff is working for Marsha and her markers are coming down.

 Fifteen years ago, many of these treatments did not exist. When Marsha first started reading about breast cancer, doctors had the mentality that once you got it you would not live for long. Marsha believes this is not just a physical issue. There are emotional and spiritual things attached to breast cancer, and having cancer has encouraged her to address these emotional and spiritual issues. 

Most medical treatments are made to deal with symptoms, but not for curing the cancer.

Marsha is always well received by the clubs they attend to each other. Marsha is always the new recipient of things like nogi juice and mona vie. Those things help you on the physical level, but having the support of people is really special. Recently, Marsha received an encouragement card from her church group, and that stuff is very appreciated. She gets something like that from friends and business partners every week, and that encourages her a lot.

When you have a problem like cancer, you have to take personal responsibility and find out what works specifically for you.

 If you ever find out that you have cancer, the first thing Marsha suggests you do is to have a good cry. That is a very cleansing thing. When you’re done crying, figure out what you can do to help yourself and start getting educated. Marsha suggests a book from Bill Henderson called Fighting Cancer Naturally.  When Marsha went to her doctor for hormone therapy, the doctor noticed that her estrogen was unusually high for someone on an estrogen blocker. He then put her on an progesteron cream which helps balance estrogen. After reading her doctor’s book, she discovered that she had been estrogen dominate her entire life, which means she was a ticking time bomb for cancer. If Marsha had ever been on birth control, her cancer would have progressed even quicker. It is a bit scary to think that doctors will give people hormones without even testing them.

If you have cancer, you need to assemble a team to help you, not just one person. Don’t just take one person’s opinion. Marsha’s doctor, Dr. Platt, got into the field of bioidentical hormone therapy because he lost his own mother to breast cancer. At that time, he did not have the knowledge to deal with this issue. People who have alternative solutions are often people who have dealt with issues surrounding those alternative solutions.

Marsha thinks her family has learned to have great faith in God because she is not afraid of death. Also, she thinks her kids have learned that there is support and love out there, and as long as you have that, you can get through anything. There are times when Bruce’s kids ask if Marsha still has cancer, because she is always doing something. Bruce and Marsha have vacations planned, and a new house to prepare for, and they are looking forward to the future.

A special thanks to our gold sponsors including Delmae Properties, Elite Auctions, Entrust California, Inland Empire Investors Forum, Keystone CPA, Las Brisas Escrow, Leivas Financial Services, Mike Cantu, North San Diego Real Estate Investors Association, Northern California Real Estate Investors Association (NORCALREIA), Personal Real Estate Investor Magazine, Realty 411 Magazine, San Jose Real Estate Investor Association, Starz Photography, Tony Alvarez – theREOmentor.com, Westin South Coast Plaza.