aturtles
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Fred Davis (@Freddd) 1948-2024
It is with grief and sorrow that I bear the news that @Freddd left our physical world on May 11th, about 8pm Mountain Time.
His companion of twenty years wanted me to tell you, and to pass on whatever details I thought might be appropriate.
Fred was my close friend and mentor for ten years. Like many here, I gratefully followed his protocol, his insights, his updates. I owe him my recovery from chronic fatigue and other ills. I owe him my good health.
Fred's wisdom and care--his attention to detail, and his remarkable ability to remain unbiased, to listen without judgment--influenced many of us, not only in what we talk about here, but how.
Fred faced serious health issues across many decades. He had, through study, research, and trial, repeatedly regained his metabolic balance and health.
But when a person has a series of long, debilitating chronic conditions, they can, over time, become so weakened that any hit--even a small nudge--can tip them into a dysfunction from which they cannot recover.
That's what I think happened: he had one too many hits.
I assure you that he never gave up. He just couldn't stay in the game.
I'll offer you my view on what some of those tipping points were, based on conversations I had with him over the years, and with those who were present with him physically at the end, which I was not.
As you may know, in 2021 Fred was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He was studying, trialing, and working hard to survive the cancer. He was trying various approaches, some alternative medical, and some mainstream.
Fred struggled to balance mainstream medical therapies with his own sense of what would work based on his unusual metabolism. He knew that with every choice he made, he was betting his life. It was about trade-offs: feed the cancer or feed his healing? Which path might lead to more years of quality life?
When his testosterone went to zero (which he's written about), that was a big hit to his healing and function.
The next hit was radiation therapy. In Oct '23, Fred had the first of 45 planned radiation sessions for his prostate cancer. That single session left him unexpectedly damaged. He was nearly unable to walk, his nerves not working right, and with biochemical degeneration he could feel but not identify. He was dizzy. He felt bad a lot of the time. Based on this extreme response, the oncologist decided no more radiation treatments.
Any post you saw from Freddd in the last half year was likely written despite high levels of pain and feeling "clobbered". I think it helped him to help others. If you were someone he helped, know that you were part of his work, work he was glad to be doing.
Fred was also sick over the holidays. He remarked to me in December that it was the first time he'd been sick since 2003. Was that illness another hit? Was it cause or effect or some of both? I don't know.
In mid-March, something else happened. Perhaps a stroke. Fred suddenly stopped being able to communicate. Days passed, and he was not right. He recovered a bit, but not very much.
After that, he was put on palliative/hospice medications for the intense pain he was also experiencing.
I last spoke to him on Mon, May 5. He had a hard time finishing sentences. But even then, he was curious about what was going on. Mystified, but curious.
Here's my take:
Each of our bodies has some amount of physical resilience, a buffer to deal with the taxes of life--the toxins, pollution, genetics, disease, stress, diet, drugs, age-related issues, and so on. I think that over the last two years, with each hit, Fred's resilience lessened. Yes, he was also making gains through this time, but they weren't as big as the losses.
The radiation treatment took a significant toll. The stroke, if it was that, was likely the final hit.
And yet, what Fred had already accomplished by then was tremendous.
Fred survived for 76 years, most of them with improving health and impressive clarity of thought--you've seen his posts. According to his doctors many years back, Fred was supposed to be dead decades ago from inexplicable illnesses. He was repeatedly told he had six months to live.
He lived--and lived well--for a significant span longer than he would have had he not been able to make breakthroughs in understanding his metabolism in particular and human metabolism in general. It's a profound and inspiring achievement, a testament to Fred's metabolic knowledge and his fierce determination to make sense of mysteries.
As you know, Fred was generous with his knowledge. He was passionate about sharing what he had figured out with the rest of us. Here at Phoenix Rising he made over 5,000 posts.
What you might not know is that he believed in love as a powerful motive force--that's "Love" capitalized. Or maybe all caps: LOVE. He believed love was a fuel, a channel like a river, a force and that if we each could move into it, we could become more alive and whole and connected.
So if you find yourself wanting to do something in his honor, or give something back, maybe consider this:
Offer your care, knowledge, and love to those who might need it. Listen to others, with less judgment. Be the bridge for people to take a path forward into health. Act with kindness.
Also, if you feel moved to say something here or privately to me about how he helped you, go ahead. I’ll pass it on to the family.
For me personally, Fred's care over the last ten years made my impressive return to health possible. I don't know if I'd be alive now without him.
My gratitude is great. My sorrow likewise.
Stay kind.
It is with grief and sorrow that I bear the news that @Freddd left our physical world on May 11th, about 8pm Mountain Time.
His companion of twenty years wanted me to tell you, and to pass on whatever details I thought might be appropriate.
Fred was my close friend and mentor for ten years. Like many here, I gratefully followed his protocol, his insights, his updates. I owe him my recovery from chronic fatigue and other ills. I owe him my good health.
Fred's wisdom and care--his attention to detail, and his remarkable ability to remain unbiased, to listen without judgment--influenced many of us, not only in what we talk about here, but how.
Fred faced serious health issues across many decades. He had, through study, research, and trial, repeatedly regained his metabolic balance and health.
But when a person has a series of long, debilitating chronic conditions, they can, over time, become so weakened that any hit--even a small nudge--can tip them into a dysfunction from which they cannot recover.
That's what I think happened: he had one too many hits.
I assure you that he never gave up. He just couldn't stay in the game.
I'll offer you my view on what some of those tipping points were, based on conversations I had with him over the years, and with those who were present with him physically at the end, which I was not.
As you may know, in 2021 Fred was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He was studying, trialing, and working hard to survive the cancer. He was trying various approaches, some alternative medical, and some mainstream.
Fred struggled to balance mainstream medical therapies with his own sense of what would work based on his unusual metabolism. He knew that with every choice he made, he was betting his life. It was about trade-offs: feed the cancer or feed his healing? Which path might lead to more years of quality life?
When his testosterone went to zero (which he's written about), that was a big hit to his healing and function.
The next hit was radiation therapy. In Oct '23, Fred had the first of 45 planned radiation sessions for his prostate cancer. That single session left him unexpectedly damaged. He was nearly unable to walk, his nerves not working right, and with biochemical degeneration he could feel but not identify. He was dizzy. He felt bad a lot of the time. Based on this extreme response, the oncologist decided no more radiation treatments.
Any post you saw from Freddd in the last half year was likely written despite high levels of pain and feeling "clobbered". I think it helped him to help others. If you were someone he helped, know that you were part of his work, work he was glad to be doing.
Fred was also sick over the holidays. He remarked to me in December that it was the first time he'd been sick since 2003. Was that illness another hit? Was it cause or effect or some of both? I don't know.
In mid-March, something else happened. Perhaps a stroke. Fred suddenly stopped being able to communicate. Days passed, and he was not right. He recovered a bit, but not very much.
After that, he was put on palliative/hospice medications for the intense pain he was also experiencing.
I last spoke to him on Mon, May 5. He had a hard time finishing sentences. But even then, he was curious about what was going on. Mystified, but curious.
Here's my take:
Each of our bodies has some amount of physical resilience, a buffer to deal with the taxes of life--the toxins, pollution, genetics, disease, stress, diet, drugs, age-related issues, and so on. I think that over the last two years, with each hit, Fred's resilience lessened. Yes, he was also making gains through this time, but they weren't as big as the losses.
The radiation treatment took a significant toll. The stroke, if it was that, was likely the final hit.
And yet, what Fred had already accomplished by then was tremendous.
Fred survived for 76 years, most of them with improving health and impressive clarity of thought--you've seen his posts. According to his doctors many years back, Fred was supposed to be dead decades ago from inexplicable illnesses. He was repeatedly told he had six months to live.
He lived--and lived well--for a significant span longer than he would have had he not been able to make breakthroughs in understanding his metabolism in particular and human metabolism in general. It's a profound and inspiring achievement, a testament to Fred's metabolic knowledge and his fierce determination to make sense of mysteries.
As you know, Fred was generous with his knowledge. He was passionate about sharing what he had figured out with the rest of us. Here at Phoenix Rising he made over 5,000 posts.
What you might not know is that he believed in love as a powerful motive force--that's "Love" capitalized. Or maybe all caps: LOVE. He believed love was a fuel, a channel like a river, a force and that if we each could move into it, we could become more alive and whole and connected.
So if you find yourself wanting to do something in his honor, or give something back, maybe consider this:
Offer your care, knowledge, and love to those who might need it. Listen to others, with less judgment. Be the bridge for people to take a path forward into health. Act with kindness.
Also, if you feel moved to say something here or privately to me about how he helped you, go ahead. I’ll pass it on to the family.
For me personally, Fred's care over the last ten years made my impressive return to health possible. I don't know if I'd be alive now without him.
My gratitude is great. My sorrow likewise.
Stay kind.
