I would like to pay tribute to my herbal partner of fifty-one years.
I met Fawn Nordrum in 1973 during our senior year at Brigham Young University. We were married four months later, the day after
she graduated. Fawn had grown up in Red Bank, New Jersey, then attended Ricks College in Idaho before transferring to BYU. At the time, she had zero experience with herbs or alternative medicine and was genuinely surprised to learn that people actually juiced carrots and drank them.
We shared many more firsts together. Fawn embraced the natural
lifestyle as if she had lived it her whole life. Shortly after this shift, she volunteered to help my father, Dr. John R. Christopher, with his backlog of mail and became his correspondence secretary. This work greatly increased her knowledge of herbal medicine.
Fawn went on to receive her Master Herbalist degree from The School of Natural
Healing and worked closely with the school, where she was like a mother to the students. She was my co-host on the A Healthier You radio show for 27 years and continued with me on the podcast version. Fawn traveled with me to conventions and lectures across the United States and around the world—including England, Ireland, Japan, Belize, Barbados, and India.
She was a workaholic in the best sense—always giving, always serving—volunteering in neighborhood, community, and church positions. Fawn tended a beautiful garden, kept an immaculate home, and raised four wonderful children. But her greatest joy was her 12 grandchildren, whom she loved overwhelmingly—and who loved her just as deeply.
Six years ago, Fawn was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer. Her mother had passed away from the same disease when Fawn was just twelve years old. She later lost both of her sisters and a niece to cancer, and eventually her father as well. The prognosis was alarming, and the doctors offered little hope. Fawn knew she needed surgery, but the surgeon was not allowed to proceed until she first underwent chemotherapy.
Her CA-125 markers were over 8,000 (the normal range is below 35) and had to drop below 100 before surgery could be approved. Fawn endured the chemotherapy while strictly using herbs, the mucusless diet, apricot seeds, and many other natural therapies. She beat the odds. Her markers dropped, she had the surgery, and it saved her life. Fawn remained cancer-free for six
years.
More recently, she began experiencing colon blockage, and nodules were discovered during a CT scan. Again, she needed surgery—but again, the doctors refused to proceed without another round of chemotherapy. Fawn had sworn after her last experience that she would never do chemo again. Hoping to receive surgery without chemo, she chose to
go to Mexico. After nine days, the surgery was finally approved, but we opted to have it done in San Diego.
She was transported by ambulance to an American hospital, and emergency surgery took place around midnight due to diagnostic complications. She went into that surgery with nearly a 0% chance of survival—but she beat the odds again and made
it through. She remained in ICU for several weeks, fought valiantly, and even survived a code blue. But eventually, she had enough.
She insisted on dying at home and passed away in transit. She was strong-willed until the very end.
We miss her deeply. The chapel at her funeral service was filled to capacity with those whose lives she touched in her amazing life.
So—farewell to my partner, my friend, and my loving wife.
David Christopher is a Master Herbalist, director of The School of Natural Healing, and son of our beloved Dr. John R. Christopher. He is continually helping others improve their health and that of their family members. The School loves having him as the director.
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