Elohee Beginnings

Our Powerful Story

The 216 acres of Landsong, in which Elohee is nestled, were purchased by Andy and Carolyn Bralley while their daughter, Eve Cook, was battling refractory Hodgkin’s lymphoma. They sought a place where Eve could fulfill her life dreams and not put off living while working towards a cure. In time, Elohee also became a refuge where she and her family could recover from the often brutal cancer treatments. Eve’s journey was a long hard road: traditional chemotherapy ended in relapse. The stem cell transplant failed after six months. The antibody wonder drug gave remission but it too was followed by relapse.  Eve’s fourth treatment used radiation and more surgery, and for the first time a doctor spoke of “cure.” To date, Eve is cancer free.

The Bralleys and Cooks discovered that deep healing involves the entire family – a group so intertwined by love that one person’s life inevitably affects all others.  They also felt they were a family uniquely prepared for dealing with life threatening illness.  Eve’s PhD in Pharmacology had an emphasis on nutriceuticals involved in inflammation.  After graduation she worked at her parent’s company as a consultant to physicians practicing functional medicine. Her father, a PhD in Medical Science, was a leader in the development of cutting edge tests for functional medicine and was on the editorial boards of the journals Alternative Medicine Review and Integrative Medicine. Coupled to this scientific fluency the family had three generations as well as decades of meditation experience.  Thus, Eve used the latest medical treatments and complemented that regime with the best of alternative nutritional therapies and spiritual cultivation.

The family also discovered the power of these Blue Ridge Mountains to help regenerate the psychology and spirit and facilitate change. Their struggles and discoveries have led to the setting aside of some 30 acres of Landsong for the creation of The Elohee Center. This creative endeavor now includes extended family and an ever widening circle of friends joining in with the creation of the Center, as well as enjoying the transformative and healing power of the land.

Read more about Eve’s journey:

I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma late August, 2009, just one month before I was to marry my love. We started treatment 2 days after the wedding… continue reading.

I feel like my experience during this battle has mirrored the seasons, and it has been really something to see our changes, mine and the land… continue reading.

There is a 100-foot waterfall, Mount Bliss, Bald Mountain, and two other peaks on the property, yet to be named. There are numerous micro-environments that we are just beginning to explore. There is an old gold mine. And there is a bear… continue reading.