Charles Bogdonoff

THE UNKNOWN KING OF ROCK & ROLL Charles Mac Bogdonoff, age 71, passed on May 8, 2010. He is survived by his wife, Pamela, his three children, Vicki Turner, Jay Bogdonoff and Alisa Langan, and one granddaughter, Ava, age 7. Charles was born and lived most of his life in the Washington, D.C. area. At age 17, he lost his beautiful and only sibling, Alice. This loss was deeply felt throughout his entire life. He graduated from Coolidge High School in Washington, D.C. He attended the University of Pennsylvania before graduating from American University. He earned his dental degree from Georgetown University in 1963 and entered the professional world of dentistry, both practicing and teaching in his hometown of Washington, D.C. He entered the Air Force as a Captain and practiced dentistry at Andrews Air Force Base for two years. One of his proudest accomplishments was being award the Certificate of Appreciation from the dental students at Howard University where he taught. But Charles’ greatest passion was always music. At 13, during his bar mitzvah, he sang his haftorah to a resounding applause. This was the beginning of his career in the music industry. 1959 was truly a golden year for Charles. At 21, he was the lead singer for The Holidays, recording artists for ABC/Paramount. They were produced by Don Costa, famous for producing Frank Sinatra and Paul Anka. The Holidays had a #8 hit with Charles’ composition “Big Brown Eyes.” He was shaking hands and rubbing elbows with such luminaries as Bobby Darin, The Diamonds, Paul Anka and the Lettermen, to name a few. Charles was the consummate lead singer, and the only way to describe his incredible stage presence, moves and commanding vocals was that “he nailed it.” With music as the driving passion and great love of his life, Charles continued to write, produce and make records. He went so far as to put headphones on his patients so they could hear his latest songs. One of them was “The Magic Kingdom,” which Charles and his second wife, Pat, penned for Walt Disney. With this kind of success, he retired and built his own professional 24-track automated recording studio, The Loft. Washington’s top musicians passed through the doors of his studio. Charles’ reputation was growing as a record producer, and a feature article in the Washington Post caught the attention of Pam Fox. Pam is a classically trained, award-winning pianist, having won Germany’s coveted Baden Wuerttemberg Competition. She also plays 12-string and slide guitars and programmed all synthesizers. Together, they began writing prolifically, recording and performing under the stage names Caglo Mac and Kitty Willow. Caglo and Kitty have traveled to London, Denmark, Nashville and Los Angeles — 50,000 miles in all — to gain exposure for their music. Their accomplishments include a Cashbox Top 100 hit, a publishing deal with Acuff/Rose Music, airtime on the BBC and Radio London, plus numerous radio and television appearances, including 40 in Denmark alone, where their CD charted at #3. Charles and Pam created a unique blend of country, pop and folk, full of vocal contrasts and musical excellence. With his commanding vocals, magical touch on the flute, and expert and talented ear for producing and mixing, his legacy will live on in his music. Not only was Charles a enormous talent in the field of music, but also in stained glass mosaics which he took up in his 50’s. As with their music, Charles and Pam collaborated in this medium. Their works are in museums and prestigious art galleries from California to the East Coast. Charles was also a deeply spiritual person. He struggled with many diseases through out his life. These included bipolar disease since he through out his life. These included bipolar disease since he was 17, non-Hodgkins lymphoma for 23 years, renal disease for the last 10 years and he had quadruple bypass surgery in 2005. Pam and Charles embraced many forms of healing. These included alternative and allopathic modalities. A wonderful gift was learning about John of God, an incredibly beautiful healer, in Brazil. But, what was always most important to Charles and Pam is the enduring and deep love and respect they have shared for 30 years. Charles was a great inspiration to so many who were also facing great challenges in their lives. His source of unending strength was a gift from God and it is with God, that he now eternally resides. Charley's Story of Gratitude - Part 1 22 years ago, I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. I was told to begin chemo immediately. Instead, Pam put us on a macrobiotic diet and after six months, all of my nodes were gone. It was the first of many healing miracles to come. I stayed in remission for six years, but then it came back. This time, we bought an RV and named it the Chuck Wagon, so we could continue cooking macrobiotically while we went around the country on a quest to find a healer or healing modality. We were gone about five months. It was during that time we ended up in Sedona, Arizona. A woman there told us about an inventor in Indiana who had a machine that had healed many people. So off we went to Indiana and met Ed Seechrist. Great name. Fantastic man. He did INDEED have a machine. It was hidden in his mother's farmhouse because the AMA was after him to get rid of it. Evidently, it was healing many people and they were not going to the local doctors. The machine was amazing. It looked like something out of a science fiction novel. It was huge. Like a huge wooden contraption with a bellow and incredibly hot and intense laser colored lights. I had to wear thick surrounding glasses to protect my eyes and he told me to wear my briefs. You could only stay under the lights for about 20 seconds because they were so hot. I did this for 3 days in a row and we headed back to our home in McLean, Virginia. ON the way home, the nodes in my neck got enlarged and I became alarmed. I called Ed on the phone and told him. He said not to worry, this was normal, and sure enough, in a one week, all the nodes all over my body were gone. This lasted for two years. Chala’s Story of Gratitude – Part 2 Over the next few years, the disease would rear it’s ugly head again and again, causing fear and depression. Yet I always felt that God had a purpose for my trials and tribulations and this faith helped me to continue on. I tried many different alternative healing modalities, such as Essaic tea, shark cartilage, wheat grass, the raw foods diet, a very expensive substance called Poly MVA, acupuncture, etc. All these met with some success and each one gave me hope for a time. In California, I went to a Qi Gong Master who had been doctor in China. He tried to lessen the lymph node swelling by manipulation and excessive pressure with his hands and fingers. It truly was Chinese torture. Next!!! A huge tumor was developing in my right cheek and inside of my mouth. I did not want to leave the house because I thought I looked so unsightly. I was seeing a chiropractor and by synchronicity, he was not there on a particular appointment day. The substitute chiropractor told me about a treatment for treating cancer called hyperthermia. Hyperthermia is a type of cancer treatment in which body tissue is exposed to high temperatures (up to 113°F). Research has shown that high temperatures can damage and kill cancer cells, usually with minimal injury to normal tissues. By killing cancer cells, hyperthermia can shrink tumors. This is usually used in conjunction with radiation or chemo. I was blessed to find a wonderful doctor in Memphis, Tennessee, so once again, off we went. The doctor injected massive doses of Vitamin C into my chest through a port he had inserted, in conjunction with hyperthermia treatments. The machine was a massive structure that took up the whole room. I would lie on a canvas bed while the external applicators were positioned near my cheek. The intense energy was focused on the tumor to raise its temperature. I would go to the clinic for these treatments five days per week for six weeks. The tumor was responding but the doctor said it would take a long time without radiation. This was the first time that Pam and I decided to embrace Western medicine to treat the cancer. Hyperthermia had done a great job in that it reduced the number of recommended radiation treatments required to eliminate the tumor. Instead or receiving 15 radiation treatments, it took only seven. Hyperthermia had set the stage for combining the best of Western and complimentary healing modalities. Hyperthermia had set the stage for us combining the best of Western and complimentary healing modalities. Pam: This is just something I want to add. After months of Chala having a huge tumor in his check that greatly distorted his face, he had just finished his 7th radiation treatment. We were at a gas station in Memphis and Chala had gone into the little convenience store. As he came out, my heart stopped because I felt such a shock. He was amazingly handsome and normal looking again. The tumor was gone. I cried tears of joy and gratitude. In fact, I’m crying now just remembering. Chala’s Story of Gratitude – Part 3 One day, sometime later, we were watching the news about the Dalai Lama and how his Tibetan attending physician was in New York. For Pam, that was it. She got on the phone and somehow got in touch with the facility where the doctor was actually treating a few Americans. She got the last appointment available the next day. We were on the train to NYC the following morning. The doctor was a kindly older gentleman, dressed in the beautiful Tibetan monk robes. It was a reverent experience. He examined my eyes and took my pulse and determined that I needed a certain mixture of Tibetan herbs. He then instructed me to go into another room where a table was laden with a variety of many herbs. I handed his assistant the written prescription, and he proceeded to combine certain herbs specifically for my condition. I took them for awhile and still noticed a grape-sized tumor forming in the center of my chest, right above my heart. The tumor continued to grow, slowly but surely. Several months later, back in California, where we lived for a couple of years, I met a healer who felt that my body needed a full cleanse. He suggested coffee enemas. After months of uncomfortable effort, and the tumor becoming larger than a plum, I began to feel despair. One phone call changed my life. Pam heard of a respected healer/teacher in Mt. Shasta, Washington. When I called to make an appointment, his wife answered the phone. She was a healer in her own right. I told her of my health issues and she said, “If I were you, I would go see John of God in Brazil.” Immediately, we looked him up on the internet and got the book “The Miracle Man” by Robert Pellegrino-Estrich. We had never read anything like it. One month later, Pam and I were in Brazil. Chala’s Story of Gratitude – Part 4 As the great 20th century medium/psychic, Edgar Cayce said, “The unseen forces are much greater than the seen.” I couldn’t agree more. And I thank God that the path that Pam and I were to begin was given to us. We went to Brazil to embrace the healing gifts of medium Joao Texeira de Faria, known as John of God, at his healing sanctuary, Casa de Dom Inacio, in Abadiania, Brazil. John of God is a miracle healer, an unconscious medium, who incorporates over 30 Spirit doctors and healing Entities. He says, “It is not I who heals, but God who heals.” People come from all over the world, to the little rural town of Abadiania, in Brazil, many having been told by their doctors that no more can be done. They suffer from cancer, AIDS, blindness, asthma, drug and alcohol addiction, tumors, physical, mental and spiritual despair. There have been scientific studies and documentation done showing the results of John of God’s work. The cure rate is an amazing 85%. The Entities do their work using John of God’s body. The Spiritual energies at the Casa de Dom Inacio are incredible. And I must say, that of all the places I have been to on our Earth, here Love is actually tangible. I realize that this is a major stretch for many people to wrap their heads around. But know that this man does not take any money for this gift. It is all done with Love and no one is turned away. May I suggest a couple of websites that will go into further depth than I do here. www.johnofgodhealing.com/john_of_god.htm www.healingquests.com www.miraclesofjohnofgod.com The first trip Pam and I made to the Casa was six years ago. I was hoping that the tumor protruding from my chest could be removed by a physical operation by John of God. Most operations are spiritual operations done without being physically invasive. Although, if you are over the age of 55, then physical surgery is most often not considered. While there, I saw a man, who had a large tumor on his back, receive a physical operation where John of God removed it without causing the man any pain and very little bleeding. When it was my turn to stand before John of God, I pulled up my shirt and showed him the tumor. He touched it and said that I was to receive a spiritual operation. At that point, in my own spiritual journey, I did not understand that the healings do not always turn out as we expect them to. Sometimes they are instantaneous, but more often the healing process progresses over time. I returned back home depressed and dejected because my tumor had not been removed. I wondered where my miracle was. But miracles come in their own way. Mine was to come to me initially through a song. I loved Gary Puckett’s song, “Young Girl.” Pam had given the CD away to charity a few months earlier. I really missed hearing his music. We were sitting in the car and I said to Pam, “I am going to turn on the radio and “Young Girl” is going to be playing.” It was amazing because “Young Girl” was playing! This had happened a few months before going to Brazil, so the song had a special synchronistic significance to me. So when I returned home in a depression because I still had the tumor, I felt I really needed a sign. I turned on the radio and there it was again! “Young Girl.” I knew it was a message directly to me and my spirits and hopes soared. It was as though someone had flipped on the switch to my faith. Within a few months my tumor did disappear but not in a way I could ever have imagined. Because I had been on such a good diet for so many years, I had no idea that my arteries were clogged. One night, I was singing in a bar, sitting in with some friends (my first love has always been music, singing, recording, writing, producing, etc.). As I started to sing the second song, I felt sharp pain in my chest. An ambulance rushed me to the hospital and the doctor told Pam that I had had a heart attack. After a battery of tests, the doctors knew I needed bypass surgery. The huge problem presented to the surgeons was the tumor. It was right over my heart. They were trying to figure out how to approach the surgery. They knew they had to operate on my heart to save my life and so they went in. I ended up with quadruple bypass surgery which did save my life and NO TUMOR. I attribute this miracle to the intervention by the Entities of the Casa de Dom Inacio. This was the first of many miracles to come. Chala’s Story of Gratitude – Part 5 In 2007, Pam and I returned to the Casa. This time I had a new tumor. Much larger than the one that had grown over my heart. The new tumor was the size of a baseball and was under my right armpit. There was another large tumor on my back and several large swollen lymph nodes in my neck. It was under these circumstances that once again, we sought the help of John of God. When I went before him this time, he said, “I will not allow you to disincarnate from this body with this disease.” I was elated and filled with hope. When I went before him again, he said, “Come back and see me three times. Be obedient.” The Entity does not mince words. You always hear the truth and even sometimes a quick verbal instruction, such as, “Spiritual Operation” or “Sit in my current.” Whatever is said, you know that it is coming from God through these loving Spirits. Again, I returned home with the tumors still on my body. I never know how the healing is going to manifest. After one month of being home, I collapsed at the top of the stairs and Pam rushed me to the emergency room. I was admitted and remained at the hospital for 10 days with an acute staff infection stemming from the large tumor. I was put on massive doses of IV antibiotics and was hardly lucid. Pam stayed with me almost around the clock, rushing home only to take care of the dogs and to sometimes sleep at home. The attending physician took Pam aside and told her she should call hospice. She broke down. She could not believe that this was the end. The doctor had to hold her as she cried. A hospital bed was set up in our family room and dear friends came to our aid with love, help and support. I hardly remember much of anything because I was so sick. Again, another miracle was about to happen. During my stay in the hospital, a wonderful radiologist had come to see me and recommended radiation to remove the tumor. While home, Pam and I decided to proceed with this treatment. Within two weeks of my release, Pam wheeled me into the radiation treatment center in a wheelchair. I did not have the strength to walk. After about three weeks of radiation, and NO side effects whatsoever, the tumors ALL over my body disappeared, under the arm, on my back and in my neck. I was now walking and feeling much stronger. Once again, I had received an incredible miracle and once again, I thank God and the Entities from the Casa de Dom Inacio for their immense love and blessings. Chala’s Story of Gratitude – Part 6 When I was 17, I was diagnosed with bipolar disease. Lithium, the gold standard for treating the disease, was not introduced into our country until 1969 when I turned 31. I was one of the first patients to be prescribed the drug. Over the years, the lithium kept me balanced when I took the recommended amount. Little did I know that it was also ruining my kidneys. A few years ago I was sent to a nephrologist after blood tests came back showing that my creatinine level was extremely high. A creatinine blood test is used to determine kidney function and for monitoring treatment for kidney disease. My nephrologist told me at my recent appointment, that he wants me to see the nurse in charge of kidney dialysis. He also said that he is willing to work with me as long as is possible, without dialysis. There is one Entity at the Casa de Dom Inacio for whom I have a special affinity and love. His name is Dr. Oswaldo Cruz. Dr. Cruz was a brilliant Brazilian doctor at the turn of the last century. If you would like to read about him in depth, here is a link to an article that is well worth your while: http://www.paho.org/English/DPI/Number6_article4.htm Dr. Cruz died at the early age of 46 years from kidney failure. I personally feel that he is watching over me. I ask him regularly for help. With all of these medical conditions, it is no surprise that I am also anemic. Every two weeks, I go to my oncologist and receive an aranesp shot, which increases one’s hemoglobin and other blood factors. For many months, despite getting this shot religiously, my blood level numbers continued to be poor. Until last week. I had just returned from seeing John of God at the Omega Institute in New York and had received another spiritual intervention. When the oncology nurse read my blood counts last weeks she exclaimed that it was miraculous. Everything was almost normal. Almost normal. I haven’t heard that phrase regarding me, in years. Another miracle. I believe that documenting my healing journey has been a gift and a blessing from the Entities and I thank them and God for everything they have done for me and Pam. As my gift to whomever has been sharing my healing journey, I would like to give you a gift of music and a little background into my world. I graduated from Georgetown Dental School and practiced and taught dentistry for many years. My first love was always music, having been the lead singer for a 1950’s group, The Holidays. We were signed to ABC/Paramount Records and produced by Don Costa, Frank Sinatra’s producer. Some years later, my ex-wife and I wrote the theme song for Walt Disney called “The Magic Kingdom.” It was used to open Space Mountain at the Kingdom and is now used for Disney on Ice. I retired from dentistry at the age of 40, built my own recording studio and have been producing, writing, singing and recording music with Pam for many years. It is with deepest gratitude and love that I am attaching this song “The Magic Kingdom” for you in this e-mail for you to download. The song could just as easily be about the Casa de Dom Inacio in Abadiania, Brazil. Obrigada and God Bless All. Pamela suggest contributions to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Foundation.