Hollywood calling: Ludington resident takes lead role in production of film project. 

Lois Janish with Dr. del Marmol.

Hollywood calling: Ludington resident takes lead role in production of film project. 

#MasonCountyPeople.

By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief.

LUDINGTON — Two years ago a chronic illness brought Lois Janish to a point where she believed her life might be coming to an end. Though she never gave up on living, her body was shutting down, after fighting a chronic illness for over 20 years. Today, she couldn’t feel more alive. The successful real estate agent has embarked on a new journey that will allow her to share her love of music writing through motion pictures.

There are many facets of Lois’s story. We’ll start with the latest adventure. Lois just returned from a trip to southern California where she met with Dr. Julio Antonio del Marmol who is preparing to film his fascinating story of being a spy and freedom fighter against the regime of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.

Dr. del Marmol’s nickname is “The Cuban Lightning” and the codename of his operation was “The Zipper,” which was created to finance counterterrorism and covert operations all over the world.

The movies about Dr. del Marmol’s life will be made into a trilogy by Cuban Lightning Enterprises known as “The Zipper” and based on autobiographies del Marmol has written.

How does a real estate agent from Ludington, Michigan get involved with an international spy?

“I’m a lyricist and a songwriter,” Lois says. “I’ve written for several people in Nashville, Detroit, and Canada. Through the years Lois has gotten to know many people in the music industry. For almost a decade, she has hosted a summer party at her home with local musicians and musicians from Nashville.

“One of the guys who has been attending the annual gathering turned out to be the vice president of marketing for Cuban Lightning Enterprises. He mentioned me to Dr. del Marmol and said that he needed to meet me.”

Last week Lois made the journey out to California to meet with Dr. del Marmol and some of the film’s production team. “We were a good fit,” she says. “I really feel like we clicked right away.”

Lois was offered the position as music supervisor and vice president of public relations for the film projects. She says the project, which is expected to take several years, allows her the opportunity to continue to live and work in Ludington, while traveling to Los Angeles and Nashville.

“I have a daughter who is a high school senior this year and a son who is a sophomore. It’s my top priority in life to make sure my children have a stable home with their mother present,” Lois says. “This project gives me the chance to balance raising my children, working on the films, and also continue my career in real estate.”

Lois says it’s important that her real estate clients understand that she is not leaving Lighthouse Realty.

“I plan on working 40 to 50 hours a week in real estate and continuing the high quality of service and results my clients have come to expect.”

Lois is still emotionally overwhelmed, but joyful, of the turn of events that have taken place in her life. Two years ago, the circumstances were quite different. Lois had been fighting an unknown illness for over 20 years, which started when she was a 23-year-old student at Central Michigan University.

During her late ‘20s and ‘30s, the illness seemed to get worse, but medical professionals could not clearly identify the cause.

“My life was a constant struggle. I had a game face on every day for 20 years. It gets old eventually. It got old hearing from people say ‘now what’s wrong with you?’ ‘boy you have everything wrong with you don’t you?’”

Living with illness cost her her marriage, she says. “It was 12 years into the battle with no medication, no antidepressants or anti-anxiety meds. Just faith. It was getting really rough. I got tired for the first time. I had two young kids at home. My little 4-year-old daughter said, ‘Mommy, can I see you when you go to heaven or will I just be able to talk to you?’

“That was it. The fight was back on!”

Lois needed to earn an income in a job that allowed flexible hours, which led her to becoming an agent for Lighthouse Realty, which had just started.

“I wanted a career that also allowed me to spend as much time as I could with my children while still living with this illness. Because I was divorced, I didn’t have my children all the time and I worked every hour I could during those times, in between being sick. I worked on weekends. I worked nights. The best part of my job was, and still is, my kids don’t realize I work nearly 60 hours a week.”

Lois excelled at selling real estate and continues to break personal records. Last year she sold $6 million in property with the goal of reaching $9 million this year.

“Real estate has become much more than just a job. I love helping people fulfill their dreams and find that perfect home.”

Though she had a growing career and had excelled at being a parent, her illness continued to worsen and change.

Six years ago she developed heart arrhythmias, which worsened over time.

“It was to the point where I would have 10,000 then 15,000 and even 20,000 arrhythmias a day and numerous overnight. My blood pressure continued to rise as well.”

She was prescribed beta blockers and blood pressure medications and doctors were suggesting she have a pacemaker.

“I wouldn’t have any of it,” she says. “I knew in my gut all these years something was going on. The doctors were telling me that I was crazy when no symptoms could be detected.”

She was at a tipping point, about ready to except that she was probably closer to death than to life.

“I knew my battle was ending. In August I said goodbye to Lake Michigan on the beach. I knew it was my last summer here. The medications weren’t working. I was exhausted just spending the whole day trying to have my heart beat normally. Bearing down several times an hour while holding my breath to get it to beat a few beats normally here and there. I would sprint up the steps while making dinner to try in get it in rhythm. I would lay for hours to try and sleep waking up trying to catch my breath. All night, every night. The only reprieve I had was the few hours a night where I slept intermittently. I would wake constantly needing air and my heart was so bad out of rhythm. I gained 30 pounds of water in four months. It was unexplained. I just knew. And those closest around me did too.

“My body was tired. My mind was exhausted. I made my peace. I made a will. I prayed I would make it to December on the five month waiting list to see this doctor who was my last shot. I knew I wouldn’t make it to spring. I just knew.”

In December 2015, Lois went to see Dr. Anthony Smith at the Dynamic Health in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

Dr. Smith had developed CranioBiotic Technique (CBT). According to the clinic’s website, “CBT uses gentle and effective muscle response testing (MRT) to obtain feedback from your body concerning the presence of any hidden ‘health stressors’ that may be causing your problem(s). These stressors can include: allergies, infectious organisms, toxins, and physiological dysfunctions.

Dr. Smith diagnosed Lois with Lyme disease. From there, he was able to develop a natural cure using his technique, which Lois describes as bio-magnetic treatment.

“After one treatment my heart went in rhythm,” Lois says. “The cwhest pain and air gulping were gone. I lost 14 pound of water in 11 days.”

Two years later, it’s hard to imagine that Lois had come to terms with the prospect of her life ending. Her real estate career continues to flourish and now she is entering into her new adventure helping to tell Dr. del Marmol’s story, which is almost like working on a real life James Bond film, Lois says.

“It’s amazing the life this man has led,” she says. “He has been an eyewitness to events such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, the assassination of President John Kennedy, the Bay of Pigs Invasion, Watergate, the invasion of Panama, and even 9/11. There have been 56 attempts on his life.”

Lois says she will begin working on music for the films in October when she travels to Nashville, adding that del Marmol himself is a composer and musician and that the music for his films is very important to him. She’ll return to California in December.

“It’s unusual to start a film with the musical scores, but it reflects how important that element is to Dr. del Marmol in telling his story,” she says. “It’s an exciting new adventure which I can’t wait to tackle.”

This story is copyrighted © 2017, all rights reserved by Media Group 31, LLC, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454. No portion of this story or images may be reproduced in any way, including print or broadcast, without expressed written consent.

Photographs used by permission.