How I've survived Cancer

I survive cancer by being tough.  Cancer is not fun and it is not pretty, it is tough, the key is choosing to be tougher than the cancer.

People look at me and are shocked that I have been dealing with cancer for 4 years.  I do not look like a typical cancer patient.  Well that is because I am metastatic and most mets do have their hair and look somewhat "normal".  But we deal with cancer every single day and are in constant treatment and monitoring by our doctors, just trying to lead a new "normal" life.  I have survived thanks to God, without a doubt it was through His grace.  In that grace I listened to my body and what it needed to heal, I researched how to make myself stronger to fight the disease and survive the side effects.  I ate cancer fighting foods, I drank green tea like it was going out of style, I am a soy Nazi and stay far away from it.  I significantly reduced soda, and sugar, and other chemical foods.  I reduced my fast food intake and when I do eat it I make healthier choices.  I do yoga and meditation, I have been learning herbal medicine and I stayed in school and worked.  (not totally because I wanted to financially I had to) I tried to keep my life full of goals and ambitions as if the cancer wasn't an issue partly to keep me focused on life and as a coping mechanism and also for my children.  They were and are young to have to deal with mommy having cancer.  It is bad enough I lost my hair and was horribly fatigued and sick from chemo, but luckily I was strong enough to put on a brave face and try to minimize my side effects to give them more "normal" days then not. 

My key to surviving cancer is in complimentary treatments along with traditional medicine.  I truly believe it is through faith, nutrition, yoga, meditation and herbal medicine that I have been able to be as strong as I have been and will continue to be.

I am strong because I am a fighter.  I do not know how to be anything else.  We don't have control over who gets cancer or when or if it will happen to you, but we do have control over what we put into our mouths.  I choose to put strength in, I choose to put what will help my body protect me from my cancer, what will help it defeat my cancer.  I do yoga to help me with my stress and to help the blood flow in my body, I had 22 lymph nodes removed and that puts me at risk with a compromised immune system on top of the cancer and so I have to help my circulation do it's job since a chunk is missing forever there is also the benefit of yoga that improves the immune system and helps in the muscle aches from chemo, radiation and surgery.  I am lucky to have 100% mobility in my mastectomy arm.  That is almost unheard of, the norm is most women only retain up to 75% mobility and I regained it both times after surgery and radiation. 

I survived cancer, and you can too.  Which is why I created www.thrivecancer.org  and became a certified nutritionist, yoga instructor, personal trainer.  I want to help others survive too, that is why I survived.  God carried me through my cancer with His grace so that I can help others do the same.  That is my purpose.  All you need is the desire to fight to start to survive your cancer.  Good luck and God Bless.