Changing the Narrative around a Cancer diagnosis
Rather than ostracise people who have cancer, I believe we need to learn more about it all and help push forward new treatments, new healing methods and greater awareness. I won't mention the stats because they are plastered all over the place on TV and big posters. But we know the chances are that we are going to need this information at some point in our lives whether for ourselves or a loved one/friend.
These are a few initial insights…
1- The current level of fear and anxiety is compounded by what we perceive cancer to be - much of this is based on outdated stats or experiences. For example- I didn't pay attention to the stats around survival rates because all the studies I read were based on people in a much older age demographic than me. (Just 4% of bowel cancer cases in the US and 6% in the UK are in women under 50, but it's currently growing each year)
2- Fear and anxiety doesn't help the healing process. Instead of seeing it like an uphill ‘battle’ I found it helped me more to think of bringing my body back into balance. I didn't find it helped me to get into the “f**k cancer” vibe as it made cancer this scary separate evil ‘thing’, when it's actually our own cells in our body that have gone rogue, and that is something we can affect with our choices and lifestyle (and the earlier we catch it, the more we can do about it).
3- You can live a joyful life alongside cancer - as Dame Deborah James proved with her incredible attitude and dancing through chemo. I found extreme lows but also extreme highs (not just from the steroids!) We can change what it means to be a ‘cancer patient.’
4- Cancer treatments affect everyone differently. Don't assume it will be a certain way just because it affected someone else that way. Anyone who goes through treatment will need to find their own unique pathway through that works for them. I know women who carried on life as normal through chemo, whereas for me, I could barely manage to walk up a flight of stairs!
5- New treatments /protocols are being developed all the time - self advocate for yourself - not only did I practically self-diagnose through the online stool test, I also did a lot of research to make sure I was signing up for the best possible treatment and I combined surgery and chemo with a complementary and holistic approach. And that is an ongoing journey- I'm still focusing on my diet and taking hyperbaric oxygen treatments and mushroom supplements. I'll be sharing more about that on my blog.
