What do you do after the shock of the diagnosis?
Or when the treatments aren’t working?
Or when the doctors say there is nothing else they can do?
Or when you are just plain sick of being sick?
When you are in shock after receiving an unexpected cancer diagnosis, there is often a lot of fear and overwhelm. You know there must be answers and help of some sort out there, but how can you ever pick yourself up and sort through all the clutter to find those answers?
Just what do you do after the shock of the diagnosis?
WHY THIS BLOG?
I am here to share with you the life-changing actions that I took after my own shocking diagnosis of Stage 2 breast cancer that had spread to my lymph nodes (not a good thing!). The steps I have taken have been crucial to building my strength, shoring up my immune system, and actually aiding my healing. Cancer is a journey we don’t choose, but there is so much we can do to give ourselves the optimal chance to survive and thrive.!
I started this blog because I am constantly meeting people who are living through the shock of the diagnosis of cancer or diabetes or heart disease or auto immune disease and on and on.
You know you want to do something,
You are hungry for answers,
for a plan,
for hope.
I know these very real feelings because I have lived through my own shocking diagnosis. Thankfully I found a plan that worked.
A purposeful, whole-life change – body, mind, and spirit – aimed at giving myself the best possible chance to survive! And that is what this blog is about. We will explore all the ups and downs of making all of these changes to heal.
Cancer.
The C word.
That
was never going to be me.
Not me.
But it was me,
and now three years later I am healthy and managing my cancer,
but I will never forget the fear and overwhelm of that whole experience – especially in the beginning. And while I am still on a journey, I have many more tools and much knowledge in my daily knapsack. And that makes all the difference!
HOW MY OWN JOURNEY BEGAN
It was just a couple of days after my own shocking diagnosis.
I was still numb. I was going through the motions of every day life, but this new life-changing thought, ‘I have cancer’ never left my mind for more than a few seconds.
I happened to come across a book (The Hallelujah Diet) at a thrift store that gave the accounts of four late-stage cancer patients who had reversed their cancers with diet.
While I was skeptical at first, I couldn’t really get those accounts out of my mind, and at home as I searched for more answers, I came across Chris Wark’s website chrisbeatcancer.com.
I read his story and coincidentally he had read the same book twelve years before when he had been told he had Stage 3 colon cancer, and was given a very dismal prognosis.
Through diet, exercise and lifestyle changes, he is now healthier than ever and cancer free!
There it was – right in my face!
I had to stop eating the scientifically proven cancer feeders (meat, dairy, processed foods and oils).
I had to start filling my body with the cancer fighters (fruits, vegetables, garlic, mushrooms, legumes, ground flax seed, broccoli, onions, grains and starches, etc). (See my post called Don’t Be Fooled – It’s the Food for detailed information about Cancer Feeders and Cancer Fighters!)
So right there, that day, whole hog, all in, no tippy toes in the water.
ALL THE WAY IN.
I began my own journey with learning everything I could, and making every change to give myself my own best possible chance of recovery. Not only did I change what I was putting in my body; I changed the way I moved; I found a way to exercise that I love; I changed what I put into my mind, my thoughts, the words I spoke; I finally learned to deal with the life-draining stress that I faced every day.
A purposeful, whole life change – body,mind and spirit – aimed at giving myself the best possible chance to survive! And that is what this blog is about. We will will explore all the ups and downs of making all of these changes to heal.
PEOPLE ARE SEARCHING
More and more people from all walks of life are finding health and healing by adopting a plant-based lifestyle. My research led me on a clear, straight line to this path.
This site will be detailing this incredible journey of healing.
But wait!
It doesn’t mean you have to turn your back on traditional medicine,
nor do you have to ignore what your doctors are saying.
What it does mean is that when you are faced with the shock of the diagnosis,
there is a lot you can do to help yourself heal –
a whole lot.
TWO DIFFERENT APPROACHES – PASSIVE OR ACTIVE
I have noticed as I keep meeting people facing serious health concerns that there seems to be two different approaches.
Some people seem to feel totally dependent on their doctors and medical team for all the answers. They take a passive approach of just letting things play out.
Other people realize they have a very important role in their own healing. These are the people that take a very active approach. They do everything possible to build up their bodies, especially their immune systems – giving themselves the best possible chance to heal.
For me, I had many questions, and I immediately wanted to know what I could do to help myself have the best chance of beating this dreaded disease. One of the scariest things is the doctors and everyone reminding you how likely it is that the cancer will spread to another part of the body.
I knew I had to do everything I possibly could to not let that happen!
As I scoured the internet and read books and articles, I quickly learned that there really is so much a person can do to optimize the body’s ability to reverse disease and heal.
The encouragement is out there.
The detailed stories of numerous survivors are out there.
The research is out there.
It took a lot of work to learn what I could do to really help myself.
I have spent three years researching and pulling all of these resources together, and now this blog will be a place where all of these wonderful resources are together in a single place.
I want to give you a simple resource:
- to know where to find these life-giving stories,
- to inspire and encourage you and help you know you are not alone,
- to discover delicious recipes,
- to know the detailed steps that I took to go from the standard American diet to a Whole Food Plant Based Lifestyle,
- to hear the life-changing benefits that my family and others have experienced,
- to find products that will make these changes easy and doable,
- to learn easy tips to help you make a plan that will work for you.
MANY PARTS TO HEALING, BUT FIRST ITS THE FOOD
As we will discuss in other posts, there are many parts to each of us – body, mind and spirit.
- Our minds,
- Our attitudes,
- Our movements,
- Our beliefs
all play important roles in our body’s ability to heal.
But we must not ignore that what we put into our bodies on a daily basis (food) has a huge role in whether or not we are giving ourselves the best chance of recovery!
As Dr. John McDougall says, “It’s the food!”
My own journey with cancer brought me to a whole new way of living, and even though I wasn’t looking for a new way, my entire family and I are so grateful that the whole-food, plant-based lifestyle seemed to find us. There have been numerous positive results for each of us, and now (not trying to be some kind of nut jobs), we can’t seem to help sharing it with people wherever we go.
IT’S NOT HARD
‘Oh I could never do that,’ you say?
‘It’s too hard,’ you say?
Well. . . . .
- It’s not hard to eat delicious soups and stews and smoothies and casseroles and fresh fruits and vegetables,
- It’s not hard never having to worry about overeating.
- It’s not hard to eat all you want and feel so satisfied and never have to worry about gaining weight.
- It’s not hard to go to bed at night and wake up every morning never feeling bloated or sluggish.
- It’s not hard getting dressed in the morning and never feeling uncomfortable in your jeans.
- It’s not hard to listen to dozens of survivors and doctors tell about amazing recoveries.
- It’s not hard to finally feel hope for your own recovery again.
It’s really not hard to take control of your own health and well-being!
MY PROMISE TO YOU
I will try to answer any questions you may have to help you on your own journey back to health. I have learned so many tips and short cuts that have made our lives so much easier, and I am happy and excited to offer these resources to you.
I do know how daunting and overwhelming all this can feel, and I can’t take that overwhelm away,
but I can certainly offer, (through the pages of this blog), many tips and ideas, and much inspiration that will help you confidently transition from the shock of the diagnosis
to a lifestyle
where you are doing everything you can to heal,
and where you are even enjoying the journey!
I promise you, this is not a lifestyle of being deprived!!
Keep an open mind as you read these posts. If you decide to try this life-giving route, I promise you –
You will see results!
You will feel good – maybe even great!
You will have hope again!
You will have quality of life!
I have never been happier or felt better or enjoyed food more!
It’s true!
Join me on this exciting journey of health and well-being!
Daily Inspired to Survive, Rebecca
P.S. What specific concerns or questions do you have about embarking on this journey? I would love to hear from you! inspiredtosurvive.com
Disclaimer: The content of this website is based on research conducted by myself unless otherwise noted. The information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or prescribe for any medical condition, nor to prevent, treat, or cure such conditions. This information herein is not intended to replace a one-to-one relationship with a doctor or qualified healthcare professional. This information is a sharing of knowledge and information based on research and experience.
I encourage you to make your own health care decisions based on your judgment and research in partnership with a qualified healthcare professional.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.