Hello. I am Rebecca Bolstad. I am an artist, a teacher, a writer and a lover of gardens, the sea, and beautiful things. But the part of me that is most important for you is that I am a cancer survivor who believes with all my heart that the things we do physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually on a daily basis are what gives each of us the best possible chance to survive and thrive on this cancer journey.
Most likely you are here because of two or three reasons:
- You (or someone you love) have found out you have a serious condition (cancer perhaps) that has jolted you to the core and you want to do whatever you can to beat it, or
- You have recently embarked on the great, but whole new to you, Whole-Food, Plant-Based journey and you need some help!!
- Maybe you just want some positive inspiration, fabulous recipes, easy tips, and science-based resources to simplify your life and to keep you young (no matter what your age) and disease-free!!
And yes, while I have many interests as well as being a happy wife, a blessed mother, and a grandmother to four adorable young grandbabies, what you most need to know about me is what I do on a regular basis to be healthy and vibrant as I live through the daily challenges of living with cancer, and what you can do to give yourself the best chance to survive and thrive as well.
So what is it that makes me qualified to offer an inspirational and scientific-based resource that will help you on your amazing journey to optimum health and wellness?
I have spent over three years researching and living out the things that I will share with you in this blog. I will site and link you to the numerous doctors and survivors who are taking a very aggressive and scientific look at what we can do beyond just what traditional medicine tells us. Again, I am not saying to ignore your oncologist, but what I am saying is there is so much more that we can – that we must do to beat disease.
Briefly, here is my story: In September of 2016, I went in for a routine mammogram, and three weeks later I received the shocking (to me and my family and friends) diagnosis of stage 2 breast cancer that had spread to my lymph nodes.
Please understand that I was never going to have cancer.
Not me.
But there it was. Definitive. The C word.
And I had it.
Everything changes when you get that news, you know. There is the shock. The questions. The numbness. The fear. More questions. The decisions. The overwhelm. Did I mention the shock?
Yet somehow (I believe it was a ‘divine somehow’) in those crazy first days I stumbled onto a book in a thrift store that told the stories of 4 people who had reversed late-stage cancer by adopting a whole-foods, plant-based diet/lifestyle. While I was skeptical at first, I couldn’t get them out of my mind. And as I scoured the internet for more answers, I came across the chrisbeatcancer.com website, and he had found the same book 12 years before and had reversed his late-stage colon cancer. His site is filled with dozens of survival stories and interviews with doctors and researchers,
and that was it.
I was all in.
Now before you get too worried, it doesn’t mean I ignored treatment or what my doctors were saying. It does mean that at 65 years old, I embarked on an all-out life-changing journey into health and wellness and fitness.
I am not saying that it was a snap. In addition to the medical appointments, and dealing with the emotions of cancer, I had to do a lot (a lot!) of research and I had to learn how to cook meals that we liked, and I had to find a way to exercise that I liked enough to stick to, and I had to restock my pantry and learn some more. But I can honestly say, I have never been happier, and I have never looked back. Oh, and by the way, at one of my last appointments the doctor said, “You’re probably the healthiest person who comes in here.”
This blog will tell you more of my own journey and give you many fabulous resources, and hints and shortcuts to a wonderful, healthy way to add quality years to your own life.
So hit the subscribe button so you can be sure not to miss anything! Thank you for subscribing, and I am happy to answer any questions you have along the way!
Warmly, Rebecca
To read more details of my story see these posts: After the Shock of the Diagnosis, and My Cancer Story