I Survived!
The truth is, most of us know someone who has been impacted by breast cancer. This is not surprising considering one out of every eight women are impacted every year in the United States. I was diagnosed in June of 2014 with Stage 2B Her 2 neu + and hormone ERA/PRA + high-grade metastatic infiltrating ductal carcinoma (what a mouthful), and I am one of the lucky ones. 35% is the “statistic” I was given regarding the percent in which I could expect to live cancer-free for 10 years. I call BS. I believe that our mindset has the power to determine the results we want far greater than science.
I understand that there is a strong need for medication and treatments for many health issues, and breast cancer is one of them. To reject medical treatment for life-threatening conditions is dangerous, in my opinion. However, there is now overwhelming proof that mindset can drive biological changes that can influence everything from pain to the immune system. I believe that the right mindset combined with your treatment of choice can take healing to the next level. I am living proof.
We All Have a Story
All of us have stories, and all of us have obstacles to overcome. When YOU are dealing with a challenging situation, regardless if it is about health, divorce, depression, grief, family problems, or just a bad day. Pain is pain is pain and it is extraordinarily real when you are being affected. What I have learned is that every situation is temporary and remembering that is important. Simply having the awareness that your challenge won’t last forever can trigger your brain to focus on more positive thoughts. I also know that happiness, joy, and acceptance are available to me at any time; it simply matters what thought I choose in that moment. I know that I don’t have control over all situations, but I can choose my thoughts about them. When I choose a good thought, it generates a good feeling, which results in doing something that moves me forward. It works Every. Single. Time. It takes a lot of practice, but I promise you it can be done.
My Last Chemo Session
I found this entry from by blog on July 17, 2015 https://1in8women.wordpress.com
This entry was written on the day of my final chemo treatment after one year of infusions every three weeks. I thought I would share as it reflects a mindset of gratitude which is so incredibly important when facing any challenge:
“The end is as surreal as the beginning….. I KNOW my chemo treatments ar over, but I cannot wrap my brain around it. It is an overwhelming feeling. I was not prepared for the range of emotions I would feel today. When I went to bed last night, I was excited to finish my last round of chemo today, having no concept that there would be such raw emotions tied to sitting in that chair one last time.
I almost don’t recognize the girl who started this journey, yet I miss her often.
I am proud that I not only held it together but that I still enjoyed my life and inspired others.
I am sad that it took such a tragedy for me to learn to know and love myself.
I am grateful for the relationships, both new and old that have grown so strong, and for the amazing feeling of how many people supported me.
I am at peace with knowing I can’t control everything, and that there WILL be future challenges in my life that I will learn from.
I am stronger than I realized. Both physically and mentally.
I am devastated at the extent of changes my body has gone through.
And I am happy. Happier than I have ever been.
I am lucky.”
I invite you to put some "mindset work" into a challenge you are facing. Take inventory of your negative thoughts. I would encourage you to write them down and review them with curiosity. My guess is you may be shocked when you look at your list. We often have no idea how many negative thoughts we actually have until we see them in writing. The question is, what are you going to do about it? Understand that you don’t have to get “stuck” there, you get to choose.
