In a nutshell, I love my family; married 30 years this last September 10, with 3 kids. Over the last 2 years I've focused almost entirely on beating Stage 4 Breast Cancer and am WINNING! The love for my family gave me the courage to fight the battle with all my might. It has also made me reevaluate the priorities in my life and I'm now writing songs and painting again, which is why I think I was blessed with this cancer, to wake me up.
So, to give you an example of what i was dealing with, I had 3 different forms of highly aggressive breast cancer at the same time, which had not only gone in to both of my breasts, but also my lymph nodes and crossed through my chest wall into one of my lungs. My doctor told me, "You are full of disease", to which I answered, "Well, that's just a bit more of a challenge, but I'm going to beat this."
Here's a little background about me. I was born 3 months premature and weighed 1 1/2 pounds and was 1 foot long. Because of the overuse of oxygen, which was common in those days, I got Retrolental Fibroplasia, which caused me to be blind in my right eye and low vision in my left. But I SURVIVED AGAINST INSURMOUNTABLE ODDS. I figured if I survived THAT I could ALSO survive my breast cancer! I've always had a strong feeling of destiny and I do not believe I have completed it, not even close, so dying was not an option.
I don't believe in fortunes, but I do believe in providence and 2 weeks after my diagnosis while at a Chinese restaurant, getting acquainted with their tofu dishes, I opened my fortune cookie and this is what it read, "Long life is in store for you." So, of course I put it in a frame and would refer to it when speaking to G-d, that I knew He was not a liar and that things don't happen by accident, so I'm expecting this to come to pass.
The most important thing to have when fighting a life threatening disease is a POSITIVE ATTITUDE - AND - to VISUALIZE YOURSELF IN A HEALTHY STATE of COMPLETED HEALING. I also would envision the cancer literally being defeated in my body and dying as my white blood cells would triumphantly win the battles. I also visualized the cancer leaving my body.
Obviously I'm not an MD, but I do have some info regarding fighting against cancer that MIGHT help; I've been helped but there are no guarantees. These are only Words of Wisdom that I will pass on, but you must make your own choice for your own life.
Even though I normally would have gone completely ALTERNATIVE to fight the cancer, I felt as though I was supposed to combine modern medical methods along with alternative methods that would protect my body from the adverse side affects of these treatments. So I surrendered to my intuitive directive rather than my own choices through my own understanding and knowledge and chose to undergo chemotherapy and radiation therapy; along with the surgery; which was a mastectomy of my right breast and a lumpectomy on my left.
So when undergoing chemo and radiation, I used HIGH DOSES of antioxidants during the treatments. LOW DOSES (or RDA levels) WILL protect the cancer cells, just as the doctor's warn, which usually causes them to mistakenly tell you NOT to take ANY antioxidants. But HIGH DOSES not only do NOT protect the cancer cells, they HELP TO KILL the cancer cells, as well as PROTECTING your normal cells. Where I got this critical information is in an abbreviated report called "Pros and cons of antioxidant use during radiation therapy" which is referencing "FREE RADICALS - Pros and Cons of antioxidants: Rationale for Using High-Dose Multiple Dietary Antioxidants as an Adjunct to Radiation Therapy and Chemotherapy" both of which I've posted on my blog for you to read for yourself, to make your own determination. (See links at the bottom of my About Me)
When undergoing chemo, juicing organic fruits and vegetables is what revitalized me; almost like a blood transfusion. Every morning at least; sometimes 2 and even 3 times in the day, as needed.
Here are a few other things you might want to take in to consideration:
1. Cancer THRIVES
on sugar - AVOID IT! The best alternative is STEVIA which is a genus of about 150 species of herbs and shrubs belonging to the Asteraceae (sunflower) family, native to subtropical and tropical South America and Central America, so it is not artificially produced. See my recent blog on this natural sweetener. Other alternatives are
Agave nectar (which I'm finding myself using more and more of), organic evaporated cane juice, organic maple syrup, or even
organic fruit juices.
They use a form of sugar in the substance they inject in you for a
PET scan, because the cancer cells will literally pull it to them to feed off of it, which is how they detect the presence and location of the cancer throughout your body in the scan.
2. There are some supplements that make it more difficult for cancer to survive in your body, such as AHCC, Beta 1.3 Glucan, and Turmeric,
not to discount numerous other antioxidants that you should ALSO take, but these are key.
3. I chose to go vegan for a while during my chemo in 2005. However, due to the difficulty in having several different eating habits in the family, I had changed to eating ORGANIC chicken and beef that have no hormones or steroids or antibiotics; preferably again
organically fed.
I recently made a commitment to eat VEGAN once again, for several reasons. You can't really trust the USDA that what they have "certified" as organic truly is indeed organic. Recently we discovered that the milk we've been drinking for the last 2 years might not have been organic; even though it was labeled and sold as such. (Don't buy Costco, Trader Joe's or any store brand that was supplied by Aurora.)
However, MOST recently, I have had a reoccurrence of my breast cancer; not in my breast however, a few tiny spots in my lungs. They were caught EARLY and the prognosis is EXCELLENT. I am now on Xeloda, which is a chemo pill. I have since discovered that SOY INCREASES ESTROGEN LEVELS DRAMATICALLY. The studies in 2005 were inconclusive, but now there is no question. I have learned a valuable lesson. DON'T RELY ON INFORMATION IN THE PAST! STAY ON TOP OF NEW RESEARCH AND INFORMATION. If I had done so, I most likely would not be faced with the challenge of my cancer coming back. So, I am at the moment not vegan, but am looking in to what other alternatives are available besides soy in that diet. Thus far, as far a margarine, creamers, alternative yogurts, cheese, sour creams, cream cheese, etc. it's ALL ABOUT SOY. For the time being I have a small amount of organic chicken and a little organic half and half in my tea (my comfort food). I still feel that being "vegan" is preferable as it is much healthier and environmentally friendly. But for the time being until I find alternatives that I know are safe and do not cause estrogen in the body, I will eat mainly as a vegan with occasional organic chicken in small amounts.
If you must use dairy ONLY use ORGANIC and avoid anything from Aurora or even Horizon, because they have been found to be untrustworthy. I've found the best brand for organic dairy is the Organic Valley brand because it is a co-op of small farms rather than a huge factory farm such as Aurora. It's all a matter of choice, but you should take control of your life and take charge, no matter what you decide.
My advise is to not roll over and let the cancer kill you but to fight with all your might. Be proactive and do
whatever you can to win! REALLY! Have the attitude that you are going to WIN! And visualize it!
There is usually at best a 5% chance of survival with this type of cancer, at stage 4, and I'm thrilled to report that all my recent tests were negative for cancer!
Additionally, I have
now just undergone Reconstructive Surgery and am healing wonderfully! So there are so many things to be thankful for!
During this last year I have written a number of songs which I am now recording which I hope will encourage people to fight for their lives, have hope and not give up and to cherish and appreciate the lives they have! I am
also actively painting again. I hope I will be able to contribute many positive things to those around me and society, through the talents I have as well as other resources.
My main focus in life is to continue to be cancer free and to help and encourage others to do so as well; to fight and win. Obviously there's much more about me. If you'd like to see various causes I support you can go in to my heros section. later
.... THIS IS A LINK TO check out my "Breast Cancer Friends" listed in my HEROES blog ....BELOW ARE LINKS to Cancer Information in my blog:
FREE RADICALS The Pros and Cons of Antioxidants
Pros and Cons of Antioxidant Use During Radiation Therapy
Agaricus blazei ANTI CANCER SUPPLEMENT! Articles 1-3
Agaricus blazei ANTI CANCER SUPPLEMENT! Articles 4-6
Why Melatonin Fights Breast Cancer (Various Aricles)
OTHER ALTERNATIVES I used to FIGHT and BEAT my Stage 4 Breast Cancer! ..CANCER FIGHTING Foods / Spices (With link to information about Vitamin B17)
Killing Cancer Cells With pH Therapy
MODUCARE: Strengthening and Balancing Your Immune System
AHCC - Immune System Enhancer Helps Fight Cancer
NAC (N-acetyl-L-cysteine) and Its Affect on Cancer
VITAMIN B17 and OTHER CANCER FIGHTING TOOLS
Famous Breast Cancer Survivors
Links to the web:
About INFLAMMATORY BREAST CANCER: THE HIDDEN KILLER
.."The Early Years"... before the kids;-)
I edited my profile with Thomas' Myspace Editor V4