April has always been my favourite month of the year, after all, it’s my birth month, but it’s also the month I got my cancer diagnosis and so it has even more significance now. April 2023 is the month that changed my life forever.
On April 19, a week before my birthday, an ultrasound revealed a mass that the sonographer on duty was convinced was malignant. On April 28, the day after my birthday, I was on the operating table removing the lump. Turns out the sonographer was right, I had Stage Two invasive carcinoma of the right breast.
Nothing prepares you for the emotional roller coaster you experience in the days and months that follow. At the time, I was living in Antigua, away from my homeland Jamaica, away from family and my circle of friends – feeling alone, stressed, and in fear. It was a deep fear of the unknown, a fear that as the only remaining child of my ailing 86-year-old mother, brought a reality check that said she could be left to live out her golden years all alone. Yet the worst was the fear coming from the doctors that you turn to for help. The surgeon who removed the lump called me at 7:00am a week later to drive home the point that there should be no delays in treating this condition. “Cancer is not to be played with” he said. Time is of the essence here, you need to come in and make arrangements for a mastectomy as soon as possible”.
By then, I had gotten to the point in my research where I understood that there were far more treatment options available than the very scary and invasive ones I was being offered and I decided I was going to give myself time to explore those options. I read everything I could find to understand the condition. I watched videos, listened to podcasts, and talked to cancer survivors about their experiences. It was important for me to understand what I would be facing and more importantly what caused this condition. So many questions. How was I going to get the answers I desired? I got very still. I turned within and sought guidance and direction from The Most High One.
From thereon, the most amazing synchronicities happened. All the people, the information and the resources required to deal with this crisis were made available. Every day wasn’t easy and admittedly I had my moments of doubt and a few bouts of depression too, but for the most part I was committed to keeping a positive attitude and trusting in that still small voice.
I chose the “road less travelled” and went with mainly what most would describe as alternative treatments. Nine months into treatment, a PET CT scan showed “no evidence of disease (NED). At 18 months, after another round of testing, I received the wonderful news from my primary doctor that I was officially in remission.
The path I chose was not easy but it’s a decision I’m particularly proud of. It took courage to go against the grain, but faced with this situation again, there are very few things I would change. I am grateful for cancer. I can say with absolute certainty that it changed my life. Cancer saved my life.
My approach may not be for you. You may choose to remain on the side of convention, and that’s ok. Here’s what I want your takeaway to be. You cannot heal from cancer addressing the physical symptoms only – it must be a holistic approach where you go beyond the results of the scans, the blood work, the surgeries and the medicines. You have to find and address all the pieces that make up the underlying cause – be it mental, emotional or lifestyle.
For me, it was a combination of all three.
I held on to childhood trauma, I operated with chronic stress most days, I had poor sleep habits, and my food choices were often questionable. Additionally, as all of us are, there’s a plethora of toxins that I was (and still am) exposed to daily. These are all contributors to cancer and so to really achieve complete healing, we must take a comprehensive approach.
This April, as I celebrate two years cancer-free, I give thanks for this gift of life and all that has come with it. Along the way, a new version of me has evolved, and today I’m physically, mentally and spiritually so much stronger than when I started this journey.
The Most High has granted me more time and I am committed to show my gratitude by living by His laws and continuing the work of healing my temple.
I’m choosing to share my story. If it resonates and helps even one person to better navigate their own healing journey, then my work would
have been done.
More anon
