Remission is a word I refuse using when sharing my experience with breast cancer. I declare full healing and say I’m cured even though society is conditioned to believe there is no cure.
We are always running for the cures, especially for breast cancer. We see that pink ribbon logo and believe, “There is no cure.” Running for the Cure is a powerful slogan and feels like we are on a hamster wheel.
I am cured 8 years now. I believe saying it makes an impact.
People who are healed from cancer can choose to replace the word remission and the phrase No Evidence of Disease ( NED) with the word cured.
Remission is a fear-appealing word and does not allow us to feel something great! We can thank God for the blessing of healing throughout our life.
Many people, mostly women diagnosed with cancer, reach out to me because of my successful cancer journey. I get a SUPER HIGH VOLUME of messages from my websites and via Facebook messenger. I appreciate all your letters of congratulations, and most of them are letters inquiring the details of how I beat stage 4 breast cancer without chemotherapy. They share what they are going through with me; heart and soul, and I feel privileged that you trust me.
If someone wants to discuss my cancer journey, I will do so via Skype or FB video. Eye contact and body language are necessary to build “mutual” trust and respect.
Since I rarely am afforded the time to reply to messages in writing, I try to answer multitude of frequently asked questions whenever I do video LIVES on Facebook. (I have a video album of my FB LIVES if you want to catch one you missed.)
CANCER TREATMENT IN MY LIFE
I have ” battled” breast cancer twice, stage 3 and stage 4. My diagnosis was HER 2 Negative, Estrogen, and Progesterone Positive. Every choice of treatment I made was tough for me to face because it’s not easy deciding how to save your life. July 19, 2006, I was diagnosed with stage III breast cancer and chose the bilateral Mastectomy recommendation from University of WA medical team. There were complications with the surgery of staph infection, so I was too sick to do chemo or radiation. I did not even do hormone blockers. However, I integrated alternative therapies afterward at a clinic in AZ ( It’s no longer there), and by May 2008, I was deemed cancer-free!
The following year October 2009, I developed a chronic cough and was suffering from chest pain. I was diagnosed with costochondritis and asthma. The prescribed anti-inflammatory treatments and asthma therapies were ineffective, and by July 2010, a biopsy to my sternum confirmed I was, in fact, dealing with a recurrence of metastatic disease. The breast cancer had spread quickly to my bones and all lobes of my lungs. I was in trouble! I went to a UCLA oncologist, so of course, all they could prescribe was the usual, radiation to my sternum, chemo and hormone blockers. I was only able to do 22 radiation treatments out of the 40 they had planned for me. We ceased treatment because my coughing prevented me from laying on my back and holding still on the table for radiation.
September 2011, my UCLA oncologist said I was too sick to do chemo because I had a staph infection. UCLA gave me 3-12 months to live. That was frightening to hear. However, I’m not a quitter.
Today, 8 years later, I am healthy and cancer-free thanks to my decision to go to CMN hospital for alternative cancer treatment. Getting there was not easy and It took a few months to raise money with my friends to get there. We did it, though and Crossing that border made easy by staying in Yuma, Arizona the first night ~ allowing CMN to Uber us there by Hospital Van on Monday Morning 🙂
The Francine Brown Blog 🙂
CMN hospital is in Mexico, so that was another tough decision because I felt dependent on foreigners to save my life and relieve me of that 3-12 month death sentence. I prayed each day in their chapel for healing, I prayed for other patients in the hospital, trying to get well. I made the choice of going to CMN without a single patient testimonial of survival, but I liked the hospital, the doctors, the history, and I trusted my intuition. Once I chose, I did not complicate things by clicking away at my keyboard searching for survivors to talk to about what they did to get well.
Times have changed a lot since then. Hospitals and clinics are getting out their video cameras for patient video testimonials to post on their websites. Many of the patients are approached before they even finish cancer treatment at the hospital or clinic.
I’ve always thought this was exploitive and unethical.
The marketing strategy works because it gives hope even though people are not getting the entire story of each patient’s cancer journey.
Many women who are healed from cancer struggle with fear of it returning again. They are compelled to research on the newest, latest diets, supplements and cannot relax. Having cancer traumatized them, they want to be safe and make sure it does not come back. Sadly many have lost the joy of many things in life; cancer changed them. They are not sure what to eat, drink, or allow them to touch their skin. Does it have chemicals, pesticides, etc.? Almost all conversations revolve around cancer. I know relationships have been affected by it. Lives get altered and are never the same again. There is a stigma attached to cancer.
SELF-COMPASSION
Some women share with me that they are doing 5-6 coffee enemas a day and are too afraid to stop; this is their new norm. I am sad when I hear a woman say they have been doing it for a couple years. I understand the method and how it detoxes the liver, but an excess of anything is not good. Juicing falls in that category too for many. Many are afraid just to eat a regular meal a couple days a week.
My focus as a life coach for women is helping them heal emotionally. I provide my clients with tools and activities to develop self-awareness and recognizing old beliefs that could be sabotaging their own happiness. Many are learning the importance of self-compassion.
WE ARE UNIQUE
We are not clones and are so unique from one another. You could sit in a crowded place all day long, every single day and would agree with me on that. No two people walking by would look like any other. I grew up in a big family and am a twin. Even she learned how different we were from each other. We both got cancer and healed completely. However, we healed differently. I had complications with surgery of infection every single time. She did not. We cannot compare our health & possible outcomes of any cancer treatment with others who seemingly have the same cancer diagnosis.
Emotional healing from past traumas is vital in overcoming cancer regardless of your cancer treatment choice for your body. Our soul is here for a purpose -and getting sick is a wake-up call or a call to action to get busy healing emotionally and to reduce stress. Most women don’t realize how extraordinary they are And just need to learn how to see themselves the way God sees them. I like to show women precisely, and it is a blessing for me to watch them transform so beautifully.
DELAY
Many women delay because they are overwhelmed by so many clinic choices, and all the testimonials they find themselves listening to you. Some women tell me they are waiting for a sign from God, and I’m not talking about just a few weeks. If they had a child with cancer, they need to ask themselves how they would handle decisions for their treatment.
Delaying treatment is a risk.
There is a reasonable time needed to get 2nd and 3rd opinions on treatment. Many have been delaying by self-treating for months or longer. Often the delay is for social events, weddings, graduations, summer vacation, pre-planned trips, birthdays, etc. It feels good to avoid treatment and go on with life as usual, not making cancer the #1 priority.
I tried delaying because I was just scared of the unknown. It took my best friend Heather Rayburn who was always straight with me. We raised the money to also get me to CMN Hospital, and then I tried stalling with reasons such as my birthday and Valentines Day. She snapped me out of my denial stage. She said, “We raised money for you to get cancer treatment and so help me God we will give it to someone else who wants to fight for their life if you are not going now! My delay excuses were ridiculous.
Denial is one of the cancer grief stages we go through.
Many blame themselves and want to fix what they think they did to cause the cancer by drastically changing their diet and avoiding treatment. The delay puts you at a higher risk for metastasis. Delaying impacts success when you finally do decide to get to a doctor for treatment. It’s unfair to put the blame on the treating doctor if your body does not respond favorably to treatment.
SUPPORT GROUPS-PSEUDO DOCTORS
I exited many women’s cancer FB groups. I did not like reading comments where a survivor shared her success story, and then someone responded maliciously. They had the opposite response to treatment and are not coping well with fear and anger; I understand it completely. People want to survive, and the emotional roller coaster is fierce. I have compassion for each and every one of you who are trying to heal. I have a unique life coaching program you can get information about that teaches women how to cope better and feel peace about what they are facing. You are not alone. How do you know a prayer is being answered. When obstacles are obvious, think of it as God guiding you and putting a wall up, so you go where you are supposed to. Kind of like a maze. We hit these walls to turn us to where we need to be.
Please contact me if you need help.
One Wildflower ~ Life Coaching
www.onewildflower.com
~Shannon Knight 🙂