JoAnne's Blog

Living With Cancer!

I have just recently read about a lady named Kris Karr who was diagnosed in 2003 with a stage 1V cancer of which there is no treatment. To this day, she is vibrant and healthy looking.  She is choosing to monitor carefully what she eats and how she lives.  What a testimony for those living with this disease!

I, too, am living proof that one can live a relatively normal and healthy life with cancer.  I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, Stage 3, aggressive, in 2001 and decided not to take conventional treatment.  For the next 2 years, I continued to teach kindergarten.  I had never felt better as I changed my diet completely, to an almost vegan diet, and altered my lifestyle to be less stressful and include more relaxation.  A 2nd CT scan, four months later, showed that indeed my tumours were shrinking. 

Then, I retired as an elementary school teacher and we moved to B.C. from Ontario. For the next 3 years, I worked in a preschool, travelled to Israel, and enjoyed the arrival of my four grandchildren.

In 2006, I did end up taking chemotherapy.  You can read more about this in my book "TWICE Lessons, Insights and Healing from Cancer.  The point of this blog is to encourage those who are or will be diagnosed with cancer.  Cancer is not always a death sentence.  Cancer can be beaten or at the very least you can live with it.  So never give up! 

 

 

Words Carry Power

“We are masters of the unsaid words, but slaves of those we let slip out.”- Winston Churchill

How many times have we said something and then wished we hadn't?  I believe it is especially important to watch what we say when we have a cancer diagnosis or any type of disease.   When we think and speak negatively, it affects how we act and view any situation.  Take for instance the person who has been told, after a cancer diagnosis, that he/she has only a certain amount of time left to live.  True to the doctors words, often people will die within the given time frame.  Why is that?   No one can really know; but I believe that they took those words "to heart".  Perhaps, they felt hopeless.  Speaking negatively about a situation just comes naturally to us because it is human nature. To speak positively about a situation requires a deliberate decision.  What we need to understand is that whatever we say is a reflection of our heart attitude.  In other words, our words are simply an overflow of what is in our heart.  If I am going to think poorly about my situation, I will speak poorly about it.  On the other hand, if I think positively about my situation, I will speak positively about it. 

There is good advice here as well for the person who is supporting someone.  Be careful that you do not speak negative thoughts that would place an extra burden on the one who is ill.  Be ready with positive words that will strengthen and encourage.

Hello and Welcome!

"You Have Cancer!"  No one wants to hear these three words.  No matter what you may or may not think, your life is about to change.  From this point on, you will be faced with many decisions.  It is important for you to have people around you to support you with whatever you decide.  Never forget that it is your life and you need to choose what is best for you.  I know because I have had cancer twice, cervical cancer and non-hodgkins lymphoma.  I have had natural and conventional treatments.  I learned about many things to support my healing and this blog tells about some of these things.  My biggest advice to you or anyone you know who has cancer is to not be afraid.  Stay positive.  Live your life.  Be quick to forgive and love those around you.  Laugh.  Cancer is not the end; it is just the beginning.

What an amazing clip! So inspiring. Never give up!