I’m in the process of learning to transition from all the trauma and tragedy that came into my life because of breast cancer and get back to the art of living. It’s a real challenge. But it’s doable.
First of all, I have to begin by telling you I’m a Christian. Throughout my entire ordeal with cancer, my faith has been the single most important thing that’s gotten me through it. Without God, there is no way I’d be where I am today. With that being said, let me give you a verse of Scripture that has carried me through my quest for complete restorative health: “I sought the Lord [on the authority of His word], and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears.” Psalm 34:4 Satan wanted me to live in constant fear, fear of recurrence, fear of the unknown, fear of all the “what ifs.” God wanted me to live in freedom!
I have to give you some background information if you haven’t been following my blog since its inception: In June 2014, I was diagnosed with stage 2B Invasive Ductal Carcinoma Breast Cancer. It had also metastasized into my lymphatic system. As most women who receive this type of news, I was dumbfounded and shocked. I immediately thought my life was over. I thought I’d been handed a death sentence. I assumed I was going to have to go through the normal protocol of conventional medicine which would include chemotherapy, radiation, and adjuvant therapy. It was a lot to take in and I was pretty overwhelmed. I began to pray asking God for wisdom and direction. I didn’t know what to do. The doctors were telling me what I should do, but I had to seek direction from the Great Physician, God. I wanted to do exactly what He wanted me to do.
I was very blessed to have an oncologist who was very open and honest with me. While talking with him about the recommended treatment plan, I was surprised to hear him say he would NOT recommend chemotherapy for me. He explained there had been a lot of research done lately on the pros and cons of chemotherapy and research was indicating that chemotherapy did more harm than good. I was thankful to hear him make a recommendation against chemo. I knew the horrible side effects that would come from dumping all those nasty chemicals into my body. The next course of treatment he recommended was surgery and radiation. I began to pray about both of those and received a wonderful peace from God. After 28 rounds of radiation, my doctor said I did not need to continue any more radiation treatments. The original plan called for 33 rounds and 5 boosts at the end of treatment but I had responded so well, the plan was changed. Once again, I thanked God for this good news.
Adjuvant therapy was recommended and I tried 3 different medications. The first one was Arimidex, an aromatase inhibitor, the second, Tamoxifen, and the third, Aromasin, another aromatase inhibitor. All of those medications caused me to have severe side effects and I ended up abruptly stopping each one after two to three weeks of treatment. I continued to see the Lord on whether or not I was to take any of these medicines and I felt Him speaking to my heart and telling me no.
And that brings us up to today. I’ve been cancer free since July 9, 2014. I completed my radiation treatments in November 2014. In mid January, I took the last anti-hormone medication and now, I’m trusting God completely to guide me through the rest of my life. I feel very strongly that He is calling me to make some radical changes in the way I eat and move. Today, I’ve spent the last several hours researching alternative treatments to breast cancer. The treatments I’ve found include diet and nutrition but also include stress reduction and supplements.
There’s a young man, Chris Wark, who was diagnosed ten years ago with colon cancer. Chris is also a Christian and began seeking God when he was first diagnosed. He also refused chemotherapy. With radical changes to his diet and lifestyle, Chris has lived cancer free for many years. He has a lot of information about his alternative treatment plan and the choices he made regarding diet, supplements and exercise. I’ve read everything he’s written, watched all of his videos, and have read between the lines too. Everything he shared makes complete sense! I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that it was no coincidence that I found all of this information today. I am a firm believer that God’s timing is always perfect.
Modern medicine pushes breast cancer patients to follow a set plan of conventional therapy. Whenever we choose to deviate from the plan, we receive opposition. When I notified my oncologist that I was not going to take the adjuvant therapy any longer, he sounded displeased with me, but the decision was mine…it was my body and I knew that treatment was not right for me, so I went against medical advice.
I made some huge choices today based on all the research I’ve done thus far. My family will probably think I’ve gone off the deep end and I’m making too many radical changes in my life. But, as the old adage goes, desperate times call for desperate measures. These are desperate times in my life because I want to live! Not only do I want to live, I want to live the very best life I can live and that calls for making huge changes.
The first thing I’m going to do is purchase a high quality juicer and I’m going to begin juicing with organic vegetables. I’m going to pummel my body with wonderful, natural, healthy vitamins and minerals. After I’ve juiced for several weeks, I’ll introduce a lot of raw vegetable salads into my diet. Those salads will be topped with healthy sprouts and organic olive oil and vinegar. Next will come organic berries, fruits and nuts. I’m so excited, I can hardly wait to begin flooding my body with life giving nutrients.
I am claiming that God has already completely healed me. He is Jehovah Raphe, the Lord my healer. I’m shifting my thinking from maybe I’m healed to I’m completely healed…I’m healthy and I’m well. I’m going to claim that daily.
As I focus on God’s way to ultimate health, I’m also going to focus more on being thankful. Gratitude is the best attitude I could ever have! I have so very much to be thankful for. I’m also going to set up some strong boundaries. Stress is one of the most horrible detriments to good health, so I’ll be focusing on keeping all stress at bay. Negative thinking is another, so you can bet your bottom dollar that I’ll have a good strong fence set up against that one, too.
So yes, I had cancer, but I don’t have it any more! Yes, it had a huge hold on my life for a short period of time, but not any more. I’m taking my life back and I’m going to work hard on making it even healthier than it ever was before. I believe God allowed cancer to be the gift to help me see things more clearly in my life and for that I’m very thankful.
I’m so excited. I have a great plan and I’m ready to transition from being a cancer survivor into a thriver. I’m looking foward to feeling better and giving my body exactly what it needs to become stronger and more healthy. I’m on the road to freedom…freedom from fear, freedom from sickness and from disease. And now, I’m off to shop for a good juicer. Wish me luck!
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