Cancer Influences

Cancer Influences People in many ways. This picture of me was taken in June of 2011. I had just attended the funeral of my grandfather who had passed away at the age of 94. And in my lap is my cousin Lexi, who at the time was only a few months old. How ironic was it that I was getting exposure to the end of one life, the beginning of a new life and an unknown transition in my own life all at the same time.

Though my cancer diagnosis was only a few months away, I was leading a pretty carefree life. I had just visited Nashville, TN with a good friend and was looking forward to the coming festivities that fall would bring with Thanksgiving and later Christmas.

Consulting a physician for the irregularities I was experiencing led to testing and on the evening of September 15th, 2011, I was told at 9:30 p.m. that I had cancer. And like everyone else that you read about and know in person, I too, was shocked and couldn’t believe it.

What Cancer Meant to Me

Until you go through it yourself, you can’t imagine how it feels to be told that you are not only sick but have that dreaded word: CANCER. There is no pat reaction because everyone is different. However, speaking for myself, I felt incredibly dirty. I never thought: What did I do to deserve this? I never blamed anyone, especially God.  But rather: What did I do to make it happen? What behavior did I engage in that triggered it into action? I took on an incredible amount of self blame. I wondered if my processed diet and lack of natural foods had any connection at all.

Facing Facts

We live in an information gorged age. There is no shortage of available information on an endless number of topics. Cancer is most definitely among them. From a fairly young age, I had always heard about proper diet and exercise as a means to a healthier life. But like most young people, I thought these warnings and recommendations applied to others or certainly people who were predisposed to cancer. Because I felt just fine and had plenty of energy, I never thought of myself as being vulnerable to sickness – ever.

My closest relative that had dealt with breast cancer was my grandmother’s sister. I knew this as soon as I was told I had to start getting mammograms. Armed with this knowledge, I felt quite safe and secure that breast cancer would never be something with which I should be concerned.

But the facts were that exercise was something I did on a sporadic basis at best and my diet was nothing to brag about. Because I disliked cooking, my meals were quick and easy – usually supplied by a microwave or worse yet, a quick bowl of cereal.

The Natural Challenge 

Now it’s almost five years later and life has brought me a great deal of changes, not the least of which is a husband. So diet now has an even more important role in my life, because it isn’t just about me any more, it’s about “us.”

To be absolutely honest, transitioning into a healthier diet is NOT EASY. In fact, it’s a huge challenge. Going grocery shopping as a couple presents an endless number of choices.

The food industry makes it so incredibly easy to make the wrong choices because the processed foods that we have all eaten at one time or another is so easily and cheaply obtained. How easy is it to pick up a box of X, put it in the microwave and know that in 3 to 5 minutes…dinner is served?

 

Transitioning to Natural

It was only recently that I was exposed to a film called: Forks Over Knives. Below is the trailer for it and if you have Netflix, I HIGHLY recommend viewing it. Do I think giving up the foods I have known all my life will be an easy thing to do? ABSOLUTELY NOT. However, I know that if I hope to lead a more energetic, pain-free and healthier life I have to open my mind to new things and that means trying new foods as well.

 

We have as the tagline for our business: “A Better Way to Live” because with each passing day we see the importance of leaving the processed life and embracing a more natural one.

With God’s help, it is our intent to serve as a guide to show you things we discover along the way and arm you with the knowledge you need to make better decisions and find A BETTER WAY TO LIVE.

What ways would you try to go natural?