Hi! I'm Rebecca, and on July 20th, 2017, I was diagnosed with triple positive, grade 3, invasive ductal carcinoma, one of the more aggresive forms of breast cancer.

Cancer brings with it a lot of decisions, especially for someone like me who chooses an integrative path to healing (one that combines conventional and alternative treatments). I was forced to make difficult decisions that NO ONE could make for me, and these were decisions that could literally mean life or death. Those are huge stakes! I kept waiting for someone to tell me what to do, to make the decisions for me, as I had done most of my life. I was waiting for someone to tell me, “Do this and you will be okay.”

Then one day, I had an epiphany: I became aware that I was waiting for this and I realized almost simultaneously that if I did not take charge, I would be waiting forever. This was one of those times in life where no one could make these decisions for me and, even more terrifying, that no one could guarantee the outcome. It was a leap of faith, every decision forcing me to trust myself and my gut a little bit more.

Cancer changed me, in so many ways. Some were negative, but most were quite unexpectedly positive. An absolute flurry of important lessons has been gifted to me (and still are all the time), the most important of which including that true emotional, mental and spiritual growth in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges is possible and can completely shift your perspective and your life in the best ways, if you let it. It is incredibly important to a person’s healing to learn what true kindness to oneself looks like, including how vital it is to have an awareness of your needs and to put the tending of those needs first.

Now, I want to share my experience and my resources so that you can also be inspired to find the right healing path for you (whether you have cancer or are being challenged with something else) and hopefully discover your own positive, valuable lessons. Your health is your own, no one else’s. It is entirely up to you to take charge of it, or not. The helplessness that so many of us feel when faced with obstacles (myself included) is not a mandatory part of the experience, at least not the entire time; you can overcome it. We all have our moments, or our days or weeks, but it is possible to conquer those feelings and take an active, positive role in your health. Call on your own inner light and power. In fact, it is the best and most important thing you can do on your journey to healing. It will make all the difference.