“Cancer gave me this gift.” A Live Again Story by Rosalyn Palmer
Rosalyn Palmer used to run a highly successful public relations agency with high profile clients including some of the most renown personal development coaches including Brandon Bays, Robert Holden, and motivational guru Tony Robbins. Her life changed 13 years ago when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, an experience that lead to her spiritual awakening. This is her Live Again Story:
“I was diagnosed 13 years ago on the day before Good Friday. I was living in Nassau in the Bahamas where you have to have private medical healthcare. We had a good private policy which gave me a once-a-year ‘well woman’ check. In the February I had a mammogram and been given the all clear but almost immediately I felt a lump. Because I’d had the all clear I waited for five weeks then I presented myself to the doctor. He wasn’t happy and sent me to hospital the next day for an ultrasound. Although I was feeling in very good health on the whole, with hindsight I realized that my immune system was running down. I was super-fit and would run 5 km every morning and go to the gym, but since about January I’d noticed that I was having to break my run with intermittent walking as I was tired. Even when I went for the ultrasound I was thinking it was probably just a cyst. But Bahamians are quite emotional and afterwards the nurse grabbed my hand and said: ‘Live every day as if it’s your last!’ And I was like, ‘Oh God, is this something serious then?’ I hadn’t even taken anyone to hospital with me. They asked me to come in the next day for a biopsy. My husband went with me and four days later I was told that it was cancer.
I was in complete shock. The next day we went away on holiday to Eleuthera — an outer island. I went to a church service and it was all about death; it was Good Friday and all of a sudden I thought: ‘Oh, my God, I’m going to die.’ I couldn’t stop crying. I had youngish kids at the time so I had to be really practical and we had to look at lots of options really quickly.
We did a lot of research and I ended up going to the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, which was absolutely outstanding. The Moffitt is an independent clinic whereas I felt that some of the other hospitals were in the pockets of the pharmaceutical companies (my niece was doing a PHD at the time and was in Washington DC and had access to lots of online research.
I was into very holistic health and tried not to even take headache tablets; I wanted to know that I was going somewhere where they would listen to me and I could make good choices, rather than having some chemotherapy-focused regime.
Three weeks later I was on the operating table. My initial diagnosis, of invasive lobular carcinoma, was not good. My Bahamian doctor advised a double mastectomy and the Moffitt carried out further tests. They have one of the most advanced breast MRI machines in the world and found five lumps in addition to the one confirmed as cancer across both breasts. They recommended double mastectomy, chemo and radiation treatment. Because of my young kids (who were back in the Bahamas) I had an appointment with the plastic surgeon straight away and the operation was booked in for a few days.
I suddenly started to feel very bulldozed by it all. I went to a local church in Tampa and passed out. I later found out that all the people in my home church in the Bahamas had been praying for me at the same time. I came out of the church and thought: ‘I just don’t think all those other lumps are cancer.’ I had a complete certainty about it. So I rang the hospital and they said they’d biopsy each new lump one after the other. They said that if all five were not positive then I would have defied all odds.And basically I did defy the odds. I had five biopsies and every one came back negative.I had a lumpectomy and bracheotherapy radiation.
We moved to Eleuthera and rented a 10 acre organic farm on a pink sand beach. For two years we lived on the land and sea. I distilled Noni juice. I meditated, read, watched positive movies. It was one of the most amazing and uplifting times of my life and I recovered fully. Sadly six months after my diagnosis my mother was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. My father had had a stroke. I spent two years visiting hospitals for my treatment or to see my father or support my mother. It changed everything in my life. I was sadly unable to continue in my marriage or living overseas. I returned to the UK and after a short time I moved into Charity Marketing (my background is Marcomms.).
I had been given a book when I discovered the cancer — Pain, The Gift No One Wants — about leprosy. I worked with The Leprosy Mission and helped people throughout the world. I felt that the cancer was all for a reason. It woke me up to my spiritual calling. It changed everything and now I’m a Rapid Transformational Therapist and I help people with all issues and I am compassionate and positive. Cancer gave me this gift. It is a gift. I thank it. I also was angry that it took my mother from me. What I know is that everyone’s cancer journey is their own. Mine is positive. Others may not be. But there is support and hope in most places.”
Rosalyn Palmer is now a Rapid Transformational therapist with specialty in hyponotherapy, having trained under the world renown hypnotherapist, Marisa Peer. She helps those with all health and wellbeing challenges, particularly ones that are a result of a success-driven lifestyle. She helps those who want to be free from pain and who yearn to find balance and joy once more. Find out more about her services at www.rosalynpalmerhypno.com.
