I dedicate this to my mother and sister who’ve already fought this battle and won. Thank you for setting the example of strength and grace. I love you both.
Actually, I’m not really that surprised. My mother had it 10 years ago and my sister had it almost 25 years ago at the very young age of 30. At that time cancer was almost surely a death sentence. I cannot even begin to imagine what she was feeling at that time. But my family is strong and resilient and I am happy to report that both mom and Maggie are doing fine.
I really struggled with how much I wanted to tell people or even if I wanted to tell people. This was partly because I was trying to deny and avoid. That’s my usual strategy. My husband would get so mad at me when I would hear a strange noise in my car and “fix” it by turning the volume up on the radio. This was partly because I didn’t want to worry my family. I hate it when my mom worries about me. But mostly, this was because of my ego. I’m a health care provider, for Pete’s sake! I’m not supposed to get cancer. I’m the one who is supposed to help other people get and stay healthy. I worried that I would freak out my patients and that I would lose credibility. But cancer doesn’t care about your job or your ego.
When the diagnosis was confirmed I knew I had to let all of that go. Instead, I’ve decided to go full on out there and be completely transparent in the hopes that my experience will help somebody else. Maybe you have been diagnosed with cancer. Maybe you have a loved one who has been diagnosed with cancer. Maybe you are a healthcare provider who treats those with cancer. I am all of those. I am the daughter, sister, and cousin of cancer survivors. I am an acupuncturist, herbalist, and clinical nutritionist. I am looking at this from many different angles and I’m hoping to offer a different perspective. Perhaps my doctors and some of my acupuncture colleagues will learn something from how I go about treating this with both western medicine and with acupuncture, herbs, and nutrition. I don’t know. I don’t have any expectations. I’m simply sharing my story.
Keep in mind, this is MY story. It may be different from someone else’s story who is also dealing with cancer. Everyone is different and everyone has their own story of their experience. I am never meaning to offend anyone. But let’s be honest, as a Christian who practices acupuncture, reads spiritual books, and is fascinated by the metaphysical, I will probably offend somebody. Just know that it is not intended. Read my story. Take from it whatever you need, whatever speaks to you, and use it however it best serves you. Discard anything that does not resonate with you. Feel free to comment, but know that I will immediately delete any negative remarks.
I truly believe that everything happens for a reason. I believe that God has a plan and that this is just a tiny part of it. I believe that I’ve been given a unique opportunity and I hope to not waste it. Friends, this journey is just beginning and I am already seeing good things come from it. I look forward to sharing it all with you.
Much Love, Yvonne