“Cancer Sucks”
Yesterday one of my dear friends from childhood called me to tell me her mother (my second mom) was just diagnosed with cancer. Then an hour or so later, one of my clients called to let me know her mom, who she had told me less than 2 weeks ago was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, died while she was holding her hand.
These calls are not foreign to anyone reading this article. We hear about cancer so much that we start to get numb. We have high hopes, then we hear another story and our hopes just drop. We start to question why this is happening to this person or that person. Why…Because Cancer Sucks!
My favorite uncle was one of the coolest guys I had ever known, so when he passed away from colon cancer my family was devastated… RIP Ol’ Dude. Cancer Sucks!
My Best Friend that grew up next door to me was diagnosed with breast cancer 2 ½ years ago, I am grateful she is a strong fighter but it still hurts to see your bestie lose both of her breast and endure 32 rounds of radiation. Cancer Sucks!
My mentor Mrs. Rodgers had never smoked a day in her life and did not drink. She was my track coach and our High School basketball and volleyball coach. We remained in touch from my childhood to her passing two years ago. She worked out regularly and looked the pillar of health. She was very active, even just prior to her passing and was always a conscious healthy eater. So why did she get lung cancer? Because Cancer Sucks!
My high school sweetheart is a retired veteran, he complained many times about his head feeling like things were crawling in it, they made him think he was crazy until he was diagnosed with a rare stage four blood cancer. He has endured many painful treatments for the last 4 years. Cancer Sucks!
I can’t begin to name the countless clients who have been diagnosed with cancer and are surviving, however we did have two clients who passed away from stomach and breast cancer. I attended both of their funerals and I still keep in touch with their families. I tell you Cancer Sucks!
This is just my personal experience. The conversations, the heartache and the pain of a loss, will never get easy but don’t lose hope and don’t stop living. I share all of this with you so you can get an ideas of how important it is to be in the best optimal health you can because you never know when you may personally be in the ring fighting some form of cancer. We must work together to bring awareness not just in the month of October but every day, throughout the year. I urge you to get your annual physical, mammograms, colonoscopies, prostate, eye and dental examinations, etc. Lastly, I encourage you to fall in love with your body, know your body inside and out. More people notice something different happening to their bodies like my high school sweetheart, be persistent even if people don’t believe you. Do your monthly breast examinations and know for certain if something feels new or is this part of your beautiful body.
And continue to do the things I always stress you should do, because they fight of certain cancers and promote overall good health:
- Drink plenty of water – it will reduce the risk of bladder cancer by diluting the concentration of cancer-causing agents in urine and helping to flush them through the bladder faster. Of course alkaline water is better.
- Load up on green greens – the darker the greens the better . The chlorophyll that gives them their color is loaded with magnesium, which studies have found lowers the risk of colon cancer in women. So like Popeye says “eat your spinach” Eating a healthy spinach salad with strawberries will get you a smiley face.
- Exercise – moderate exercise such as brisk walking 2 hours a week cuts the risk of breast cancer by 18%. Regular workouts may lower your risks by helping burn fat which produces its own estrogen, a known contributor to breast cancer. You can get in a bootcamp, a class or personal training session at TFC to assist you with a regular workout plan.
- Block cancer – working out outdoors is great, you get vitamin D and fresh air. But don’t forget to protect against skin cancer by using sunscreen and hats.
- Drop 10 pounds – being overweight or obese accounts for 20% of all cancer deaths among women and 14% among men. Plus, losing excess pounds reduces the body’s production of female hormones, which may protect against breast cancer, endometrial cancer and ovarian cancer. A healthy meal plan and exercise routine can assist you with this.
Cancer Sucks, death sucks! Know this, if cancer strikes and we believe in and love ourselves, let our family and friends help us, and realize life is what we make it, things might not be the same but they still can be wonderful. Cancer can strike anyone however, give yourself more than a fighting chance to prevent it, with a healthy lifestyle and share the same with family and friends. No Mess
