The Most Intense Summer of My Life

On June 23, 2011 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It is the single biggest event that has ever happened to me in my entire life.

My original intention was to treat my cancer entirely by naturopathic means. I've read many amazing stories of triumph, survival and healing through this course. And I felt as though everything I had ever studied in my adult life had prepared me for the journey. Underneath it all though, I was terrified.

I am blessed enough to have a most gifted healer and naturopathic doctor as a part of my family. With her guidance, I immediately began a supplemental treatment protocol, and made drastic changes to my diet. Then I headed off for Pittsburgh, so I could receive an aggressive accupuncture protocol that has been proving in many cases to cure cancer. I felt confident that I had everything under control.

Prior to leaving for Pittsburgh, I had an MRI run and received the test results while I was away. It turned out that the cancer looked to be a little more aggressive than we anticipated. I think I spent a full 12 hours crying. Wondering why. Being angry. Feeling devastated. All the raw emotions which were barely beneath the surface from the time I originally received the diagnosis came rushing forth. Within minutes of hearing the results from my test though, I decided that the previously suggested double mastectomy was the best course of action.

While I still have full faith that cancer can be healed naturally, I also have children and a family who desparately need my strength and guidance. I felt like those test results took away a lot of time that allowed me to feel comfortable pursuing natural treatments and monitoring their effectiveness.

On July 21, four days shy of my 34th birthday, I had a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. The was 24 days ago. And I feel pretty darn good.

In fact, I feel better than I have in my whole life.

My test results have all come back clear. The pathology report was very good. The body scan was completely negative for any and all cancers. I am cancer free. Mind you, I still have an appointment to consult with an oncologist. I am not a fool and believe it is wise to gather as much information as possible from multiple sources about the type of cancer I had and sit in peace with that knowledge to make the decision that is best for me.

The rest of my life is dedicated to remaining cancer free through a preventative mind/body/spirit protocol that I am in the process of laying out.

As crazy as it sounds, I stand in gratitude to the divine for blessing me with this crazy turn in my journey. This disease drove me to make much needed changes in my life - physically, mentally/emotionally, and spiritually. Without it, I feel I would have continued to remain lost.

I have been blessed with the opportunity to recreate myself from the ground up. To choose everyday, what is in my best interest, how to live life to its fullest, how to care for myself holistically. I've remembered how to dance and how to pray, how to meditate and how to write. I'm learning how to love without expectation from myself or anyone else.

When I was 18, I realized that my divine mission in this incarnation was to use my voice and my words to show others how they can transform their world. Over the years, I have truly connected with the mind/body/spirit trinity and known that this was to be the cornerstone of my teachings. But until now, I've only really studied this on an intellectual level. This gift from God has given me the opportunity to experience first hand what it means to evolve my own world. And for that I am truly grateful.