My Wife is Incredible.
No exclamation point necessary. The words are the truth. Many of you know that Melanie has been in treatment for Breast Cancer for several months now. The entire story is hers to tell, but I can share a little of the inspiration for you or someone you care about who this might be applicable for. Melanie, as of this blog post, is five days away from her eighth and final treatment of what was a very aggressive (it’s called “dose dense”) treatment schedule (it was a very aggressive cancer). At this point in the treatment process most people are in pretty bad shape, and they tend to look it. Here is a picture taken this morning of Melanie:
If you didn’t know what she has been going through…you’d never know what she was going through (that’s not a wig by the way). So what is the difference between this picture and the typical picture of someone fighting this issue? Faith and personal responsibility.
Faith and personal responsibility.
First and foremost, her walk with Jesus has been at the center of her decision making and actions. Faith is key, but without the “walk” (which translates to work!) it’s not much good. She took personal responsibility for beating this. She sought and followed the advice of some of the most knowledgeable people in the integrative cancer world, and subsequently did some things that most “normal” Oncologists wouldn’t agree with. She has prayed relentlessly, she eliminated all processed food, dairy, and most grains. She exercises every day she can (the first few days after treatment are tough for her, but she still manages to walk some of those days too), and she takes piles of Antioxidants, immune support nutrients, Omega-3s, VitaminD, Ubiquinone, Enzymes, etc.of the right supplements.
Most Oncologists wouldn’t have agreed with any part of her treatment and definitely not any part of her supplement regime. The standard line is “don’t take antioxidants during chemotherapy.” Really? Don’t give your body the ammunition it needs to fight back? Had she listened to most Oncologists, she would probably look like most Cancer patients.
Had she gone with the traditionally prescribed chemotherapy treatment for her type of malignancy it would have been 18% effective. Yes, you read that correctly (so 82% of women with her type of malignancy getting standard prescribed chemo get no benefit). This statistic comes from one of the top Oncologists in the world. The nature of the system is cookie cutter. But people aren’t cookie dough. They are all unique. And so is the nature of the disease. Most women who get traditional treatment are playing Russian roulette and they don’t know it.
Your body is amazing. If it is treated properly it can do amazing things. The Oncologist in New York who is treating Melanie said “You are killing cancer when you exercise and when you get the right nutrition.” The disease is deadly and treatment is hard, but Melanie is an example that if you practice strong faith and attack back at the disease, your healing process can look a whole lot different than the “status quo.”
For those of you who have friends or family that are struggling, this message is not to make you feel bad, but to offer hope. I am not insensitive to the devastation that this disease can bring on families. I watched my Father die from it and my brother die from it’s complications. Neither of them had a chance. They didn’t know what was outside of the box. Nothing is set in stone.
Melanie’s faith and subsequent strength is humbling to me. Her tests are all coming back clear. If someone has no other option than to follow the treatment plan of their Oncologist, I understand. However they only treat you every 3 weeks usually (Melanie was every two weeks which is much harder on the body). You treat yourself every day. Pray, Read the word and other positive material, eat only quality foods (no processed), fill your body with high quality supplements, and exercise. You can kick some cancer butt if your’e willing to go all out and be responsible for doing all you can.
One more note for all of us who don’t have a diagnosis…when you find Cancer in the body? It’s been growing for 7 to 10 years already. It is best to take care of the body NOW the same way you would if you had a diagnosis (it doesn’t have to be as extreme). Feel free to forward this to anyone who is in the fight, and if they want to send any questions I’ll answer what I can. My email is tburrier@gmail.com
Thank you Melanie for the example you are setting and the inspiration you are. I love you.
