April 15, 2009, I attend a meeting at church for the Cancer Hope Support Network. The group is in its infancy & looking for a model for its structure & to use as it determines how it will function. Various ideas are shared in regard to how it might, specifically, serve cancer patients & their families. I share a few ideas that are welcomed.
Several days before the meeting, I shared with the Pastor in charge that the group might consider the Foundation for Cancer Research & Wellness as a model. I shared their website & some background on their founder, Greg Anderson. He is a lung cancer survivor who was given 30 days to live, after his cancer returned to his remaining lung, in 1984. I also told of their approach to the cancer support ministry. They take a whole-person integrative care approach to cancer support. The web site: http://www.cancerrecovery.org/site/PageServer?pagename=adult_homepage provides links to each of these aspects – Medical, Nutrition, Exercise, Attitude, Support, and Meaning & Purpose – & gives the visitor more information about each category.
In his book Cancer: 50 Essential Things to Do, Anderson briefly describes each of these 8 strategies that cancer survivors have in common, which emerged from interviews with thousands of cancer patients who were supposed to die but didn’t. The integration of these 8 strategies creates the framework for cancer patients to follow in the recovery process: Medical treatment, Social Support, Beliefs & Attitudes, Diet & Nutrition, Exercise, Creative Thinking, Purpose/Play Balance, & Spirituality.
Strategy #1 Medical Treatment: “Over 96% of cancer survivors start & complete a treatment program grounded in conventional medical care. Surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, & immunotherapy – often in combination – are the treatments of choice.
“This much is clear: The overwhelming majority of cancer survivors do undergo conventional medical treatment. This is a critically important message.
“I was both surprised & encouraged by this. I thought I might find survivors using nontraditional methods like exotic diets & ‘secret’ potions. Yes, there were some who subscribe to such alternative approaches. But more than 96 out of 100 patients adopted a treatment plan based on recognized conventional Western medical protocols.
“However, there are 2 extremely important footnotes to this fact. First, survivors demand hard evidence that the suggested treatments are effective, & 2nd, survivors do not stop with conventional medical treatments.
“As you study the ’50 Essential Things,’ you’ll see how survivors literally take charge of the management of their entire medical program: They choose doctors in whom they have confidence; they consent only to treatment programs about which they have convictions; & survivors aggressively integrate complementary & alternative treatment approaches.
“Nutritional programs are common. So, too, is psycho-spiritual work. Survivors are active patients, involved with each decision, making certain that they are fully informed & understand each recovery component. Taking charge of one’s medical treatment program, & the perception of control that follows, is a prominent theme in cancer survivorship.”
Strategy #2 Beliefs & Attitudes: “Do beliefs & attitudes heal? Survivors believe so. Cancer survivors choose beliefs & attitudes about their illness, as well as their potential for wellness, that empower. The most fundamental & empowering belief is that cancer does not equate with death.
“It is sad but true that much of the world still considers cancer & death to be synonymous, but that is not so among survivors.
“However, the majority of survivors are not ‘be-positive-against-all-evidence’ thinkers. They have a refreshing sense of skepticism about ‘just-think-positive’ solutions. Survivors tend to be tough-minded realists, people who clearly understand what cancer may mean. Very few survivors have an attitude that says, ‘No problem. I’m fine. Everything’s going to be all right.’ That’s clearly denial.
“Instead, survivors recognize this truth – cancer may or may not mean death. This intellectual stance carries a vastly different outlook from either the super-positive or hopelessly negative beliefs & attitudes. Survivors believe, ‘Yes, I may die. But I also may live. And I am going to invest my time, whatever the length, in living the best way I know.’ Survival often follows this pronouncement.
“Survivors also tend to hold unique beliefs about their medical treatment. They challenge the conventional thinking about treatment & potential side effects. They choose to conceive of their treatments as highly effective, believing that they will have minimal & manageable side effects. The ’50 Essential Things’ will help you understand & apply these key beliefs & attitudes in your own treatment program.
“You probably will not be surprised to learn that survivors hold another key belief about their role in illness recovery. They believe their active personal involvement is absolutely essential to the recovery process. Survivors have a healthy ‘work ethic.’ They believe wellness is no accident, that it requires effort, & that it is their personal responsibility to make getting well the number one priority in their lives. For the moment, getting well takes precedence over everything. Survivors hold firmly to the belief that what they personally contribute to recovery makes a significant difference.
“’Cancer does not equate with death. Treatment is effective. I have a significant role to play.’ These powerful foundational beliefs & attitudes help focus the efforts of survivors. Many survivors feel these positive beliefs & attitudes themselves have a biochemical reality that enhances healing; a growing body of credible scientific evidence supports this position. You’ll recognize these beliefs & attitudes throughout the ’50 Essential Things.’”
Strategy #3 Exercise: “Cancer survivors believe strongly in the importance of exercise, & they act on that belief. Nearly 9 out of every 10 people I interviewed emphasized the need for regular physical activity. There were swimmers, bikers, & lots of walkers. Most surprising were those patients who started exercise programs even while they were confined to hospital beds or in wheelchairs or were otherwise physically limited. They would do full-body stretches in bed, lift weights from chairs, & do everything possible to honor their physical needs. It was inspiring to hear the stories.
“Before my cancer diagnosis, I did not exercise. Other than an occasional game of tennis or a monthly golf outing, I was a sedentary person. I came face-to-face with my own exercise attitudes & habits early in my recovery journey. Exercise ranked 2nd only to developing a belief that recovery was possible, in starting me on the path to well-being.
“It was not easy. I lay weak, emaciated, & sedated in our guest bedroom. Even with medication, I felt the pain. I had no energy. But I wanted to live. And I was willing to do the work required for healing.
“I started the telephone interviews searching for survivors. I repeatedly heard the admonition to exercise. Initially, I resisted & argued for my limits. ‘I’m confined to bed. I’m weak. I’m in pain. How can I ever exercise?’
“Finally, convinced that it might be possible to exercise through the pain & that I would benefit from it, I began with chair exercises. I would backstroke, then windmill motions, with my arms. Ten clockwise, just until I felt an increase in energy. In a few days I added some leg lifts, still from a seated position. At first, my total exercise time was 5 minutes, perhaps less. Then I extended it to twice a day. Next I increased each session 10 minutes.
“As I gained strength, I added a short walking routine, 1st for just a few minutes, later to 10, 15, then 20 minutes . . . Soon I understood firsthand the profound effect of what other survivors told me: ‘Take charge of your body. Command your body to move.’
“Exercise is a key recovery strategy, more powerful than I ever imagined. I predict you will come to see that exercise which you enjoy is an important part of your own recovery regimen.”
Strategy #4 Purpose/Play Balance: “Purpose involves survivors perceiving that they are needed, that their life has special & unique meaning. Many are energized by an inner, even transcendent, life mission. Survivors balance this profound ideal of life purpose with a lighter, more playful attitude of fun for fun’s sake, an outlook that creates joy. These seemingly contradictory positions are major recurring themes among the community of cancer survivors.
“A sense of purpose is powerful. Survivors 1st cultivate mission. The feeling of being needed & wanted expresses itself in many ways. Service to others is the consistent theme. Family is a reason: ‘They couldn’t get along without me.’ Important accomplishments of life milestones also enrich the life purpose for many survivors: ‘I determined I was going to participate in my daughter’s wedding.’ ‘I’m going to live to see my grandchild born.’
“An important note is that most survivors are able to separate being needed from be unduly depended upon. Few are rescuers or feel forced to serve. Instead, survivors feel that they are privileged to be able to help others in meaningful ways. In helping others, they help themselves, thus reinforcing the perception that they are wanted & needed. Survivors balance this deep sense of purpose with play. It’s more than fun; it’s something much deeper, a cultivation of joy. Hobbies engage this extraordinary group of people. I am struck by the large number who enjoy gardening, both flowers & vegetables. Male, female, city or rural, it doesn’t seem to make much difference. Many survivors express deep satisfaction in seeing their efforts produce new life. I sense that the growing plants serve as a metaphor for their own journeys to a new & better life resulting from the cancer experience.”
Strategy #5 Social Support: “Cancer survivors invest more time & emotional energy in relationships that nurture them & invest less time in those that are toxic. While this may seem like a benign practice, it has some surprising health implications that survivors believe are central to their success.
“Loving relationships with friends, relatives, lovers, spouses, children, employers, coworkers, & employees – or the lack of these relationships – build us up or tear us down. Survivors become ‘relationship sensitive,’ examining, perhaps for the 1st time in their lives, how they get along with other people. It is common for survivors to put difficult relationships ‘on hold,’ especially during the medical treatment process. This doesn’t mean survivors automatically exile ‘toxic’ people from their lives for all time. But is certainly signals a reduced emotional & spiritual investment in those relationships.
“Cancer tends to give patients permission to examine a wide variety of their life choices, including their entire social support system. Changes often follow. Much of the actual work of getting well again takes place within the social support arena. New & important research is giving credibility to the relationship between positive social support & health.
“Social support extends to support groups. Cancer survivors know the importance of mutual aid, having practiced it long before support groups became fashionable & prior to research pointing to the measurable benefits of participation. Today the proliferation of cancer support groups puts this service within reach for any person who desires to attend. Authoritative research shows survival rates doubled for support group participants when compared with non-joiners. Survivors make support groups & positive social support a central part of their recovery process.”
Strategy #6 Diet & Nutrition: “The majority of cancer survivors report making significant dietary changes. There is wide recognition of the important contribution diet makes to recovery & to ongoing health. However, there is anything but universal agreement on exactly what those specific changes should be.
“One thing we can say with certainty, ‘Survivors eat with awareness.’ They raise their nutritional IQ & develop a greater understanding of the nutrients contained in their food selections. Survivors also feed themselves less for emotional & psychological reasons, concentrating instead on delivering premium nutrients to the body. They embrace foods that are less processed. There is a documented shift to a more vegetarian approach. Fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, & whole grains are the new foods of choice. A marked decrease in all meat, particularly red meat, is widely held to be beneficial.
“While vitamin, mineral, & herbal supplementation is widely practiced among survivors, there exists a lack of consensus in actual practices. Some survivors use many supplements; others settle for a daily multiple vitamin.
“One survivor consensus I can report on the area of diet & nutrition is that of attitude. While the specific nutritional practices vary, survivors do agree on one thing. They have an excited belief that nutrition is another thing they get to focus on to recover their health. Survivors perceive diet as another point of personal control. It’s an area in which they can take charge in the sometimes out-of-control cancer experience.”
Strategy #7 Creative Thinking: “Survivors mobilize the mind to heal. Affirmations, meditation [prayer], & imagery are widely employed within the context of a comprehensive treatment program. Survivors use meditative techniques [or prayer] to reduce the symptoms of illness, manage the side effects of treatment, & improve emotional well-being.
“Our culture tells us that positive feelings are desirable & negative feelings are not. Survivors have a more realistic way of viewing emotions. They tend to accept whatever emotions they have, be they positive or negative. Survivors are typically realists who recognize that the cancer journey has tremendous emotional hills & valleys. So they simply accept the emotions that accompany these roller coaster feelings.
“But grasp this key emotional insight: Survivors do not become stuck in any single emotion. They do not cling to fear or anger; they are able to recognize negative feelings & choose more empowering emotions. It’s creative thinking at its best.
“I’m struck by how many survivors use affirmations in the management of their emotions. As an example, survivors tend to focus on living in the present moment. They use affirmations, a simple phrase or verse, to gain emotional comfort & control rather than allowing runaway thoughts & feelings to rule their lives.
“The ’50 Essential Things’ will detail several creative thinking options, support them with credible up-to-date research, & help you implement them in your own recovery program. For survivors, the mind is another powerful resource to mobilize in the getting-well journey.”
Strategy #8 Spirituality: “Survivors embrace a more spiritual perspective. They view life differently than prior to their brush with death. While some cancer patients focus on a body that may be riddled with disease or mourn over dreams that are hopelessly derailed, survivors tend to see the high value of what is simple & readily available in spite of their cancer.
“To call spirituality a ‘strategy’ is inadequate; ‘spiritual transformation’ is a more accurate description. Thousands of survivors demonstrate entirely new spirit; they become new people.
“This more spiritual personal demeanor is not necessarily an issue of religion – many survivors reject traditional religious practices. . . For many, it is a radical but serene response to recovery & to life. . . For thousands of cancer survivors, this is the apex of the healing journey.”
In my experience, this is where inner peace is achieved through a growing, personal relationship with Jesus Christ. If one does not know Him, the act of accepting Him as your personal Savior & Lord is transformational. My life is VERY different because He is in it; my journey with cancer is very different because He plays a very central role in my life.
As I read through these strategies, I can see how they encompass the “whole person.” Each strategy plays an important role in the recovery plan of a cancer patient, but the timing of each depends on the individual. Although these strategies were gleaned from interviews of cancer patients who were supposed to die but didn’t, I believe they can apply to cancer patients with early stage cancer as well. Don’t most people who hear the diagnosis, ‘you’ve got cancer,’ initially think, ‘I’m going to die’?
What is the truth about survival rates? They are based on a very large number of people, over a broad span of years, over a long span of time; they are from a broad spectrum of levels of health. They represent the general population rather well, but how well do they represent me? If every person, in the survey used to determine the statistical survival rate, is a dot on a graph, which dot best represents me? In my case, I had a statistical chance of surviving 5 years or longer of 5-10%. Because God had told me my cancer is not a death sentence, you see, I fall in that 5-10% portion of the graph! Praise God! My oncologist has no way of knowing where I fall on the graph. He did say, based on my positive outlook & our family’s proactive involvement, he expects I will still be here in 5 years. ALL cancers have SURVIVAL rates; that means there are people who survive them, even if they are treatable but not curable.
What did I have to do to live? I told my family I would do ANYTHING my doctors told me to do, to live. For me, I had a very strong resolve to live, & I knew that God’s grace would be sufficient to meet the challenges I might face. I’ve written about those challenges, & you know God’s grace has been poured out generously to meet them. Praise God!! “The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith & love that are in Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 1:14
I believe my journey with cancer is different from anyone at the meeting. I’m quite sure I am the only stage IV cancer patient there, & my form of treatment is certainly different from what they have undergone. It seems, to me, that I have done more research about cancer than the others have, too. I leave the meeting feeling positive about what I was able to contribute & trust that the group will be able to serve cancer patients & their families very well, as it makes decisions about its structure, functions, & purpose.
When I arrive home, Ed & I talk about the meeting. After relating the discussion to him, we then talk about my possible role in the group. Ed says he thinks I can be an encouragement to people with late stage cancers; I agree.
He mentions the fact that God told me, at the VA Christmas Spectacular service, that he is going to heal me “from the top of my head to the soles of my feet.” That was before the appointment where I found out that my cancer is stage IV metastatic breast cancer. When I heard this news, I was able to grab onto what God had told me, to maintain my peace, personally.
I remind him, “Yes, but I already knew, before I was told the 1st biopsy is malignant, that it is not a death sentence.”
Ed replies, “The final diagnosis hit us like a ton of bricks! It took time for God to help us to personally accept the statements as from God, so we had God’s perfect peace.” (It actually took longer for Ed to personally experience God’s peace than it did for me, since God had spoken directly to me.) His next statement really strikes me. He says, “God needed to tell you these things because you did not have a stage IV cancer patient who is a survivor to talk to. You can now be the stage IV survivor who can give hope to someone who is diagnosed with stage III, stage IV or late stage cancer by saying that you are a stage IV cancer survivor.”
We also talk about God’s amazing grace & the many ways it has been so graciously poured out on us so that it is evident throughout this journey! Praise God! 1 Timothy 1:14
We realize that we didn’t need a support group, although it would have been nice to have one, – God supplied our needs through our love for each other, the love & support of our children, family & friends. God’s promises are true! God is always faithful. God is always in control! He will never leave us. “Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.” Psalm 146:1-2 He meets all of our needs! “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19
I knew there were community support groups, but I was not interested in attending them. My impression of them is not a positive one. Since I have never attended a session, it is unfair of me to pass judgment on them. Since the church is starting a support group, I am willing to check it out. I trust it will suit my needs & the needs of other cancer patients, since it is faith-based.
If this group had been up & running, when I was first learned that I have cancer, I may have attended a meeting, if someone had invited me to attend. I’m not sure. Due to my brain injury, I avoid group situations much more than I did in the past. I’m quite the recluse. I don’t want anyone to think that I am saying that support groups are unnecessary. On the contrary, I believe they serve many great purposes.
Now that I am a cancer patient & have learned a thing or two; I know what I would have liked someone else to do for me along the way. I know the questions I didn’t know to ask. There are tips I can share to help patients help themselves. These are things that are as simple as telling them to never go to an appointment alone; always take a notebook or a sheet of paper for taking notes; there’s no way you can remember all that you are told at a 1 to 3 hour appointment, especially when it involves hearing a lot of unfamiliar medical terms, procedures, tests, and/or names of medications. These things are important no matter what stage or type of cancer you have. Of course, this is just the beginning of my laundry list of good advice.
I have to look at this meeting as part of my learning process. What can I learn from this? Several things.
I’m currently helping several people with medical issues or who have cancer. It’s exciting to see how God is using me. This has spurred me to broaden my reading material & research resources, in the past few months, to include books that focus on more general health & nutrition, rather than just looking at how it effects the treatment or prevention of cancer.
A book I read recently, The Seven Pillars of Health, by Don Colbert M.D., is fabulous! I will not repeat my review of it, as you can read it in the blog “Books to Read or Give as Gifts Part 2,” posted May 19, 2009. Without a doubt, it is one of the most wonderful books for forming a basis for a healthy lifestyle, for everyone. After reading it, I feel very strongly that I would like to lead a group through this book. Isn’t this a funny thing for someone who avoids group settings? I accept it as a nudge & challenge from God. If it’s His will, the door of opportunity will open. I’ve made my willingness known. There is a DVD component that can be purchased & used in a group setting. It would be so exciting to go through the principles taught in this book with a group of people & watch their lives change for the better, as they adopt a healthier lifestyle. I love the format of the book & the way in which Dr. Colbert presents the principles. You find that you want to change unhealthy aspects of your life, based on the information you learn. It’s all about adopting a healthy lifestyle, regardless of your size, shape, weight, level of fitness, or relative state of health (certain cautions are given with regard to health issues, & doctors’ advice is recommended as appropriate).
I began to read another book, Journeys with the Cancer Conqueror, by Greg Anderson, a week after this meeting. It’s out of print, but I managed to find it by searching Amazon.com for a copy. Anderson uses the name Cancer Conqueror in his other books, to describe an individual who has overcome cancer & is now mentoring a newly diagnosed cancer patient in understanding cancer & strategies for overcoming the disease mentally, emotionally, spiritually & physically.
As I read the book, I am struck by the way that Anderson weaves the 8 strategies cancer survivors share in common, which I’ve described above, into the narrative format of the book. It’s exciting to see how, in my own journey, God has led me to, unknowingly, implement many of these strategies or aspects of them. In a few places, Anderson uses Scripture to support a strategy or point he makes; however, as I read the book, I am able to see how all of the strategies can be supported by Scripture. It’s awesome! I’m disappointed that Anderson did not use more Scripture in the book to support the strategies.
Isn’t it amazing that thousands of people are successfully implementing the same strategies, & they just “happen” to fall in line with biblical principles? I’m not surprised. God’s principles always work in all aspects of life. There are places I feel Anderson over simplifies the implementing of a strategy or some aspect of it. I think it would serve the reader better to be positive & confident but realistic about how one can put the strategies into practice. Although I love the book, I want to scribble notes in the margins before I hand it to someone else to read.
I learned more valuable information from the book than I can share in this chapter of My Story. In fact, I wrote notes in my journal/notebook, as I read the book. Here’s one of the notes I wrote:
April 29, 2009, I am a Cancer Conqueror because God told me my cancer is not a death sentence. Through prayer I am able to take responsibility to participate in my recovery by the many choices & decisions made in the process from investigation to diagnosis to choices of treatment. Knowing my cancer is not a death sentence protects my belief system throughout the process because I believe God rather than relying on what I previously believed about cancer. This also gives me the resolve to live. I know that God is in control, & nothing can separate me from his love. He is always faithful. God wants only what is best for me.
How can God use this as an opportunity to reshape my life? This is a spiritual journey God is using to help me grow in many dimensions. This is the thinking of a Cancer Conqueror that transcends the illness. God is now opening doors for me to share the experiences of my journey with others to encourage them.
There are many concepts from the book taken into account in the above statements. It’s not possible to fully explain them here. I hope to find a way to relate more of this information at a future date, in another blog or series of blogs. After reading Journeys with the Cancer Conqueror, I have a better idea what a support group might consider, if they were to use the cancer conqueror model to help newly diagnosed cancer patients. For me, it would be so exciting to use this material as a very good base, with lots more Scripture, additional research resources, & editorial comments, as a springboard for dialogue among cancer patients & family members of cancer patients. I know I will keep these concepts & strategies in mind as God opens doors for me to minister to other cancer patients on a personal level.
“We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help & our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.” Psalm 33:20-23
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