Vivianne...

March 2017 was when I got my breast cancer diagnosis. I was dumbfounded, I am a fit woman, I was at the gym 2 to 3 times a week, and in between, I jogged and did workouts at home. I have been eating healthy organic foods most of my life, how could this happen to me, not that I would want it for someone else. My initial reaction was how will I tell my family, I did not want to make them sad. My partner’s first wife passed of cancer which had started in the breast, I did not want to tell him. My son was excited about a great new job opportunity, that came with a move to Vancouver. My oldest child was in final studies in Social Justice at the University of Victoria, I did not want to tell them either. Just the thought of telling my siblings broke my heart, we had just lost our sister a little over 2 years ago, they would be worried and sad, it took me a few months to tell all the people in my life.  I think I cried on my partner’s shoulder for 3 weeks straight. Then one night I felt a surge through my body and I thought, this is my body and I will decide what goes on in here. I began a new journey. I found a naturopath doctor only a 10-minute walk from my home that specializes in cancer care, and at his clinic I made beautiful friendships and listened to so many inspiring stories from people all over this province. I searched and continue searching alternative treatments and found out I have choices for my recovery. I did not want to rely solely on conventional treatments…I needed to do more. Many of us underestimate how dramatically cancer can affect us, physically and emotionally. Confronting cancer with an integrative approach offered me strength and improved my quality of life throughout harsh chemo treatments.
Because of my tumor size, I had to do chemo before the surgeon would operate. I underwent 6 rounds of chemo, the last 3 were extremely difficult but I made it through, then on Sept 15th I had a mastectomy. I had immense support from my family and friends. Throughout my chemo treatments, someone was always here visiting me, it made my journey more tolerable and I cannot imagine having gone through this without them. I truly felt blessed and there was nothing better than having their love to support me in my recovery. My partner accompanied me to each of my appointments. He is my strength and I will forever be grateful for his kindness and patience throughout all of this.  I miss my breast, my body is not the same; but I am 56 years of age and I have come to the realization that life is not just about looking good - it’s about all the great awesome people in my life. I want to be here to see them again and again, so if I am without one breast, and with all the great people in my life, I am OK. Going through another operation for reconstructing my breast at this time is not on my list. Sure, when I see beautiful bodies it makes me have second thoughts, but when I reflect on everything I have, and I’m fine. 

After all this I now feel peace inside. The hard part is to truly believe that I am cancer free, I know the mind has immense power and I plan on using it as part of my recovery.