Cancer Fighters Thrive

SUMMER 2012

Cancer Fighters Thrive is a quarterly print and online magazine bringing readers practical, innovative and inspirational information about cancer treatment and survivorship.

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SPIRITUAL leads people to reevaluate many aspects of their lives. "The self-reflective experience [inspired by a diagnosis] causes people to think about a whole variety of things in the context of their relationship to others in their life and in relationship to the ways in which they go about their daily life. That can be something as basic as their diet or the way they handle stress or even the way they earn a living." Often patients are prompted to evalu- ate their lives in this way by the inevita- ble consideration of their own mortality, Rabbi Weiss says. "Patients may feel that time is now limited, at least potentially lim- ited, and I want to make use of what I can do for the time I potentially have." In that context, he says, they may feel the need to make changes in family life, relationships, spirituality, and other major aspects of their lives. For non-Hodgkin's lymphoma survi- vor Jeanette Greene, facing the thought of her own mortality and the impact of the disease on her family did prompt a new consideration of her faith. "I remember thinking, Wow! I could die tomorrow, and I have two kids," she says of her reaction to her diagnosis, "and I realized that I wasn't where I needed to be in my faith." Having recently reconnected with her church, Jeanette made the decision to be baptized shortly before her first round of treatment. The decision to embrace her faith, she says, not only helped her cope with treatment but brought her many blessings throughout her journey: she found the emotional strength she needed through her renewed faith and her church community; she was offered a job that fit her needs and provided more income for her family; and she has been happy to see her husband grow in his faith, as well. cfthrive.com "THANKFUL FOR THE LIFE I HAVE" "How I've gotten through this," she says, "is through God." Transition Tools It's clear that a diagnosis can prompt patients to consider some big questions about their lives and, in some cases, to make changes. But it's not always easy to consider and carry out such changes. In what Rabbi Weiss describes as the "for- eign territory" of life after a diagnosis, pa- tients can find the experience of coming to terms with these major issues daunting. For many patients, seeking support and guidance during this time can be invalu- able. "We all need help through these pro- cesses," which, Rabbi Weiss says, could come from a professional therapist, a sup- port group, a member of the clergy, or a good friend. And, he notes, it's not just the person considering these major issues who needs support but the caregiver as well. In fact, caregivers can benefit from seeking counseling and support through- out their loved one's illness. Ultimately, each person diagnosed with cancer will find that the experience generates a unique response and set of questions, which may or may not result in a change of his or her life's course. In the same way, there is no right way to ap- proach these changes and no clear direc- tion on which route to take. Instead, what is important to remember when consid- ering these issues, Rabbi Weiss says, is that every journey is different. There are principles to consider, but there is no one answer. Shannon Subramaniam, BS, DC, who likes to be called "Dr. Shannon," is a chiroprac- tor, life coach, and skin cancer survivor who has seen firsthand the way a cancer diagnosis can prompt change—both in her own life and in those of the patients she works with at Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA). Afer her own experience with basal cell carcinoma, Dr. Shannon turned to prayer, during which, she says, God provided her with a clear directive: "Just give thanks." It's now the philosophy that guides her life. "I realized I needed to just be thankful for the life I have and more grateful than ever be- fore," Dr. Shannon says. Her gratitude for her health prompted her to look anew at how she was treating her body, and she ultimately made changes in that aspect of her life, as well. "I said to my- self, If I am truly grateful for my health, what am I doing to honor it and appreciate it?" Having always eaten well and taken good care of herself, she nevertheless found room for improvement. "I took my self-care to a whole new level," she says, describing her choice to take additional dietary sup- plements and pay even closer attention to her physical wellness. As a survivor, Dr. Shannon is happy to be able to share the insights she gained with her own chiropractic patients, many of whom are undergoing cancer treatment. "I tell people to be thankful for what is be- cause so ofen we focus on what's wrong instead of what's right. When you focus in on what you do have and on abundance and on hope and on truly being well from within, there's so much to celebrate." summer 2012 | cancer fighters thrive 43

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