It was around about the time I graduated from my Health Coaching Course when I first started noticing a bump on my chest...
Nothing can prepare you for the day you're diagnosed with cancer, and yet, as daunting and unexpected as the news was, a sense of calm came over me as I felt like everything in my life has prepared me for this moment and the life-changing transformation that was lying ahead.
As a fresh graduate from IIN (Institute for Integrative Nutrition), the wealth of knowledge I've just learnt was still very clear in my head. My thoughts kept reminding me over and over...
"The body is capable of healing itself. Treat the cause, not the symptom. Food is medicine!"
I was diagnosed with stage 2 Triple Negative Breast Cancer. It was aggressive, and it was growing fast! I felt like I could see it grow right under my nose, and for that reason, I decided that the most responsible thing to do was start chemotherapy.
My main goals were to slow it down, stop it from spreading to my lymph nodes and shrink it down to buy me some time so I can, first of all, actually have a chance to google "breast cancer" and secondly, research how to go about healing cancer naturally.
With my one foot firmly placed in holistic healing and my other foot tip-toeing in conventional medicine, I started my cancer healing journey...
I started with the first round of chemotherapy, which in my case was 12 weeks of Taxol. During this time, I also did everything to support my body and heal naturally.
Miraculously, after only the first chemo infusion, we saw phenomenal results, and after 12 weeks, my tumour completely shrunk! You could no longer see or feel the lump on my chest!
However, the ultrasound showed that I still had a small remaining lesion...
A lesion is an area of abnormal tissue. A lesion may be benign (not cancer) or malignant (cancer).
The conventional breast cancer treatment would have been to continue with the second round of chemotherapy (AC / Adriamycin and Cyclophosphamide) for another eight weeks, but at that stage, I felt like I've accomplished what I initially set out to do.
During my first round of chemo, I had spent those 12 weeks getting a better understanding of breast cancer and learning everything I could about healing cancer naturally. I focused on healing my body on all levels (emotional, physical, mental, spiritual and cellular). By doing so, I developed the confidence, belief and trust that my body, or should I say I, can heal myself. And, of course, the most significant achievement and blessing during this time was that my tumour shrunk!
So, I decided not to continue with the second round of chemo. I also chose not to do the surgery to remove the lesion or the surrounding tissue (which is what the surgeons usually do after chemo, tumour or no tumour). Furthermore, if it were up to the doctors, they would have wanted me to do a double mastectomy AND a hysterectomy as they believe I'm "doomed" because of my genes! I simply refuse to believe that! I do, however, believe in epigenetics!...but more on that later...
Instead, I gave myself 3 months to make the lesion disappear!
And what do you know, after following my Cancer Healing Protocol for 3 months, we did a scan, and the lesion was gone!!!
Since then, I've continued to heal my body back to health from some of the nasty side effects of chemotherapy, like strengthening my immune system, gut health and hormone health.
Another one of my achievements was getting my period about a month after a gynaecologist declared me 100% menopausal (which is sometimes one of the side effects of chemo). It truly was a miracle! However, when the gynie compared the test results and scans from a month ago, she couldn't believe it! She looked at me like I was bewitched!
Again, it showed me just how incredible our body is at healing and repairing itself. It has an infinite abundance of wisdom, strength and resilience that we have yet to understand completely. And what's even more mind-blowing is that we have the power to tap into that wisdom!
One thing's for sure...my life, my perception and my purpose have changed completely. I feel the healthiest and happiest I have ever been, and I have a newfound love and appreciation for myself, my body and my life!
I'm on a mission to share my story and share what I've learnt with others, and hopefully, I can help, inspire and empower somebody, preferably many, along the way!
If you or somebody close to you was diagnosed with breast cancer and need help navigating it OR you/they are healing from cancer or chemotherapy, and you need some help to get your health back on track, OR if you have any questions, please get in touch.
I am here for you!
Love x Mila*