My Story & Why I’m Doing This
I don’t want other people to suffer like I did, and I don’t want people to die if they don’t have to! There is an opportunity to live, even if your Dr tells you there isn’t. And there are so many people proving that more and more. Thank goodness.
My oncologists are honestly stunned and pleasantly surprised that to date, I have not had a recurrence, and that I am still here. My cancer is very aggressive with a low survival rate and with a high rate (95%) of recurrence, especially in the first 2 years, and if it does recur, the chances of surviving are not great. I am so grateful and relieved to say that I am now in Year 4 and counting at the time of this writing. This is significant. But this is not by chance or by luck. I have worked very hard to educate myself and do whatever is in my power to stay alive. Along the way, I have learned some things that I feel compelled to share, as I believe it will help other people the way it has helped me.
I truly believe that if we want to beat the odds and live a vibrant and healthy life, then we need to be our own health advocate. It’s not easy. There is no one plan to follow. Each of us needs to find our own path. Whatever you choose to do has to resonate with you. You need to have confidence in your path for it to succeed.
What I know to be true is that the mind, body and spirit are inextricably connected. And, the health of your cells is a direct result of not only what you eat but what you think and believe.
Most importantly, whatever you decide to do, you need to believe in it, and go in 100%. Please excuse my repetition. I just can’t stress this enough.
So what I hope to do in this Guide (and maybe its presumptuous to call it a Guide -it’s more of MY Guide based on my experience) is offer you what I learned along the way from the countless doctors I consulted with, the endless piles of books I have read, podcasts I have listened to and videos I have watched and boil it down to the highlights, the conclusions I have drawn and what has ultimately been the reason why I am still alive today. It is my hope that by doing this I can save you hundreds of hours and you can zero in on what makes sense to you and more quickly design your own plan for life.
So, I will start here. My cancer journey begins.
WATCH BELOW FOR A VIDEO OF MY JOURNEY WITH MY SON:
CRITICAL MOMENTS
No one expects a cancer diagnosis, so when I got mine, I was of course shocked. My health has always been excellent. My career was in fitness and health; my diet was good, so when I had shooting pains in my abdomen, I couldn’t understand why. I was followed by my gynecologist annually and had regular ultrasounds but honestly, cancer never came to my mind. Over the course of years, my doctor never mentioned cancer as a possibility, and she wasn’t concerned with my test results; so there was no discussion. But with my pain continuing to get more frequent, and my gynecologist's continued disinterest, I decided to go to another gynecologist and see what they thought. That Dr. was quiet when she reviewed my records. When I asked her why, she just said she was trying to figure out what my previous Dr was thinking. She insisted I do a biopsy right then and there in her office. I agreed, and she called me the next day, a Friday, to tell me I had cancer– a rare, aggressive form of endometrial cancer, endometrial serous, that only 10% get; lucky me. The call was brief and she ended by telling me that she had already scheduled me for a CT scan and a consultation with an oncologist for that Monday.
It took me the weekend to digest what she had told me, but still I found it hard to believe. So that Monday I had my first of what was to be many CT scans and consults to come. After my first consultation at Weill Cornell, I decided to hit all the top hospitals in the NYC area and see what these oncologists had to say. After all, these doctors are some of the best in their field, but, as I soon learned, they can be very narrow in their thinking. Some of my more noteworthy experiences were:
East Side Oncology - I decided that besides visiting all the major cancer centers in the City, I would see what a small specialty office would offer me, hoping it would be more appealing and personalized treatment. When I first walked into this oncologist’s office, he waved to the wall of “Best Doctor” magazine covers he proudly displayed. I wasn’t impressed. We sat down, and after reviewing my file, he casually glanced up at me and said, “You know this is incurable.” I sat still, trying to breathe, as he continued by asking in a callous tone, “Do you want me to tell you how long you have to live?” I could feel my body begin to freeze up, and I heard myself say, “No.” Every time I think back to that day, I thank God that I didn’t say yes.
There are studies that show when doctors tell a patient when they are going to die, they die at the predicted time. Call it a self-fulfilling prophecy– putting energy into making it true. Thankfully, I said no, and I ended the meeting. It’s so devastating and scary to think that he was going to put an end date to my life.
Onward to Columbia, Mt Sinai, New York Presbyterian, and the biggest of all–Memorial Sloan Kettering – to name a few of the places I went in search of alternative treatment options. I thought I was getting 2nd or 3rd or 4th opinions by going to all the best Docs from the top schools and leading cancer centers. But it took me a while to realize that I was really only getting one opinion. They all have the same training. They all have the same toolbox–surgery, chemo and radiation. That’s it. Some were more gentle in their delivery of the facts then others, but one Dr in particular, an oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering, pushed me outside of the conventional medicine box. Although that was by no means his intention. It was his detached, cold way of telling me that I had 18% chance to live that took my breath away. I asked him if he meant that those odds were with treatment. He said in the same monotone, “No. The odds of surviving with treatment are 34%. Well, that’s a little better; but, he didn’t say that without my prompting. I looked over at the PA in the room and saw that she had tears in her eyes.
I guess in hindsight this Dr did me a favor because I left there knowing that this was not the only truth, and If I really wanted a 2nd opinion, I needed to look into real alternative ways of treatment outside the confines of conventional medicine.
When I left his office, I was with two family members. We were all a bit stunned and walked in silence, all in our own thoughts. We had planned to go out to lunch after the consult and that is what I wanted to do. I remember ordering us all champagne. I decided then that I was going to be in control. I was not going to be a victim. I did not want pity or sympathy. I wanted support.
READ MORE OF MY JOURNEY AND TREATMENTS IN THE GUIDE BELOW
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If my story connects with you or a loved one, please reach out. I’d love to be of support on your journey to healing and thriving.