One Year Anniversary

This last week was my one year anniversary of hearing the words, "you have stage 4 breast cancer". And this week one year ago I had one of my breasts removed because of the breast cancer. So you can well imagine that it's been a reflective week. How do I feel? I feel elated to be alive and fully embracing another year of life. This past year has been full of so many emotions and angst but one filled with so much love and support which was essential in getting through the challenging year. What's ahead? I have resigned from BP as of Friday... I have started a new company manufacturing and distributing fit for purpose PPE work wear for women... and am trying to stitch up my next role. What I've found when talking with other people that have dealt with similar challenges is battling depression, lack of energy, extra weight gain, etc. So the battle of staying positive and healthy is an important one to talk about!

In going forward...

When speaking with the Breast Care nurse last month she again noted that the statistics show that after people go into remission from cancer many of them still do not change their lifestyle. When reading all about the effects of our environment on our bodies and then the things that we all should do...and things that cancer survivors must be aware of it's a wonder we don't change? So the things that I will look at doing in 2014 include: 1. Continuing to drink the green gunk: brightly coloured vegetables is one of the best things for the body 2. Drink less caffeine: tea and coffee have 3. A routine diet of Exercise: Physical activity is not only an essential compenent in maintaining a healthy weight but has been shown to directly reduce the risk of cancer returning by reducing the levels of hormones such as insulin and oestrogen in the body. 4. Regular doctor check ups 5. Drink more water. Drink less alcohol. 6. Keep a healthy and happy outlook on life: Having a positive attitude is essential to keeping on track. This doesn't mean being "happy" all the time but it does mean keeping check on keeping the negatives out as much as possible. Sometimes easier said than done but if practiced it becomes easier. Here is a video to encourage you to do just this: Cancer Council puts out a great booklet called, "Living Well After Cancer". If you know of someone who may like this book you can get it at: 13 11 20 or www.cancervic.org.au I leave you with this video:

2014 - nine months on...and in remission?

I have been thinking a lot about 2014 and how it will be full of happiness and laughter. I've been reading a lot about authentic happiness, what makes people negative vs. positive, how the brain reacts to fear and challenges, etc. It's not necessarily an easy thing to do to keep positive through the challenges that life throws at us as we all know but the more we do so the better off we will be in the short and long run...scientifically proven. It's so easy to get sucked into the negatives...cancer, obesity, death of our loved ones, loss of jobs, etc. But the more we work on having a positive view (glass half full) attitude the easier it is to move on from those situations. I'm not sure when is the "right" time to call into remission but I am going to take a step out of my comfort zone and call myself into remission. So my affirmation for 2014 is about continuing to remember to: 1. Strive to make a difference each day 2. Strive to positively impact the environment around me by staying positive myself I'm blessed to have my life, my family and friends.

Surgery - Done and dusted

Thank you all for all the texts, emails, phone calls, and prayers from near and far. I went into hospital on Friday morning and by mid-day was awake enough to have a conversation, although I took the opportunity to sleep! I was released Saturday late afternoon which was a slight delay as I should have be released early in the morning. I had a bit more drainage from the wound so had to get that under control before leaving. I'm now laying low and getting into the Christmas spirit. It's been a long journey and I have probably been more tired, run down and emotional than I would like to admit (especially given the situation at work). But I am now on a months holiday break so looking forward to some quality time with the family! The recovery from this surgery should be a lot quicker than the last two as it was just putting the final prosthetic in on one side. So I hope to get some beach time in sometime in the coming 3 weeks or so. I will think about what this blog may look like in 2014 if I keep going with it. I have a couple more things I want to write about between now and early January so watch this space. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours! From Laurice and Team Laurice

Where have I been?

This is blog 100...100 different ways of writing about cancer, how it's affected myself as well as the family, about how important it is to staying positive, and everything in between. This year has been the most challenging year that I've ever experienced. Between cancer and the treatments and surgery, losing a couple friends to cancer, going through a major re-structure at work and having my role disestablished, keeping the family and home together, starting an extension to the house...it's all been...hmmmm, challenging. So the Year of the Snake (my year) is one that I will look back on with deep reflection on how even in years like this I have been successful in everything I have worked on, continue to be blessed with two beautiful children and loving (and handsome) husband, and am alive and well to look forward to 2014. A week tomorrow I go into my final reconstructive surgery. How I look forward to saying goodbye to seeing the oncologist and surgeon!

A sad Day

In my team at work I have had two others that are also battling cancer at the same time. Last night we lost one of our very cherished team member, Ian Francis. Ian was a quiet achiever and came in when he could and gave everything he did in life all his efforts in his quiet and unassuming way. Even when going through radiation, surgery and chemotherapy he still kept his smile and humour about him. This post is dedicated to Ian. Someone who we will miss but whose soul will live on with all of us who knew him. May you rest in peace Ian.

Back in the Water

This weekend I went swimming for the first time since the BC started. Swimming has always been a place I can find solitude and relax. But I wasn't ready for how different my body was and how much one uses their chest muscles in swimming! My arms can't stretch the same distance they could prior to the surgery so the swimming didn't come near as easily as it has for the past 40+ years. That was a bit of a shock to the mental system as well as physical one. So I guess that means I need to spend more time in the pool,lifting weights and stretching to enable my arms and chest to be able to swim again...bummer.

Next Surgery...yes, there is one more

The other day I put in leave for my next surgery...my boss looked at my quizzically and replied, "there is still another one?".  The hard part about the cancer journey is for many people it keeps going for a longer period of time than most others actually "see".  So for me this is the final reconstructive surgery to put the permanent prosthetic. 

To read more on that:

http://pinkhope.org.au/inform/surgery/faq-mastectomy-and-reconstruction/#.Unbdy1u4bmI

The exciting part is I have scheduled this in for late December this year.  So what that means is I can go into 2014 without having any Cancer or Surgery to actively manage (knock on wood). 

What that means for 2014 is keeping up a more healthy lifestyle and living each day to the fullest (when haven't I done that though, huh?).

Reflections

As I take time to reflect ... I like to read through quotes from others.  Here are a couple quotes that I have reflected upon in the past week:

There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time.

Malcolm X

All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me... You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.

Walt Disney

Taking the Hat off

Thanks to Jen, Jane, Catherine, Rebecca, Andrea and others who helped support me taking my beanie off for the first time since I've lost my hair.

On Friday night I was awarded the 2013 NAWIC Vic/Tas Grocon Vision Award for Advancing the Interests of Women in the Construction Industry.

A night of courage, support and understanding.  Thanks to NAWIC for making all that happen for many women in the industry!

Too Busy for a Breast Scan?

A friend of mine sent through this article on women in leadership and I was readying through with interest when these words flew out at me... "too busy to get a breast scan".

Read full article here.


Too Busy for a Breast Scan?  I used to think that...how life changes with one lump....are you one of these statistics?

Debunking yesterday's Blog

Yesterday I posted a blog that was sent to me from a friend, whose father is battling cancer.  He sent the article to me as he has concern for me as well as his father, and is directly impacted by both of us as he cares for us.

I now have to report that the credibility of the article has been found to be erroneous (thanks Aunt Jo for sending through!).  To find out more about this go to the SNOOPS website:

http://www.snopes.com/medical/disease/cancerupdate.asp

It's obvious that people have their own agenda's sometimes and don't really understand the impact they have back to each other.  Sometimes these home remedies may be more harmful than good.  But it's up to all of us to decide what works best for each of us.

I'm still cheering for the Green Gunk as it helps get toxins out of the body...off to make more now!

Sharing an Article from Johns Hoskins (authenticiy has not been checked)

Johns Hopkins Update


Cancer Update from Johns Hopkins: 


1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size. 

 

2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person's lifetime. 

 

3. When the person's immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyedand prevented from multiplying and forming tumors. 

 

4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, but also to environmental, food and lifestyle factors. 

 

5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet to eat more adequately and healthy, 4-5 times/day and by including supplements will strengthen the immune system. 

 

6.Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract etc., and can cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc. 

 

7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs. 

 

8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor size.

However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor destruction. 

 

9. When the body has too muchtoxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications. 

 

10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy.

Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.

 

11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply. 

 

*CANCER CELLS FEED ON: 

 

a. Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc. are made with Aspartame and it is harmful. Abetter natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses, but only in very small amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in color Better alternative is Bragg's aminos or sea salt. 

 

b. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soy milk cancer cells are being starved. 

 

c. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little other meat, like chicken. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer. 

 

d. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within15 minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).. 

 

e. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high caffeine Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer fighting properties. Water-best to drink purified water, or filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it. 

 

12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lotof digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines becomes putrefied and leads to more toxic buildup. 

 

13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells. 

 

14. Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6, Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs etc.) to enable the bodies own killer cells to destroy cancer cells.. Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's normal method of disposing of damaged,unwanted, or unneeded cells. 

 

15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit.

 

A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. Anger, un-forgiveness and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.

 

16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells. 

 

1. No plasticcontainers in micro. 

 

2. No water bottles in freezer. 

 

3. No plastic wrap in microwave.. 



Johns Hopkins has recently sent this out in its newsletters. This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well. Dioxin chemicals cause cancer, especially breast cancer. Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don't freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic. Recently, Dr Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at CastleHospital , was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers. This especially applies to foods that contain fat. He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body. Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food. You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else. Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper.

It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper The dioxinproblem is one of the reasons.


Please share this with your whole email list......................... Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food. Cover food with a paper towel instead.

This is an article that should be sent to anyone important in your life...

Breast Cancer Awareness month: BCNA Pink Lady Events

Pink Lady Luncheon, Melbourne

BCNA will hold our annual Pink Lady Luncheon on Tuesday 15 October at the NGV as part of Breast Cancer Awareness month. This year's Pink Lady Luncheon not only coincides with Australia’s breast cancer awareness month, it is also an opportunity to celebrate 15 years of BCNA supporting Australians affected by breast cancer. We would love for you to join us at the National Gallery of Victoria as we hear from inspiring guest speakers and raise funds to support BCNA.

 

For more information and to book tickets, visit the BCNA website. <link to: http://www.bcna.org.au/events/key-fundraising-events/pink-lady-luncheon >

Pink Lady Luncheon, Brisbane

Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA) is holding its inaugural Brisbane corporate luncheon on Wednesday 23 October 2013 at PricewaterhouseCoopers Brisbane office as part of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This year we will also be celebrating the 15 year anniversary of BCNA.

For more information, click on the link here for your exclusive invitation.

 We also have an event that is being held in Sydney that I will send you through the details now. But in short here are the details:

BCNA Tribute Field of Women, Sydney

BCNA is holding a Tribute Field of Women in Sydney during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

15,000 Pink Lady silhouettes will be planted in Bennelong Lawn, in the Royal Botanic Gardens just near the Sydney Opera House, on Friday 11 October (11am - 7pm) and Saturday 12 October (8am - 3pm). A brief ceremony will be held at 11am on Saturday 12 October.

 

More information is available on the BCNA website. <link to: http://www.bcna.org.au/bcna/event/bcna-tribute-field-women-sydney>

 

Striving to Heal

These past couple weeks have been about just letting the body heal after major surgery.  It's not always easy to know exactly what the body needs during these times but I've made sure I've rested/slept as the body has requested, continued to drink my green gunk, and drove into work (instead of riding the train and getting jostled or having to stand).

I meet with the surgeon every week and he said that although the bruising worse than what he expected and the body wasn't getting rid of the fluids, I now seem to be on track!

Today we spent the day out celebrating the mid-Autumn festival and had some Moon Cakes at a local Chinese community festival.  I keep focused on these wonderful blessings in my life on a daily basis.

Sharing Stacey Johnson's Story

These stories are all too common (click on link below). I heard five more cancer related stories just today from team members who sit near me to me, which we'll never hear about (one persons father passed away today, one had a reoccurrence found this week, three had checked out suspicious growth in/on their bodies...still waiting the outcome of the prognosis).

Bottom line: Get checked if you think there is a problem...do not convince yourself it will "go away". That is for anything and for both men and women. You will thank yourself later!

http://www.theweeklyreviewmooneevalley.com.au/story/1774811/stacey-johnsons-silver-linings/?cs=1230

Digging Deep

Thank you to all those who saw me today and asked how I was, knowing that I was only just coping. There are obviously days in this journey that are harder than others...but this too shall pass. To have a caring support network means the difference between a not so good day to an okay or great day. I have a lot of stamina and I have a lot of resilience. Hillary Clinton

Back to work

Tomorrow I will head back into work...12 days after the surgery. My mindset is that I'm NOW on the road to full recovery. This phase just takes a bit of TLC for the body to recover from the surgery and the mind some time to adjust to the changes in the body. Onwards and upwards.

Taking it easy after surgery

Okay, I'm now on the road to recovery. I spent last week just hanging out with the nurses and lazing around in bed at the hospital. This week I've been working from home and working through the discomfort that comes with major surgery. I've laid very low but managed to get three power walks in by walking my son to school before getting into work. (Mind you this power walking was nothing more than trying to take step after step and going from A to B without falling down! Success!). Based on last time, the initial healing will take about a month. It's hard month of discomfort, not sleeping well due to the discomfort, and taking things slow (not my forte most days). When I got out of hospital on Sunday we went out to café for lunch to celebrate Fathers Day. My son saw a plaque that he decided he wanted to get for me because he said it was me. Here is what it says: Life is like a camera. Just focus on what's important and capture the good times, develop from the negatives, and if things don't work out, just take another shot. Beautiful

Sharing a moment...no day but today

As I was RESTING in hospital)today I was thinking about things I had heard from others in the past couple weeks and reflecting .... (I just did a presentation last week at AIPM on Reflection so on my mind I guess). There are times we (the collective "we") tend to take for granted the "here and now" as we're all so busy thinking about the future. So I thought I would share one of my favourite songs that helps bring me back to just here and now for a brief moment (I think I shared it previously but can't remember). (not the best video quality but I like the dialogue on this one and the group singing at the end which adds to the vulnerability of the piece). I hope you take five minutes out to stop and enjoy and take stock of your life and be appreciative of what you have today as you listen... No Day But Today