Empowered: a Cancer Guide to Healing, Surviving, and Feeling Better

Adelaide C. Lenox

Description

A guide for cancer survivors and the people who love them. Resources, recipes, and recollections from a survivor that will empower anyone on a healing journey.
From wigs to toenails and mushrooms to meditation, cancer survivor Adelaide Lenox answers the questions you may not think to ask and shares her personal healing journey along the way. EMPOWERED is a message of hope written from a place of purpose. Lenox appears as a friend who has been down this path and wants you to know that quality and quantity of life are not mutually exclusive. And, there are recipes too.

Sujets

• Help! (película)
• Preparation
• Heal
• Healing
• Treatment
• Self-help
• Help
• Hope
• Empowerment
• Knowledge
• Nutrition
• Cancer

Informations

• Publié par: Balboa Press
• Date de parution: 24 janvier 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781669825067
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

EMPOWERED: A CANCER GUIDE TO HEALING, SURVIVING, AND FEELING BETTER
 
 
 
 
ADELAIDE C. LENOX
 
Illustrations by Kinley Donaldson
Photographs by Adelaide Lenox
 
 
Copyright © 2022 Adelaide C. Lenox.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
 
 
Balboa Press
A Division of Hay House
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.balboapress.com
844-682-1282
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6698-2505-0 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6698-2506-7 (e)
 
 
 
Balboa Press rev. date: 02/14/2023
 
 
 

 
 
 
Surv ivor:
In cancer, a person is considered to be a survivor from the time of diagnosis until the end of life.
https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/surv ivor
 
 
 
 

“Life is like a tree and its root is consciousness. Therefore, once we tend the root, the tree as a whole will be hea lthy.”
-Deepak Ch opra

Dedicated to my loved ones who succumbed to cancer, but fought with perseverance till the end…
I chose to use a photograph of trees I took while on a hike in Mammoth Park, Kentucky. For me, a tree represents spirit and strength. Throughout my journey with cancer I’m convinced we have the power to heal ourselves from within. Just as a tree needs nutrients and a healthy environment for its roots, we also need to nourish ours. When I say root I am referring to where the cancer began. To understand why our leaves are dying, we need to understand what is poisoning our r oots.
Many heartfelt thank yous to those who have donated to my GoFundMe page at Hope for Addie Stage IV Metastatic Cancer to assist me with treatments and the ability to have this book publi shed.
CONTENTS
Part 1
About this Book
Introduction
Part 2
Preparation & Planning
Comforts & Conveniences
Finances
Part 3
During Treatment
Part 4
Positive Transition
Part 5
Nutrition
Part 6
Natural Treatments
Part 7
Further Reading and Recommendations
Acknowledgements
 


Part 1
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Being told I had stage IV cancer with no cure I lost all hope. I was in disbelief. But then I read the book, Radical Remission by Kelly A. Turner, Ph.D. A burst of hopeful light appeared before me. The book is filled with personal stories from victims who have successfully survived since diagnosed many years ago with an incurable cancer. Why didn’t my doctor tell me that I too can beat my cancer? Instead I was told I had a year left if I did not follow the chemo protocol he prescribed. While reading Turner’s book I became intrigued, empowered. I became curious about my cancer instead of fearful. The day I picked up this book my outlook and life changed completely.
I discovered my purpose in life at the age of 41. I had spent my entire life wondering if I would ever get a sign leading me to my true path. I constantly questioned why I hadn’t found it yet and if it would ever arrive.
I believe cancer invaded my body for a reason. Since the second time being diagnosed in my adulthood didn’t spark any insight, I strongly feel in the depths of my gut this third diagnosis presented the answer. Surviving a terminal cancer at 13 years old, breast cancer at 37, and the metastasis (spread) of the previous breast cancer to my bones at 41, to me meant I needed to solve this mystery. Like a flash of a light, I then realized I had something to offer: I can share my experiences and victories to help those dealing with cancer.
I realized I had to share what I had endured for more than twenty years. I have hopes for others to feel the vigor of self-trust and self-healing. This was primarily through my awakening to the idea of self-empowerment. I lost control of my own life while I suffered through the first two diagnoses. But that’s what happens. The cancer takes over and the fear floods in, leaving you in a world of endless abyss. We stop listening to ourselves and our bodies. And instead, we give away our power.
My intention is to help you retrieve your inner power and to supply you with resources that will lead you on a healing journey.

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing my self.”
– Rumi


*Medical Disclaimer: The information in this book is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice or emergency treatment. Please do not use this information to diagnose or develop a treatment plan for health problems or disease without consulting a qualified health care provider. I am not a licensed dietician, nor a medical doctor. The information I have provided is based on my experience with cancer for over 20 y ears.
**A portion of the proceeds from this book will go to One Love Pit Bull Founda tion .

INTRODUCTION
Knowledge I wish I had while fighting cancer for over two decades

“Doctors won’t make you healthy. Nutritionists won’t make you slim. Teachers won’t make you smart. Gurus won’t make you calm. Mentors won’t make you rich. Trainers won’t make you fit. Ultimately, you have to take responsibility. Save your self.”
–Naval Ravi kant

I’m a cancer survivor. Cancer struck at 13, 37, and again at 41 years old. I guess you can call me a professional. My first diagnosis was during the Christmas of 1992. A Primitive Neuro Ecto Dermal Tumor (PNET) is what had invaded the left temple of my 13-year-old head. It’s a rare cancer that only preys on children and has a 25% survival rate. Somehow, I made it without any recurrence for almost 25 years.
Fast forward to 2016, this time a new cancer: Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, otherwise known as breast cancer. Once again, I went through surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. I did everything my doctors told me, but nothing my instincts were trying to tell me. I was too weak and tired of living in constant pain. I had no connection with my brain or my heart. I felt lost in a tornado of fear and distress. There were so many questions, but no answers.
At the age of 14 I had no fear. I was invincible as most teenagers believe to be true. As an adult this is not the case. I was confronted with rent, bills, and responsibilities. Trying to keep up with my daily life including a full-time job and countless doctor appointments that were dragging me down. I look back now and I see a person I don’t know. Was that really me? A person who could barely walk from one room to another, a person who stopped laughing and smiling, a person who saw no hope in my future? I was lost in that gloomy, spiraling tornado. Yet, I pulled through for the second time, or so I thought.
I had been dealing with severe pain in my left hip for eight months that eventually caused me to rely on a walking cane. I had never experienced pain with my two previous cancers. Each cancer had just popped up in the form of an unwanted lump. Until I received the call for my MRI results, I believed I was just experiencing deep muscle pain. Instead on that Tuesday I was told it was most likely metastatic cancer, and I was scheduled that Friday for an emergency surgery including a biopsy.
The cancer from my breast had returned, but now it had spread to my bones. It was like the cancer was Pac-Man gobbling up my hipbone, leaving fragments of bone to barely hold onto the connecting muscle. That Friday I received an improved leg; a titanium rod was inserted into my left femur bone from the hip down to my knee. I could walk again pain free! Well, somewhat pain free.
The results were in. The physician’s assistant entered the room, head down with a somber expression that told me everything I already knew in my heart. The cancer is back. These were scariest words I had ever been told because this time it was Stage IV. There is no Stage V. This is it. This is the end. It felt as if I was living in a black-and-white episode of the Twilight Zone .
I was given one year to live if I did not follow the protocol of the oncologist. My option was to be on a full chemotherapy schedule for an indefinite number of years. I had to choose: quality of life or quantity. I could live longer while receiving monthly chemotherapy treatments that are bound to have severe side effects, or I can forgo treatment, but my time would be limited. At first, I chose quality, but now I choose both.
It was instilled in me to believe and trust what the doctor says. But they don’t always know what is best for you. You know who does? YOU! This may be the most important lesson I’ve learned over the years. I’ve learned to speak up for myself and do what I think is best for my health and my survival. I’ve learned to listen to other opinions and research. Once I picked up the book Radical Remission by Dr. Kelly A. Turner, my life changed. I realized that Stage IV, or any stage of canc