Have you just been diagnosed with cancer?
Are you scared because you do not know what to do?
Are you confused with your treatment options?
I wrote an e-book that will show you how to change your life after cancer diagnosis in just 40 days. Jesus spent 40 days of his life in the desert before He started His public ministry. You will spend the next 40 days of your life finding out the true purpose of your disease.
Day 0 will be the day you start your healing journey as you ask the Holy Spirit to guide, enlighten, and inspire you. Days 1 to 40 are the days that you will PAUSE, PRAY, and PERFORM your daily tasks so you can recover from your illness.
It only takes at least 15 minutes each day in your secret place to change your life after a cancer diagnosis.
I will share part of the ebook daily to help you in your healing journey. Read this for the next 40 days and recover from cancer forever!
Your Day Zero starts right here, right now, today.
Book cover template from canva.com
PROLOGUE
On November 2011, I felt a pea-sized lump under my left breast that was painful, fixed and nodular as I did my daily self-breast examination. I called up my dear friend, Doc Lynn, to help me. She brought me to the surgeon of her cousin, who turned out to be a good friend of my uncle. He suggested an excision biopsy which meant removal of the lump under local anesthesia and tissue examination. I agreed to have the procedure. After a week, I entered my surgeon's clinic with a big smile on my face carrying a gift in one hand. One of the perks of being a doctor is that a fellow doctor does not charge you a professional fee when you become a patient.
As I handed him my gift, he unceremoniously exclaimed, "It is malignant". I almost dropped the gift bag in shock. I composed myself and sank into a chair but kept my face expressionless. I had to behave as if it was nothing serious because my mother was with me. I did not want her to worry. But, at the back of my mind, I groped for words. I thought about what would happen to my family, especially my widowed mother and my older brother who has Parkinson's disease.
While my mom listened to our conversation, I asked the surgeon about my treatment options without showing any emotion.
"What do I do next?” I asked.
"You have three options," the surgeon replied. "The first option is a modified radical mastectomy. The second option is radiation. While the last option is no radiation but with reconstruction."
"Where will you get the muscle for the reconstruction?" I asked anew.
"From the back of your shoulder," he said.
"I am too thin. I may not have enough muscle mass," I reasoned.
"Do not worry. The reconstruction area is very small," he replied.
With that, I agreed to the surgery.
INTRODUCTION
A week before Christmas, I had a modified radical mastectomy which meant the removal of the whole left breast tissue with its attached lymph nodes. This left a scar which extended from the midline of my chest up to my left armpit. A month later, I had chemotherapy because I tested positive for cancer cells in one of 18 lymph nodes. I lost my hair, became pale, ashen, and my nails became blue and brittle. After my chemotherapy, I started my oral hormonal therapy for 5 years because my cells tested positive for both the estrogen and progesterone receptors but my her2nu was equivocal.
When I got sick, it was not a death sentence for me but only a detour. I learned that there are only three important things I have to do before I die. For the next 40 days, I will share how I changed my life after a cancer diagnosis using these 3 simple steps. You can change your life too. I will also share some of my adventures alone and some with my family during my personal journey of healing.
PAUSE
For the first 20 years of my private practice as a physician, my life centered on my patients. I spent less time with my family and even ignored my health. I was able to recover and set my priorities straight. I learned to value what really matters most - my faith, my family and my health.
You can do the same. Be still. Take a deep breath and evaluate your life. I will share verses that you can read daily and hopefully memorize so that it becomes a mantra to start your days of healing through the Holy Bible which is the greatest story ever told.
PRAY
After every chemotherapy session, I felt a cold, menthol sensation in my nose and also had a headache. When I got home, I would immediately go to the rest room and hug the toilet bowl because I vomited everything I had in me. My stomach churned despite taking expensive medications to counteract the side effects of the treatment. Eventually, I was able to overcome all these because I prayed and surrendered everything to God's will. The Big C was not Cancer. It was Christ in me. He has always been the source of my strength.
Prayer will be your meditation exercise. It is your personal communication with the Lord. You can do it through 4 simple steps - adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication.
PERFORM
As I recovered from my illness, I wrote and published 3 books on child health for easy reading for parents. I became part of the Self Health Empowerment Movement (SHEM) founded by my good friend, Doc Romy Paredes, Doc Pao Tongson and his wife, Chef Imee Enriquez-Tongson as well as other volunteers. SHEM gave talks all over the Philippines and even in other Asian countries on how to take charge of one's health and awaken the healer in one's self.
As part of my healing journey, I became a certified lifestyle medicine physician at the ELIM CLINIC. There we help cancer patients with mental health issues build peace of mind and strengthen their bodies through therapeutic lifestyle changes in the safety and comfort of their homes to treat, avoid the recurrence and prevent the progression of cancer. Cancer is not just a physical illness. It encompasses the spiritual, mental, emotional and social states of an individual. The greatest fear of every cancer patient is the fear of recurrence and I am no different so I explored other options for my healing.
As a former patient with cancer, I feel blessed to have been given the chance to start anew and fulfill my sacred mission. Because I was tested during my suffering, I am now able to help those who are being tested. I am now God's instrument of healing and His ambassador here on earth. I will help you in your journey. You just need to choose.
From Deuteronomy 30:15,19-20: "Here, then I have today set before you, life and prosperity, death and doom ... Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, by loving the Lord, your God, heeding His voice, and holding fast to Him for that will mean life for you, a long life for you to live on the land which the Lord swore He would give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob".
Jesus spent 40 days and 40 nights of his life in the desert and was tempted by the devil before He started his public ministry. You will spend the next 40 days of your life finding out the true purpose of your disease and how you can recover.
Before you start your 40 day healing journey, ask the Holy Spirit to guide, enlighten and inspire you. Use a journal and a pen to write your reflections. The journal can be a physical one, an app, or a word document. Save your writings. You can also record your musings if writing is not your cup of tea.
Every single day, for the next 40 days, do 3 simple steps, namely - pause, pray, and perform. When you PAUSE, you reflect on God's words. When you PRAY, you ask for God's help. When you PERFORM, you do your best and God will do the rest because "...faith without works is dead" (James 2:26).
From Joan Baez, "You do not get to choose how or when you die. You can only decide how you live. Now."
Be Blessed! Be Loved! Be Healed!
DISCLAIMER: The author does not claim Divine Authorship for her writings in her ebook. However, most of the verses were taken from the words of the Holy Bible, the Greatest Story ever told (i.e. from the New American Bible, the New Catholic Translation). The information provided was obtained from the author’s personal testimonial, her experiences and her insights. The contents are designed to provide helpful information on the subjects discussed and for educational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis nor treatment. All content, including texts, graphics, images and information contained in these pages are for general information purposes only. For diagnosis and treatment of any medical condition, please consult your health care provider. You are responsible for your own choices, actions and results regarding any health concerns that may require medical supervision. The author is not liable for any damages or negative consequences from any action, application, treatment or preparation, to any person viewing or individually pursuing the information in this book. References are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute as an endorsement of any religion, website or other source.