20 Sep 2016 Editor’s Note October ’16: Lessons in wellness

This month, 501 LIFE is all about “Health and Wellness” and the lessons we can learn from others.

We want to introduce readers to three faces behind the statistic: About 1 in 8 U.S. women (about 12 percent) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime (Source: breastcancer.org.)

While Jeannie Brown, Tina MacNamara and Cindy Mathis are very different in terms of their ages, backgrounds and walks of life, they belong to a special club that no one wants to belong to.

They are breast cancer survivors.

There are no specific reasons to adequately explain “why” they belong to this club. For reasons they don’t understand, their bodies turned against them. Cancer attacked their breasts, sending them along a difficult and challenging journey, which they share with our readers in this edition.

My words don’t do justice to their pain and what they have experienced. They have each had countless scans and blood tests along with many, many doctor’s appointments. They have undergone treatments that have basically poured poison into their bodies in hopes that cancer cells would be annihilated. The treatments have had serious side effects, sometimes causing permanent damage to their bodies.

From their stories, there are important lessons we can all take away:

• Early detection is a key in battling any type of cancer or illness. Only you know your body. For women, monthly breast self-exams and regular mammograms are very important.

• If something seems off, seek medical attention. If that little voice inside of you tells you something is still not right, seek another opinion. You must be your own advocate.

• Research is helpful when confronting a health crisis, but too much time on the Internet will fuel fear. Everyone’s walk is different. Seek reliable information through your healthcare provider.

• Look to your faith, family and friends. If you know someone with the illness, don’t just offer help. Find something that needs to be done – like mowing the lawn or picking up groceries – and just do it. Too many times, cancer patients are focused on their treatment and/or too tired to ask for help.

We want to thank Jeannie, Tina and Cindy for sharing their stories. Their courage is inspiring. Our prayers are with them as they continue the battle on their cancer journey.

Until next month, here’s to “Loving LIFE” in the 501!