Cancer: My Story

“Jan, it’s the worst news. I’ve got cancer.”

Such a short, simple sentence but it ended my life as I knew it. My husband and best friend, my childrens’ Dad died six horrible months later of stomach cancer.

I never thought it was possible that such a big, healthy, strapping man could be reduced to a skeleton in such a short time. We tried everything and we were oh- so- positive. We could and would beat this thing. I guess naiveté and hope are forms of survival.

I had to watch as this disease tortured a lovely man and slowly, ever so cruelly, stole his life. I have never felt so powerless. I became an avid reader and questioner as to what is this thing cancer. Why did it strike us? How could we fight it? How could I protect my kids from it? The only consistent message was that despite the billions poured into cancer research and medicine, cancer is on the increase, especially in the Western World. Latest research predicts that 1 in 3 adults will be a victim of cancer. Something is terribly wrong.

Is it because of pollution; is it because of the way we have messed with our food chain; is it stress; is it Nature’s way of correcting the population explosion; is it just bad luck, is God punishing us? There are literally hundreds of contradictory studies and reports but a shortage of real answers. 

For me, however, it became glaringly clear that whether or not the chemicals we put on our bodies, in our homes and in our foods, are to blame… they certainly aren’t helping. Inflammatory diseases and illnesses are clearly linked to diet and mental and bodily stress. If our bodies are constantly fighting pollutants and allergens, there is increased stress and reduced immunity.

I am so tired of “experts” telling me that there is no evidence that X chemical is harmful and it’s in such microscopic quantities it doesn’t matter. Just because there is no evidence of harm doesn’t mean it’s safe, plus has anyone independently studied the effect of accumulated exposure to a variety of chemicals, in our environment and our food, over an extended period of time?

Essentially Natural is more than just a business. If we can influence people to rely less on potentially toxic chemicals in our daily lives; If we can avoid polluting our water and our soil, if we can avoid harming animals or people in the process – that will be the true measure of our success.

In my book, cancer is unnatural. Illness should not be the norm. Since I heard those awful words three years ago, I have been on a journey of trying to achieve health and wellness, naturally. Not only are we doing our best to build our health, we know that we are doing our bit to tread a little lighter on this beautiful earth. Living a natural lifestyle has been so liberating and empowering for me. I have turned to the accumulated wisdom of generations before us and Nature’s own pharmacy for remedies and prevention.

World Cancer Day is but a day, but anything we can do, whatever contribution we can make, however small, to help fight this family-destroyer, has got to be worth it!