Donna had a healthy lifestyle but realized that because the causes of breast cancer are unknown, she wasn't different from anybody else.
Transcript
It has absolutely affected who I am. I realized that one of the things is that I was a vegetarian for 25 years. I eat organic food, I do the 100-mile diet, I meditate, I work with essential oils, and I thought I was really healthy. I thought I was really doing good and that I was doing all the things I needed (to do), maybe not all the things I needed but I thought I was doing better. I thought I was good and then I realized that it didn’t matter. And then part of it is, I thought, “Well, why would I think that I was the exception to the rule?” Why would I think that? I guess I thought it must have been something I did or something I didn’t do. That was the reason why I ended up with breast cancer. I thought, “Well what did I do wrong?” or “What did I miss?” or “Why did I think that somebody else has done something wrong and they would get breast cancer and I wouldn’t?” And so, it was realizing that there was nothing. I wasn’t any different than anybody else. My odds of getting breast cancer were no different than your odds or my sister’s odds or my neighbour’s odds. It’s something that happens to us. It’s a result of who knows what? Is it environmental? Is it dietary? We don’t know. We don’t know what it is but it’s just realizing that there’s nothing special about me.
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- Alternative and complementary therapies – Donna (2)Donna initially wanted to use only natural and alternative treatments; her family convinced her to include the medical treatments.
- Alternative and complementary therapies – DonnaDonna's health care team said 'no' to all complementary treatments
- Endocrine (hormone) therapy – DonnaJoint and muscle pain can have multiple causes and it is difficult for Donna to connect with her health professionals to discuss the side-effects.
- Radiation therapy – DonnaDonna experimented with various homemade skin products and other forms of alternative therapies.
- Chemotherapy – DonnaDonna found some situations so absurd that she learned to just have a good belly laugh about them.
- Surgery -DonnaDonna describes how it was for her to undergo the sentinel node biopsy.
- How it affects family and friends – DonnaDonna describes how the illness has led to deeper personal relationships and changed her appreciation of friendships.
- Positive effects on self – DonnaDonna described herself as having a stoic personality, never complaining and always looking after herself. She explains how being more open about her needs led to a deepening of important relationships in her life.
- Coping strategies – DonnaDonna shared a story about an incident that could have been embarrassing but she chose to see as funny.
- Understanding the diagnosis – DonnaDonna had a healthy lifestyle but realized that because the causes of breast cancer are unknown, she wasn't different from anybody else.