This episode is meant to help anyone facing a health crisis and anyone who has a family member going through one. I talk about questions you may want to ask your doctors, blind spots in my life I discovered that you may have too, and figuring things out along the way. My hope is that my story will give you some food for thought and maybe a little inspiration if you’re going through something similar.
At 29 years old, I was entering the most intense time of my young legal career. Just 3 years out of law school, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. At the same time, two other young women I came up in my office were diagnosed with cancer as well. All of us were at the same stages of our careers, and each of us had a different journey.
When I talk to people facing a breast cancer diagnosis, I tell them that it’s the best thing that ever happened to me. It sounds strange, but it’s true.
Chemotherapy was the vacation I needed to take a moment and think about what I really wanted and see what actions I was and wasn’t taking to get there.
We rarely take the time to sit back and design our lives. I certainly hadn’t done that. I’d worked hard throughout high school, college, law school, and then as a trial attorney. I had lots of ideas of what I “should” do, and what I “should” want. But I didn’t sit with myself to think it through. Chemo was the first time I’d had the opportunity to do so.
In this episode of Soul Roadmap, I take you through what I learned about myself and how I began reprioritizing my life.
I’ve created a resources list below of resources I depended on, and some that I wish I had at the time.
RESOURCES
- The Cancer Fighting Kitchen by Rebecca Katz (making meals from this book would be the perfect gift for someone you know who has cancer. I’ve tried dozens of recipes from this book, and I haven’t had a single one I’ve disliked.)
- Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips by Kris Carr
- Crazy Sexy Juice: 100+ Simple Juice, Smoothie & Elixir Recipes to Super-charge your Health by Kris Carr
- Manduka Yoga Mat. You can't go wrong with any of Manduka's mats, but this is the style I have. I've tried the cheaper ones, and they're just not as good for my wrists and knees. I also tend to slip less on this mat.
- This is similar to the headscarf I wore that was moisture wicking for yoga. There's a big selection on Amazon now, so that's helpful.
- NetFlix Gift Certificate (the perfect gift for your friend with cancer)