The Big "C"

It’s normal to fear change. Usually, the devil we know is more comfortable than the devil we don’t. That’s why so many people stay in jobs and relationships they don’t like. At least they know what to expect. Even when we love our lives, things can happen that force us into uncomfortable situations or circumstances. How we deal with these unexpected events can affect us positively or negatively.

Ramona was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in March 1989. It’s a day you don’t forget. We were lucky, though. While it was malignant, it was caught early; it was encapsulated and had not metastasized. Still, when you hear the word “cancer” you feel your life will never be the same. Of course, your first thought is you have received a death sentence. Then the doctor discusses treatments that can save, or at least prolong your life.

Surgery removed Ramona’s thyroid gland to eliminate the culprit. Then she underwent radiation treatments to make sure the cancer wasn’t in any other part of her body. Next came the scans, the rescans, the prescriptions, the doctor’s visits. It seemed to be a whirlwind of nothing but doctors and hospitals and pharmacies consuming our lives.

Then a wonderful thing happened. Ramona said, “I am going to do whatever it takes to get through this OK and enjoy a long and fulfilling life with my husband.”  With that manifestation, she quickly passed through the stages of grief accompanying a diagnosis that could have resulted in death.

We became determined to do everything possible to ensure we would both lead long and healthy lives. Ramona found an MD who, through her practice of psychiatry, discovered that most of her patients’ problems were caused by nutritional imbalances. The doctor studied nutrition and supplements and expanded her practice to include disease avoidance by reinstating the proper nutritional balance we had when we were born. Healthful living is her specialty and became our mantra.

We underwent testing, learned what to eat and what not to eat, rounded out our diets with supplements, and implemented a daily exercise program. What a difference those changes made. We look and feel younger than we are, lost weight, and do not get sick as often.

We also came to the realization of how fragile life can be. We began living the life we had dreamed of before cancer. We started traveling and doing the things we had previously only talked about. Life has become more than we ever expected it to be. And it’s all due to the way we handled a very scary situation over which we initially thought we had no control.

Sometimes we are dealt with the unexpected and forced to redirect our lives. We could have remained fearful and become victims of this unwanted situation. Instead, Ramona took control and transformed our lives for the better.

When most people hear “The Big C” they immediately think of cancer and their thoughts turn to the negative. For us, “The Big C” stands for Change – and Change can be good. Now, no matter what life brings our way, we switch our vibration to make a course correction and transform our lives. The difference is WE choose the new direction.

Original Publication - Meta Arts Magazine – November 2010