Meet Rob: my life partner, my adventure companion and the leader of our pack.
Rob is the toughest guy I know. The dude is a machine. He’s an ex-Army paratrooper and intelligence officer, a 100-miler, and climbs mountains like they’re ant hills.
However, life can be relentless and knock down even the baddest badass at times.
This past May, Rob underwent surgery to remove about 8 body parts, including his traitorous and cancer ridden prostate.
While it’s been a frightening experience, 3-month’s post-surgery Rob is free and clear and climbing mountains again!
I’m sure many of you have faced the challenges of cancer or know someone who has, and I want to acknowledge your courage, strength and resilience.
I know too many of you have also experienced the loss of a loved one to cancer. My heart goes out to you and your family.
We know that Rob was very, very lucky to have such a treatable form of this terrible disease, especially given that the little bugger - only the size of a walnut - had been harboring high risk, advanced cancer for quite some time, according to his PSA and other cancer scores.
***Here is another kind of PSA: GET YOUR CHECKUPS!***
(We often avoid getting routine check ups for various reasons, and I’m as holistic as heck, but it’s important to take advantage of the miracles of modern science, even if you feel fine. Rob likely had this storm brewing for years…it had been years since his last check up.)
Rob’s a vegan, an athlete and I’m a health coach. We buy organic. We are active. We take pretty good care of ourselves and each other. This was the last thing either of us expected…
It could be tempting to blame genetics, bad luck, or simply the luck of the draw, but neither of us is playing any of these cards.
Rob’s genetic testing showed that he’s not genetically predisposed for prostate cancer. But to shrug off a diagnosis of any illness as bad luck, is to stick your head in the sand and miss out an important opportunity to get curious about what may have contributed to the disease in the first place.
If you have cancer, it is not your fault. You did not deserve it.
However, with cancer diagnoses increasing at an alarming rate; as individuals and a society, we MUST wake up and acknowledge that our environment, the standard American diet (SAD), and our other lifestyle choices are making us sick.
One of many articles published on the topic concludes that “...cancer is a preventable disease that requires major lifestyle changes.”*
I’m not suggesting that if you get cancer, you’ve led an unhealthy life. However, according to the same article, “...only 5–10% of all cancer cases can be attributed to genetic defects, whereas the remaining 90–95% have their roots in the environment and lifestyle. The lifestyle factors include cigarette smoking, diet (fried foods, red meat), alcohol, sun exposure, environmental pollutants, infections, stress, obesity, and physical inactivity.”
Many of these factors are within our control.
Rob has suspicions as to what may have caused his prostate cells to mutiny–he was exposed to toxins while serving in the Army–something he couldn’t necessarily control.
Since his diagnosis, he has doubled down on eliminating/reducing exposure to any other risks. He’s even seriously limiting his indulgences in vegan burgers and fries. 🤣 These are things he can control.
I will continue to cook ridiculous amounts of vegetables. I’ll schedule my annual exams. I’ll keep exercising and meditating. These are areas of my health that I can influence.
We all have the power to shape our own destinies through mindful and healthy choices, thoughts and actions. Or, we can play the helpless victim.
The only way we’ll make any meaningful headway in the war against all disease, is to be willing to consider what is making us sick in the first place.
Good health is true wealth, so here’s to yours!
My best,
Lisa
* National Institute of Health’s National Library of Medicine