Welcome to iwearitwell.com’s first newsletter!

If you have just been diagnosed with cancer - regardless if it is breast, lung, ovarian or any other, this month’s letter may be of some help to you. In the months to follow, we will share with you any worthy cancer news or information we can get our hands on. If you have any questions or comments, or would like us to do some research for you, we are open for suggestions. Please email us with your request.

Did you say I have Cancer?

Anyone who has been diagnosed with Cancer will never forget their doctor’s words. For me it was…”You have infiltrating ductal carcinoma”…What? Now you are on a completely different planet. You wonder what happened, why did this happen, how could this happen? You have what feels like an “out of body” experience. Then suddenly you become numb and weak from the shock of those words. It’s a life changing event that can crush your spirit and at the same time fuel your fire.

Once your circle of family and friends know, you are flooded with information. Not to mention the information you frantically try to search for yourself. Most of it is confusing, too scientific and frustrating, because you really are just scared. You immediately get thrown into the medical arena of appointments, questions and more tests. All your life, you’ve heard people say, they should have gotten a second opinion. Is this one of those times in your life you need to get a second or third opinion? Do you waste more time and risk this tumor growing even more? Or do you trust your doctors are making the right choices? For me, I trusted them and I moved forward. I had an unbelievable network of physicians and I felt good about my treatment plan. This is a decision that every individual needs to make for themselves. If I can offer any advice, go with your gut feeling and stick to it.

Now you need to get mentally prepared for your journey. You are getting ready to fight a battle for YOUR life. You have to make the mental decision that loosing is not an option. It’s time to get focused on YOU! Get your mind set right and don’t’ let this get you down. A positive attitude will help you push through the difficult days ahead. Seek nutritional counseling and learn how to eat right if you aren’t already. Get the rest you need during the day and get a good night’s sleep. Let your support group surround you and help you through. It ‘s hard for some people to accept help, like bringing you meals or running your errands, just let them do it. Most people are at a complete loss of what to do for you, so if they ask you how they can help, give them something to do, even if it’s taking the dogs out!

I do believe there will be a cure for this horrible disease one day soon, hopefully in our lifetime. It will be a day to celebrate; a day marked in history, a day that generations to come will read about in history books and medical journals. We can all be a part of that celebration by supporting research in any way we can. Please contact us if you need help finding a cancer organization to support.