The more I read about the power of food and exercise, the further fascinated I become with the healing qualities of the human body. But this goes hand in hand with a deep frustration that I didn't educate myself about the importance of eating right much earlier in life.
Since my initial diagnosis at 16, I have always wondered, 'why me?', 'why was I diagnosed with cancer', and after so many diagnoses, 'why won't it leave me alone'. But the more I research, the more I seem drawn to the answer... Because I wasn't looking after myself.
When we were growing up, my mum made sure my brother and I exercised lots and ate well. I danced twice a week, swam at least once a week, and went everywhere on my bicycle. We hardly ate food which was fried, and anything from a fast food restaurant was a rare and very special treat. It wasn't until I reached the age of about 14 and my body was changing, that I no longer felt comfortable in my ballet leotard, or swimming costume, and I foolishly stopped all of my exercise classes. Of course it was at this age that I also started going out more with friends, picking up the odd burger and chips while shopping, and just generally not eating properly or looking after my body. It was also a time of deep personal stress.
Not long after this change in life style, I began to suffer tummy aches - the first symptoms of the Ewing's Sarcoma in my intestine.
Although, of course, I tried hard to look after my body following the initial diagnosis, I hadn't educated my self adequately to stop the disease recurring. I exercised more, which probably helped keep the disease away for a few years, until it returned in my right kidney when I was 19, but I still wasn't eating right.
Being told I only had a year to live, really made me take a look at my life, it forced me to explore how I treated my body, it made me question whether there was anything I could do to help it. And once I started researching, the amount of information I found proving that I could help myself was incredible. Why hadn't I looked for this before? So, as you know, I changed my diet according to the advice I found, and signed up for the marathon this year in order to force myself to get up, get out and exercise.
Just a few months later, scans showed that the tumours that once restricted me to a few more months of life were now benign, and I was astounded to hear that I was looking at a long future again. But I was foolish, and in the months afterwards, I allowed myself to slip from my new diet, drink more alcohol and exercise less... the result? Two new tumours in my liver.
So now I need to get back on track. The amazing news is that the diet I adapted to has allowed my liver function to improve to the point that I can now have surgery to remove the damaged parts of the organ, as well as the benign, and new tumours. But I must maintain this healthy diet if I want to keep this disease under control - under my control.
Watching the BBC3 programme 'Make My Body Younger' is a real education. Participants of the show undertake an 'age test' to see how years of heavy drinking, smoking and, in some cases, drug abuse has damaged their individual organs, and subsequently an age is put on different parts of their body. Most are shocked at the results, their heart, brain and lung function often reflect that of someone who is two to three times their actual age, and so they 'suffer' three compulsory weeks of detoxing, healthy eating and exercise. The 'age test' is then carried out again at the end of the detox period, and the results are always absolutely staggering. Just a few weeks of treating their bodies right and they are rewarded by their organ function reflecting a much more true-to-life age.
How incredible is it that the body can reverse many years of damage, and heal itself so quickly, once we know how to look after it?
There is nothing of greater importance than a healthy body and state of mind. No matter how busy you think you are, you in fact always have time to look after your self, you just need to remember to find it...
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