Stephanie is a Radical Remission survivor of stage 3 clear cell ovarian cancer. Diagnosed at the age of 36, she combined conventional and alternative methods to overcome incredible odds. 5 years later, she currently has no evidence of disease.
Here is her story in her own words:
I was having unusual lower back pain; an ultrasound showed an ovarian cyst that looked suspicious. During surgery to remove the cyst, a cancerous tumor was discovered. I was told that I had at least stage 1C, but needed exploratory surgery to confirm my stage. I was also told that if I were diagnosed with stage 4, I had 0% of survival without chemo.
After surgery I was diagnosed with stage IC, but encouraged to have chemotherapy as an extra insurance to eradicate any floating cancerous cells. After I completed chemo, tests revealed that my cancer had spread to a couple of lymph nodes near my heart (stage 3).
I was encouraged by different oncologists to take various next steps: undergo another surgery to remove the lymph nodes, apply for a promising new drug trial or perhaps try a different chemo drug. I rallied for targeted radiation (not the gold standard so required oncologist approval) and decided that it was important that I concurrently get involved in my own healing. I had gone to the experts initially out of fear. I didn’t know anyone with cancer, heck I didn’t even know what an oncologist was! This was a whole new world for my husband and I, and we were led to believe we didn’t have a lot of time to be conducting our own research.
But, as I went through the chemo treatments, I started asking a lot of questions. I realized that there wasn’t a lot of information that my oncologist knew about me personally. Our consultations were rushed- he was typically double and triple-booked, and while he took as much time as we needed to answer our questions, he wasn’t asking many of his own.
It occurred to me that not he, nor anyone else, should know more about my body than me. His prediction of my future wellness was based on what he was witnessing in my body at a specific point of time, compared with the results of a combination of others before me with the same diagnosis. It was not, in fact, based on me as a unique individual who possessed the capacity to make improvements to my health the second I left the hospital after our appointment.
This epiphany put me in control and led me to seek out stories of others who had overcome their diagnoses. Once I found these survivors, I felt confident that I, too, had the ability to change my internal condition and overcome my diagnosis.
My first task was changing how I felt about myself. I replaced disappointment, insecurity, guilt, and fear with unconditional love. Daily affirmations helped build these new, positive neural pathways. Thank you Louise Hay! I started following self-deprecating thoughts with the affirmation “I love and approve of myself”.
I completely overhauled my diet, replacing microwave meals and nutrient-depleted processed foods with fresh fruits/veggies/nuts/seeds and added filtered drinking and shower water, far-infrared sauna, rebounding, acupuncture, network spinal analysis, qi gong, started speaking up for myself, lost my fear of death and illness, quit my stressful job, and built a new life including a fulfilling new career, supportive friends and family, and most of all, self-love!
[Regarding what may cause cancer], I believe lack of nutrients, constant exposure to toxins in my food/water/environment/personal care & cleaning products, lack of exercise, fear of death and disease, an unfulfilling job with related stress, putting others ahead of myself, absence of spirituality and direction, insecurity, and the belief that I was never good enough all depleted my immune function which, in turn, led to my cancer diagnosis.”
EDITOR'S NOTE: As of October 2020 Stephanie is well and thriving post diagnosis.
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