Yes, you CAN.....
A Note from Sue Ansari RN
Sue Ansari RN is grounded firmly in the belief of mind, body and spirit medicine that she has for years combined with traditional medical practices. Not just your typical nurse, Sue has years of experience as a nationally certified lymphatic therapist, a Laughter Yoga teacher, Living Light Culinary Institute Raw Food Chef and Instructor, Circle of Life Wellness Coach, Guided Imagery Therapist, as well as a Holistic Health Counselor, certified through Columbia University.
Additionally, she has studied extensively with the Center for Mind-Body Medicine, certified both as a "CancerGuide" and "Food as Medicine" counselor, as well as with Andrew Weil's "Nutrition and Cancer" program through the University of Arizona.
A cancer survivor, herself, Sue's mission is to educate and empower personal lifestyle choices through the CANcer-Proof Your Life! program that will result in a happier, healthier world.
"Tell the body what to do and the mind will follow."
I was touched with cancer even before I was born. My paternal grandmother died of lung cancer a few months before my birth and as I heard my pro-smoking grandfather repeatedly proclaim, “Maude never smoked a day in her life.”; however, she did live in a house filled not only with my grandfather’s smoke, but also that of her two sons. She had no idea that smoking, let alone second-hand smoke, could possibly have anything to do with her cancer. Back in the late 1940’s, who would have thought? My grandmother had no idea, she had no choice.
My mother, a polio survivor from age two, was diagnosed with breast cancer and multiple lymph node involvement when she was 42 years old. Before her death at age 59, in addition to breast cancer, she had survived lung, bone and finally abdominal metastases. Following her polio diagnosis, unusual and bizarre medical interventions often ensued, including monthly abdominal x-rays of her fetus (me) during her first pregnancy as a 20-year-old by military doctors. Again, in the late 1940’s, who knew what danger those massive doses of radiation might possibly have on both mother and unborn fetus? My mother had no idea, she had no choice.
As she aged and matured, while the medical community did as well, my mother intuitively took a wellness path less traveled. As a child, I wished for “cute” TV dinners and Twinkies in my lunch bag, but instead she prepared everything from scratch, resulting in lunches of lentil burger sandwiches on whole wheat, carrot and celery sticks, dried apricots and homemade oatmeal cookies, while my classmates downed their peanut butter and jelly Wonder Bread sandwiches and Hostess cupcakes....and thought I was weird! My mother had an idea - she was making choices, not only for herself, but for her family, as well.
Despite the polio, she was physically extremely active, whether scrubbing floors on her hands and knees or planting and maintaining a very large garden. In later years, she rode a stationary bike daily. Her diet was primarily vegetarian, but after three weeks at Hippocrates Clinic following lung cancer in 1977, she was completely raw for more than two years, while she guzzled Rejuvelac and grew and drank her own wheatgrass juice. Those were her choices.
In addition to her diet, she laughed long and hard at nearly everything. Her faith in God was unwavering; her home and family was her life. She did not believe in idle hands, hers were always busy with something. With my two younger brothers, repeatedly, she would ceremoniously drive us in our pajamas with homegrown, freshly popped popcorn to watch the full moon rise over Lake Erie. In later years, after my parents had moved to the other side of the state, we would make those same kind of pilgrimages to Lake Michigan on summer evenings, not to see the moon rise, but to watch the sun set over the lake. She reveled in the simple things of life and the beauty of Nature. Those were her life choices.
Did they make a difference? Yes, I fully believe my mother lived as long and as well as she did, despite all of her many medical challenges, because of the intuitive choices she made. During those 17 years, her down time was insignificant. With every medical insult, she quickly bounced back and kept on going. Hope was never lost. I was with her the last time she visited her surgeon. With pink cheeks glowing over flawless, wrinkle-free skin, I can see her face as she leaned back on the exam table waiting for a response from him about why she was not feeling well. All he could say was, “I don’t know what to say, Lorene….you look so well!” And she did. Six weeks later she was gone.
My mother’s choices defined her life. Although those choices did not cure her cancer, they most certainly allowed her to live a better and longer life as a result. Being a nurse, I often questioned some of the things she did which at the time were not backed by any kind of evidence-based studies as they now are. Intuitively, she combined traditional medicine with complementary and alternative practices, as she embodied all those things we now refer to as mind-body-spirit “medicine”. Her choices for a life well-lived, despite the obstacles, were plenty of fresh air, sunshine, exercise, a diet of primarily fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and grains, a positive attitude, belief in a Higher Being, a support system of family and friends, and most importantly, a heart and mind filled with gratitude, unconditional love and unending hope.
You also have choices, what will they be?
CANcer-Proof Your Life!
