Imagine that one day you are driving to a routine doctor checkup in your car, with the window down, long hair blowing, listening to the Rolling Stones’ Time is on My Side, humming along, and thinking about what you are going to make for dinner for your kids.
Imagine that during that appointment your doctor´s expression becomes shocked and he is speechless, and after some prodding on your side he tells you he sees a large malignant-looking tumor that needs a biopsy right then.
Imagine that the next day you are told that the tumor is indeed an aggressive cancer rarely found in the uterus, indicating that it was probably a secondary or tertiary tumor, detonating a long week of tests to determine the situation and what paths were available to move forward toward healing.
Unfortunately, none of those scenarios were imaginary for me. This was the beginning of a journey that I never hoped to travel, but one that has changed the trajectory of my life and how I think about my own abilities forever.
After a week of thinking that I was dying and had tumors spread all over my body, I received the great news that the aggressive tumor was localized, and though it was too big for surgery, there was thankfully a medical plan available that would work for me. The next day, I had a port-a-cath inserted and began an arduous path towards healing with combined chemotherapy, radiation, and brachytherapy. It sounds like a horrible path, but I was so happy that cancer hadn’t spread any further and that I had a way forward, that I chose to hold on to that perspective and stride forward.
This is the essence of what I want to share with you: how managing my perspective has been a vital tool in managing my mood and my disposition throughout this journey. This meant taking control of my ability to respond (“response-ability”) to a given situation. I decided that I was going to look for the opportunity in every situation, and that changed my perspective dramatically.
As my world as I knew it had come to a halt, nothing made sense any longer, and things were quite confusing for me. But then I thought, “what is the opportunity in this?” and I realized that in front of me I had the opportunity to create my experience and in essence a new life.
That is when the deep work began. I am a very resourceful and independent woman, however, for deeper needs, I was looking to others and to my external world for answers. I went on a long path of self-discovery, focused mainly on the premise of taking response-ability for everything.
Reaching out to additional medical practitioners (outside of my main chosen medical team) helped me learn more about my illness and gave me confidence that the treatment I was receiving was the right one for me. In this process, I also built relationships with them, providing me additional support.
I created a network of friends and family that could provide me with the support I needed. However, I was very selective about who I brought into this network. I longed for positive and constructive people who shared my values and could bring me up when I needed a little push. Those friends who had been through similar experiences had priceless suggestions for me, helping me get through different steps in the journey that otherwise would have been very painful such as when I lost my hair or when I have to go my quarterly checks ups and my whole world flips upside down again for me, despite the brave face I kept on for the outside world.
Through word of mouth, I learned about complementary therapies that could help me dig deeper into myself and look for answers within. I tried everything that felt right to me, including bio-decoding, psychology, reiki, quantum healing, hypnosis, reflexology, supplements, and dietary changes. Each of these contributed to my wellbeing and to my healing journey in some way. I faced things from my childhood and adult life that were conveniently hidden away. Though this process can seem daunting at first, I learned that it´s not the same to face childhood traumas as an adult, as we can now see them through our adult eyes.
And guess what? This path led me to ME. I am the hero I was looking for. I found my inner hero. I am committed to doing the self-work and introspection to develop and evolve towards deeper and stronger wellbeing.
Thankfully in record time I had a radical remission and went on to enjoy some months of relative tranquility health-wise. Unfortunately, like in all adventure stories, I came up against further setbacks at a later stage I have had to face, but they are further opportunities to grow which I will detail at a later stage.
I want to create a tsunami of self-actualization and self-healing. I want to help YOU and every person on the planet who may be going through the kind of adversity that shakes the pillars that hold you up and gives you the amazing opportunity to make changes in your life and live more authentically. I want you to feel empowered and realize that the strength and knowledge you are seeking is already inside of you. YOU are the hero.
By Jessica de la Morena