Why write I about health..Day 1 Health Activist Writer's Challenge

Why do I write about health?

The answer to that for me is easy. I feel health is a commodity that so many of us take for granted.  We work hard to make money, we work hard to keep our relationships in order, we work hard at raising our children, and we work hard at making a nice home for ourselves.  But none of these things amount to an ounce of beans if we are not able to enjoy them. If we do not have our health.

Our health can be stolen from us in an instant even if we do work hard at maintaining it and let's be honest  most Americans do little to pay attention to their health on a regular basis.  Once it's gone, then we sit up and take notice.

I'm not here judging anyone. I would have been the same way but I never really ever seemed healthy so I was always keenly aware of health related issues. As a child I struggled endlessly with allergies and low blood sugar. Both these conditions were so extreme that they impacted my life daily and frustrated my Mother to no end.

I constantly believed that I could control the situation though. Maybe not always with modern medicine but I knew with knowledge I had power. With power I could overcome any health obstacles .I dove into health related topics as a survival skill in my own life.

In 2004, my health struggles took a terrible turn. One I couldn't even foresee. Up to this point maintaining health was a hobby. Something I did to make my own life more pleasurable.  It was a luxury but in an instant being healthy would not longer be a luxury for me.

I found the lump in 2003 but it took until March 2004 for me to finally get someone to listen to my cries for help. I was 32, and thanks to my diligence and lifestyle amazingly healthy. Or was I?

After advocating for my own life and basically displaying a passion beyond anything my doctor had seen, I was diagnosed with Stage IIIB Triple Negative Breast Cancer. Triple..who what what?

I went into survival mode instantly. After a mastectomy and 16 rounds of chemotherapy I could come up for air. I went back to my life and tried to find "my new normal" which at first included a whole lot of denial regarding my diagnosis.  I didn't like to talk about it, think about it, or even look at a pink ribbon.

That all changed again in 2007 when I found out my cancer had metastasized to my left lung. Faced with another cancer diagnosis I could no longer ignore cancer. It was like that pesky house guest that won't go home or that friend you can't get off the phone. I would have to deal with it.

People were shocked by my decision to not remove a piece of my lung to have my tumor removed. I choose instead other treatments including holistic treatments. That's where I lost people...literally.  Frustrated and angry with my decisions I started to loose people in my life..but now Stage IV I had it do it my way if it was going to work.

I am now a nine-year Stage IV breast cancer survivor and I write as a health activist because I feel I have a hell of a lot of knowledge, I'm not afraid to speak my mind and quite frankly as a woman who has fought for her life more than half of it it my wish to is help inspire others.  Life is worth fighting for and no matter what your health situation...you can he Healthy and Happy!