Crazy Sexy Cancer!

When I was first diagnosed, I started researching fallopian tube and ovarian cancer online. It scared the hell out of me. I quit and never went back - I am not a statistic! Someone told me about the Crazy Sexy Cancer books by Kris Carr. Kris is the original warrior goddess and inspires cancer patients everywhere. She was diagnosed, in 2003, with inoperable tumors on her liver and lungs. I believe she has 13 of them. No treatment, either. Hers is an extremely rare form of cancer. She was in a lot of pain and there was nothing to be done. She fought back. She has educated herself about diet and lifestyle and 8 years later, despite those tumors, she is the picture of beauty and glowing good health. There is also a Crazy, Sexy documentary film. She tells her own story and the stories of other women who have survived cancer through their lifestyle choices. The Crazy Sexy web site is a great resource for information and for connecting with people who have the same cancer you have. I connected with my dear friend Bonnie there. Having a friend who is going through almost exactly what you are is very helpful. If you know anyone who is newly diagnosed with cancer, I recommend sending them these books. I could have believed the statistics and gone the way of despair, but she taught me to believe in myself and in the choices I make. In her books and movie, I found my inspiration to deal with this disease.

Kris just published Crazy, Sexy Diet and I just started reading it. It's not a "diet plan" although there are recipes in the back. It is similar to the Anti-Cancer book in that she advocates a plant based, organic diet. She is vegan, but realizes that is a hard choice for most people and so recommends cutting back on meat and dairy products and buying organic and grass fed.

Bottom line: we have been fed lies all our loves about what food is healthy. It's no coincidence that the acronym for the standard American diet is SAD. Since I started getting food from the Wellness Kitchen (YUM!) I have been gradually altering my diet. I have not been eating meat, processed sugar, or dairy. When I eat something that isn't good for me my body reacts and I feel bad immediately. Casey was eating organic french fries with bar-b-que sauce the other day and I indulged. The sauce, of course, was full of sugar (1st or 2nd ingredient in all processed foods) and chemicals. My body said Hell No!! Thursday night I took a sip of Casey's wine and it was delicious. I thought...well, I haven't had chemo in three weeks, why not? I had less than a half a glass and woke up with a headache Friday. There is a reason it's called intoxication - it's toxic. If you have ever over-indulged and woken up with a full blown hangover, you know you have been drinking something that poisons your body.

I feel so much better when my diet is organic (organic tastes much better, too), plant based and full of omega 3's. I agree with my oncologist - cancer treatment should be an integrative approach.

I wore my Crazy, Sexy Cancer T-shirt for courage on 2/15/08 - the day after my hair started falling out (Yes, I was crying in the shower on Valentine's Day) and Shannon, my wonderful nurse, shaved the rest of my hair off. It falls out in big clumps and leaves you looking like a deranged zombie...this photo is right after the hair came off:

Namaste, Jill