April 9, 2020

How Poor Life Choices Gave Me Cancer Can Keep You Out of Trouble

Did you know that poor life choice can give you cancer? In this guest post, you will learn about this remarkable blogger who got a scary diagnosis and treatment. She believes that her poor life choices at the beginning of her life caused her cancer. Today she is going to talk to you about her story and what she has overcome and how she has changed her life.

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Living The Dream

At age 46. I was in the prime of my life. I had a loving husband and two beautiful daughters, who were growing up too quickly for my liking. I was at the height of my career as a veterinarian. We were financially comfortable, owning a house, 2 cars, and several pets.

I was actively involved in my community, volunteering with various organizations. We went on vacation every year to exciting destinations. I had a good life. I was living a modest dream.

That Dream Came Crashing To A Halt

Then, in the fall of 2013, I discovered a lump in my left breast. The doctor said it was likely nothing to worry about. So, I put it out of my head and went on the vacation we had planned that year. But, since I was 46 and approaching 50, my doctor scheduled me in for a mammogram anyway; just to be sure.

The mammographer had a look of grave concern on her face when she looked at the images on the screen. She asked me if my physician had also scheduled an ultrasound. I replied that he had not, as he thought it was just fibrous tissue. She asked if I had the time and could wait for the ultrasonographer, who would be free in a few minutes. Sure, I said. That was the beginning of the dread and worry that haunted me for years to come.

The Test Results Were Not Good

My doctor was just as surprised by the results of those tests as I was. Well, maybe he was surprised, and I was in shock is more about how it went down.

The results of that ultrasound catapulted me into a biopsy procedure, which lead quickly to surgery. That was all within 3 weeks. My surgeon was worried that the lump was large and aggressive. He didn’t waste time removing my entire left breast. I had stage 3 breast cancer. The cancer had already spread to my lymph nodes, but luckily no further.

Aggressive Treatments Ensued

I was referred to 2 oncologists and underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatments over the course of the next 8 months. Chemo was the worst of it. Those nasty drugs to kill my cancer made me so sick and weak. I was useless to my husband and daughters during this time. I could barely take care of myself, let alone take care of them like I used to.

My memory and mental skills deteriorated with the chemo. They call that chemo brain, and, at the time, wasn’t well recognized as a thing. I felt like I was losing my mind. And in fact, I was.

I wasn’t the same person on the other side of cancer treatments. I was different. Cancer and the treatments had changed me permanently. My perfect, happy life was unraveling.

All those years of building a comfortable life for myself were changed forever.

You can read more about me on my blog,

So, Why Am I Telling You All This?

Why would this middle-aged woman’s breast cancer story matter to you?

Just like over 33% of ALL cancers, my breast cancer was the result of an unhealthy lifestyle.

I had no family history of breast cancer. In fact, I was refused genetic testing because my doctors were so convinced that my cancer was due to poor lifestyle choices. No, I didn’t smoke. I did drink a little wine on occasion and strawberry margaritas on vacation, though. But I didn’t drink much.

I am now convinced that my cancer was because I didn’t eat properly or exercise enough for years. My body took the abuse. But now, that abuse had caught up with me.

I Never Thought I Had Time To Prepare Healthy Meals Or Go To The Gym

I was almost 100 pounds overweight and classified as obese when I was diagnosed. Exercising was difficult at that weight. I couldn’t walk up stairs without being out of breath. I was tired all the time.

And my busy life lead to quick meals, usually pre-cooked, packaged meals or take-out that I picked up on my way home from work.

Now, I had breast cancer. And it was time to fight. It was time to take back my life through healthy living. My old habits had to change. I needed to smarten up and live a healthy way now.

And You Need To Learn From My Example

You need to develop healthy habits right now. I don’t want you to get sick. I want you to live a full, active and happy life. Don’t think it couldn’t happen to you. I didn’t think it could happen to me.

Cancer Is Not An Old Person’s Disease

They say that some cancers take 6 - 10 years, sometimes longer, to develop into something noticeable. So, my cancer probably started back when I was 36, at least. If I was active and eating well back in my younger days, perhaps I would have never developed this wretched cancer in the first place.

Cancer is on the rise. It is killing younger and younger people. Did you know that the youngest person to get breast cancer was only 8 years old? Women in their 20s and 30s are getting breast cancer at alarming rates.

Even men can get breast cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates that just under 3,000 men will develop breast cancer in 2020. Of those, 520 men will die from it in the US alone.

Prostate cancer is more aggressive in younger men, with a higher rate of mortality. And younger men are getting colon cancer at alarming rates.

Certainly, we know that cancers in the brain, blood, bone, skin, and thyroid, for example, can all happen in young people. Cancer is not just an old person’s disease.

550 people in the USA are dying EVERY DAY from cancer that is the result of an unhealthy lifestyle.

Let that sink in. Does that scare you? It should.

And that is just cancer. There are a host of other diseases that people are dying from that are a direct result of a lack of healthy habits. Let’s look at some of those statistics, shall we?

Diabetes

84.1 million Americans have pre-diabetes. 1.5 million will be diagnosed in 2020. And over 250,000 die every year.

Liver disease

The US leads the world in obesity rates. And obesity often leads to Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). It is estimated that 75 to 100 million Americans had NAFLD in 2017. NAFLD leads to chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and liver cancer over time.

Heart Disease & Stroke

A poor diet and inactive lifestyle are thought to attribute to over half of those suffering from heart disease and stroke. In 2015, that amounted to the deaths of about 222,000 men and 193,000 women in the US.

Lung Disease

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is diagnosed in almost 9 million Americans annually. The majority of these are caused by smoking. However, poor diet and obesity is linked and can increase the risk of death from COPD.

So, a lot of people are definitely dying from unhealthy lifestyles. It may not seem obvious now. It takes years to suffer the effects. But it eventually catches up. It caught up with me.

Learn from my mistakes

Be Active

This is probably why you found crazyfitnessguy.com. You obviously know that being active is key to staying strong and healthy. But I want to drive that point home. Being active is vital to life. It keeps your hormones in balance and strengthens your immune system. You were born to move.

Like I said before, I didn’t think I had time to exercise before cancer. I was wrong. I had even less time to deal with my cancer, but I was forced to make the time.

Cancer treatments stole more than 8 months of my life. Just think of all the exercise I could have done in 8 months. That is the equivalent time to go to the gym for 150 minutes per week (the minimum recommendation) for 45 years.

Eat Well

Of course, we all know the link between type 2 diabetes and too much sugar. Sugar is addicting and is a habit that is very hard to break. I talk about

However, eating well is so much more than not eating sugars, sweets and junk food. It is about nourishing your body with whole foods. Vegetables, fruits, healthy proteins, fiber and fats are all vitally important for energy, stamina, immunity and health.

It isn’t just your mama telling you to eat your broccoli and brussel sprouts. A multitude of science backs her up.

We need to eat ½ of our plate in vegetables, ¼ in healthy protein and ¼ in healthy grains. And we need to skip the late-night pizza or burgers and fries.

Be Mindful

It isn’t just what you do with or put into your body that keeps you healthy. If you are under constant stress you can’t possibly exercise or eat well enough to support that kind of damage. Stress messes with your hormones, producing things like cortisol, adrenaline, and epinephrine that age you. Over time, too much of these hormones and the damage they do can lead to disease, including cancer.

Science has demonstrated that meditation and mindfulness can help reduce our levels of stress and leave us more resilient to future stressors.

Living in the current moment and putting the past behind you, not worrying about the future for just a few minutes during your day, can help keep you healthy. Simply closing your eyes and listening to yourself breathe, tuning into your body, for just 10 minutes a day can have a profound effect on your health. You simply deal with stress better when you live mindfully.

Live Less Toxic

We live in a toxic world. Everywhere you look there are chemicals, by-products, and pollutants that can weaken us and make us sick. We can’t avoid them all. They are just a part of our industrial world now. But you can do some things to lessen your exposure to toxic elements. Look for ways to live as cleanly as possible.

Here are just a few ideas on living less toxic lives….

Cook your food slowly on a lower heat so as not to produce chemical by-products in food
Use soaps, shampoos, and conditioners that are more natural
Don’t smoke and reduce alcohol consumption
Eat less processed foods
Never microwave food in plastic containers
Use greener products with less packaging
Avoid non-stick cookware
Drink filtered water
Avoid air fresheners and aerosol sprays
Eat less canned products

Took My Life Back

I corrected my mistakes and started to make better life choices. I ate better, focusing on foods that heal, reduce cancer risk and are nutrient-dense. I started to be more active by walking and eventually running. I lost 90 pounds. Many people complimented me, saying that I didn’t look like I had cancer. I felt good. I found myself happy again.

And I Ran A Marathon

To celebrate my 5 years of cancer survivorship, I decided to run my first marathon. So, at age 51, I trained hard for 20 weeks. I ran the Twin Cities Marathon on October 6, 2019. Crossing that finish line was proof that I could achieve what I always thought impossible. I beat cancer and I ran 26.2 miles. Life is good again.

Anyone Can Change For The Healthier

I firmly believe that anyone can turn their life around and start practicing healthy habits. I believe so strongly in this, that I started Pink Ribbon Runner. It is a blog devoted to helping people lead healthier lives to prevent and heal from cancer. Come check it out!

Pink Ribbon Runner

Conclusion:

I think we all can learn something from this post. It doesn’t matter what age you start eating and living healthy, the only thing that you need to decide is when are you going to make a change? Remember this powerful post when you are struggling to decide on eating healthy foods.

About The Author

Patricia Prince has science and veterinary degrees and has worked in the medical research field for over 10 years. She is passionate about running and healthy living. She strives to help cancer survivors and others get their lives back through healthy habits. She believes the path to good health is through eating well and being active. When she is not blogging or running, she spends time with family, cuddles with her 4 cats, and reads medical journals.