IT'S NOT JUST ONE THING! is intented to be a forum to bring health and wellness information to cancer patients in New Brunswick. Whether you have cancer or are concered about cancer there are things you can do right now today to help yourself live better, feel better and recover from cancer! It takes more than just chemo, radiation and surgery to recover from cancer. This website is meant to be a vehicle to help bring the medical community, patients and holistic practictioners together via a series of discussions, events, speakers, educational information etc.
We are the Wellness Warriors on a mission to promote health and wellness in New Brunswick!
I want to live in a healthy community of "Wellness Warriors" where everyone can understand that they are empowered to live their best life!
MY STORY
First, can I just say that I was not all "granola and oats" prior to my illness. I was a working, traveling, volunteering, occasional beer drinking & social smoking, hockey mom of two active boys, Connor and Quinn and married to Dave. I ate what I thought was good diet and used my gym membership when the urge hit me. ('bout 3 times a month) We ate veggies but chicken nuggets were definitely a staple for a busy night and considered a protein in my house. I wasn't overweight (well maybe a few pounds) and I liked my life the way it was! Damn it!
My Name is Nancy Baker. That life I was talking about changed one day. I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 38. In the span of two and half years, I underwent 4 surgeries, aggressive chemotherapy, radiotherapy countless procedures and had multiple hospital stays.
During treatment I was plaged with bone pain, joint pain, vision issues, nausea, neuropathy in my feet, issues with my lungs, my chest was burned from radiation and I gained alot of weight! Yes, I thought the same thing too... people are suppose to lose weight on chemo!...no not me! I packed on the pounds! These were the dark days of treatment. I got through them and if you have a terrible illness, you can too! I never lost my sense of ha ha and my friends and I could find funnies in the most dire of circumstances! (love ya gals!)
On the other side of my cancer treatment I had been left with numerous side effects. I had both of my breasts removed, a nice chunk under my arm dug out, my latissimus muscles removed (they made new foobs with my back muscles so technically I didn't lose them. They were just shoved under my arms and sewn onto my chest!), I lost my hair, my ability to sleep, my cognitive abilities have been altered, I struggle with fatigue, lymphodema... yang, yang, yang you can get the gist. The point is, that many cancer patients have similar or much worse stories and are not informed that there are steps they can take to move forward. There are things that we can do to help ourselves heal, feel better, improve quality of life and recover from cancer. I don't believe that our current health care system is equipped to take care of these needs.
For me, it meant educating myself on what being healthy really means. I changed my diet, my exercise habits, I took a look at the products I was using in my household and changed the ones that I thought could be toxic to my family. BTW... some of these product should be banned! I learned relaxation techniques and even joined a dragon boat team. I'm gonna live... I'm gonna live as well as I can for as long as I can. If you have the right attitude you can too!
I feel we are lacking in educating patients on the importance of overall wellness and exposing them to other health care practices such as nutrition, exercise, meditation, touch therapy and any other modalities that bring a sense of awareness and well-being to your body.
MY VISION
I want an integrated approach to treating disease in New Brunswick. I want our province to be at the forefront of understanding how to treat the whole person. I want every cancer patient and potential cancer patient in New Brunswick to know that there are absolutely things you can do to prevent cancer, support yourself while going through treatment, and support your recovery and risk of recurrence by adopting simply lifestyle changes. You can empower yourself to recover.
I would like to see the incidence of cancer reduced in New Brunswick. I also want patients to have access to a team dedicated to your care and well-being. A team with a top-notch medical specialist, quick access to your genetic risks, the best diagnostic equipment, a well trained naturopathic doctor, the latest research and drugs, a massage therapist, a Reiki Master, a yoga guru. You get my drift! I dream big. Today we have pieces of this vision but we don't have the whole package. I want a team approach to making you feel better and well again. That's my vision but until that time I will settle with at least making sure that New Brunswick residents are informed about things ouside the typical "protocol" package.
