This will discuss an overview of the two cancers, two very different experiences, two different treatments and the mind/body interaction for a flourishing life. This will be the primary area where the lifestyle change initiated by reading the book RADIACAL REMISSION is covered. Since I originally read this book, I have come to see that these same lifestyle factors can be applied to so many health issues in life beyond cancer, both physical and mental. The fear of dying an ugly, painful death if my prostate cancer had migrated to the bone was a “blessing”/gift that truly helped me make lifestyle changes. I have learned for me that there is more mind-body interaction than one would expect at first look. There are evidence that the will to live is an extremely powerful drug. And in author of RADIACAL REMISSION was surprised to see only two of the factors were physical factors, the other seven were mental, physiological and/or spiritual. To me, illnesses are a collection of multiple stressors to the mind and body which, when they come together for a particular individual will either not succumb to the “invasion” from multiple directions or one or more will be the “straw that broke the camel’s back”. Hence the idea that any one item “is THE answer or cure” would rarely apply.
I strongly suggest that anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer to at least read RADICAL REMISSION. It is the output of a doctorate thesis. The author notes that she does not want to claim false hopes, that it does not claim to cure cancer, but that there are factors which influence a person’s wellbeing, in the face of “insurmountable odds”. I have become an unwitting researcher of her thesis that, thankfully for me, some people do recover from cancer against all odds, both cancers in my case. It is a compliment, an exceptionally large compliment, for guiding me in wellbeing. I recommend it also to others with heart disease, diabetes and other maladies that can be positively affected by improved lifestyle. It is emblematic of the mind-body relationship when one looks at STRESSORS and TRAUMA RESPONSES like fight and flight. There is every reason to believe that these nine factors provide guidance for reducing the impact, and possibly preventing, many lifestyle related illnesses beyond cancer, including heart disease and diabetes.
Briefly, there were no “symptoms” I detected with the prostate cancer but there was a high level of fear that took me through all five “steps” of grief including the physical part of letting out the anger I could productively do with dancing hard, complete with excited verbal outbursts. On the other hand, the years of being so low, physically and mentally, without reason, of what I call “living-death” lymphoma resulted in being ecstatic when I was told it was only non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. What I did not realize at that time was I had skipped some of the grieving process, including not getting angry. So mid December, 2023, after the November, 2023, scan detecting no cancer, I would occasionally, for no apparent reason, get teary-eyed. Upon trying to understand, I see it as a mild form of PTSD as things that set it off can be just being grateful to have what I do have in my positive spirit. I went to a counselor with cancer patient experience and spoke at length with an Army combat veteran to confirm the mild PTSD. And in mid-January 2025, appeared the PTG, posttraumatic growth. The PTG shows in a higher energy level, including having to temper my dance energy and difficulty getting back to sleep due to a racing mind. Grateful that I have gotten to this side of so many bumps in life like two cancers, loosing part of my left foot to a lawnmower, finding a wonderful partner in life [we have wonderful imperfections that we share with each other] and more. For moore see BACKSTORY and BUMPS Summary and TIMELINE.
Also see the chapters on prostate radiation treatment and lymphoma chemo treatment for more details on the medical side of the treatments and Celebrate Crushing Cancer contra dance, which was held November 17, 2023, at Greenwood, VA..
This is the status as of 21 March, 2025, and will be updated if needed.