Breast Cancer as a Sacred Love Journey is a compilation of 74 uplifting stories that serve as an inspirational and informational guide – from diagnosis to surgery to chemo to radiation and what comes after treatment. Although the journey is not fun, it is also not necessarily an experience of severe suffering. The writings are spiritual but not overtly religious in nature – but also do not ignore the possibility of using ones‘ religious inspirations to help if that is part of the reader’s life. By reading the stories, a woman newly diagnosed with breast cancer can find her way through, with others as loving companions. Those who have been through cancer will see their cancer differently by reading these stories. The stories are attractively accompanied by the author’s art and poetry created while traveling through breast cancer.
There were an estimated 297, 000 new cases of breast can or carcinoma in situ in 2013 – the year of the author’s breast cancer. For every woman, there are untold numbers of relatives and friends feeling great fear and anxiety. The fear and anxiety can be replaced with hope and strength. Medical professionals and breast cancer organizations will love this book for their patients!
The stories provide lessons in, for examples:
- The nitty gritty of doing the day-to-day and left-right-left-right of breast cancer while continuing to live our lives as fully as possible, inviting others to join in,
- The nitty gritty of the author’s thinking and being states as she moved through cancer; the reader is invited to laugh, cry, and be present to doing the journey,
- Making life-enhancing/life-giving decisions as we move through treatment,
- Strategies for being in painful situations and not letting pain take over our lives,
- Giving ourselves permission to receive from others as well as to give,
- Effectively reaching out and living cancer out loud in ways that bless ourselves as well as others,
- Using creativity to keep close to the life-giving force within,
- Using spiritual stories from our past or present in inspirational ways, and
- Acknowledging and going through the fear, anxiety, and grief that are natural parts of this journey THEN coming out the other side to joy.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Table of ContentsThe Stories Unfold…. Page
Foreword – In Gratitude to My Love Tsunami in Motion
Introduction
I. Diagnosis and Surgery: You’re Gonna Cut Me WHERE?
Mom’s Birthday 2012
Nitty Gritty: Fast Dancin‘
The Verdict Dire: Blissed
Jennifer, what are you up to NOW?
Reason to Live
You May Not Die!
Healthy Breasts on My Christmas Tree
I Love You a Bushel and a Peck
Clear Margins, Clear Lymph Nodes
Pink
II. Chemo: But, But I LOVE My Hair
2nd Opinions, 3rd Opinions
I Asked for 9 Million Prayers; It Just Went Up to 900 Million
My Body vs. Wise
Chemo
Chemo Earning Its‘ Reputation
No, Not My Hair
My Hair
Struggling with My Body’s Knowing
Bald Woman and the Bald Eagle
Amping Up BJ’s (well, everyone’s) Prayer Life
Keeping Awareness of Life Beyond BC
The 500 Year Map
The God Who Only Knows 4 Words
You’ll Do That for ME? Dust My House and….
Religious Society of Cells
Fear: Dear Cells,
Grief Whacked: In-consolable Wreck Today
A Joke
Hypocritical or Some Kind of Critical
Jesus in the Chemo Chair
Wait, I Gotta Go P..
Wait, I Have to Teach Arts & Spirituality Class: Creativity Saves Me Again
Karen Died and Now Laura Has BC Too
Joachim’s Heart
Wait, I Have to Go to Oregon
Inspired by Moments of Life Lived Fully
Wait, NOW I HAVE to Hoop Dance: hoopin‘ and hopin‘
Just Like Those De-posed Dictators: Healing Inner and Outer Tyranny
Stuck in the Mud and THEN…
Cranial Prostheses, Hats, Scarves, and Shawls
Susana Gives the 5-year-old Perspective
Sleepless Nights
Reading from Joanna, the Intuitive – PURE AWE!!
Affidity Barrelfuls
Met-a-mor-pho-sis
You Have Friends
Wellness Day
Chemo Brain: Chalk Dust in My Executive Functioning
Easter
Artichokes and Flowers
III. Radiation: You’re Gonna Zap Me There TOO
5:30 am: Get Up and Drive to Lankenau Hospital THEN Go To Work…Relentless
Small Potlucks with Friends: The Bestest of the Guestests
Deep Water Dreams
The Path of Unknowing
Jesus Joins Me on the Path of Unknowing
Jesus Joins Me in Radiation Treatment
Jesus in Radiation…Still Walking Down the Road of Unknowing
Wait, I Gotta P….
Will You Just Sing Me a Lullaby?
More Healthy Breasts
Power Surges…Unstoppable
Will to Live and Other Mysteries: The Grass that Grows Through the Cement (my heroes)
The Bell Finally Rang
And BJ Checks In
IV. Post-Treatment: If the Cancer Is Gone, Then Why Is It Not Over?
Women’s Voices: Living Out Loud
But, It’s Not Mine: Carrying the Pathology of the Culture
Breast Cancer Survivor, NO Thriver: That Cancer Language Just Doesn’t Suit Me
Deliriously and Obnoxiously Joyful
Finding Meaning; Acknowledging Miracles; Overwhelming Gratitude
Pearl-Making: The Gifts in Suffering
Art with International Students
Well, the Hair IS Coming Back
Launched
Exercise Class
Celebrating Life and Aliveness
The Last Piece of the Art Show Finally Came: Cosmic Images as Possibilities
Learnings with Kathy
Arts and Spirituality Retreat Days
Epilog
Appendix A: Pearl Making
Appendix B: Pearls of Wisdom
Resources
Acknowledgements
Über den Autor
Dr. Jennifer Elam has served as a psychologist for over 30 years. She has been a leader in her field and has received many best practice awards. For the past 15 years, she has also led arts and spirituality retreats for both artists and non-artists. She is uniquely qualified to write this book as a psychologist, a person committed to a deep spiritual journey, and as a breast cancer thriver. As a university professor for many years, she is experienced and comfortable when engaged in public speaking. She has a website/blogsite set up to link her writings to social media.Ebooks vom selben Autor / Herausgeber
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