I was thrown for a loop this summer by a diagnosis of breast cancer. Here is my story: I felt a lump in my breast, it was surgically removed. When we got the pathology report back it showed that I had a form of cancer called Ductal Carcioma In Situ (DCIS) which means the cancer is contained in ducts in the breast. Just the word cancer scares everyone. And in a split second, I had to make the decision about starting radiation therapy immediately. When my mind started to spin, I knew from my past lupus diagnosis experience with green space – that I needed the help of nature to ease the ruminations of “what if” and “if only.” My boys said “read your book mom.” Since I know that time in green space goes right to our physiology, mentally and physically, I knew I was not only helping myself to think clearly, but I was putting my entire body into a less stressed state. Green space not only calmed the landscape in my mind, but allowed me to reach out to others immediately who helped me feel comfortable with my treatment decision. I opted not to have radiation at this time and instead use “active surveillance” option to see if the cancer was spreading. In November 2021, my mammogram was all clear of cancer. Relief for me and my loved ones, but I became doubly aware of the profound impact of a cancer diagnosis on the person, their loved ones, and their community.
As I planned I did spend the summer with my loved ones outside swimming, walking, cycling, golfing, and gardening – and we enjoyed the black bears that passed through and sometimes stayed for days in my back yard in Pine Falls, Manitoba. It was a wonderful summer in spite of the cancer uncertainty.
I am so excited to share with you a synopsis of my up coming book. It has been part of my life for a long time – 3 years now. It is about my friend who I love, who died suddenly. Their were a lot of challenges in writing this book: I struggled with the fact that the love of Leslie’s life Bill would be reading it, that her family and friends who also loved her, all live in our small town of Pine Falls, Manitoba.I worried that Leslie was hiding something from us – maybe she knew something we didn’t about her heart and her health? I had no access to Leslie’s medical records, but I did know all I had to know: Leslie was on no heart medication, (so no heart dx) and was not referred out to a heart specialist (so nothing wrong with her heart that would warrant a specialist referral). So in writing this I had to get the balance right between the love of my friend and the peer reviewed science of heart and environment. I am so proud of getting it done, especially in light of these challenges. The book is close to finished and will be out in the New Year.
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Book: Take Back Your Outside Mindset
For peer reviewed research on how your time spent in green space can change your mindset, balance your nervous system and your heart rate please go to my website https://treesmendus.com and check out my books Take Back Your Outside Mindset: Live Longer, Stress Less, and Control Your Chronic Illness and Optimize Your Heart Rate: Balance Your Mind and Body With Green Space