We asked YOU to participate by sharing the strategies you learned from prevailing through a health crisis.
You shared YOUR health 'Breakthrough' experience and VOTED on which stories you found the most inspiring. Our winner for the week is 'Demar.'
Here is Demar's story:
Before my crisis my life was going okay -- my husband and I were both working and I was in school to get my masters. It was hard but worth the effort. It was hard but we finally felt like we were seeing some light and had a positive future.
I was getting sick all the time. Every flu or cold that came along found refuge in my body. I was angry and stressed. I went to a lung specialist who sent me for a CT scan. He called me a week later to tell me that I had a spot on my lung. The doctor said:
It may or may not be cancer, but the best thing to do is to remove whatever is in there and send it to the pathology lab. If it's cancer we remove the upper lobe of your lung and sew you back up. We are catching this in the very first stage so you have an 80 percent chance of recovery.
I didn't want to die so I got in gear. I found a surgeon who could do the operation ASAP. Catching it early can turn into months of waiting if you don't become your own advocate. I had the surgery and they found a 1.2cm malignant tumor. The doctor removed the top of my lung. I just had pet/ct scans that are clear of any signs of another cancer. I am alive! My family is with me. I thank General Electric for the technology that saved my life. Multinational companies can do some things right.
If your body is telling you something is wrong trust it. Trust your doctors and their support staff, There job is to help you. The miracles that people talk about are really the combined effort of many hands working together. No more Atkins-style diets for me. I go to yoga three days a week and meditate twice a day. There are excellent self help books out there to guide you to a more healthy and happy life. Believe in the good will of your fellow human beings.
