October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In the year I planned my funeral, I wrote a song titled, “More Alive.” Now a two-time survivor of metastatic breast cancer, my mission is to help other women be more alive. While I was in college, my mother died of breast cancer. As a result, I worked at reducing my risk factors: I had not one, but three children before the age of 30. I breast fed all of them. I eliminated caffeine. I had yearly mammograms from age 40 on. I saw a doctor regularly who examined fibrocystic lumps in my breast and confirmed they were benign. At one of my mammograms I had a discharge from my left breast and was told it was nothing. When, at age 45, a mammogram finally found the lump in my left breast it had been cooking long enough to involve 6 of 18 lymph nodes. I was angry and frustrated. I thought I had been doing things right. My anger ultimately compelled me to become a professional speaker who shares with women the things that helped me not just survive, but be more alive. 1. Music. Make a CD of your favorite, most soothing melodies and play it softly all night long. When you wake frequently it will help you maintain your relaxation and rest peacefully. Choose melodies without words so that your brain does not engage in the message. I prefer classics or romantic songs in languages I do not understand where I can feel the emotion without becoming involved in the words. Besides being an enjoyable distraction, music is itself a powerful healer. 2.Touch. When determining my healing plan, I scheduled regular therapeutic massage. Gentle touch can be soothing, relaxing and healing. I found that having my bald head touched contributed greatly to my acceptance of my whole body and all of its disturbing changes. 3.Diet. The first week on chemo I threw up a lot and when I finally was able to eat some pancakes they tasted like wet newspaper. A different drug was able to control the nausea, but my appetite was clearly impaired. Since eating is problematic anyway, eat the best possible foods you can: organic fruits, vegetables and whole grains. I would cook brown rice in advance and create a quick meal by adding vegetables and dried fruits. I made turkey jerky for snacks, one of the foods that seemed to override the taste of “metal mouth.” 4.Trust your body. If you are tired, rest. If you crave a food, eat it (in moderation). You may feel your body is out of your control, but there are many choices you can make. To free up your body’s resources to fight the cancer, avoid all the other substances your body has to fight: smoking, alcohol, harsh chemicals in cleaning products, hair products and cosmetics, food dyes and additives, polluted air. Your body knows how to be healthy (but don’t make it fight 10 battles at once)! 5. Seek inspiration and laughter. I remember when my mother was sick, my aunt would clip cartoons and mail them along with notes of encouragement. To boost my own attitude, I would post quotes where I would see them frequently: When you come to the end of all that you know you must remember one of two things. Either there will be ground to stand on, or you will be given wings to fly. (author unknown) At the end of my presentations I sing, “I’m more alive than I was yesterday…” to bring this message to audiences: being more alive is about feasting on life, dancing with disease and greeting each day with joy and gratitude! My physician, Dr. Kurt Oettel, oncologist at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse, WI, says, “There are many things women can do to contribute to their own healing, but the absolute best thing is to catch cancer early in the first place. I recommend that all women age 40 and older have yearly mammograms. Even more important is self-examination. Many more aggressive breast cancers are found in this way. If women would regularly use these early detection methods, I believe breast cancer death rates would drop dramatically.” For more information about National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, please visit www.nbcam.org. Lois Duna may be contacted at http://www.loisduna.com . Click here to view more of their articles. Lois Duna, a master sound image coach, consultant and public speaker is the originator of the Sound Appearance Voice Leadership System. For more about Lois see www.loisduna.com Copyright Usage: Reprint in full with writer's name, contact information and brief bio.