My survival recipe

Love, Faith and Hope, Connecting Traditional and Alternative Medicine.

Words: Leanne Shaw-Stowers
This is a small insight into my very long and true battle with breast cancer.
I will call this Part 1 as it was a mission to condense it down. I have been asked many times to tell my story and have decided the time is right to embark on my next challenge, a book recording my eventful life prior to breast cancer and my ongoing journey beyond this disease.
It was on 9 June, 2003, a Friday night, when I found a lump on my left breast, but I would describe it as more of a thickening. Only a week prior I had been to my GP and told her I felt I was suffering from PMS, and how my breast had become more tender. I told her I had looked on the Internet and discovered I had all the signs and symptoms of PMS and had found a quick fix to help the tenderness and remove fluid from my breast (by taking a contraceptive and Vitamin B6). My GP agreed with my diagnosis, gave me a prescription for the above and gave me a slip for a mammogram.
Five days after taking the script, the tenderness and fluid had gone and the lump was now more obvious. It was a Saturday, so I couldn’t see my GP. Monday couldn’t have come around fast enough. I went for a mammogram that day. I then saw the radiologist in the afternoon; following a biopsy she confirmed that things didn’t look good. The following day, surrounded by family, I waited for the results. I phoned the hospital at about 4.00 p.m. and was told by a nurse on the other end (in a matter of fact tone) that yes, I had invasive carcinoma of my left breast. Coming from a nursing background, I felt it was quite unethical to hear this devastating news via a nurse rather than my doctor.
It was an extremely traumatic time, but I will never forget that day. My beautiful 12-year-old daughter grasped my shoulders and said to me in a very firm voice, “Mama, you’re going to be alright. You’re going to watch me grow up and go to university, get married and have all your grandchildren”. At that point I felt like I was the daughter and she was the mother. Our shared faith strengthened our hope.
At the time of my diagnosis I was running an extremely busy beauty therapy clinic not far from Waikato Hospital. Included in my clientele were quite a number of hospital staff, some of whom worked at the cancer centre. They told me about a breast surgeon who had only been in Hamilton for four months, but who was fast gaining a reputation for amazing reconstructive surgery.
She was wonderful. Fortunately I had more options open to me now than my mother had in 1975. I chose to go with a nine hour mastectomy with a latissmus dorsi flap reconstruction. It felt so good to come out of surgery and have a breast made from part of me. This played a big part in my healing process.
I was also relieved to be told there was no sign of cancer in the lymph nodes. My follow up treatment was four courses of chemo, plus I chose to take Tamoxifen. But in June, 2005 the cancer reappeared, and I went through the same process again, this time with the right breast as well as a hysterectomy (10 hour surgery).
To my surgeons shock, it was discovered I had cancer cells from my left breast with metastatic lobular carcinoma in the peritoneal (abdominal) cavity. I was then told there was no cure, but this could be controlled by hormonal treatment. This was again where our faith kicked in - if medical science couldn’t cure me, we knew someone who could. David (my husband) and I called on the power of the Holy Trinity.
In July 2007, I was struck with a sub-acute bowel obstruction and was started on Letrozole hormone treatment with good results. David and I just took one day at a time. I got up each morning and said thank you, put my make up on, dressed up as I always did and never stopped laughing. With God and love on my side I knew I had everything. However, the real fight started in 2008.
The hormonal treatment stopped working and was changed to Anastrozole, with little effect. Once again I was admitted to hospital with a sub-acute bowel obstruction then my disease progressed with ascites (fluid build up in the peritoneal cavity) which made me look like I was six to seven months pregnant. I had four litres of fluid drained. I then started chemo again. I had two sessions, but because my veins were not great in my right arm it was suggested that I have a portacath inserted. Despite my apprehension it sounded like a great option, but the operation carried a risk of a punctured lung. By a cruel twist of fate, that’s exactly what happened and I experienced many more uncomfortable days, which became near fatal.
In January 2009, unbeknown to me, my beautiful husband wrote an amazing letter to our friends plus extended family explaining my condition. He asked them if they could find it in their hearts to contribute a donation of any description to help us undertake a spiritual pilgrimage to Medjugore, a little village in the middle of Bosnia. We both knew at this stage of my illness it would take a miracle, and we both believed in miracles.
At the same time, plagued by malnutrition, significant weight loss and the current cocktail of drugs, my prognosis looked very grim. ‘Death would be easier,’ I thought. Then I felt God’s presence directing me to my cocktail of medications and to consult with the replacement oncologist (mine was overseas). This direction proved to be a major turning point. I started on a new chemo regime, Paclitaxel in late August, and prayer protected me from the accompanying horrific side affects related to this chemo. The change was immediately apparent. After seven sessions (I declined the last session of chemo) we left for our pilgrimage on 21 October. We left the medical profession quite dumb founded, recognising that a higher power was at work.
The entire pilgrimage was filled with many graces (we continue to receive these graces to this day) and I was blessed with good health. I managed the usual two hour rocky ascent to Mt Krisevac in just one and a half hours and spent a miraculous time at Medjugorje. On returning home the oncology team was stunned at my improvement. Although I hadn’t gained any weight, I was hardly on any medication and my body was firm and athletic. I didn’t need any chemo at that time, and was told I was a bit of a miracle. But there was another setback to come.
Unfortunately in February 2010, I developed kidney failure problems. Luckily my oncologist diagnosed the nearly fatal condition straight away and I underwent a few more operations - my body had already endured many life threatening illnesses over the last two years. At my lowest points all I could think about was how people coped without a support network.

I have been very blessed.

I think it is important for women during, and after, breast cancer, whose weight fluctuates and who are not able to draw an income, to think outside the square. I started to visit the Red Cross, Salvation Army and Hospice shops. I was able to supplement my existing wardrobe and in turn recycle my items to these charities. I also developed a personal presentation and positive attitude book a few years ago that came in very handy.
I always enjoyed wearing wigs, which were supplied to me by a lovely lady called Robyn, from Hair Creations. As dear Nana always said, “Something good comes out of everything.” Due to the chemo I haven’t had to wax for a while!
In summary these coping mechanisms have enabled my survival.
I continue to need traditional medical treatment.

My recipe

However, my recipe for a full, healthy, quality lifestyle includes these vital ingredients:
• A most loving and supporting husband.
• Strong support from family and friends.
• My spiritual Burmese cat, Harry!
• Having a great rekei master, who taught me the power of Chi Kong (the power of breathing).
• An alternative cocktail that I have been taking since 1996: Cell-x (Superantioxidant, OPC plus, fish oil, evening primrose, colloidal silver
(natural antibiotic), and probiotics
(good bacteria).
• Blessed with a nursing background.
• A good relationship with my oncologist - never stop asking questions, be involved in your treatment.
• Never feel afraid to ask for a second opinion. At the end of the day all the oncologists work very hard as a team towards a cure, and we can help contribute to a lot of the research that it is done by them.
• Lastly and the most powerful, a healthy dose of daily prayer. Just a pinch of all of these things makes a great recipe.


Leanne Shaw-Stowers