Hi Everyone,
I have been following the story of a young couple, Nathan and Elisa Bond. Nathan is 38 and Elisa is 36, they have a toddler named Sadie. On Valentine’s Day of this year Nathan was diagnosed with stage 3 rectal cancer. Nine days later, Elisa was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, having already spread to her liver, pelvic bones and spine. Ugh!! They are both in the midst of chemotherapy- feeling bad, hair falling out, fevers, fatigued, loss of appetite, on and on. Despite this difficult test of strength, faith and determination, they are amazingly full of hope and a zest to live. They have each other and their precious daughter. They are surrounded by an incredible support system of loved ones all of the country. In a story that ran this week in the New York Times, Nathan discussed his love for Elisa saying that he wouldn’t want to have cancer with anyone else but her! They feel blessed at the outpouring of love. Did I mention that neither one of them have any cancer history in their family! Wow, folks this is troubling. I have thought about this couple daily since I first saw their story last week on the Today Show. A website has been set up to support the couple financially http://friendsofnathanandelisa.blogspot.com/ . You can also follow them on Facebook or on their family blog. Pray for them.
Stress. I can only imagine the stressors the Bond family is dealing with, both good and bad. Since my diagnosis of breast cancer 3 years ago, I have read books and articles on stress and what it does to the body. Bottom line, stress = a negative effect on the mind, body and soul. Stress weakens the immune system; it can increase blood pressure, heart rate and blood sugar levels. Stress interferes with sleep and digestion. It causes us to be cranky and sad. Our bodies do try to protect us from stress by releasing stress hormones, like adrenaline and cortisol. And, small amounts of stress have been reported to be beneficial. It’s the chronic levels of stress that increase the risk of many illnesses. How do you tell a cancer patient not to be stressed?! For me, I felt like a yo-yo. I was anxious, sick to my stomach, not sleeping, on my knees praying. Then I would see a physician or go to church and feel some calm only to face the night “I’m going to keep you awake with worry demons”. The balance of stress and being able to turn everything over to a higher power is humbling. It’s intentional, it’s necessary. I’m reminded of this when I hear the song You Never Let Go by Matt Redman. I love, love this song as it gives me freedom from whatever I’m worrying about. The lyrics tell us- Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, your perfect love is casting out fear. And even when I’m caught in the middle of the storms of this life, I won’t turn back I know you are near. And I will fear no evil for my God is with me, and if my God is with me, whom then shall I fear?
We all have stress, too much stress. Fortunately, there are many unconventional practices being studied on their effect on stress. Things like yoga, meditation, exercise, socialization, laughter, tai chi and prayer. My latest stress buster is juicing. My friend and I try to take turns juicing every week. It’s fun, refreshing and psychologically does something to my brain- for the better! When I juice, I know I am getting a ton of antioxidants all at once and that feels incredible!
The following article does a good job of explaining stress on the brain.
If you know a cancer patient (and who doesn’t!) pamper them with some stress-free perks- a massage, meet for tea, go to church together, take a walk together, make them an anti-cancer dinner, run their errands, attend a painting class together, just love on them!
Be Well and support Waltz Warriors and the Pink Ribbon Parade!
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