All Good Things About FOUR

A four leaf clover, The Four Seasons, four great elements- earth, water, fire and wind, petit fours, friends 4-ever, Four Christmases, PlayStation 4, the four gospels- Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, four heart chambers, four-wheel drive, iphone 4, Final Four, 4^th of July, four-letter words??, 4 by Beyonce, four calling birds, and drum-roll please…….. Next week marks my fourth year from being diagnosed with the Big C.  March 20^th to be exact.  The date really should be much earlier because I discovered my lump months before.  I’ve often wondered when the angiogenesis started- only God knows. 

Anyway, here I am in 2012 almost about to turn 4-0!  This is a sweet year for me.  I love birthdays and getting older.  For me, it means that I have lived, lived to see family milestones, lived to see progress in cancer fighting research and lived to see my cancer fighting friends LIVE!  (love you girls xoxo)  Next year my chances of recurrence will significantly go down and then I will look towards year 10 J. 

This brings me to an exciting and upcoming clinical trial at MD Anderson.  This summer, 120 cancer patients will be recruited from the Nellie B. Connally Breast Center to test the premise that comprehensive integrative oncology, including certain lifestyle and behavior changes, may strengthen the body’s defenses against cancer.  The trial will test whether conscious efforts to strengthen the body’s natural defenses against cancer can make a difference, specifically exploring whether improving patients’ diet and nutrition, levels of physical activity, stress management and social engagement can help them avoid a recurrence and increase survival. (taken from MD Anderson’s Network publication). 

I’m looking forward to seeing these results.  Longevity friends, longevity!  Don't forget to eat your leafy greens, try some yoga, take deep breaths, pray and spend time with your golden friends and family.

Let’s Be Well,  I'm off to ski!