Nature, Faith and Science - Episode 138 - Health, Hope & Inspiration : City of Hope®

Nature, Faith and Science – Episode 138

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Featuring: Tara Lessard

Published: November 17, 2018

Cancer patient Tara Lessard sits down with the hosts of Health, Hope & Inspiration to talk about the mental and emotional impact of her ovarian cancer diagnosis; her journey to find an effective treatment plan which combined evidence-based medical treatments with integrative support services; as well as her advocacy for patients to become empowered participants in the care plan for their disease.

Show Notes:

When you meet Tara Lessard, you see a woman with amazing energy and a vibrant outlook on life. When she was diagnosed with fourth-stage ovarian cancer, her initial response was gratitude—that it happened to her and not anyone else in her family. “I really feel that it landed on the right person because I have a really amazing, positive attitude,” she says. “I’m absolutely grateful that it’s me because I know I can do this.”

Having an orientation in natural health approaches, Lessard was impassioned by naturopathic principles as an abiding school of thought and initially considered it in relationship to her journey as a cancer patient. After taking a hard look at her options and with help and support from her family in “delving into what the logistics of science looked like”, she “settled on” utilizing evidence-based medical treatments, like chemotherapy, which she was able to combine with coordinated natural supportive care options that could be included with her active medical care plan.

Lessard finds that the freedom to make choices for her care provided her not only with options, but also a sense of control. She also finds that it strengthens her faith. “So, at this juncture, do I move forward with the belief that the body does heal itself? I do. And so, what I also believe is there is a breakdown that happens, and it’s a beautiful thing to have the availability of science.”
Quotes:

“In my family, the dynamics are such that I really feel that [cancer diagnosis] landed on the right person because I have a really amazing, positive attitude, and I have such a beautiful circle of influence around me that I felt if there was one person in my family that it would happen to, I’m absolutely grateful that it’s me because I know I can do this, I can shoulder this with the help of my family, but it wouldn’t be them that would have to do the suffering.”
“It’s a beautiful thing to have the availability of science. Faith and fear can’t exist in your heart at the same time, so I go in with faith, trying to understand where my gut is as far as moving forward and what feels like is going to be the best place to be in treatment and what feels right for me, because if there’s one thing, it’s lack of freedom that you feel when you’ve been given this sort of a diagnosis.”
“Regardless of your faith and regardless of your medicine, regardless of your health, just understanding that, we have the availability of people’s good energy to affect us, as well, and that’s something that you can control.”

Resources:

CLICK HERE to download this week’s resource: “The Road to Good Nutrition“

Blogs:

Read Integrative cancer treatment’s role in the whole-patient journey
Read What you need to know about gynecologic cancers: They’re not as rare as you may think
Read What you should know about ovarian cancer

Learn More:

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