Cancer is a Bully

Wearing pink this week is two-fold for me. I stand up for anti-bullying and I also stand up against cancer.
Put that together like a peanut butter sandwich and you have the fact that cancer IS a bully as well. Like a big kid that pushes you down when you least expect it, cancer pops it's ugly head when we are sure that indigestion is only that and not pancreatic cancer. That the shadow in your normal looking breast is only a cyst, right? Not with a bully. That's possibly breast cancer and when the bully enters into your life, you can bet it's an aggressive one that is already in a lymph node heading into your body.

Bully's try many tactics. The ones I had in grade school would surround me and warn me I wasn't to try and hang out with their friend Duska. At our 30th high school reunion, Duska was amazed to hear that her friends had threatened me.She had wanted to be my friend and wondered at my distance. And like the little bullies, your resistance to the possibility
that you might have cancer probably works the same way. You are surrounded by denial and so you snub your doctor's office with that new pain or lasting headache. You put off the colonoscopy because it costs you a day off work. You have to fast. Well I think you are only avoiding the bully. Going a different way home from school so he won't catch up to you.
HEY. We don't tolerate bullying anymore, haven't you heard?

Don't let cancer push YOU around. Do what you can to get tough and stand up to it. Knock it down with a daily dose of a 1,000 mg of vitamin D. Get some exercise, feed the oxygen into your lungs. That will take cancer down a peg or two. Knock the wind out of it with some fresh fruit and vegetables ten times a day. Pin it down by eating omega 3's found in salmon and anchovies.

And wear your pink proudly. Because bullies, whether inside or outside of us CAN be licked.

A One Star Review

Careful what you wish for they say and they (whoever they are) were right. Sort of. After 1500 downloads of my two books during the free Kindle promo, I received a whole eleven reviews- the very first one being a ONE star for Running From Cancer.

"This is yet another predictable tale by a woman diagnosed with early breast cancer who has had, thus far, an effective cure. The chirpy, ever so perk writing style reads like a self published romance novel. The author, while seeking traditional treatment, has a dangerous penchant for quackery which is why I can't be more charitable. She also assigns bogus rationales for cancerous growths which probably stem from ignorance and her inability to digest technical information."


Ouch!

Amid the procession of fan mail, ravings and hugs from people thinking the book was well written, interesting, inspirational and food for thought came the slash of a typewriter from this Chris (male...female???) Cennedy who said s/he had to give me a one star after my "dangerous penchant for quackery" and "bogus rationales for cancerous growths..."

My son said, "what, you didn't list your references, Mom?" Hmm. He might have a point.

My penchant for quackery? Well I am going through the book trying to decide what this reviewer meant by that as I don't actually promote anything without disclaimers- I did talk to a Naturopath at the suggestion of a doctor friend  and I do say a glass of lemon juice a day might help but calling that quackery instead of a possible minimal hope for some is a bit much.Quackery to me is promoting snake oil- I do propose through the book you do your own research and find out what you are comfortable with. I do list where I found some material in the websites mentioned in the appendixes.

As for the" bogus rationales for cancerous growth" as I explain in the MEMOIR, I am a neurotic ADDer full of  anxiety at all times.Every chocolate bar or glass of wine frightened me as I did research about too much alcohol and sugar being detrimental to your health. This can be found on the Canadian Cancer or Breast cancer sites as well as American health sites.It's no secret and it's no joke. It's also not a dangerous penchant for quackery or bogus rationale for cancerous growths. As stated in the book NO ONE knows what starts a cancer cell growing, but it IS known what can promote and accelerate cancer cell growth and that includes too much alcohol and refined sugar.

As I state on the amazon.com website where this all began...

If you check out this Chris Cennedy's review site, my cancer book actually fared pretty well. I have references to back my "quackery" up, so if that's what made Running From Cancer a "poor read" which Chris admits is why I received such a low grade, then I figure it's not as bad as I first thought. Besides, who doesn't like a romance novel in the middle of a non-fiction book? She admits it's perky and upbeat so I find her attempt conflicted at discouraging others to read this inspirational eye-opener about why you should try and prevent YOUR cancer today.A bit personal lashing out with the words "which probably stem from ignorance and her inability to digest technical information."But hey, everyone is welcome to their opinion and I welcome them all! Thanks Chris for sharing your solicitous view.



If you want to help, then like we did for Tinkerbell to keep her alive, we need to clap if we believe. If you think Running From Cancer should be read by others, then please click on Amazon.com or .ca and leave your review for my books today! If that doesn't work, there's always my website at www.debilynsmith.com where you can also leave your opinion. And if I get more one stars, so be it. Maybe that will make me take even a harder look at Chris's side of things.That's why we need reviews.

Thanks everyone.