Hi! My name is Sara Jean McPhee, and I am a cancer survivor. I have never gone through chemotherapy, and I have never had a relapse. How did I do this you may ask? I will tell you. But first I feel I need to tell you my story.
I have been suffering from digestive issues since I was a young child along with an allergy to dairy that was really problematic. I'm also very sensitive to any chemicals or pesticides and I believe that they really helped push me further to imbalance within my digestive system. What I know now that I didn’t then, is that digestion is your first source of disease with-in the body. If your digestion is out of balance for too long, the rest of your body will begin to deteriorate soon too. Disease really started for me when I was in my early 20s. I started having major acid reflux, indigestion, really intense pain in my abdomen. Eventually I was diagnosed with having gall stones. And for many years I avoided having surgery, I wanted to try any and all self-healing methods. Eventually I found Reiki and it helped quite a lot. Yet it wasn't enough to truly remove the stones from my belly. My lifestyle was so unbalancing that I was unable to fully heal through Reiki. So, I unfortunately did have to go through cholecystectomy surgery. Which is gallbladder removal. After this I still had the persisting pain in my belly. I was having even more issues with my menstrual cycles. My hormones were causing a crazy amount of emotional upset. A couple of months later, I was taken to the hospital and was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer. Now, this was a shock. I was 25 and I didn't know how this could have happened to me. Looking back now, I can see emotionally it was a very big roller coaster in my life. Luckily, I took action right away. I went in for surgery and they removed my right ovary because of a tumor the size of the lemon surrounding it. They also removed other cysts both benign and cancerous from my abdomen region. When they were done with the surgery, they told me they removed everything, and I was in the free and clear. So, I started my recovery process. I choose to be very positive about this and picked up a mantra to help me. It was: “This is the start of my new life and my path to health!” About five months into it, my doctor at this time, looked at me and very honestly said to me; “You need to change your diet, and you need to change your lifestyle, or this will persist, and I will see you back here very, very soon.” This statement just hit me like a brick and opened a door to new possibilities at the same time. I was like wow; this really makes sense! I was living a lifestyle full of lack and no soul purpose, lost and unhappy, riddled with addictions that were furthering the disease within me. I had a true dark night of the soul after hearing this. So, I took the motivation from this one particular statement, and I actually moved from Indiana to California and in order to change my lifestyle. I looked around me knowing that if I stayed where I was so would the cancer. I started eating more of a plant-based diet and I started searching for more ways to self-heal. When you ask the universe for advice it usually gives it to you! I came across herbs first. I started cultivating new healthy routines such as drinking tea, and different green juices to help my body recover. It really helped me remove a lot of toxins and, you know, life went on. I started feeling a lot better. I started being more active in my life and I started becoming a happier individual.
Years went by and there were some ups and downs since that time in my life. Yet, I felt like with all the knowledge I gained from Reiki, herbs, essential oils, strict diets and healthy habits, something was still missing. That’s when I found Ayurveda. I was 7 years into my recovery of not only my body but my higher self. I was still suffering from digestive issues and my emotions were fluctuating with each menses. I was also starting to suffer with migraines that would last days and weeks. One particular month I had a headache that came every day. It was torturous! I was getting really down mentally, concerned the cancer was returning. So, I spoke to a friend who was a naturopath. She was the first to introduce to me the concept that my body was too “hot”, and she suggested herbs to me that I’ve never used before. This helped with great success! So much so that within 2 months I became pregnant after 10+ years of infertility. That’s when I really started to look into the eastern medical system. Chinese medicine and Ayurveda. I liked Chinese medicine, but it didn’t resonate with me as much as Ayurveda did. Not only did Ayurveda make sense, but I felt it resonate within my soul. It was calling me home. So, I started my journey of learning to become an Ayurvedic Health Counselor with a one-year-old on the breast and the determination to heal so that I can be the best version of myself, for my daughter.
In the years previous I learned how to make tinctures. I studied essential oil, message, different diets but it never really clicked within me, until I started studying Ayurveda. When I started to understand the Elements, which is the foundation of Ayurvedic medicine, I saw within me that they were out of balance. When I understood this, I actually knew what to do and how to use all the self-healing techniques and tools that surrounded me. I knew which teas to drink, which foods to eat and I finally knew the appropriate essential oils to use. I also gained knowledge on how to use yoga properly, to maintain my body and my mental health. In result of gaining this knowledge, I am now able to eat without fear of pain. I no longer have to rush to the restroom in embarrassment. My headaches a few and far in between. And my menstrual cycles, while I’m still working on hormonal imbalances, are the easiest they have ever been. No longer do I crash on the couch with fatigue and pain for a week. Instead, it comes and goes without pain, without crashing, without emotional disturbance. I prioritize my health above all else. Yes, even before my child and my relationship with my husband. For without my health, I cannot be there for them. I want to live a long healthy life helping others and enjoying life with my family. To do that, I work on myself daily. It is my ultimate responsibility to teach others suffering in this same way to Self-heal through the knowledge that Ayurveda provides us.
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