Christine Lindsay, Writer and Motivational Speaker: OUTSHINING CANCER by Guest Author Karen Ingalls

My guest today, Karen Ingalls, is doing a book giveaway for 2 winners. To enter the draw for one of the two signed paperback copies of Outshine, leave a blog comment (below) and your name will be entered into the drawing.

And now, OUTSHINING CANCER by Karen Ingalls

I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in June 2008. Since then I have had one major surgery, which involved a total hysterectomy, colon resection, and removal of my omentum, several lymph nodes, and a honeydew melon sized tumor. I have had two recurrences and am currently in chemotherapy.

When anyone hears the word cancer it creates fear, anxiety, and sometimes panic.

This is true no matter the language, culture, religion, or nationality. When I heard, I am sorry but the tumor was cancerous I also immediately felt fear and thought my life was over. These feelings lasted about two days, but as I asked questions, did research into ovarian cancer, and turned my fear over to God then I began to see the cancer as one of several challenges I have had to face.

I prefer to use the word challenge because it does signify an opportunity to learn about or train, and to become a better person who is stronger, wiser, and more adaptable. It is not about winning or losing, but how I live with the challenge. Just as the athlete trains for the competition, I see my training as putting my body, mind, emotions, and spirit in optimum condition to live with cancer. I have always been the health nut of the family choosing to eat few red meats, little processed foods, and lots of fruit and vegetables. I have always exercised or been involved in yoga. Meditation or deep prayer has been a daily (or more) event.

I am a retired registered nurse who specialized in holistic counseling in my private practice as a nurse therapist. I offered the client therapeutic massage, healing touch, biofeedback in addition to one on one counseling. I pursued these same modalities for myself and after the diagnosis I added Qigong, Reiki, and nutritional advice.

Since I was a preteen I wrote short stories, poems, and every night I wrote in my diary. I found this to be very helpful in dealing with my alcoholic parents, untimely deaths, a parent’s abandonment, and abuse from my stepfather. In the 1950’s there were no programs, information, or sources for those of us who were being abused. It was a family and social secret!

I found I loved to write enjoying the creativity and escaping into my own imagination. I never shared my writings with anyone for some fifty or more years. I did not trust anyone to judge the value of my stories nor to share intimate secrets about my family. Little did I know that someday writing would help heal me and free me to use a God given talent with confidence and joy.

One of the positive things that came out of my cancer diagnosis was the publication of my award winning book, Outshine: An Ovarian Cancer Memoir. This is the story of my cancer journey which anyone who hears the words you have cancer will relate to. Cancer is cancer is cancer. Even though our specific cancer might be different and there may be some variations to our journeys, we do walk similar paths. It is my hope that my ways of training or coping for this challenge will help others.

I also wrote the book Outshine to bring awareness about this lesser known and too often deadly disease. Every female, no matter her age, needs to know the symptoms and act on them immediately. Briefly, the most common symptoms are:

*Bloating

*Abdominal or pelvic pain

*Indigestion or feeling full sooner than normal

*Painful intercourse

*Changes in urination or bowel habits

*Extreme daily fatigue

*Abnormal vaginal discharge

If any one or more of these symptoms persist for two weeks it is imperative to see a physician and demand a transvaginal ultrasound and a blood test called a CA125. These tests are not expensive and they are all we have at the present time to help diagnose ovarian cancer at an early stage.

Too often physicians do not consider ovarian cancer initially when the patient presents with any or a couple of these symptoms. It is important that the woman know and share her family history and be proactive. Gilda Radner was sent from physician to physician until her cancer was so advanced she died young. This still happens today. Physicians, nurses, and every woman needs to know about ovarian cancer.

This cancer is not just for women over 60 years old. There have been diagnoses of preteens, teenagers, twenties, thirties, and on up. Did you know that Olympic gymnast, Shannon Miller was diagnosed at age 34, Gilda Radner was 42, Maureen Connolly the tennis champion was 34? A teenager in Florida was diagnosed at the age of 18, a 7 year old, and even an infant were diagnosed with a rare form of ovarian cancer.

I hope you will share this information with everyone. It is only through knowledge and action that we can save the 14,000 lives that are lost every year just in the United States alone. Please feel free to contact me at my website or email address which are listed below if you have questions or require more information.

No matter if our challenge is related to health, relationships, finances, abuse, addiction, or any other number of events my holistic approach can be of help to the reader. I talk about such things as meditation or deep prayer, exercise, diet, imagery, and laughter to name just a few. I hope the reader will find the necessary ways to cope with the stress or challenge in his or her life.

An Excerpt:

Chapter 3

Prayer and Love

It’s said that as tears flow out, love flows in. I believe that to be

true. For the next two weeks, a lot of love flowed in. Jim and I

sobbed until our throats and stomachs ached. The week was painfully

difficult while we waited for answers; informed our kids,

family, and friends; and made preparations for surgery and recovery.

It was the start of a journey that would have us enter hell and

then travel various peaks and valleys of hope, fear, ministry, doubt,

prayer, and an ever-closer relationship with God and each other.

I have always believed in God, even though I was raised in

a home where there was no talk of God, Jesus, or the Bible. We

never went to church, grace was only said when my stepfather’s

family was at our house for a meal, Easter was about the bunny

rabbit, and Christmas was about Santa Claus. My grandmother,

Edith, was the one who taught me about God, all religions, and

how Jesus was her Savior.

In my junior year of high school, the abuse had escalated to

a point where I knew my life was in danger. I left my mother’s

house in Long Beach, California, to live with my dad and his

wife in Hollywood, California. Starting in my preteen years, my

dad and I had become very close. He did not know about the

abuse, because I was scared to tell him the “secret.” The move

meant changing schools, making new friends, and seeing very

little of my mother and two sisters. Both sets of my grandparents

had always been very important to me, and now they were even

more so. Both Dad and my grandparents provided the stability,

strength, and spiritual and religious beliefs I needed. It was an

ending and a beginning, frightening and safe, confusing and

sane, nightmare and dream, sadness and happiness. A classmate

invited me to the youth group at her church every Wednesday

night.

So began my journey in truly knowing and accepting

God into my life through Jesus the Christ. My faith has never

stopped growing, and it was the foundation for which I found

the strength and courage to face what lay ahead.

The time before my surgery gave Jim and me an opportunity to

come to a new level of grief. We talked about the power of prayer

and how our love could see us through anything. Prayer and love

had already seen us through some difficult times with family,

careers, and our own relationship.

We were overwhelmed, too, with the love and support

we received from family and friends. Every message in a card,

whether written by Hallmark or the sender, touched my heart

and soul in a completely unexpected way. I learned a lesson in

life that any birthday, sympathy, or get-well card might be very

meaningful and powerful for the receiver. Therefore, cards need

to be selected and sent with the ministry they are intended to

have. Too many times in the past, I have sent cards without

paying close attention to the words inscribed. I gotta get this in

the mail, was my thought as I quickly selected a card after barely

scanning the verse. That was not ministering to others. Rather, it

was being too self-absorbed in my own busy-ness. Being on the

receiving end of so many special cards opened my eyes and heart.

As the days brought us closer to the surgery, I learned that

friends are one of the most cherished gifts I appreciate. One

morning, I joined my dear friend, Charlotte, for a cup of coffee.

We had met twenty years ago when we worked together in the

hospital’s epilepsy unit. Sharing the same philosophy of life and

nursing, we quickly formed a deep friendship. We talked about

my upcoming surgery and the unknown challenges that lay

ahead of me. She helped me deeply explore and discuss my true

fears.

“I think my greatest fear is for Jim,” I said. “How will he be

if I die?” For over twenty years, we had lived each day as if we

would live forever, though we had buried his parents and said

goodbye to other relatives and friends. “Jim and I have such a

close bond, it’s like we’re one. We’re best friends, besides loving

each other so deeply and profoundly.”

Charlotte took my hand and said, “Jim is a survivor. He’ll

go through his stages of grief and will miss you terribly, but he’ll

survive just because of his love for you. He knows that’s what you

would want.” After a few minutes she added, “Besides, none of

us knows when we’re going to die. Just because you might have

cancer does not mean you are automatically going to die from it.”

In closing, cancer should not cause such fear that it rules a person’s life. I choose to acknowledge that it is a part of health, it is not me. I am greater than cancer; I will and do outshine cancer; I choose to use this challenge to help other people facing any cancer.

I invite you to follow me on my blog, www.outshineovariancancer.blogspot.com, which is about health/wellness, relationships, and spirituality.

hank you and God bless you.