Talk with a human

Rare Faith Virtual Conference Oct 14-18 → Register FREE

The Money Blog

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, metus at rhoncus dapibus, habitasse vitae cubilia odio sed. Mauris pellentesque eget lorem malesuada wisi nec, nullam mus. Mauris vel mauris. Orci fusce ipsum faucibus scelerisque.

Why Chemo?

cancer journey health leslie householder’s posts overcoming adversity spiritual beliefs trust May 02, 2023

Someone shared this video with me when they heard I was battling cancer.

It sparked a question that maybe some of my other readers have also been wondering, so I decided to make a post about it.

Cancer Cured In 3 Minutes

After sharing this video with some of my students, one of them asked me:

"Do you believe you have the technology? If so, why subject yourself [to chemo]? I'm not attached to anything in your answer. I want to support you however you need it."

Then, after I mentioning that my bloodwork already shows no cancer, another student (who is also battling cancer) wrote:

"I’m aware that an NED [no evidence of disease] diagnosis from bloodwork alone is inconclusive without a scan of some sort to check for any circulating cancer cells that may remain. I also know that your Dr. wants to give you some additional chemo as ‘insurance’ against this, even though your bloodwork shows NED. I also know that there needs to be a buffer of time between the end of your chemo treatments and a scan, to allow your body to flush out any dead cancer cells remaining from the chemo which could render a false positive on a scan.

"Here’s my issue — and feel free to call me cynical. Unless my Dr. could give me some statistical evidence that continuing chemo treatments that were creating misery would significantly improve my chances of a clean scan, I would stop them and wait until a scan could be done.  You could always return if need be. There is evidence of Dr’s. continuing to give chemo treatments for profit (it pays very well) under similar circumstances.  Just a thought for your consideration."

I understand these questions, and I truly appreciate the concern behind them. Since my diagnosis, so many people have reached out with thoughts, ideas, and remedies—which I have deeply valued. I’ve heard about juicing, mushrooms, antioxidants, Burzynski, and many other alternative approaches… often more than once.

But the sheer amount of information can be overwhelming—especially when much of it conflicts. Many of the stories and studies I’ve been sent involve entirely different types of cancer, each of which behaves differently. Even two people with the same type—like colon cancer—may have completely different genetic markers, meaning what works for one may not be appropriate for another.

(This is exactly why there are so many different chemo drugs—you’re given the one with a proven track record for your specific type and genetic profile.)

When it comes to alternative methods, if a study doesn’t include my specific pathology, its results may be interesting, but not necessarily relevant to me. On top of that, there’s a huge difference between curative treatments and adjuvant or preventative ones. I’ve seen a lot of hype promoting adjuvant approaches as if they were cures—which can be dangerous if someone jumps in without understanding the distinction.

And this is where true Rare Faith comes in.
One part of Rare Faith is getting crystal clear on your desired outcome, feeling it as though it’s already accomplished, and then doing your homework—staying alert to the nudges and promptings that come while you’re in that state. You can only really tune in to the right “thought-frequency” after aligning yourself—completely—with the outcome you intend.

For me, when I pictured my desired outcome and listened for guidance, the prompting came almost like an audible voice when I received my diagnosis and the doctor’s recommended plan: “Submit.”

So here was the reply I gave my students:

"The short answer is that I am continuing my chemo not because of my doctor, but because of the instruction I felt like I received from God in the beginning when I was first diagnosed. I have felt all along that my doctor is especially tuned in and driven by all the right motivations. He is different. I feel like it has been divine guidance that I ended up with him. He is young and untraditional. His office has assured me that I can stop anytime I want.

"My decision to proceed has been my own and it feels like what I am supposed to do. I am learning so much, and feel like it has been a privilege to experience the full gamut. For me, I feel like I need to submit at least until my next scan, at which point I will have new decisions to make. So I hope that my reporting about my experiences isn't coming across as complaining - after all, I'm choosing it. I'm just documenting mostly for myself so I can remember what it was like when I went through it. My compassion and ability to support others who experience this is being magnified and I think it will serve me (and hopefully others) in the future.

"I love that there are options. I've been surprised that I haven't felt more compelled to find a different path for myself. I'm generally drawn to more non-traditional approaches when it comes to medical stuff. I believe in the power of the human spirit, mindset, and some eastern methodologies. I've surprised myself that I have not been more inclined to avoid what I'm doing now.

"But the message at the beginning was clear. The doctor showed up to discuss my diagnosis, and the Spirit of God gave me peace of mind with the gentle (and practically audible) instruction: "Submit".

"So I continue to submit, because doing so brings me continued peace. I also understand that things may change at any time, so I continue to listen for updated promptings. So far, the instruction has not changed."

I hope this offers some clarification and insight into my journey to health. It is simply my job to fear not and follow each next right step. In doing so, I trust everything to work out for the best, whatever that may be.

Next Update 


GET ONGOING SUPPORT WITH

The Rare Faith Newsletter

Let me help you discover how to use the kind of faith that can cause things to happen in finances, marriage, parenting, and health. You’ll receive a weekly Newsletter with fresh articles, special offers, and more! Serving tens of thousands of subscribers since 2002, easy to cancel! View my Privacy policy.