Kathryn White Blog
Cancer Thrivers
Supporting a friend with cancer can be challenging, but your care and support can make a big difference for them. One of the challenges that the person with cancer may be facing is how to ask for help. How do you ask for help when you don't know what you need?
Your role as a supportive...
When I was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in 2015, I had never heard of a cancer coach. I had to muddle through all my thoughts and feelings on my own with only my husband as my sounding board.
I tried working with a social worker at the cancer clinic, but it didn’t feel like a good...
In 2018 I knew that something had to change. For three years I had been living with stage 4 colon cancer and I had been No Evidence of Disease for a year and half when a new cancer lump popped up. With this came more tests and another surgery. Fortunately, it did not mean more chemotherapy.
I was...
We often use the terms take a breath or catch your breath when we are feeling overwhelmed or when we need to slow down. How many of you have said just breathe to help an upset child or friend calm down? Perhaps you didn't even realize you were saying it and that it actually...
We can all agree that there is a lot of fear surrounding a cancer diagnosis. The C word is one of the scariest words in the world and it brings up all of the stories you have heard, the movies you have seen and the experiences you may have had with loved ones who have had cancer. This can create...
First we eat, then we digest, then we excrete. It’s an everyday process that we don’t always put a whole lot of thought into. The thing is, we should and we need to. So let’s get to the straight goods on why we should be thinking about what goes in to our bodies and what comes...
One of the most difficult things to hear are the three words – you have cancer. This short phrase can stop you in your tracks and certainly change the course of your life forever. Initially you may feel nothing at all as your mind attempts to process what was just said. At some point...
How do you even know how to prepare yourself for something you’ve never done? In 2015 I was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer, a diagnosis that required me to undergo some major surgery. For my first surgery I had no idea what surgery prep, the actual surgery and recovery would...
Living with cancer has its challenges to say the least. Finding gratitude can be one of them. The overwhelm of the health situation, the trips to appointments and tests, and the sheer overwhelm and exhaustion both physically and mentally can make finding the good things in life difficult....
Can you calm your mind?
One aspect of cancer is a racing mind. There are so many thoughts that happen when you are navigating life with cancer. The Buddhists use the term Monkey Mind to reference how your mind won’t stop moving. Your thoughts are like a monkey swinging from branch to...
In the years leading up to my cancer diagnosis I thought I was eating a healthy diet. We cooked most of our meals at home, enjoyed dessert, and regularly ate vegetables. Healthy right?
It wasn't until I was diagnosed with cancer and was going through my chemotherapy treatments that I started to...
I want to challenge your ability to be flexible about this topic of yoga and invite you to explore how it can truly be part of changing your life when you have cancer. Looking at yoga in relation to cancer, I want to offer that it is so much more than the poses and the physical practice....
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