My Cervical Cancer Journey VS. My Obesity Journey

So I have been asked on several occasions by people who have fought or are fighting cancer and by people who have fought or are fighting obesity  "which journey was harder to conquer - cancer or obesity?"  This question took me off guard since I never thought about it, but since then, I have been trying to look back to help me decide which journey was the hardest. So here is my view on this question as part of a series of posts I'll be writing for *Cervical Cancer Awareness Month.

The truth is the both journeys were very hard for me, both of them brought their own challenges making me just want to give up at times -- If you want me to say that one is harder than the other "I can't." I cannot minimize one against the other. It will be like comparing apples to oranges.


On my last visit to Dr. Wright, my GYN-Oncologist, I brought up this question, just to see what his view was on this topic.  His answer to me made a lot of sense.  He said:
"Well, cancer is a disease that you really have to tackle and battle right away or it will bring consequences or lead to other serious illnesses much sooner taking your life.  Being overweight or obese is a disease that shows consequences gradually and people don't realize that it is affecting their body until it gets out of control.  There are medications that are given to control some of these consequences like diabetes type 2, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. They don't see it as an urgent matter, and failed to realize that the disease affects different organs in your body leading to serious illnesses, and ultimately taking your life too. Obesity calls for a change of lifestyle, and that's very hard.  It is a process that requires dedication, patience, and consistency."

So there you have it!!!  Dr. Wright tried to put it into somewhat simple terms, but it is obvious, and we all know that it is so much complex than that.  I think this is as a close of an explanation as we are going to get.

I have said it before, and I will say it again --No battle is easy or no battle is fought alone. Nothing worthwhile comes easy or is it served on a silver platter.  We have to work for it, and we have to work hard, but at the end it is worth it, and the benefits are priceless.

What ever your battle is -- the only thing I can tell you is to stay strong and fight, no matter how many times you might fall, get up and continue the fight to the end.  People tell me I make it look easy and effortless, but I tell you the truth -- it might look easy from where you are standing, but easy it's NOT.

I still struggle more times that I care to say. I struggle with my secondary effects from my cancer and my treatments, I fight the thought that the ugly monster (cancer) will come back one day even though I am 6 years out.  I struggle with my food addiction, with temptations, with my emotional eating, with going back to my old habits. It is a constant battle, but I see it in another way -- it is not a battle, it is part of me living. 

What keeps me motivated?

Right Photo:  Me & Dr. Jason Wight

The fact that I have come a long way, and my hard work has paid off.  I am healthier, stronger, and happier than even before my journeys.

The fact that I am now in the position to help others by sharing my story, my experiences and the knowledge that I have acquired along the way.  The fact that I know I can make a difference in other people's lives by helping them find the person that they are meant to be. 

Don't make a mistake --I am not, nor I consider myself a wonder woman -- I am still human, and sometimes my motivation escapes me, but there is always that one person or that one thing that will remind you that what you are doing is what you are meant to be doing. I read something once that stayed with me, and that I will always remember - "The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire."

"I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.”  - Edward  Everett Hale

*January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month - Get informed.

Note:  According to new guidelines released by the American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology and The Obesity Society  -in November 2013, doctors should consider obesity a disease and more actively treat obese patients for weight loss.