During the month of September, I participated in the American Cancer Society’s 35 Mile Breast Cancer Challenge. I created a fundraiser on social media and asked my friends and family to donate to the cause or help spread awareness.

According to research published by the American Cancer Society, approximately 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. 1 in 8. Yet cancer is still a taboo subject and it is not uncommon for people living with it to find it difficult to seek help for symptoms or side effects from treatment.

Since beginning my career at Associates of Integrative Medicine I have had the opportunity to learn about the cancer world from a holistic perspective and gain an understanding of some of the challenges that come with a cancer diagnosis. I can see that there is a significant gap in cancer care. When people don’t know to see a board-certified integrative oncologist like Dr. Roy, they are living with, sometimes life-altering, side effects caused by the treatment necessary to fight this disease.

Here at AIM, our team of clinicians work closely together and partner with medical oncology to prevent and treat the side effects of cancer treatment using natural therapies. We see patients at all stages of diagnosis, so there is also a focus on lowering the risk of cancer recurrence during survivorship.

At each appointment, Dr. Roy or Dr. March educate patients by presenting all of the facts. They draw pictures on a whiteboard and explain exactly what is going on with your whole being in a way that is easy to understand. Once you look at all of the pieces together, they work with you to make the most informed decisions on care that will be right for you. Dr. Roy often says, “YOU are the CEO of your life. YOU are the captain of your ship. We are here to shepherd you on your journey,”.

This model of care is SO important in optimizing health and wellness outcomes.

On the last day of September, I had exceeded my monetary fundraising goal for the American Cancer Society, but I had 5 miles left to finish the challenge.

I had worked all day and just wanted to call it a night, but I had to finish with integrity and strength in honor of our warrior patients who are fighting this disease. I put on my sneakers and ran through the darkness in the cold, pouring rain and finished the last 5 miles of this challenge (which is the farthest I have ever run before).

If you or someone you know are fighting through the darkness of cancer, please know that we are here for you.

Give us a call at (248) 798-2942 to learn more about what we do and find out how we can best serve you.

Until we speak, be well.

Sydney -Admin Lead, Associates of Integrative Medicine

References

American Cancer Society. Breast Cancer Facts & Figures 2019-2020. Atlanta: American Cancer Society, Inc. 2019.