This is me after each of my 6 chemo treatments wearing Penguin Cold Caps to save my hair from falling out due to my treatment. These caps were -40 degrees below zero. Yes, in case your wondering, that is very cold! Hence being wrapped in a warm blanket with an electric one underneath.
Up until February 2015 I had been living a seemingly normal life. Like most young moms, I was balancing working full time, and raising my 3 young girls. We were constantly on the move and meeting every days demands as they occurred. I was exhausted and felt like I was barely keeping my head above water. Life got even more complicated when our youngest daughter was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder, but through it all we tried to manage the stress from that situation and keep life in perspective. In the midst of this whirlwind, I just celebrated my 40th birthday when I had my first routine mammogram.
That’s when life hit the brakes. I heard the words I never thought I would hear….”you have cancer”. My big life shrank instantly. In that moment all I cared about was the ones I loved. For the next few weeks fear, anger, anxiety, and helplessness were all on repeat every minute of every day. Up until that point I felt like I was a strong person that found opportunities in anything, but not this time. It was like someone pulled the plug and drained the life out of me. For weeks following my diagnosis, I felt like I had an elephant on my chest making it very hard for me to breathe.
I have always heard that cancer is not something you go through alone and I now understand why…..you can’t! I was so very fortunate to have the blessing of a wonderful community, my faith, family and friends that supported me from the minute news hit the street about my diagnosis. It was that support that helped me move through the next few months and began the dreaded chemo, which was the first of the big 3 that was recommended (Chemo, Surgery and Radiation) in that order. It was not until I was into my second round of chemo when I started to wake up to my reality.
After the second round of treatment, my oncologist recommended a blood transfusion. For whatever reason that hit a nerve with me and I started to realize I needed to take ownership of my body and my health. Up until that point, I listened to everything my doctors had told me….after all they are the experts in the field….right? But I was the expert of my body! My intuition (and I think you can all relate with this) was leading my head in a different direction. I have always followed my intuition and needed to trust it most now. I had been taking medications for all the side effects of chemo and was even prescribed medications for the side effects from the side effects. Wait, What??? Before I knew it I was taking more drugs for all my side effects than I was chemo, and it felt like I was out of control. I didn’t know which end was up. I was on a hamster wheel and didn’t know how to jump off.
I am a pretty skeptical person, if something is too good to be true it usually is. Everything I was reading was actually so simple that it didn’t seem right. Drinking more clean water, eating more fruits and vegetables, sleeping soundly, managing stress….to name just a few, but it seemed pretty basic to make a big difference. Boy was I wrong. I was torn because my doctors never recommended any of these lifestyle changes. At that point I had noting to lose so I dug in. As I started paying attention to what I was doing to my body and what I was putting in my body I started to crave all the goodness from natures’ harvest. I started implementing the things I was learning. And my body responded. As MC Hammer says….it became “too legit to quit”. While I started off very skeptical, I ended up proving to myself that what I was doing mattered to my health. For the first time since my diagnoses I had a sense of HOPE.
I started juicing like crazy. To me it was the easiest way to get a boatload of nutrition in a short period of time. I became very conscious of everything I was eating, but also what I was exposing my body to on a daily basis with make-up, lotions, deodorants, shampoo, fabric softener (more on all this in a future blog post) and the list went on and on. I started to feel stronger mentally and physically. I felt empowered because my choices DID matter. What I was doing eased the side effects from chemo and while I still didn’t feel great, I was feeling better.
The juicing and eating REAL food continued after chemo and has transformed the way I live today. After much thought and encouragement from family and friends I have decided to start a blog and share some of the tips and tricks I have learned along the way. Whether you have been diagnosed with disease or want to prevent it from ever happening I hope you will find mainlygreens.com a resource for you and your whole family to share. I have seen first-hand that if you give your body what it needs….it can heal. I am so excited to begin finally sharing this with YOU!
Cristine Hazemy says
I love this! So glad you finally got the blog in motion. In the past few years, you have inspired me to improve my clean living. I have made many positive changes because of your influence and you are always my “go to” for health questions. In addition to your formal health training, you practice what you preach every day- an inspiration to all of us trying to live cleaner lives!
Traci says
Thank you for all your encouragement and kind words!! It has meant more than you will ever know. Love you!
Melissa says
Wow! I loved this! Thank you for being so courageous and sharing this with us! I look forward to your future posts! Healthy living is something I’m so passionate about as well! ❤️
Traci says
Thank you for your note Melissa! I’m excited to share and really appreciate you following!
Tiffany Vasey says
Traci-
My heart just literally broke. I have know you for years but somehow never was told you were going through this. I am beyond thrilled to see your beautiful smile on the front page and I know you will impact many people with your wisdom. I will be cheering you on sister and will keep following your blog and am also making healthier changes for my life as well.
Thank you for sharing this with the world.
Tiffany Cupp- Vasey
Traci Calkins says
So great to hear from you Tiffany. Thank you for your note. What a wonderful surprise to hear from you. Hope all is well with you my beautiful friend.
Jean Foster says
Congrats to you and your launch!! You have worked so hard! Thank you for your help and support! I look forward to reading your blogs!
Traci Calkins says
Thank you Jean for following!
Cathy Villarreal says
Traci
I’ve seen you around MCES but have never met you. Thanks for sharing your story!!! It’s very similar to my own! I’m also a breast cancer survivor (9 years now praise God) and I also used the penguin cold cap therapy!! Where did you do your treatments? I know the cold caps are hard to find around Monroe. I was out at Beaumont Royal oak and they had them there. I had 6 rounds of chemo and 7 weeks of radiation after my mastectomy. Had some issues with my hemoglobin being low but I was also fortunate enough to keep it stable and not have to get a blood transfusion. Glad to see your doing well and juicing!! I also researched wheatgrass therapy it’s very good for you! I look forward to reading your newsletter’s!!
God Bless
Cathy Villarreal
Cathy Villarreal says
Traci
Not sure if it’s MCES or maybe at St Michael church I’ve seen you? I just know I’ve seen you around lol
Still have chemo brain after 9 years lol
you’re right sometimes bad things happen for good reasons! Look forward to Learning more about healthy living!
Cathy V
Traci Calkins says
Yes Cathy I know what you mean about chemo brain While my health has improved, my brain lags behind. Congrats on 9 years and thank you for reaching out. I look forward to seeing you in church!
Amy Klotz says
What an amazing story! I am certainly interested in learning about what your doing – would love to learn:)
So glad to hear that your doing fabulous!
Laura Loveland says
Traci, so glad you’ve launched Mainlygreens. You are such an inspiration and have helped my family tremendously!
You’ve come so far and have helped so many.
God Bless you and your family ♡
Rachel Palmer says
Yeah!!! I am glad to finally read about your journey. I am constantly impressed and amazed by your strength. Thank you for sharing!!
Rachel
Traci says
Thank you Rachel!
Annette says
This is amazing! You have so much knowledge to share; I am forever grateful for all that you taught me. I need to get back on track and this is just what I need. Wishing you continued health and happiness.
Traci Calkins says
Thank you Annette….my fellow juicing friend. So grateful for our friendship and everything you have taught me as well!