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healthy choices |
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our
story - making healthy
choices
First of all, you have
to understand that Gary
is the type who would
pay to not have to stand
up in front of
people and speak.
Keep that important
detail in mind.
In 2004, Gary was
diagnosed with
metastatic prostate
cancer at a relatively
young age. Hormone
therapy was prescribed.
Not a cure, it
basically buys us time.
And so
we recruited
a cancer team.
Gary is the coach and
I
signed on as assistant
coach. In no particular
order, here’s what our team looks like:
Medical
Professionals
& Treatments
Superstars. The
doctors and
medical
treatments are
our superstars,
but a superstar
can’t win games
by himself – he
needs the coach,
the rest of the
starting five,
the bench.
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Nutrition
After
doing
some
research,
we
came
up
with
a
common
sense
diet
that
works
for
us.
We’ve
increased
our
fruits,
veggies,
whole
grains
and
legumes;
eliminated
unhealthy
fats
and
sugars;
and
eat
more
seafood.
Check
out
our
For
Your
Health
Web
site
for
general
nutrition
tips
and
scads
of
recipes. |
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Physical
Activity
Gary
started
walking
two
miles
every
morning
before
work.
I
don’t
do
5:30am,
but
on
weekends
we
hike
and
snowshoe
all
over
the
beautiful
Cascade
Mountains
near
our
home.
Here’s
an
interesting
tidbit:
nutrition
and
physical
activity,
when
combined,
are
exponentially
more
effective
than
the
benefits
of
each
…
separately.
(You
followed
that,
right?) |
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Stress
Management
Having cancer is
stressful. On
the entire
family.
As
much
as
we’d
like
to
frequent
a
spa,
we’ve
learned
to
manage
stress
in
simple
ways.
One
of
the
things
we
do
is
date
each
other
more.
I
love
it
when
Gary
asks
mid-week,
What
are
we
doing
for
our
Friday
night
date?
Getting
outdoors,
practicing
living
in
the
present
and
keeping
long
thanksgiving
lists
–
this
is
how
we
manage
the
stress.
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Support System
We’ve
been a strong
support for each
other and
have some pretty
amazing friends
and family
members that
have been very
caring and
supportive.
And we
found it was
critical
to connect with
others within
the cancer
community.
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Positive
Attitude
Gary
says
that
when
I
talk
about
our
future
together,
it
gives
him
hope.
For
example,
we’d
like
to
hike
the
Swiss
Alps.
We’ve
been
stashing
away
funds
in a
separate
savings
account
and
we
recently got
our
passports
up
to
date.
Having
realistic
goals,
determining
first
steps,
and
then
working
in
the
direction
of
our
dreams
has
been
a
very
hope-giving,
positive
exercise
for
us. |
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Faith
People have
asked us if
cancer has
driven us to
finding faith,
or if we already
had faith.
We already had
faith.
We believe that
someone larger
than we are
created us for a
purpose … that
things don’t
just happen
randomly, but
God is able to
bring good out
of everything,
even a diagnosis
of cancer.
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Finding purpose
“So, if we have
cancer,” Gary
asks, “what
can we do to
make the journey
easier for
others?”
We
began
sharing
our
story
at
cancer
centers
and
medical
conferences;
to
community
and church
groups;
and
in
classrooms
of
high
school,
college
and
nursing
students.
We
published
a
book
of
short
stories
–
Cancer
Adventures:
Turning
loss
into
triumph
–
about
cancer
heroes
who
are
giving
back
with
the
intent
of inspiring
others
to
look
for
purpose.
Because
we
happen
to
think
that’s
part
of
living
well. |
We
created a
Central Oregon
Trails
web
site to
encourage
physical
activity and designed a
nutritional
recipe
site where we’ve
posted more than
90 recipes.
Gary
says that
whenever he can
encourage or
inspire someone
else, it gives
him a boost.
This from the
guy who
would pay
to not speak in
front of people.
Victory
So what does
victory look
like? For some,
it may be a
complete cure;
for others, it
might be
living longer
than expected.
For us,
victory
represents
living well with
cancer even when
there is no
proven cure.
Cancer is not
anything we would ever
wish on anyone
else,
but it
has enhanced our
marriage and
family
relationships. It’s caused us
to rethink our
priorities, make
some healthier
living choices,
take more risks
and create
adventure.
And
for this, we are
grateful.
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