A short motivational YouTube monologue by Rebecca Silence (creator of Healing Is Possible) recounting her cancer diagnosis and recovery to present five core principles for facing cancer: (1) use your power to decide at every step; (2) make brave, hard decisions rather than waiting; (3) commit to living (reject being reduced to a statistic); (4) build an "army" of support (medical, holistic, friends/family); and (5) choose to be the most powerful version of yourself. The talk combines personal narrative, practical advice, and an empowering call-to-action (visit rebeccasilence.com).
Hey everybody, it's Rebecca. Silence, creator of healing is possible here with five things you need to know to beat cancer. When I was 34 years old, pregnant with my second baby, I was diagnosed with a life threatening cancer cancer diagnosis. Didn't see it coming. I was young, I was healthy, vibrant. It was a cruel joke, it wasn't fair and it was happening. The first thing you need to know to beat cancer is that you have a superpower that you have access to 24,7 called your ability to decide. To decide in every single moment and in every single step of your cancer journey. No one can decide your treatment plan, your next right steps for you. When it comes to cancer. You've got to decide to decide every step of the way to feel in control and as powerful as you can in the middle of cancer. And I'm here to tell you it's possible. The second thing that you need to know is deciding to decide means decide to make the brave and hard decisions along the way. It's going to be one hard decision after another when it comes to cancer. Whether it's your diagnosis or if you have a loved one that has a cancer diagnosis, you are equipped and you have what it takes to know what your next right hard decision is. And you've got to be brave enough to make it versus sitting back and waiting and hoping for the right answers and decisions to come to you, or hoping you even worse that somebody else is going to make these decisions for you. No one can do it for you. The third step, this one is everything. This third step saved my life. You've got to decide you're going to live. This is hard. Especially when doctors are telling you you might not live. Especially when doctors are telling you you might not live. Especially when one statistic after another is being spoon fed to you. You're not a statistic. You aren't a statistic. And if there are outliers, why shouldn't you be the next outlier? I'm an outlier. In my cancer journey. I beat the odds. I defied them. And it started with living like I was going to live. Whether that was true or not. I could speak like I was going to live, I could think like I was going to live. I could take actions that led me to more life like I was going to live. I literally had a moment where I had to tell a dear loved one, if you're going to look at me like I'm dying, if you're going to talk to me like I'm dying, I can't be around you right now. I'm sorry. I love you, but I need to be around people that see me as living because I see me as living. I didn't identify as dying or as sick and that's because I decided to decide to live like I was going to live. The fourth step is you've got to build an army of support. You've got to build an army of support around you. I had holistic healers, I had traditional medical professionals, I had friends, I had family, I had community. When I was sick, seven days a week, I had one person assigned to each day to check in on me, whether I have the strength to talk or not. I had people checking in. How are you? I love you. I kept connection going and building an army of support. It was everything in my cancer journey. Finally, when it comes to cancer, you've got to decide to be the most powerful version of you. The highest version of you, the most inspired version of you. Even in the darkness and life threatening diagnosis of cancer, there is a more powerful version of you than any cancer cell in your body or that threatens your life. There is a powerful version of you that knows what's right, what's not, what's healthy for you, what's not. Even when it feels impossible to make a decision during cancer, this most powerful version of you, it's everything you need and it's stronger than cancer. You've got to decide you're stronger than cancer or cancer will kick your ass. And you don't have to let that happen. Cancer's kicking your ass anyway. But it doesn't need to take you out of this game called your life. And at the very least, you can decide to make the brave and hard decisions. You can decide to live like you're going to live. You can build that army of support because you decided to. And you can decide to be the most powerful version of yourself. For more if you want to get in touch with me, visit rebeccasilence.com and know cancer doesn't have anything on you because you're more powerful. And you have everything you need to decide to decide and you have everything you need to decide to decide your way through your cancer journey. Cancer is where I met myself and it's where you can meet you too. The best of you, Sam.
