Michelle Burleigh

7 Tips for Coping with Emotions During & After Cancer Treatment

According to the Canadian Cancer Society, the incidence of developing cancer increases after 50 years old. However, approximately 10% of people diagnosed with Cancer are young adults. They are falling victim to cancer as well, and they are faced with a slew of unique challenges as a result.

When I was in the hospital, I met a 31 year old man named Mat. He is a father of two and a police officer who was diagnosed with Acute Myelotic Leukemia a month before my own diagnosis. He was physically fit, went to the gym regularly before he fell ill, ate healthy, was not a smoker and didn’t drink. Yet, there he was. After two failed rounds of chemo, he had a stem cell transplant in April 2018. How could someone so young and healthy be in such a position?

Holy Diet Challenge Batman!

Diet is a really tough topic. Period. Whether you’re battling cancer or not, navigating the plethora of information out there about what is healthy and what is not is overwhelming. If we consider all the fad diets that come and go, it’s clear that this is a never ending exploration with unlimited differences of opinions. After my diagnosis, one hour to the next, I could get different suggestions from nurses, doctors, dieticians, friends, family members, random strangers, about what I should be eating. I can recall being told, in the same day, McDonald’s would be healthier for me than a deli meat sandwich from Tim Horton’s. Another day, I was told that if I was having a hard time getting enough calories in a day, I should add chocolate milk to my protein shakes and eat ice cream. Holy sugar Batman! I think the absolute best advice I received during treatment was, ‘Don’t bother making big changes to your diet right now’.

The Journey Begins

Thanks for joining me! Please let me introduce myself! My name is Michelle. This is a photo of me before my life fell apart. Then, I would have continued my introduction by saying, ‘I am a full time career woman and a proud mother’. I likely would have boasted about the hard work I’ve done throughout my 15 year career in the financial industry. How I’ve built a respectable reputation as a hard working, passionate professional. Through no fault of any employer, what I wouldn’t have told you about is the stress, anxiety, and my inability to maintain a healthy work/life balance. I’ve simply always put too much pressure on myself and in hindsight, am certain I suffered from some sort of anxiety disorder. This is a photo of me now.