It’s ‘World Cancer Day’ today, and seeing as cancer is now affecting every single one of us, I feel I have to share this incredible story with you. It’s a true beacon of hope and inspiration, and considering that 1 in 2 of us living in the UK will get cancer, I really believe that this book is a must read for us all.
When Cathie Grout was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, she was told it could be controlled but never cured. 17 years later, after having taken matters into her own hands, Cathie is now completely cancer-free. Reading her book, ‘Rabbits Don’t Get Lymphoma - Kissing My Cancer Goodbye’ was a pivotal turning point for me in fully appreciating the body’s staggering ability to heal.
In her book, Cathie beautifully illustrates the all-round "holistic" approach to cancer, or any form of disease, that I so passionately believe in and want to promote - as both means of treatment and prevention. It’s an incredibly inspiring "cancer u-turn" testimonial, with solid, practical advice for cancer patients, and is written with Cathie’s gentle humour which made it all the more enjoyable to read. I think I finished it in one day, I couldn’t put it down!
Cathie’s cancer diagnosis was completely out of the blue and a massive shock. With no prior knowledge of any “alternative way”, she was desperate to start on the chemotherapy that was offered to her. However, much to her dismay, she was made to wait by her doctors before receiving treatment, while they determined the most appropriate form of chemotherapy for her.
Despite her terror at being left with five tumours in her stomach, this delay ended up being an incredible gift. Books and friends "came" to her and after much research she decided to do what she could to take matters into her own hands. She started juicing and changing her diet, detoxifying and using reflexology, and adopting visualisation and meditation techniques. When her chemotherapy appointment finally did come around, with all the changes she had made, she had never felt so good and decided to forgo all conventional offerings. Within a year, she found herself completely cancer-free and healed – you can see the scans of her tumours reducing in size, in her book.
One of the most incredible parts of Cathie’s story is her reflection on the possible emotional reasons that may have led her cancer to develop at that specific point in time. This was a huge wake up call for me. Up until that point in time, I had totally bought into the whole “you are what you eat” concept, but I had been a bit dismissive about thoughts, beliefs or emotions having a physical impact on the health of the body.
But Cathie’s honest account of her own journey turned me onto Louise Hay, whose books have since inspired me massively to look at my own thoughts and belief patterns, and how they have affected my health. It’s really been fundamental in shaping my whole philosophy on health that I teach at the retreat, that good health is: 50% how we treat the body (what we eat, drink and do) and 50% how we think (our emotional state).
For me the most inspiring point of all is that her terrifying cancer diagnosis forced Cathie into a new world of “holistic health” and to make changes, that actually gave her a new lease of life. Because of those changes she was now feeling better than ever and she was inspired to change career to do something she loved. She even hints at her gratitude to the cancer in the title of her book, “Kissing her Cancer Goodbye” because in so many ways the diagnosis saved her life.
Cathie is now a good friend and I know that her biggest wish is to spread a message of hope to others, and that was her inspiration to write the book. I certainly need to thank Cathie for having been such an inspiration to me.
You can find a copy of Cathie Grout's "Rabbits Don't Get Lymphoma. Kissing my cancer goodbye", on Amazon here , I honestly cannot recommend it highly enough.
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