Carla Deschamps

Carla Deschamps is now a survivor of colon cancer after receiving her diagnosis in February 2020. Read Carla's 

Faith. What does it mean to you? Well, faith, from my perspective, is believing in the unseen. When I first heard, “You have colon cancer,” I was in complete shock. I would have never thought in a million years that part of my journey in this world would include becoming a colon cancer survivor. Yet, I am beyond grateful for this life changingevent as it helped me grow in all areas of my life. Although nobody wants to go through this, I must say that it is howyou respond to life’s challenges that makes a huge difference. In this blog, I want to share my experiences on how faith transformed my journey with cancer.

Let's start from the beginning, when my oncologist informed me that I was in stage II colon cancer: I did not knowwhat life had in store for me, which was very scary to think about. However, I knew that this traumatic event had its purpose. Therefore, I decided to take this experience and make the best of it. This is when my faith in life and my spiritual journey started.

Affirmations was one of the techniques I utilized in order to cope with this experience. One of the affirmations that I recited frequently during that time was as follows: “

.” I remembered repeating this affirmation over and over again out loud and. This affirmation brought me a feeling and a sense of inner peace. It was an emotion that I genuinely needed, especially when I began chemotherapy. Even though I did not know what to expect in my future, believing that everything was going to work out at the end was, ultimately, what helped me keep fighting for my life.

Moreover, an area where faith played a significant role was my health, which consisted in being physically fit. In February 2020, I weighed 103 lbs, the skinniest I have ever been. I must be honest and express that I hated theway I looked. I did not like how skinny I was. I never understood why I was eating normal portions of meals and always had difficulty gaining weight.

Looking back now, I have come to the conclusion that the mass in my colon was not allowing me to gain the weight that I wanted. For this reason, I began to have hope that with time, I was going to improve my physicalappearance for the better. As months passed, I was able to gain weight and eventually weighed 116 lbs. I was definitely in the best physical shape of my life due to exercising regularly and establishing a healthy, balanced diet.

In conclusion, faith was an important tool that helped me endure my journey towards being cancer free. It allowed me to keep moving forward even when I had moments I wanted to give up. Yet, my conviction and loyalty towards my recovery assisted me to evolve in all areas of my life including my emotional, mental and physical well-being. As Martin Luther King, Jr. once stated, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” My faith, without a doubt, encouraged me to become a cancer survivor and I am beyond blessed and grateful because of it. Thankyou, God for my blessings and my second chance in life.

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Faith, as a belief in the unseen, played a transformative role in the journey of a colon cancer survivor. Initially shocked by the diagnosis, the individual embraced faith as a guiding force, using affirmations to maintain inner peace and resilience during chemotherapy. Faith also inspired hope for physical recovery, leading to improved health and fitness. Ultimately, faith was pivotal in overcoming cancer, fostering growth in emotional, mental, and physical well-being. The journey underscores the power of faith in navigating life's challenges and achieving personal transformation.

Faith, from my perspective, is believing in the unseen, and was something I rediscovered following my colon cancer diagnosis.

Rediscovering My Sense of Faith Following a Colon Cancer Diagnosis 

Jackie Chan once expressed, “Sometimes it takes only one act of kindness and caring to change a person’s life.” This quote is a representation of my outlook towards the care that my physicians provided after my diagnosis with colon cancer. All of my doctors during that time not only took care of me but went the extra mile to ensure that my journey moving forward was smooth and pleasant. In this blog, I want to express my gratitude as well as explain how my physicians changed my life for the better.

To begin with, I would like to start with my surgeon, whom I would call Dr. Salazar to protect his identity. Dr. Salazar was the one who notified me about my prognosis of colon cancer. It was close to noon when he greeted and took me to a private room when I received the biggest news of my life. He expressed in a calming voice, “Carla, I am so sorry for what I am going to tell you, but we wanted to make sure what it was before we told you. After conducting your second CT scan, we found a mass in your colon, and it is cancerous. You have colon cancer. You have to stay in the hospital because we have to do an emergency surgery to get the mass out. However, you have to do a colonoscopy first to give us a better understanding of your condition.”

I recalled that day like it was yesterday as I will never forget how it made me feel. I remembered my heart racing extremely fast and I felt anxious and scared not knowing what to expect moving forward. Dr. Salazar during that time did everything he could to make my experience at the hospital enjoyable as it was my home for two weeks. He would check up on me as often as he could along with encouraging and supporting me during my recovery after going through a five-hour surgery. Dr. Salazar was kind, respectful, but most of all very optimistic, which was what I needed most during that time. Indeed, I am grateful that he was my physician.

Next, is my doctor who conducted my colonoscopy, whom I would call Dr. Sanchez. He was polite, sweet and kindhearted. It was a Saturday morning when he did my procedure, which lasted no more than thirty minutes. During that time, Dr. Sanchez and a few of the nurses were cheering me on and stating that everything was going to be OK. Yet, the phrase that Dr. Sanchez noted and helped me view my outcome from a different perspective consisted of the following: “The good news is that we detected the cancerous mass on time.” After that statement, I made up my mind to stay positive. I was determined to do everything in my power to heal my heart from all the pain and suffering I was feeling. Due to Dr. Sanchez’s words of wisdom, my journey of healing began.

Finally, my oncologist, whom I would call Dr. Sanders. She has been my rock since day one. I have so much love and respect for her due to the fact that she goes above and beyond for her patients. Dr. Sanders is nurturing, loving and friendly. It has been more than four years since Dr. Sanders took me under her wing. She has been by my side fighting to make sure that I stay cancer-free, and for that, no words cannot express or describe how thankful I am of her. Every day, I give thanks that God put an amazing, extraordinary physician that has taken care of me from the very beginning. Indeed, Dr. Sanders not only has done acts of kindness but has changed my life by helping me get a second chance in life.

I am forever blessed to have had a tremendous group of doctors that continuously demonstrate how caring they are by providing the highest quality of service. I am beyond grateful. Thank you God for blessing me each and every day.

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A patient's journey through colon cancer treatment highlights the profound impact of compassionate care from dedicated physicians. The surgeon, Dr. Salazar, provided crucial support during the initial diagnosis and surgery, fostering a positive hospital experience. Dr. Sanchez, who performed the colonoscopy, offered encouraging words that shifted the patient's perspective towards optimism. The oncologist, Dr. Sanders, has been a steadfast ally, ensuring ongoing cancer-free status. This narrative underscores the transformative power of empathy and dedication in healthcare, emphasizing the importance of kindness in patient care.

My colon cancer journey showed me how compassionate doctors can change lives, as their kindness and care gave me strength and hope throughout my recovery.

The Doctors Who Healed Me: My Journey With Colon Cancer and Gratitude

Carla Deschamps is now a survivor of colon cancer after receiving her diagnosis in February 2020. Read Carla's 

Have you ever wondered what you would tell yourself if you were diagnosed with cancer at such a veryyoung age? That is a question that I never thought in a million years I would answer. Yet, at the age of 34, I received the biggest news of my life. I was in disbelief and in shock when my doctor informed me that I was on stage 2 with colon cancer. In this blog, I want to share with you the statements I told myself during my journey with cancer.

First of all, when I was notified about my diagnosis, I was in complete denial. I did not want to accept the fact that I had cancer. I didn't even know how, when, and for how long I had this mass inside of me. The simple idea that I was not at my best in regard to my health definitely petrified me. However, when I took a moment and reflected on what was happening to me, my first statement consisted of the following: “I will do everything in my power to be cancer free.” With this statement, I started to shift my way of thinking and focused on affirmations to enhance my optimistic outlook regarding my diagnosis.

Next, I began to listen to motivational videos that made me feel empowered and happy knowing that I took control of how I was responding to the news. I started to listen to Les Brown, who became one of my favoritespeakers during that time. I would listen to his speeches every morning as well as at night. He encouraged me to become the best version of myself. His words impacted me in so many meaningful ways.

Without Les realizing it, he made me stronger mentally, which was pivotal during my recovery. Several statements I began to express because of Les Brown were: “I am strong, resilient and powerful,” “I have perfect health filled with bright light and vitality” and “I can become my highest, truest expression of myself.” By applying these statements and repeating them over and over again, I was able to conquer and succeed during my treatment, especially during chemotherapy.

Additionally, listening to Joel Osteen on a consistent basis assisted me with my spiritual journey. My faith in God started to grow each day as well as how I viewed life. Joel Osteen provided me a sense of hope, tranquility and serenity that I really needed during that time. One of his sayings that resonated with me themost was “You can do all things through Christ,” which changed my perspective regarding my treatment and recovery. I knew I was not alone because I had my father in heaven protecting, guiding and taking care of me.

Another statement that was part of my spiritual outing included the following, “I am the daughter of the most high and he is blessing to me each and every day.” I could honestly say that faith and hope played a significant part in my fight to stay cancer free.

To conclude, I want to end my blog by sharing with you my number one statement that I told myself every day and still do until this day. The statement goes something like this, “Thank you, God, for my second chance in life and allowing me to create memories with all the people I care about, I am forever blessed.” This statement has become my mantra in which I take the time to reflect and meditate each morning. It is a true blessing being a cancer survivor and expressing gratitude is the best way to appreciate my life. Indeed, life isfull of surprises, and I am extremely lucky to be a part of it.

A personal narrative details a young individual's journey through a colon cancer diagnosis at age 34, emphasizing the power of positive affirmations, motivational influences, and spiritual growth. The author initially struggled with denial but shifted to a proactive mindset, drawing strength from motivational speakers like Les Brown and spiritual leaders like Joel Osteen. Affirmations and faith played crucial roles in mental resilience and recovery. The narrative concludes with a focus on gratitude and the importance of cherishing life and relationships as a cancer survivor.

I share how faith, positive affirmations and resilience helped me overcome stage 2 colon cancer and find strength in recovery.

Finding Strength Through Faith and Positivity During Cancer

Have you ever wondered what you would tell yourself if you were diagnosed with cancer at such a very young age? That is a question I never thought in a million years that I would answer. Yet, at the age of 34, I received the biggest news of my life. I was in disbelief and in shock when my doctor informed me that I had stage 2 colon cancer. In this blog, I want to share with you the statements I told myself during my journey with cancer.

First of all, when I was notified about my diagnosis, I was in complete denial. I did not want to accept the fact that I had cancer. I didn't even know how, when and for how long I had this mass inside of me. The simple idea that I was not at my best regarding my health definitely petrified me. However, when I took a moment and reflected on what was happening to me, my first statement consisted of the following: “I will do everything in my power to be cancer-free.”With this statement, I started to shift my way of thinking and focused on affirmations to enhance my optimistic outlook about my diagnosis.

I began listening to motivational videos that made me feel empowered and happy knowing that I took control of how I was responding to the news. I started to listen to Les Brown, who became one of my favorite speakers during that time. I would listen to his speeches every morning as well as at night. He encouraged me to become the best version of myself. His words impacted me in so many meaningful ways.

Without Les not realizing it, he made me stronger mentally, which was pivotal during my recovery. Several of the statements that I began to express because of Les Brown were as follows: “I am strong, resilient and powerful.” "I have perfect health filled with bright light and vitality.” “I can become my highest, truest expression of myself.”

By applying these statements and repeating them over and over again, I was able to conquer and succeed during my treatment, especially during chemotherapy.

Listening to Joel Osteen on a consistent basis also assisted me with my spiritual journey. My faith in God started to grow each day as well as how I viewed life.

Joel Osteen provided me with a sense of hope, tranquility, and serenity that I really needed during that time. One of his sayings that resonated with me the most was “You can do all things through Christ,” which changed my perspective regarding my treatment and recovery. I knew I was not alone because I had my Father in heaven protecting, guiding, and taking care of me.

Another statement that was part of my spiritual outing included the following: “I am the daughter of the most High and he is blessing me each and every day.”I could honestly say that faith and hope played a significant part in my fight to stay cancer-free.

I want to end my blog by sharing with you my favorite statement that I told myself every day and still do to this day. The statement goes something like this: “Thank you, God, for my second chance in life and for allowing me to create memories with all the people I care about. I am forever blessed.” This statement has become my mantra in which I take the time to reflect and meditate each morning. It is a true blessing being a cancer survivor and expressing gratitude is the best way to appreciate my life. Indeed, life is full of surprises,and I am extremely lucky to be a part of it.

For more news on cancer updates, research and education, don’t forget to 

subscribe to CURE®’s newsletters here.

A young individual diagnosed with stage 2 colon cancer at 34 shares their journey of coping and recovery through positive affirmations and spiritual growth. Initially in denial, they embraced a mindset of determination to become cancer-free, drawing strength from motivational speakers like Les Brown and spiritual leaders like Joel Osteen. These influences helped cultivate resilience, hope, and faith, which were crucial during treatment. The individual emphasizes the importance of gratitude and cherishing life, expressing thankfulness for a second chance and the ability to create meaningful memories.

Receiving a diagnosis of colon cancer at age 34 was such a shocking experience, but it has helped me become more strong-willed.  

Carla Deschamps

Rediscovering My Sense of Faith Following a Colon Cancer Diagnosis

The Doctors Who Healed Me: My Journey With Colon Cancer and Gratitude

Finding Strength Through Faith and Positivity During Cancer

How I Navigated a Colon Cancer Diagnosis at Age 34

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