A Lesson About Mindset I Learned Overcoming a Less than 10% Survival Rate

I can easily recall at least three moments where doctors told me they hadn’t seen anyone in my situation turn their health around.

The look in their eyes, that tone in their voice… the all-around numb sensation that closed in on my soul afterward; I’ll never forget how hopeless and isolating those moments felt. When the experts don’t seem to believe you can heal, how are you supposed to believe yourself?

Back in 2016, I was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare and aggressive bone cancer that spread from my right femur to both lungs and then my left hip. In just a few years, I’d endured a handful of recurrences and underwent seven surgeries.

Eventually, my oncologist sat my family and me down and explained that the five-year survival rate was less than 10%.

In spite of what doctors and statistics said, I chose to put on blinders and move forward. I began embracing alternative healing approaches and overhauled my entire lifestyle to focus on healing.

After conventional treatment failed, doctors essentially ran out of answers except for a clinical trial with brutal side effects and a low success rate. Comparatively, this made it easier for me to explore other approaches with a more open mind, yet the experience was still terrifying… It wasn’t like I was receiving instant validation that anything I was doing would save my life.

The uncertainty was every bit as overwhelming as you might imagine, yet I followed my heart, taking life one day at a time, and ultimately, I was blessed to turn my health around. (If you’re interested in learning more about my story, feel free to check out my blog at www.othercword.com)

Looking back, here’s an important lesson I learned:

The opportunity to buy into "hopelessness" is always available to us. 

With healing cancer, I found that managing the mental game was half the battle, especially with the odds stacked against me.

The opportunity always existed for me to worry that I was crazy for thinking I could turn my health around. Likewise, there was an opportunity to consume myself with anxiety, pressure and uncertainty; there was an opportunity to believe horror stories shared with me about what happened to someone on social media with a similar diagnosis…

These thoughts and stories are floating around in the ether, ready to activate as soon as we give them the green light (whether consciously or subconsciously).

On the other hand…

There’s also the opportunity to think about success stories and remind us that people overcome extremely daunting situations every day.

There’s the opportunity for us to feel empowered about studying healing and implementing holistic healing approaches. There’s the opportunity for us to recognize that waves of fear, doubt and anxiety are natural and inevitable, and it’s our job as thrivers to accept and manage these emotions each day.

There’s the opportunity to remind ourselves that we are gaining extremely valuable wisdom that can one day be passed down to others who are struggling.

And there’s the opportunity to remind ourselves that we can't fully see the big picture; all it takes to heal is one lucky break.

All of these are on the table. Different thoughts, mindsets and stories waiting for us to try on like a new pair of clothes. Recognizing the control we have is the first step.

Then, be sure to choose your beliefs carefully, because they’re extremely powerful.

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