Maybe you know this about me, maybe you don’t. But, I wanted to share this message about commitment and purpose.
It was exactly 5 years ago today that I got to the hospital too late to say goodbye to my friend. I had not visited her at all during the time she was admitted as I had been suffering from a cold and her husband said it was probably a better idea to stay away because of her weak immune system. I keep wondering whether she thought I didn’t care enough, but deep down I think she knew I cared.
Ronelle and I had become friends here in Switzerland and we shared many conversations about what we could do with the little bit of spare time we had as stay-at-home moms – afterall, it’s not exactly the Highlife! When I met her, I had no clue about breast cancer, let alone what Stage 4 meant. In those 2 or 3 years that she battled – I learnt what it meant – and I watched helplessly as she went for chemo, radiation therapy, spiritual healing sessions and considered every alternate therapy out there. I searched the internet for answers and found many conflicting answers about nutrition. Cut out red meat, sugar, dairy, eat lots of broccoli. That seemed to be the advice when it came to nutrition, but I couldn’t find any cases of people who had been following such advice that had published dramatic healing stories. Maybe one (Chrisbeatcancer.com) seemed to have a plausible story but I couldn’t help but think that it was just luck or miracles.
Her passing on November 9, 2015 catapulted me into some deep soul searching about what I wanted to do with my life. I had been trying half-heartedly to get back into finance, and kept throwing new ideas out there – none of which stuck for long. I had many arguments with my husband about him working so much while I cleaned house, cooked, looked after kids and once in a while allowed myself to play a round of golf or have coffee with a friend. There was always guilt attached to these latter activities as I really felt I needed to be doing something more “meaningful” with my life!
After much agonising over the thought of leaving behind over 10 years in finance, I took the advice of a coach and started taking just ONE step in ONE direction. The idea was that even if I didn’t know if it would be the right path, I would learn something about myself and have the chance to pivot if it didn’t work out. I started a course in Nutrition.
So here comes the lesson: we never know whether the path we choose is going to be the right one, the one that brings us joy, the one that gives us purpose or the one that brings us recovery from a chronic illness. All we can do is CHOOSE ONE DIRECTION and commit. Commit to giving it a chance. Is it easy when you’re new to something? Of course not…we’re probably going to fail (maybe more than once) but each time we are learning. I’ve had the privilege of having some great coaches during my 5 years of rediscovery – and I keep seeking out new ones that are going to take me to the next level.
Now I’m using what I’ve learnt (and I’ll always be learning) to take the message about food and lifestyle habits that DO work in reversing chronic conditions, to a greater audience. Chronic conditions like diabetes, PCOS, thyroid disorder, autoimmune….dare I say cancer… they are names for imbalances in the body. When we can shift these imbalances towards balance with diet and lifestyle changes, we can improve function in the body and help our bodies do the work of restoration – something it strives to do naturally, all the time.
So I’m really only getting started on my quest to share stories of people using the principles of functional medicine to reverse the symptoms of their condition. And I’d love for you to help me share these stories to the people in your network.
Subscribe to my YouTube channel to be notified of new videos and find videos to share with your friends or family. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNaUinPPaPolWdmo4vLthLw
So far I have covered conditions such as asthma, eczema, infertility, Hashimotos, Graves, Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Chronic Urticaria, Fibromyalgia to name a few and the list is growing.
There are too many people who are suffering in this world and this information needs to become mainstream. I don’t have the reach of a Mark Hyman, MD– yet – but together we can turn the tide on healthcare, because at the moment it’s just disease-care. We can’t wait for our doctors to give us a diagnosis just so we know what path we should take. We can take a path that is not yet mainstream and we can fix our dysfunctional bodies beginning with that ONE step and pivot when we need to.
I hope you’re all figuring out what that ONE step is for you. If you need help getting started, feel free to reach out.
wishing you good health and happiness
Mireille
Keep moving forward
Want to know how to stay healthy all year round? This checklist will give you immune supporting habits you can practice daily.