Hi, my name is Linden. The tumor in my brain, was Bruce.
Unbeknownst to me, Bruce was growing in my brain for 10 years.
On July 25th, I become aware of Bruce's presence after a massive seizure. Following a scary night in the ER, a neurosurgeon informed me that there was a mass, nearly the size of a tangerine, in my right frontal lobe. At Swedish Hospital on August 7th, Dr. Cobbs removed 90% of Bruce and was extremely pleased with the results. My side effects were minimal, slight loss of feeling on the left side - but overall I believed that my relationship with Bruce was nearing an end.
Yet on August 19th, the pathology results showed a different story. Bruce was in fact malignant, and the remaining 10% of him must be dealt with. My doctors recommended the usual course of chemo and radiation, to begin on September 7th. I was not convinced that the usual path was the right path for me. I have been trained as a coach to see each and every person as an individual and not as a diagnosis. I put off my treatment for 2 months (much to the chagrin of my oncologist) to make sure I had my personalized treatment plan in place.
I was told I couldn't do proton radiation, a much more precise radiation treatment, so I went to UW where they have access to a proton center, it also happened to be 4 blocks away from my naturopath. For 6 weeks, I did a very holistic therapy approach, using both allopathic and naturopathic treatments. My final treatment date was November 17th. I refused additional chemo treatments after my 6 weeks and have been stable ever since.
I know now that Bruce was a gift, a pivot point in my life to tell me that my previous way of being was no longer serving me. I was hard on myself, stressed out, unhappy and not living authentically.
Today, everything about my life has changed, my outlook, mindset, where I live, who I spend my time with, what I read, do, eat, EVERYTHING. And because of this, I have found myself, and I love myself, and I am happy. I get to be authentic and live my life, the way I was always meant to. Bruce turned out to be a blessing.
A life coach by profession, I am passionate about helping others achieve and reach their personal goals. In my own journey, I am determined to find the gift in all of this and share it with others.
On July 25th, I become aware of Bruce's presence after a massive seizure. Following a scary night in the ER, a neurosurgeon informed me that there was a mass, nearly the size of a tangerine, in my right frontal lobe. At Swedish Hospital on August 7th, Dr. Cobbs removed 90% of Bruce and was extremely pleased with the results. My side effects were minimal, slight loss of feeling on the left side - but overall I believed that my relationship with Bruce was nearing an end.
Yet on August 19th, the pathology results showed a different story. Bruce was in fact malignant, and the remaining 10% of him must be dealt with. My doctors recommended the usual course of chemo and radiation, to begin on September 7th. I was not convinced that the usual path was the right path for me. I have been trained as a coach to see each and every person as an individual and not as a diagnosis. I put off my treatment for 2 months (much to the chagrin of my oncologist) to make sure I had my personalized treatment plan in place.
I was told I couldn't do proton radiation, a much more precise radiation treatment, so I went to UW where they have access to a proton center, it also happened to be 4 blocks away from my naturopath. For 6 weeks, I did a very holistic therapy approach, using both allopathic and naturopathic treatments. My final treatment date was November 17th. I refused additional chemo treatments after my 6 weeks and have been stable ever since.
I know now that Bruce was a gift, a pivot point in my life to tell me that my previous way of being was no longer serving me. I was hard on myself, stressed out, unhappy and not living authentically.
Today, everything about my life has changed, my outlook, mindset, where I live, who I spend my time with, what I read, do, eat, EVERYTHING. And because of this, I have found myself, and I love myself, and I am happy. I get to be authentic and live my life, the way I was always meant to. Bruce turned out to be a blessing.
A life coach by profession, I am passionate about helping others achieve and reach their personal goals. In my own journey, I am determined to find the gift in all of this and share it with others.