Who has ever played the cancer blame game? I used to do it all the time, was I responsible for my cancer, did I drink too much, I was, still am! slightly overweight etc. With all the things that we read in the press that causes cancer, it’s no wonder that may people who have been diagnosed think it is their fault, if they had led their life differently maybe they wouldn’t have got cancer.Well I think that it is all nonsense, and yes we can all make changes to our life styles to stack the odds against getting cancer more in our favour, but what you cannot do, is say by making these changes that you will never get cancer. It is a bit like wearing a helmet when cycling, it is not guaranteed that you won’t be killed if you are knocked off your bike, but it does help stack the odds in your favour.
You hear stories about people who smoke like a chimney, drink like a fish, eat everything that’s meant to be bad for you, and they stayed free of cancer, and yet your totally vegan, non-smoker, tee-total friend seems to be the one who got cancer, so how can people blame lifestyle choices for cancer developing? And what is the point of being healthy and living by such strict rules if it doesn’t guarantee you to not get the disease again?
Research has shown that similar to how a seat belt doesn’t completely eradicate the risk of being hurt or killed in a car crash, eating healthily and leading a good lifestyle helps lessen the chances of cancer, and knowing this can help us equip and empower others with the knowledge of the somewhat controllable causes of cancer, so the idea isn’t blaming cancer patients for getting the disease, but equipping people like them, and others, with the knowledge to reduce the risk.
So my advice now I am 8 years down the line is, everything in moderation, I still enjoy a drink, but I don’t drink every day, I still LOVE cake, but I don’t eat it every day and I do try and stick to as healthy a diet as possible, and do yoga once a week.And I do all this, not because I think it will stop my cancer coming back, but I just want to be able to wear my clothes without them straining at the seams!
