The Dawning of Dawn

       Some weeks ago I wrote of a friend who's doctor's appointment came with that word no one wants to hear: Cancer--colorectal to be exact; one of the uglier forms cancer takes. To make matters worse, Dawn lost her husband to the same about 10 years prior. She knew the path she was in for should she opt for traditional routes of treatment.
        But Dawn didn't opt for traditional treatment. You'd have to know Dawn. She's got the faith of 10,000 angels and the strength of an army and she'd be the first to take zero credit. She gives every ounce of that to the Lord above. She did her homework; found an naturopathic doctor with a vastly different take on the matter and she committed to radical (and I do mean radical) changes in her life and diet, shifting from the normal stuff we all eat everyday, to nothing but raw veggies, fruits and seeds.
       From her blog she writes:

That's why I've chosen the path to healing that I've chosen. If you think it's easier than drugs and surgery and I'm a big chicken sitting around doing nothing - you're wrong! For almost three weeks, I've eaten NOTHING BUT RAW FRUITS AND VEGETABLES, SEEDS and a couple of slices of Ezekiel bread. I've exercised and meditated and gotten sunshine and rest. I've juiced carrots and am pretty sure I will soon turn orange! I have totally turned my lifestyle around and it's not easy to make that many changes and stick with them all.

        For those blessed to know Dawn, she is a walking creature of faith. She walks her talk. Like Job with his woes, Dawn has never once questioned God. Heck, I've not seen one sliver of depression in the woman. To the contrary, just when you think Dawn can't get anymore faith-filled, gosh dern she takes it to a whole new level. She's about one step away from thanking her cancer for leading her to an even deeper level of relationship with God. She never went for the bargaining chip approach the way most of us do (Heal me God and I promise to be good.) No. Dawn took the information handed to her...weighed it... factored it... and then she mindfully put it in its place. Cancer doesn't lead the conversation when you're with Dawn. Matter of fact, it's hard to put her name and the "C" word in the same sentence.
       How one gets a cancer diagnosis and not let it consume your every waking thought is the first battle to my way of thinking. Anyone who's ever waited for lab results over a weekend knows how that messes with your head. I'm sure those initial few days had her off balance. That's when she called to ask if she could come pull weeds. Not sure if she viewed it as such at the time, but as I watched her silently pulling, tugging at those nasty thistles, all I'm thinking is "That's it girl. Damned weeds are blocking the bloom of the plant you were put here to be. You show 'em. Those weeds don't know who they're dealing with! We don't need 'em. YANK 'em!"
       From day one, Dawn's approach was different. Don't get me wrong. This is no PollyAnna, ignoring it as if it'll go away. Her approach is different, but it is no less intense. Her mind had to have done a flashback to the days when watching her husband go from this vibrant, robust man of 50-something to a sliver of the shell he became left her thinking, If life teaches us anything, it's that we are not in control. (Her husband was the poster child for control, BTW. You wanted to see someone take life by the horns, this dude was it.)
       I've watched Dawn now for 90 days...keeping up through her blog...catching up when we can. Most marvel at the food part; I marvel at her mind. She's taken this cancer game to a whole new level and while no one knows how the game will end, I'm fixated with how she's interacting with the ball.
      No doubt, the dietary change alone would've done most of us in. I recall when my dad was diagnosed with heart disease and the doctor took his salt away. Dad finally said, "What's the point in eating?" and decided he'd take his chances. (Heart disease didn't take him out, btw, cancer did.) But the bottom line was, this was one single ingredient and he couldn't do it, nor do I think could I. Multiply that by 10,000 ...I can't even BEGIN to fathom overhauling everything so as to leave you contemplating intensely every tiny bit of sprig you're about to consume. My gosh, how mindlessness are we! The things we do without a second thought. Give me a hint of a craving and ZIP~ Thank God for Micky D's! I was just craving a cone! The very thought of driving down the road without the option would have me depressed before I started.
        But it's more than diet. It's a new level of mindfulness that's dawning in Dawn. Her exercise commitment is just as profound. She jumps on a trampoline for 10 minutes a day to increase the oxygen in her blood and bolster her lymph's circulation. She meditates regularly. In short, it was prescribed she be positive! How does one make themselves positive with cancer in the room and all the comfort foods removed?
        I'm not quite sure, but for certain, it doesn't come naturally. No. Her amazing ability to walk us all through her journey can only be a God thing...and Dawn would be the first to say so.
       That's why when Dawn asked if she could come pick veggies in the garden I cleared the decks. There is no project, no anything more important than seeing and being with my Wonder Woman friend. And what an amazing sight to behold. So she's oranger than usual~ (Read her blog at http://girdedwithstrengthdawn.blogspot.com ~) The combination of massive carrot juicing, coupled with her mindful attention to products she no longer puts on her skin have now opened her up to sun~ What a concept! Vitamin D is running rampant through this woman. She is literally aglow!
        The amazing part to me ...the part that literally has me in awe, is her ability not to let cancer run the show. We all know or have lived with someone battling cancer; some reading this blog are battling it now. We know the routines that go with it. The treatments most often prescribed and the conversations that follow. The person tied to a cancer diagnosis will forever be seen through a lens of slight trepidation. Yes, they may beat it, but we silently pray it doesn't come back. The very notion that they once had it or are battling it now brings a certain mental equivalent to their name --maybe subconsciously, often mindlessly, but it's there. We look at them differently; maybe pity them just a bit. Definitely pray for them.
        Herein lies the difference in Dawn. Dawn is not battling cancer. It's not Dawn - 0; Cancer - 1. Dawn is mindfully directing her energy (her thoughts, her actions) into everything that cancer is not, which is to say, Dawn. I've never sensed cancer in Dawn. If I were a cancer sniffing dog, I'd have to go elsewhere. It's not that I'm not ignoring it. I'm just distracted by the overwhelming essence of Dawn and Spirit when I hear her name or am with her that I have no mental energy left to give that pesky uninvited house guest. (A guest she's booting out, btw, for none of us is treating him hospitably.)  Cancer is losing because she's cut off its life force.
        I'd never take for granted that anything's a done deal. Then again, I do know that where we place our thoughts...how we address the things in our life that could be life draining, is key. We can give them power or we can redirect our precious life resources and mindfully, intentionally invest them another way.
       That's what Dawn has chosen to do. Better yet, that's what Spirit has allowed Dawn to do (cause I'm pretty certain we humans can't will something this large to just go away, or else we'd all be doing it). But that she's doing it and is not simply surviving, but thriving...well, that's a miracle to behold.
        Far be it for me to speak for Jesus, but I swear when I look at Dawn I hear the words,
                           "Daughter, go in peace...Your faith has made you whole."