Cancer Calling

It’s never easy to hear the words: this is cancer.

And yet, last month, I did.

In that moment, the world goes quiet,

and something deeper rises—

a knowing that this will ask everything of you.

We go our whole lives dodging that word.

At least I did.

All the imagery. All the fear that surrounds it.

But this isn’t my first rodeo with illness.

And I’m choosing to meet this as a catalyst for real change.

My soul, willingness and drive are intact.

For many years now, I’ve been going without even basic care for medical needs,

managing largely on my own education without the resources to stabilize, let alone heal.

While I’m grateful for the knowledge I have

as a health educator, functional nutritionist and coach,

there’s a real gap

between knowing what to do

and having the means to do it.

Right now, even foundational support eludes me.

And this is where I’m asking for help.

Surgery is coming soon.

With bladder tumors, there’s no biopsy beforehand.

It’s removed, and then tested.

So this is the threshold I’m on.

Surgery is just the beginning.

It’s essential how this is approached

and what support is in place going into it and afterwards.

This requires a six-month to one-year comprehensive plan.

Removing the immediate threat matters,

but it’s just as critical to address why the tumor formed in the first place.

Bladder tumors have a high recurrence rate.

Not at all a fun fact, but knowledge is power.

Your support will go toward

Surgery and hospital expenses

Post-surgical care and recovery support

Immunotherapy and anti-cancer protocols

IV therapies and clinical treatments

Comprehensive lab testing and diagnostics

Nutritional therapy and supplements

Detox and mold / fungal support

Osteopathic and integrative care

Backstory

For over two decades, I’ve been navigating Lyme and chronic illness.

Then three and a half years ago, a new character entered the scene in the form of a bladder tumor.

My response was immediate and familiar.

Go inward, go deep, research, learn, track, listen.

Because it’s always been clear to me that tumors / cancer are not isolated events.

They reflect a deeply compromised terrain,

a terrain shaped not only by toxins and biochemical issues

but by depletion, grief, trauma,

what we carry, what we suppress, what we survive.

During this time of study, life did not pause.

In 2023, my husband experienced an aortic aneurysm in front of me.

He made it, thank God,

however, the trauma affected both of us deeply.

This, compounded with long-haul covid, brought chronic infections back to the forefront.

From here, I did what many of us do.

I pushed.

Trying to create physical stability, financial stability, some kind of ground beneath me.

I kept going in a body that was already depleted.

I kept helping, giving my time away for free in a project I believed in,

and eventually pausing my coaching with Lyme Less Live More.

Then more recently, everything escalated.

ER visit, severe bleeding, staph infection,

CT scan showing the tumor had grown significantly since it was first found.

Since then I’ve seen three surgeons,

all saying the same thing:

99% cancer.

And even if I’m in that lucky 1%,

the path forward does not change.

For a decade, I’ve been helping others navigate complex health challenges.

Now I’m allowing myself to receive help.

I’ve been living inside that gap for too long.

It’s time to close it.

There is a world-class healing clinic minutes from my home.

The care I need is here.

I have not had the financial means to access it.

That is the plain truth,

and this has worn on me.

It’s made me feel small.

Made me get quiet.

Made me retreat.

And somewhere along the way I lost my voice—

started slipping through the cracks,

trying to carry too much with too little,

not wanting to be a burden.

But that ends here.

I’m as raw and vulnerable as I’ve ever been in my life.

With stacking medical bills and no access to the level of care I need, I feel overwhelmed navigating surgery and recovery without the support required to reduce the risk of recurrence—especially given my history.

This extreme vulnerability has me up close with all my fear and yet

there is something still alive in me—

an undying spark,

a listening,

and a readiness.

Cancer, in its own severe and holy way, is a calling:

a call to wake up

to tell the truth

to stop hiding

to come into alignment with what is real

This is my commitment.

To be here.

Fully.

More honest.

More embodied.

More available to life.

To step in as a wife,

a healer / practitioner,

a teacher / writer,

and most importantly—

a caregiver / godmother to the love of my life.

My 6-year-old niece,

who is made of pure love and starlight.

She is my whole heart.

She needs me here.

This is the call to step back into life.

I have the team, the knowledge, and the will.

With your support,

I can do what I know needs to be done

and see this through.

If you can help, thank you.

If not, sharing this helps more than you know.

The world is heavy right now for all of us,

but fear does not get to finish this story.

Love does.

Courage does.

And the drive to protect what is pure and alive in all of us.

Looking forward to the deeper healing that’s possible here

and gifts revealed along the way.

I will keep you posted as it unfolds.

Thank you for listening.

With Love,

Dana