Resilience is the ability to recover quickly from illness, change, or misfortune.[1]
To survive cancer, we must be resilient. There are many steps along the way of your cancer expedition that will require you to be resilient. The first being your diagnosis. What a crushing moment in your life when you are intertwined with the word cancer. This can’t be happening to me. This happens to other people. I really don’t have cancer. Am I going to die?
The answer to am I going to die is . . . yes. Everyone does, eventually. The when is not up to you so don’t worry about it. You can have some management over how you are going to die, depending on your lifestyle and willingness to adapt.
After your cancer diagnosis there are many decisions, meetings with doctors, discussions with your spouse, significant other, family, and friends. Then there are the procedures to learn more about your cancer, where it is in your body, and therapies to remove it. Once therapies have been used you must recover, survive, and continue your life. You must be resilient through every step of the way.
I employed many therapies and so far, they seem to be working. My therapies included:
- Faith
- Prayer
- Diet
- Exercise
- Fasting
- Writing
Little did I know that writing would be an important function to build my resilience. Writing and starting the Blog was my strategy to communicate what was happening to me to my family and friends. It was also a vehicle to enable me to research and learn ways to defeat my enemy.
I recently found the article, The hobby that can rewrite your brain and help you build resilience[2]. Emily Johnston writes, “Writing can shift your mental state from overwhelm and despair to grounded clarity — a shift that reflects resilience . . . The American Psychological Association defines resilience as an ongoing process of personal growth through life’s challenges.”
Johnston’s article pointed me to psychologist Dr. James Pennebaker, Ph.D. who came up with what he termed expressive writing. “His studies find that physical health and work performance can improve by simple writing and/or talking exercises.”[3] The Veterans Administration’s website is a proponent of Therapeutic Journaling. A PDF in the va.gov website cites, “Expressive writing has been concluded to be beneficial also as a “stand alone” technique for the treatment of anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and to a lesser extent for depression and anxiety.”[4] This article lists Dr. Pennebaker’s research and findings.
Therapeutic Journaling explains that “It enhances our immune system functioning . . . Expressive writing helps to make cause and effect links between life events and increases our capacity for self-reflection, awareness and resilience.”
It’s interesting that I began to Blog soon after my diagnosis and now months later I discover that writing is therapeutic as it builds resilience. Last Sunday our church celebrated the Epiphany. The sermon explained that epiphanies come to those who are seeking God. Proverbs 8:17 teaches “I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.” Matthew 7:7 goes on to say, “Ask, and it shall be given you, seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”[5] All of this to say that faith and prayer are an integral part of my continuing therapy. As I continue my expedition I seek and I keep finding.
Faith and prayer have been integral and very effective in my resilient recovery. Learning that you have cancer can throw you into anxiety, despair, dread, depression, and all kinds of bad emotions, feelings, and fear. It is well documented that the effect of anxiety on our bodies is not good. Sustained anxiety can weaken your immune system.[6] A weakened immune system will not help your fight to kill cancer. Isaiah 41:10 comforts you, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” When you release your problems to God you relax and enjoy the ride.
One of my therapies has been diet. I quickly went to what I thought would fight cancer in my mind, that being an alkaline diet. I reasoned that that if cancer preferred an acidic diet rich in sugar and carbohydrate producing sugar, then I would eliminate as much acidity as possible from those cancerous bastards. Book after book, social media post after social media post directed my diet expedition. I was seeking the cancer’s cause and its killer.
Controversial repurposed drugs like Ivermectin and Fenbendazole was touted all over the Internet as effective cancer killers. Over and over, I read that these parasite killing drugs were effective against cancer because cancer was a parasite. I knew that cancer was not a parasite but a cell in my body that had mutated into cancer. Seeking the answer to, are these drugs effective against cancer, I learned that they are.
Research has found that Ivermectin and Fenbendazole kill parasites and cancer in the same way. “They block multiple cancer pathways particularly damaging tubulin in microtubules, cutting off the energy and food supplies to the worm or cancer cell. For example, they damage the Glucose transporters and restrict cancer cells from feeding.”[7] I was relieved to discover that there is a logical explanation as to how these parasite killing drugs also kill cancer.
I recently found Dr. Thomas Seyfried[8] on the Internet who cleared up more questions that I had about cancer’s cause and cure. Seyfried teaches that “cancer is a mitochondrial metabolic disease.” Please read Dr. Seyfried and watch the many podcasts that are available. Research indicates that cancer originates from damage to mitochondria. Metabolic therapy of glucose and glutamine can be used to manage cancer.[9] (Again eliminating sugar/acidic food helps fight cancer).
Perhaps if you have been chronically anxious or depressed your immune system has been reduced to weaken your mitochondria resulting in your cancer. John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”[10] Being anxious, fearful, overwhelmed, or stressed out is not helping your therapy, recovery, or resilience.
The takeaways to this Blog are:
- Faith and prayer are effective in directing your search and removing stress. When you seek you will find.
- Write about what you are thinking, experiencing, and questioning. Keep a journal, diary, notes, or Blog.
- Learn what strengthens your mitochondria and immune system.
Godspeed on your cancer expedition. Release your fear and anxiety. Turn everything over to God. You’ll get through this, one way or another. Regardless, know that you’re in God’s hands.
[1] The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
[2] Johnston, Emily Ronay, (Thursday, January 1, 2026) Independent, (Online) Available, https://www.the-independent.com/life-style/health-and-families/writing-letter-books-mental-health-benefits-b2893335.html
[3] Pennebaker, James, Ph.D. https://expressivewriting.org/about-the-authors/
[4] VA Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation, Therapeutic Journaling, (Online) Available: https://www.va.gov/WHOLEHEALTHLIBRARY/docs/Therapeutic-Journaling.pdf .
[5] Proverbs 8:17 & Matthew 7:7 KJV
[6] Cherney, Kristeen, Ph.D. (November 13, 2023), Effects of Anxiety on the Body, healthline.com (Online) Available: https://www.healthline.com/health/anxiety/effects-on-body.
[7] Woollams, Chris, (June 21, 2025) Cancer Blog, Is a combination of Fenbendazole and Ivermectin a real cancer killer?, (Online) Available, https://www.canceractive.com/article/is-a%20combination%20of%20fenbendazole%20and%20ivermectin%20a%20real%20cancer%20killer
[8] Seyfried, Thomas, (Online) Available, https://tomseyfried.com/
[9] Aastha, JS (January 27, 2025), Manage Cancer Without Chemo & Radiation – Dr. Thomas Seyfried, Ketosis for cancer, Cancer is a metabolic, not genetic, disease, (Online), Available https://www.livelongerworld.com/p/tseyfried .
[10] John 14:27
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