It's been a little while since we've spotlighted someone here, and as I went through the list of women I've introduced to you, I realized that I've never interviewed one of the founders of Lifting Hearts! Colette Harris is our Program Director, and she is a wonderful person. She has taught me so much, and I want you to officially meet her...
LH: What were you diagnosed with, and what treatments did you have? Who were your doctors?
Colette: "I had stage 3A lobular cancer in my right breast and DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma in Situ) in my left breast. I had 11 lymph nodes removed, two were cancerous. I had a bilateral mastectomy, 8 chemo treatments over a 4 month period, and 33 radiation treatments. My surgeon was Dr. Jennifer Tittensor, my oncologist was Dr. John Ward, my radiologist was Dr. Jay Clark, and my plastic surgeon was Dr. Jon Bishop."
LH: How did your cancer diagnosis affect your family and friends?
Colette: "At first they were shocked and stunned and cried with me. Then, they did everything in their power to love and support me any way they could. I am so blessed to have such a loving husband, family, and friends!"
Colette: "At first they were shocked and stunned and cried with me. Then, they did everything in their power to love and support me any way they could. I am so blessed to have such a loving husband, family, and friends!"
LH: What was the hardest thing you had to go through during your cancer journey?
Colette: "I had to stop comparing myself to how I once was in my pre-cancer days. I had to learn to love and respect my "new normal"."
LH: What helped get you through it?
Colette: "I had to stop looking backwards and start looking forwards to the future with faith and hope. Someone once told me, "Fill your mind with good thoughts and you won't have any room for the opposite." I found that to be really true. Even though parts of some days on my cancer journey have been really hard, I realized that if I looked at the world through grateful eyes, I began to see God's tender mercies all around me. Once I learned to replace negative thoughts with positive ones, I could see my blessings more clearly. I laughed more and I enjoyed life more. I learned to accept the fact that even though things will never be the same again, life is still pretty darn good!"
Colette: "I now look at life through new eyes. Waking up each morning is a celebration of life. The song of a bird, the the wind on my face, children playing-- the simple things in life, touch my heart on a much deeper level than before. I feel so grateful that I feel well enough to just be able to cook dinner, go on a walk, and clean my house. But most of all, I am looking forward to many years ahead spending time with my wonderful family and friends. I really hope that I can help lift others as a way of saying "thank you" to my loving Father in Heaven for the wonderful gift of life."
LH: Can you share your Twenty Things I've Learned from Having Cancer with us?
Colette:
Twenty Things I’ve Learned From Having Cancer
1. Life is a gift from God not to be taken for granted.
2. The only stuff that really matters is the quality of your relationship with God, family, and others.
3. A good cry is like a cleansing rain with the hope that dark clouds will soon lift and sunny days will be ahead.
4. A bad night doesn't have to turn into a bad day.
5. Heavenly Father has been, and will always be, only a prayer away.
6. If you choose to view the world through grateful eyes, you will begin to see God's tender mercies all around you.
7. Anger and pride must be nipped in the bud or their long-term effects will consume the heart in malignant proportions creating the worse cancer of all: cancer of the soul.
8. The side effects from cancer are only temporary; the resurrection will take care of those; it's the side effects from unrepented sin that should be worried about.
9. If you get up one more time than you fall down, you will always end up back on your feet!
10. Laughter is like a good laxative - a daily dose of it will loosen you up and keep you regular.
11. Hair is highly over-rated.
12. Don't ever open an oven door with a wig on or you will melt your bangs! (I nailed the same wig twice by opening the oven door. I finally put a sign on my oven that said "Wig Alert!").
13. The gift of humor has helped me smile through pain.
14. A mind filled with happy thoughts has no room for the opposite.
15. During my darkest hours I always found two very good friends: Heavenly Father, and the Book of Mormon.
16. Every day it is important to turn-off the darkness and turn-on the light.
17. I have learned that battling cancer isn't "all about me". Family and friends that visit, call, write, text, or email all have trials, too; yet, they love me enough to forget about their problems for awhile and inquire about mine. I must never take them for granted. Their love and their friendship are priceless. I am blessed beyond measure to have them in my life.
18. Cancer, you are a formidable foe. Fighting you I have lost my breasts, my hair, and my energy. Because of you pain is my daily adversary and neuropathy has numbed my fingers and my toes, making it difficult to write and to walk. You have beat me up and worn me down; but, I will not let you win, for I control my heart and soul which I will never surrender to you as long as I live!
19. I will always be eternally grateful for the gift cancer has given me: the privilege and blessing of understanding the Savior's atonement and feeling His love on a much deeper level. He has extended His arms of mercy to me, lifted my burdens, and encircled me with His love. He is my best friend. I love Him with all my heart!
20. Life is good - even with cancer! :)
LH: What have you changed as a result of your cancer diagnosis?
Colette: "I have learned not take my health for granted. I am trying to eat a more healthy diet and exercise on a regular basis. I try not to "sweat the little things" as much as I used to."
Colette: "I have learned not take my health for granted. I am trying to eat a more healthy diet and exercise on a regular basis. I try not to "sweat the little things" as much as I used to."
LH: Do you have a favorite book or quote or song that became meaningful to you during your cancer journey?
Colette: "I have two quotes to share. When I was going through chemo, one of my daughters framed a quote and gave it to me for Mother's Day. It says, "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about dancing in the rain." I placed it on my dresser near my bed and to remind myself how important it is to be a "rain dancer." The second quote I really like came from the little blue fish named Dory, from the movie Finding Nemo. In the movie, one of Dory's famous lines is "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming." On my cancer journey I have had to deal with a lot of joint pain and neuropathy. I have tried to adapted Dory's saying to my own situation. On those days when it hurt to move, I would tell myself "Just keep moving; just keep moving." That simple phrase has got me out of bed more than once and motivated me to just keep going throughout the day."
Colette: "I have two quotes to share. When I was going through chemo, one of my daughters framed a quote and gave it to me for Mother's Day. It says, "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about dancing in the rain." I placed it on my dresser near my bed and to remind myself how important it is to be a "rain dancer." The second quote I really like came from the little blue fish named Dory, from the movie Finding Nemo. In the movie, one of Dory's famous lines is "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming." On my cancer journey I have had to deal with a lot of joint pain and neuropathy. I have tried to adapted Dory's saying to my own situation. On those days when it hurt to move, I would tell myself "Just keep moving; just keep moving." That simple phrase has got me out of bed more than once and motivated me to just keep going throughout the day."
LH: What advice would you give to a woman who is newly diagnosed with breast cancer?
Colette: "Breast cancer is not the end of the world; it is just a bump in the road. Breast cancer is very beatable! There are a lot of wonderful doctors, resources, and support groups (especially Lifting Hearts!) out there that want to help you on your healing journey. Ask a lot of questions, learn all you can, and get the best help available. John Wayne said, "Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway." Saddle up! You can do this! Life is still good, I promise :).
Colette: "Breast cancer is not the end of the world; it is just a bump in the road. Breast cancer is very beatable! There are a lot of wonderful doctors, resources, and support groups (especially Lifting Hearts!) out there that want to help you on your healing journey. Ask a lot of questions, learn all you can, and get the best help available. John Wayne said, "Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway." Saddle up! You can do this! Life is still good, I promise :).
LH: What advice would you give to friends and family of a newly diagnosed breast cancer patient?
Colette: "They are still the same person you knew and loved before their diagnosis. They need to know that you will laugh with them, cry with them, listen to them, and love them -- just like you did before. Be real with them. Treat them like normal."
Colette: "I am a... very blessed woman. Thank you everyone for all of your love and support on my road to recovery. I love you!"
Colette, with her mother... two SURVIVORS, sharing the journey together
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