Puja Thomson will not allow despair to become part of her vocabulary, although there may have been times she felt close to it after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003.
“It came as a total shock,” said Thomson, a holistic therapist, minister and writer who lives in New Paltz. “I was feeling fine. After I received the diagnosis, the doctor had already decided on the treatment program; before I could even recover from the shock. I wanted time to think about other options and to regroup mentally.
“There”™s no ”˜good”™ way to get the news or express your feelings. If it helps you to scream at the top of your lungs, or go for a long walk, do what you have to do, and then prepare yourself. We have to be our own advocates and take decision making power back when it comes to our health. Legally, it”™s our responsibility what happens to our bodies. When you sign a paper agreeing to a procedure, you have made a decision. Make sure you read it thoroughly and know what you are signing … and never sign anything unless you are comfortable with it.”
Thompson researched her options and went to another doctor for a second opinion, then gathered her closest confidantes to tell them the news and “build a support network. I advise anyone who is diagnosed with cancer not to go the journey alone. It”™s important to have trusted friends and family around you. One person may be good at doing research; another about the types of food that you will need to be eating or avoiding; another to take you for your checkups and doctor visits. Let them help you in the best way they can to take the burden off you.
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“Sometimes I wanted the companionship of others; at other times, I needed to be alone. My circle of support respected that. If you surround yourself with people who do not have a good attitude and are rooted in a sense of hopelessness, it is going to deeply affect the way you feel and recover.”
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After Thomson”™s surgery in 2003, she declined to take medications or to have radiation. “From what I had researched, I felt the best option for me was the lumpectomy; from what I could see and understood about the disease, there was no true need for me to have anything more than that, since the cancer did not spread to my lymph nodes, I felt I had the option to decline more treatment, which I did.” She remains cancer-free. “I can tell you one thing, if the cancer wasn”™t going to kill me, the hospital bills and paperwork might have; it was so overwhelming,” she said. “That”™s why it”™s so important to stay organized.”
Thompson counsels cancer patients not to go to the doctor alone to discuss the upcoming surgery: “It”™s crucial to have a trusted friend or your significant other with you ”“ they will be doing more listening because they are not going to be feeling the fear factor you will be. Because doctors are busy people, go prepared with questions written down. You can ask the doctor if he minds if you tape record the meeting. This way, you can go back and listen and make notes.”
To help others on the journey she experienced firsthand, Thomson wrote “After Shock ”“ From Cancer Diagnosis To Healing, A Step by Step Guide to Navigate Your Way.” The holistic therapist says the transition from health to illness and back to health again is truly a journey. “Connect with whatever universal source of energy you believe in ”“ for me, I called the Unity prayer hotline ”“they were a tremendous help for me to have to talk to. Stress is the worst enemy of all. Cancer is a life-changing experience. We can make it a good one or bad one, depending on our attitude.”
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One caveat from Thomson: “Avoid letting your life be ruled by statistics. If you are frightened by them, don”™t look at them. They are just an aggregate and do not necessarily mean you will be one of them. We are whole persons, and we have to take care of our whole person.”
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Thomson will be among several people ”“ naturopaths, acupuncturists, massage therapists, nutritional counselors and holistic therapists ”“ who are joining Dr. Samire Khera on Oct. 29, at the Benedictine Medical Arts Building, 117 Mary”™s Avenue, Kingston for an open house discussion on integrative breast health care. The open house will be held from 4-7 p.m. For more information, call (845) 338-8680.
“I”™ve been very proactive since my surgery and that was the major reason for writing my book. I want to help others so the journey will be easier for them. I”™ve been getting on with my life as well, focusing more on things spiritual.”
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Thomson, who hails from Scotland, calls her holistic therapy practice Roots & Wings, “because we need roots to keep us grounded, but wings to help us fly to greater heights. I took the name from an unknown quote: ”˜Only two lasting things we can give our children: one is roots, the other is wings.” Thomson remains firmly grounded, but is using her wings to bring hope and help to others through her writing and participation in the community. Like Franklin Roosevelt once told Americans, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” For Thompson, she”™s replaced fear with spirit.
