In 2011, Attorney and Author Jennifer Laguzza Dickenson was engulfed in her full and demanding career in real estate law when a diagnosis of grade 4 brain cancer/glioblastoma completely interrupted her life as she knew it. She was not given much hope from her medical providers but in that moment, using her family as motivation, she pivoted away from a path to battle they said she couldn’t win and instead realigned that same drive in her career to her total wellness and healing. Let’s meet her…
I understand that stance on survival from my own experience with breast cancer. The amount of fear that comes from this type of diagnosis’ alone is daunting and often it’s not delivered in the most healing manners by medical professionals. During your journey, did you encounter any negative hurdles, be it from professionals, insurance companies or from friends and family, that you had to push through in order to stay on a path of joy and healing?
What a great question. And the answer is definitely YES! None of my doctors talked with me about beating it- in fact they told me the opposite- that I should get my papers in order as this would not end well for me. The message was that the protocol (surgery, chemo, radiation) would buy me a few more months to live but that I would not survive it. To be fair, brain cancer -especially mine, which is the most aggressive version grade 4, glioblastoma- has a terrible track record. The vast majority (95%) of people fighting it, even with the protocol, would die within 12-18 months. But still, it wasn’t for them to squash any hopes that I could beat it. Give me the stats, fine, but don’t destroy my spirit. I had a glimmer, a belief that they didn’t have all of the information and they didn’t know me- and I was going to fight anyway. And I am glad that I did.
What steps did you take initially when it came to changing your wellness lifestyle for the battle? Looking back, do you feel like one particular step was the most healing in your story?
Taking control of my own health quickly at the beginning was incredibly empowering. Having a healthy skepticism that the doctors didn’t have all of the answers also helped me to begin my quest to wellness.
Even with the negative messages from the doctors with respect to my ability to beat the diagnosis- I just started thinking about two things 1) If there is one person out there who has beaten this disease, why can’t I beat it too, and 2) we heal all of the time with colds, cuts and bruises- our body steps in and helps us heal- why can’t I heal this? I had a glimmer of hope and from that I was off to the races. Instead of focusing on the stats, I started focusing on ways I could heal myself. Organically I started to discover healing tools that were helping me like direction meditation CD’s that calmed me down and helped me relax; and using a Qigong DVD that incorporated breathing and gentle movements that helped me release my “Chi” or our life energy; and I was given a great book about outsmarting your cancer and I gained a lot of information about what cancer wants and needs to thrive- and what we can do to make it harder for them to do that. My hope and my curiosity about healing made a big difference.
Where are you based and how would you summarize the quality of healthcare professionals/experts and options/resources in your area?
I live in the Atlanta area. Lots of doctors, good hospitals. But- they all had the same message and protocol. I had brain surgery in Texas (University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center) and the rest of my care in Atlanta (radiation and chemo). I was fortunate that the Atlanta area has many Functional MD’s as well as they look at the whole body and mind to heal. Traditional doctors typically treat urgent care and use surgery and drugs but not causation. I started working with a Functional doctor early on and she gave me a list of books I needed to read (one was the Power of Now by Eckart Tolle- great book) and quality supplements that would support my immune system in anticipation for the protocol. I also found naturopaths (often not MD’s but incredibly knowledgeable about healing). The Functional doctor helped encourage and support my personal path to seek alternative healing tools that would help me in this journey.
Obviously, everyone’s journey will be different, but can you share how incorporating these techniques affected you outside of your health-was it expensive to fight to be healthy? Do you think you would have been able to do this if you had had no support circle?
Expense:
The tools I discovered in my journey to wellness ( I am 12 years from the diagnoses and I have no cancer, and I take no medicine) were critical but I didn’t do anything really crazy and the vast majority of what I learned about healing is so common sense and free- it pains me that the whole world doesn’t know how powerful we can be when it comes to our health. The biggest expense was prioritizing quality, often organic, food; and getting quality supplements from a naturopath or functional MD ($100-$200 for supplements and a visit with specialist.) Although quality food is very important, the vast majority of the tools I talk about in my book are free and easily applied. For example, methods that support spirit, mind and body: exercise, breathing techniques, quality sleep, removing toxins (and toxic people), meditation, the power of music, spending time in nature, praying, writing out your thoughts. And these are just a few examples. What I learned in this journey, and maybe one of the most powerful messages I can share, is that healing can occur when the symphony of life, the mind, the body and spirit are ignited by your free will and actions. All of the tools I talk about have been studied as to their health benefits. It is the aggregate of all of this that creates health, and it is undeniable that these tools support us.
Support Circle:
I think it’s very important to have people on your “team” when we go through difficult times like cancer, or really anything. Just to have people praying for someone who is sick can be felt by the recipient. A doctor told me one time that he would treat two people with the same illness the same way, they will be the same age, and one will live, and one won’t. He said the difference is 1) a positive attitude, 2) belief in God, 3) focus on healthy eating 4) believe they can beat it and 5) family and friends supporting them.
It was a rare moment to get such a candid answer from a Traditional MD- but good stuff nonetheless!
How long before you saw the gradual changes in your health, and do you still utilize those changes in your daily life now even after healing?
The most dramatic change I experienced in my health occurred in my MIND. When I was waiting to figure out where to get my surgery, I used a Qigong DVD someone have me. It immediately shifted something in me. Even with the terrible news and the fear I was dealing with at this early stage in my journey, using Qigong somehow allowed me to feel whole, and well, present, relaxed and joyful. So, my reaction was immediate. I just kept looking for and using other tools that would support me just like my Qigong. Over time- maybe by the 8th months of using all of my tools that were making me feel so amazing I really started to believe and KNOW I was doing this thing- I was beating it.
I still use all of my tools because they are so good. I have a few things I use less frequently than I did when I was in the middle of everything, but I like the gifts I found and use them all.
How big was wellness in general in your life prior to the diagnosis?
I thought I was doing great. I exercised and though I ate well- I was effectively a vegetarian but would eat fish. But once I got sick and I started asking questions about my role in my illness, what I may have contributed to the illness, I realized I was a stress case as a lawyer in my own firm for a solid 5 years. As I started realizing this, I learned that stress is associated with the top killers in the USA – including cancer. I also realized that the food I was eating was not as great as I had thought. So, I was a stress case, and definitely not managing a balanced life.
What were the symptoms that initially caused you to seek medical advice?
I started having trouble remembering my client’s names and common words like “apples”. I became very sensitive to light from my computer and other places. Then I started to have trouble reading. The cancer, located on the left temporal lobe of my brain, was putting pressure on my memory and reading ability. I struggled with these symptoms for 2 ½ months before I met with a neurologist. But he didn’t act like anything really bad was going on saying “all the lawyers are stressed out right now”. Unfortunately, that was not great advice as the cancer was growing rapidly and my symptoms became even worse. But I was a busy lawyer and never imagined anything like this would happen so, partially because of the nonchalant attitude of the neurologist, and my busy schedule, I wasn’t diagnosed properly until almost 6 months from my initial symptoms.
Taking care of your mind, body and spirit is so important when dealing with an illness. I think mindset plays a huge role in recovery. How do you teach others to prioritize their health and overall wellness?
I teach others that we don’t wake up with serious illnesses in a vacuum. Something was happening in your mind, your life experience and your reaction to it first. I teach them how important it is to attend to mindfulness. It is critical. Just taking 30 minutes to quietly sit down outside by yourself (no tv, no phones etc.), look at the trees and the birds and be in the moment-this practice can be powerful when it comes to healing. The same with meditation, directed meditation, massage, Qigong, visualization, breathing techniques- there are so many tools we can use.
I also teach others, especially woman, that it is your job to give yourself at least 30 minutes every day just for you to be. Not only will your mood improve, but your perspective can also shift and even your body will get in the act by creating less inflammation and more balance and more support for the immune system. Isn’t it better to take a moment for yourself rather than carrying resentment that you are doing everything for everyone else- leaving nothing for yourself? I believe we should try to live a life in which we are present/being instead of constantly doing, doing, doing.
You wrote a book about your experience, “The Case for Hope: What I Learned on My Journey from Cancer to Wellness: We Can Heal. What made you want to share your story with others?
Once I realized the healing tools that I stumbled into were actually helping me heal I felt angry that this information is not easily available to every sole in the world. So, I wrote this book for anyone (those unwell and those just looking for a better path) interested in healing. The concepts and tools individually were powerful but when we start lawyering it with the various methods, healing magic can happen. It is the aggregate of all of this that can avoid illness in the first place and support those who are unwell.
At your core, what did you learn from your experience?
Don’t sell out who you really are- your authentic self. Give yourself space to be you and feel who you are and learn to like who you are. Your morals, what you believe. Trying to reconnect to the inner kid – can help you in this path. You, as an 8-year-old, getting dirty in the mud, forgetting to brush your hair in the morning. Tap into that girl- there’s a lot we can learn from her. Sometimes in the process of growing up and being women, we can forget the lightness in our spirit. I like reconnecting to it and reminding myself who I am. I believe if I had this sense of love for myself before I got sick, I am not sure I would have accepted the years of stress I allowed in my life. I like to think I would have stood up for myself better because it was killing me.
I also learned that we can heal and we have to believe in ourselves and trust our intuition. I learned that God is omnipresent, loving in all ways, and available to us if we are willing to explore this realm.
Who was your support circle during your journey?
My husband and my beautiful little girls (1st grade and 3rd at that time), my family, my friends and businesspeople who became true friends through this process.
What is your career/life balance now?
Although I am still a work in progress (but aren’t we all!) I am aware of creating balance in my life every day like I never did before. I honor the process of living in a deep way now-prioritizing my family and my health – using the tools I teach others as I try to create and inspire others to see the truth about healing.
When I realize I have not hit the balance I aspire to, I give myself a break. I look at it and say, “I will try this again tomorrow.” And then I smile at myself.
Do you offer coaching for others seeking to make wellness lifestyle changes?
I don’t offer coaching specifically, but I do a lot of podcasts, public events and social media in addition to my book (available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and others) to get the word out. People can also go to my website www.JenniferDickenson.com to get more information, order my book, read my blogs and see my events.
Tell our readers where they can buy your book and connect with you online.
The Book name is: “The Case for Hope: What I Learned in My Journey from Cancer to Wellness: We Can Heal” by Jennifer Laguzza Dickenson
You can purchase my book at Amazon.com; Barnes&Noble.com, and many others and my website www.JenniferDickenson.com
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jenniferdickenson (this is my linktree with all my links grouped in one place, for easier access if you’d like to add that in.)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenniferldickenson/
Facebook (ads) : https://www.facebook.com/Jennifer.DickensonWrites
Facebook (semi private): https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009303226116
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-dickenson-11638b11/
YouTube Link ( Book Trailer): https://www.youtube.com/@WecanHealwithJenniferDickenson
