EVERY time Kat Scholes goes to the beach she picks up a few rocks and shells and throws them back into the ocean.
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It’s a symbolic action for the Illawarra woman, representing our ability to change the course of our futures, since those rocks will land in a whole different spot when they arrive back on shore.
As they leave her hand she visualises a strong immune system and healthy future, free from the invasive ductal cancer she was first diagnosed with in October 2014.
The visualisation is among a range of healing tools she has adopted, which she outlines in an empowering and uplifting e-book of her journey entitled Breast Kept Secrets: Cancer Road Less Travelled.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Ms Scholes is aiming to shine a light on the disease, and bring hope to others on the same path.
After her diagnosis, Ms Scholes instinctively turned to alternative therapies on her path to healing and, with the guidance of a naturopath, followed her intuition to find a combination of treatments that felt right for her.
The 46-year-old mum made numerous lifestyle changes, both physical and mental, to give her body the best chance of overcoming cancer.
Ms Scholes’s ongoing cancer experience has certainly had its dark moments, but she said approaching it with a positive attitude and a sense of humour has helped her cope.
Inspired by a Little Britain skit, Kat gave her cancer the name ‘‘Bitty Fungus’’.
‘‘It’s not easy to see the funny side of cancer and I’m certainly not making light of it,’’ she writes.
‘‘I think some people take me the wrong way, but that’s just my coping mechanism.’’
Within nine months, and without any surgery or oncology treatment, she was well on the road to recovery, with her tumours shrinking dramatically.
Ms Scholes concedes her experience isn’t for everyone, and in the opening pages of the book she urges readers to seek their own medical advice.
But she hopes her story will give others hope and encourage them to listen to their intuition.
A 12-month update in hard copy, including extra chapters, will be available following her next ultrasound later this month.
For more information on the e-book, visit the ‘‘Breast Kept Secrets’’ Facebook page.
Breast cancer remains the most common cancer among Australian women (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer).
October, Australia’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, provides an opportunity to focus on breast cancer and its impact on those affected by the disease.