It’s Personal for Megan Pischke
As you may or may not know, Megs has been involved with B4BC for over 10 years. Beyond raising awareness, and inspiring others to lead a healthy, preventative lifestyle, she has worked towards raising funds for breast cancer survivors to attend her “ReTreat Yourself” wellness retreats for nearly 7 years. Ironically enough, Megs was diagnosed with breast cancer herself last fall:
“It’s a gift. That’s all I can figure. I have been asking the question for awhile now: how can I raise the bar on my retreats? What more can I possibly do to educate myself and others; through health, snowboarding, diet, spirituality, etc.? I realize in order to do big things, you have to DO big thing. The only thing is to get through this with more than I ever thought possible, and share that.”
Beyond her amazing, positive and confident outlook, Megs is blessed that she is young and healthy, and heads down this path with an abundance of support and knowledge to get her through this.
After a successful mastectomy and reconstructive surgery on December 11th, all of her scans and tests have been clear. Fully recovered from surgery and in amazing health, she is now going through chemo and radiation for the next 8 months, and although a bit challenged has a huge smile—as she knows that this is all the path of healing, and day by day the icky part of chemo is behind her. Knowing that surgery, chemo and radiation are an important part of healing, she also believes that integrated health and complimentary health care is just as important, especially for the ‘’never looking back’’ aspect. Her integrated health plan includes massage and physical therapy (for tissue health, repair and maintenance), as well as two amazing naturopaths, one of who is a Naturopathic Oncologist FABNO doctor. With these doctors she receives weekly high dose Vitamin C IV’s, hyperthermia treatments the week of chemo, and a supplemental health plan. The diet is the easy part, as she was just steps away from a whole foods diet plan. She also receives wonderful care from Chinese medicine, chiropractic, craniosacral therapy, and a White Buffalo Medicine Shaman.
Megs is also participating in cold cap therapy in order to preserve her hair during chemotherapy treatments. It’s not widely known, and she is actually the first patient at BC Cancer Agency to do it. During chemo treatments, she and her husband team up to help her prepare and wear a -32 Celsius frozen cap on her head. The preparation and process must occur every thirty minutes for 6 hours, and be refrozen on dry ice. She has chosen to attempt to save her hair during chemo:
“I really felt like, well if I have to lose my hair so be it—but why not try this and see what happens? I have spoken to so many women who really have had a hard time with this, and I get it now. Perhaps it makes you look sicker than you really feel, and everyone now knows. I mean, yes, your circle does, but what if you want to live your life and go to your local grocery, bank, favorite tea spot, and not share this with them? If this works (which it has so far!), I plan on raising the necessary funds to get a special freezer in my local hospital to be able to offer this service to others who wish to do the same.’’
Some of the most important medicine to her is just to be her—to raise her kids with love and hope, to snowboard and laugh with her friends, to surf, to do yoga on the top of the Chief, and watch sunsets with her husband. Living life as grateful and appreciative as she always has is just as much a part of her healing.
Fundraise for Megs and attend her fundraiser here: www.stayclassy.org/b4bc4Megs
