Your doctor just gave you the diagnosis: Cancer.

Cancer is a life challenge you can navigate if you learn how.

Begin by working on the things you have control over and involving experts on those things you do not have control over. Three things you can control are: Exercising your faith, educating yourself on the disease, and eating a healthy and balanced diet.

Exercise Your Faith

A strong faith life can be instrumental in moving forward when navigating through life’s challenges like cancer. A personal prayer life, as well as having others pray for and encourage you, will ensure you have peace within your soul and an uplifted attitude. If you experience changes in your appearance such as the loss of your hair or changes in your skin, your faith will allow you to hold onto your peace because a positive attitude begins within your soul.

Educate Yourself

You will be able to manage your cancer more effectively if you educate yourself on your specific type of cancer. Arming yourself with knowledge will help you overcome some of the fears you may have surrounding your disease. Every diagnosis is different, because each person is different.  This is why it is so important to know yourself as well as educate yourself on your specific cancer.

For more information on the different types of cancer, visit the American Cancer Society web site at www.cancer.org. You can also order a Personal Health Manager kit for your specific cancer. Speak with a cancer information specialist 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling 1-800-227-2345.

Once you have done the resarch, prepare a list of questions for your oncologist to provide clarification on any information that may not be clear to you. In order help you absorb the information from your visit with the doctor, take a support person with you or a tape recorder to record what the doctor tells you. By educating yourself, you can become an advocate for your own care.

Eat a Healthy and Balanced Diet

One of the best ways to fight cancer is eating healthy foods. Besides eating from the four basic food groups, you need to eat foods that will slow or stop the progression of your cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, 20 to 40 percent of cancer patients die from causes related to malnutrition, not from cancer.

Since every person is different, your body will have a unique response to your cancer treatment. It is very important to drink a lot of fluids. Water is essential for all life to exist. The American Cancer Society can help you determine the best foods to help you to recondition your body after your cancer treatment has ended. To learn more about healthy eating options after cancer treatment, visit: www.cancer.org.

Life is a journey filled with challenges. How you respond to those challenges will determine how you finish in the race. Cancer does not have to mean the end of your journey.  Cancer is merely an impediment requiring you to respond. By exercising your faith, educating yourself and eating a healthy and balanced diet, you can create your own roadmap to living well, even after being diagnosed with cancer.