My Body Is ..Healthy/Strong.  Beautiful and Bathed in Light

" Try not to resist the changes that come your way. Instead let life live through you. And do not worry that your life is turning upside down. How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come?." - RUMI

Let's entertain a RADICAL idea.  That a body can house a disease like cancer and still be a full of health.  Yes.  It can.  I know this .  I am that body.

In February of 2013,  what seemed to be a long,  bad season of colds and bizarre cysts turned out to be  the "cancer cough" and a skin tumor that resulted in a diagnosis of Primary Cutaneous Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma ( yes, all that )...  A rare form of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma .  Testing was immediate to rule out any possible systemic reach of the disease ( None.  Thank God. My team at Texas Oncology Midtown , I love you! )  ,  followed by treatment ( radiation ).  After thoughtful consideration,  my husband and I chose to keep the news private and close to home .  Besides  feeling deep fatigue and having a weaker immune system ( I got the worst flu virus on a plane ride home from Tulum causing me to back down and away from obligations, including presenting at the Austin Yoga Conference) ,  there was no serious outward indication of my treatment.  Why worry so many people ?  We had hoped that with the the combination of western medicine  and eastern wellness science,  regular 3 month check-ups and that that magical , statistical remission mark of 5 years, it would be handled  before we knew it.  Done and Done.

-science.nationalgeographic.com :  " The Body's Protective Cover…Although we may not think of our skin as an organ,  it is.  In fact,  it's the body's largest organ,  weighing about 8 pounds on average and covering some 22 square feet.  Our skin is composed of a complex system of cell layers, nerves , and glands that not only protect us from but also connect us to the outside world."  

Protecting us FROM and connecting us TO.  What a remarkable entity ,  our SKIN.  How would we experience this miracle of life without it?

Fast forward.  July 2014.  It's back.  Biopsy positive.  Oh wait,  it actually didn't go away (significant risk of relapse)  My best friend Trish Murphy crystalized my feelings when she responded to a text I sent her with this crap ass news…" Fuckety Fuck-Fuck " .  

This photo was taken post treatment last August in one of my favorite places in the world with a tender photography angel,  Stacy Berg .  The Studio at Castle Hill Fitness … where I get to share  my love and devotion for all things Yoga on the teaching mat ,  week after week .   This image, part gutsy , graceful and accidental ( backside bathing suit exposé not intended ) says in a picture what I believe to be true ;  My body is healthy/strong.  Beautiful and bathed in light.

I'm sharing this journey with you.  To my incredibly family, friends and yoga kula….Thank you for making this world so,  so sweet. 

 For information on ALCL and Lymphoma ,  visit : Lymphoma Research Foundation./ lymphoma.org.

*  This is new territory for me.  And for my family ( husband + 3 kiddos  ) . I would love to hear from you but  please respect their privacy .