Breast Cancer & Fibroid Survivor

In recent months it has come to my attention to listen to my intuition. Really listen. Sometimes you do so instinctively, other times you look back and wish you had gone with your gut and listened to that inner voice. The voice that called out to you however subtle or however obvious.

I got that gut call that said, “get to the doctor”. Some lucky timing and turn of events landed me in the office of a well respected GYN as my previous doctor had retired in the year that I had not been in. I went in for what I thought would be my fibroid tumors but a cyst in the right breast sent me to radiology straight away. The mammograms showed irregular spots, a biopsy was performed within the usual 2 weeks of waiting and wondering. Some more waiting and wondering and then got the call. You have DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ) In other words “Stage 0 Breast Cancer” in my left breast.

So into the cancer machine I went. Met with the breast surgeon, she scheduled an MRI (Yikes, claustrophobic here) Options were discussed and recommended from partial to full mastectomy, to taking lymph nodes to test, to radiation. I sat there listening to the surgeon just thinking, “whoa, whoa, everything I read this was not supposed to be such a scary diagnosis.” Well, any title with “carcinoma” in it is scary, for sure. I had just gone in thinking it would not be conversations with radiation and mastectomy involved. I really wanted to slow this train down, however I left that surgeons office with a scheduled surgery date within 2 weeks as that was the recommended time table to get these cells out.

My head was swimming. I just wanted someone to say “hold on a minute Libby, you have some time here.” I remembered that I had bookmarked a website of a woman that had commented on something, somewhere. I had liked her comment, looked at her site and came away thinking this is a knowledgable person with experience. The website is www.TheGardenRecipe.com and the woman’s name is Somyata. She encouraged people in her writings about nutrition and cancer to communicate with her so I reached out with my situation and this was during May 2019. She responded with a blunt, to the point answer. The answer was more of another way to think about the situation but clearly she was not a fan of the wests medical answers to DCIS. I went off to my MRI, had more discussions with the surgeon and just days before my surgery I reached out again to Somyata in response to her blunt answer to my first inquiry. She immediately responded and we got a correspondence going over 2 days. Back and forth we went, and every time she was not, I would say, persuasive, more encouraging. Giving the hope that there are other options and ways to go about dealing with a DCIS. She is the one that gave me the permission I needed, and felt instinctively that I needed, to cancel the surgery that was in 2 days and get a plan together to decide what to do.

She totally left it up to me as to whether to cancel the surgery or not, again no persuasion, but once I told her that I had canceled and wanted to feel more healthy and whole before going under the knife she jumped right in with a comprehensive plan. I too jumped on board whole heartedly. Off to the local health food stores and on-line ordering I went to fill my cabinets with the supplements, fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices ...that I had never used like asafoetida..but that she had in mind for me. It was a real regiment and exactly what I needed. You can sit on line studying and researching but Somyata brought it all together in a comprehensive, easy to follow-plan. This was an emergency situation for me to get myself in the best health possible, clear my mind to make sobering decisions and to put time and love into myself.

I cook recipes from her website that are so delicious and very easy. In fact, The Garden Recipe has become my “Go-To” site for menu planning and staying on top of my nutrition. I have always wanted to learn to cook like this and finally I can say, I have learned and enjoy eating every meal. I make smoothies with her guidance as to the ingredients and add things like magnesium oil, progesterone cream and iodine drops to my routine that all of my research never turned up. In her coaching, she provides the exact timetable to follow and it makes it very easy – print and paste on fridge and just start! Then, there are weekly to monthly reviews to see if she wants to update something or lower the dose. In every way, I felt supported and she kept a close watch on me...checking to make sure I am OK through this journey.

The thing is this, Somyata did not just react to my DCIS diagnosis. She asked questions specific to my over-all health. I will share that the biggest thing bothering me and that I was suffering with were my fibroid tumors and this had been going on for 4 years. Questions about my stress level, job, surroundings gave her feedback about my major life changes involving a very difficult divorce and selling and moving from our house of 20 years all while trying to keep two teenage girls on keel. So when I say “comprehensive” I mean it. Within a week of going on her regimen I was feeling light and clear, had energy, lost 5 pounds and had hope that my fibroid situation might get under control as well as possibly clearing up those irregular cells they found in my left breast. Oh, and, the pain in my right hip that had hindered me for over a year is totally gone. One day I realized my hip wasn’t bothering me anymore and I play tennis, platform tennis and hike. What a bonus from all I was doing for my health! Hope! Feeling Great! Delicious Food!

Another fascinating aspect to Somyata’s coaching is a spiritual approach. One of the first marching orders from her involved clearing out all clutter. All of it! She introduced very easy ways or even rituals to clear your mind and set ideas in motion. I particularly like the bay leaf burning. She shares mantras and poems and prayers at just the right time with instructions of how and where to place them and honor them. There are always choices from Somyata so you just go with what makes sense to your aesthetic. A very holistic way to live each day that truly brings results. I am so very grateful to Somyata for pulling it all together for me.

I now refer and call Somyata “Coach” since she has been guiding me. I have learned a new way to cook and eat that I absolutely love and I absolutely feel great! Coach has new things to incorporate each week as her knowledge knows how to ease into the waves of good health she is bringing to you and she is your cheerleader too. That always feels good but there is a lot to cheer about when you’re feeling the positive results of her coaching. Of course there are better days than others, it can be challenging to stay on course, but with persistence the better days out weigh the tougher days for me. It feels amazing to be centered, energetic and supported.

Somyata’s coaching brought me to a place of health in both body and mind that I was ready to consider the surgery again. Some very special circumstances brought me in touch with a highly respected, but retired doctor that I had been unable to get in touch with when I was first diagnosed. A breast surgeon was recommended that she had brought her own daughter to when she had issues. I met with this surgeon and liked his approach very much. Somyata had emphasized the fact that it was not fair, not only to myself, but to the entire medical team to go into such a surgery without a 1,000 percent positive attitude. I got to that 1000 percent with her help and some luck. Going into the surgery with Coach’s support was so reassuring with special prayers to frame and keep around me, to the foods to come home to and she has a calm timing to her communication that addresses that moments needs. I worked diligently with Somyata for 7 weeks prior to surgery. We communicated back and forth daily. I am so happy to report that my surgery went well. The pathology report came back that all are clear. There were two spots and both in the clear!

On top of that, at the end of Oct, when I went back for check-up with my breast surgeon, he was stunned to see my cyst completely gone and I was beyond belief that it was all so easy to do with the help of right menu planning, the right spices and a coach to guide you through this journey.

Somyata coached me for full 11 months - it was all inclusive with meal planning, schedule, items to buy and weekly reviews and full follow-ups. My coaching ended in April 2020. My fibroid symptoms have disappeared and remaining issues are in balance, which is evident as I see daily in my hormonal health and the way I feel so good and peaceful at all times.

So, let me sum up that Coach Somyata is a sage sharing her talents in service to us. I know that is was a blessing, good fortune and me listening to my instincts that had me read that comment she made, had me bookmark her website and had me reach out to her when I did not know where to turn. I am now part of her newsletter with weekly health articles and a recipe and also a subscriber to her YouTube channel. As with all chronic issues esp. ones that deal with hormonal health and things like cysts or cancer it takes time but I am happy to say I am still working with Somyata on getting more of my issues resolved and living a healthy life.

​Whatever ails you or your instinct just tells you you need to feel better; get in touch with Somyata, make a plan with her, follow it and you will feel better. Much, much better.  - Libby Parker, Pound Ridge, New York

Check Out Some of The Photos from Libby's Coaching Time