Episode 37 | From Cancer Survivor to Thriver - Cancer is NOT a death sentence!
You can listen and subscribe to The Holistic Health Show podcast on:
Youtube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Podcast Index | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio | TuneIn | Podcast Addict | Podchaser | Pocket Casts | Deezer | Listen Notes | Player FM
Podcast Transcript
Episode 37: From Cancer Survivor to Thriver - Cancer is NOT a death sentence!
[00:00:15] Amy: Hello, welcome back to the Holistic Health Show. Thank you for joining me again today. And today I'm pleased to introduce you to Saras Naidoo, and she's joining us from Canada, which is where I hail from. Saras, you are a Cancer Freedom Holistic Coach, I can't wait to dive a little bit more into this.
[00:00:38] Amy: I know you're gonna share a little bit about your own story with cancer and I just want to hand it over to you Sarah's welcome to the show.
[00:00:46] Saras Naidoo: Well, thank you, Amy. Thank you for inviting me. And I'm so pleased to be here and chatting with you. Yes, my journey started 10 years ago. I'm a 10 year warrior, cancer warrior. But prior to that, two years prior to that, my husband was diagnosed with kidney cancer, and he was given four months to live.
[00:01:06] Saras Naidoo: it's a happy story though,
[00:01:08] Saras Naidoo: and he thrived. for nine years. Not, not just survived. He thrived. And how was that possible, you may ask? We did everything right, you know. I'm a master gardener. I cook my own food. I grew my own food as much as I could. And we exercised.
[00:01:27] Saras Naidoo: We did everything right. Or so I thought, [00:01:30] and yeah, we both were diagnosed with cancer. So I didn't know anything about cancer. So, I started doing my research. You know, I said there was no family history on both sides. Where did this cancer come from? I really started digging into it and started learning all I could about cancer.
[00:01:50] Saras Naidoo: And during this journey I found that this started my transformation journey. This was a calling for me, the cancer. Today I look at my cancer as my gift. It was a gift to me that really woke me up, and had me stop in my tracks and really, really pay attention to what was important, which was me,
[00:02:15] Amy: Absolutely. That's so brave. You hear of people when they're diagnosed with cancer and it is, it's such a shock and it's over, it's an overwhelming experience and
[00:02:24] Amy: how do you even begin that journey? You know, where do you start?
[00:02:28] Saras Naidoo: Yes, because you become frozen in fear and then you can't do anything. , and somehow I found ways to deal with that and to work with it. And you know, during those years, I mean people were asking us, you know, What are you doing? We worked with our medical system. You're familiar with Canadian medical system.
[00:02:49] Saras Naidoo: We had an excellent team working with us. But in addition to that, there was so much more that I had to do. When it came to nutrition and exercise and, [00:03:00] you know alternative therapies those just so much more to learn, , I started doing this a step at a time. My husband was very much into it and we found that it was really, really helping.
[00:03:14] Saras Naidoo: , I found that to be my gift, and I found that to be my calling, because I went looking for a cancer coach when I was going through this, because there were so many questions I had that the medical system couldn't help me with, and I couldn't find one, so I meditated on it, and as soon as I accepted it and said, okay, yes, I'm going to help others through this journey.
[00:03:39] Saras Naidoo: And Amy, you wouldn't believe everything started falling into my inbox, you know information about all the alternative therapies. So I became a Reiki master, I became a hypnotherapist, a life coach, anything and everything that was going to help me work with others through this journey.
[00:04:01] Saras Naidoo: So I work a lot with energy. , I wouldn't call myself a healer because I think we help others heal themselves, but I help them through that journey. And I absolutely love what I do. You know, so I I actually retired early from my teaching job and, and became, a cancer freedom holistic coach.
[00:04:22] Saras Naidoo: , it's amazing, you know, when you take someone through that journey and when you see the transformation that they [00:04:30] experience, that's all the thanks I need, .
[00:04:32] Amy: It must be incredibly rewarding. And to be able to relate to your clients, having gone through cancer yourself and supporting your husband through that journey. That can be invaluable to anyone who's going through cancer
[00:04:46] Saras Naidoo: yeah, exactly. And helping them through that the, even the medical system, you know, with all the information that they need, helping them through that process as well. Because, , when you are going through that journey from my own experience if you're going through chemo, especially.
[00:05:05] Saras Naidoo: The chemo brain doesn't function very well, so you need somebody to guide you and help you through that process. And through my own experiences, now I am that person and, and I know what the medical system needs. I wish I had that help when, when I was going through my journey.
[00:05:25] Amy: , the initial, , diagnosis and then all, kind of all the information and instructions that they throw at you when you've received this diagnosis it's overwhelming and it's a lot and you're already, as you said, frozen in fear and you've got all these emotions.
[00:05:40] Amy: You're thinking of your family and your family is now stressed and There's a lot happening, and so to have a support system around you somebody who understands the journey, and the support of, assisting in your energetic health. Supporting someone through chemo with Reiki,
[00:05:56] Amy: just to help with the symptoms and get their energetic body, [00:06:00] you know, at least feeling a little bit more like themselves, because it all takes such a toll.
[00:06:05] Amy: When you were going through it, you know, you said there's no family history. So it doesn't sound like you had a lot of people that you could, , lean on who could relate to you. And you have the medical system who was helping you. Were you already involved in some of the alternative therapies or did you begin to find them?
[00:06:23] Amy: And was the, the Canadian medical system or your doctors in particular, were they supportive of you trying alternative therapies?
[00:06:30] I work together with them. And they helped in, in what they know best. But when I had questions regarding diet and nutrition and that, they didn't have any answers for me. And, , I study the nutrition. I thought I was doing really well because I come from an Ayurvedic background, right?
[00:06:48] Saras Naidoo: , so the food was not a problem because we did, we did eat a healthy diet. But in addition to that, there was so much more that I learned that I could do. And it's not just what we were eating, it's how you eat.
[00:07:03] Saras Naidoo: The energy behind that, the energy involved. So I just put all that together and worked with everything I could. And I saw wonders. , I saw results like you wouldn't believe. So I thought, man, I have to share this. This is meant to be shared. Yes. , and I realized that, cancer was not a disease.
[00:07:26] Saras Naidoo: . It's just a symptom. of something far greater that's [00:07:30] going on in your body. So when I work with a client, I go find what that cause was and to see where that happened. And sometimes I have to go beyond this lifetime. Through hypnotherapy, you do a past life regression to see where that started.
[00:07:48] Saras Naidoo: And then, You start healing and working with that at a DNA level . It's a long process, it's not gonna happen overnight because cancer grows in your body for years and years and years Before you see it, so I'm not a medical doctor. I just want to say that But there's so much we can do for ourselves We have to take our own health into our own hands and know exactly what you're putting into your body And how you're taking care of yourself.
[00:08:18] Saras Naidoo: I'm so passionate about that part.
[00:08:20] Saras Naidoo: Nobody else can take care of you. Only you can take care of you.
[00:08:25] Amy: And there's really something to be said, you know, a lot of people, particularly you see a new mothers will take better care of themselves for their children
[00:08:33] Saras Naidoo: hmm.
[00:08:34] Amy: and which is absolutely important and of course, why wouldn't you, but in that same note, take care of yourself for yourself and you will already be healthy for those around you and you'll be healthier and you'll be more,
[00:08:46] Amy: likely to stick with it because it's something that you now, long for for yourself and and then to touch back on on something else. You said, , it's about being proactive about your health and taking notice I had [00:09:00] someone on the show earlier this morning and we talked about. How fast paced life is at the moment, how busy people are and a lot of people don't take even one minute out for themselves to think about how their body feels or what's happening in their life that could be causing them stress or pain.
[00:09:18] Amy: And that when we do start to adopt these practices, step by step, you, you're more able to identify these symptoms earlier. Because in many cases, you know, you're not being diagnosed with cancer until it's , everywhere, or it's in, you know, stage 2, 3, 4, and when it's a lot harder to then come back from.
[00:09:42] Amy: And if you're seeing these symptoms and, you're in this holistic mindset of your wellness, you can then, as you mentioned, identify the root cause,
[00:09:52] Amy: really get to the bottom of what's wrong and tackle that.
[00:09:55] Saras Naidoo: Yeah, that was me ten years ago, like you say, you know. I didn't know I, I had underlying stress. But I guess it was there. It was there because when I dug deep through my meditations, you know, that's what I found. And I was giving to everyone else, but not to myself. So, I had a pretty big cup to fill.
[00:10:16] Saras Naidoo: I started working on that. And when I filled that cup, then I had enough to give to others, . And that made me feel so good. And today, I'm not afraid to say, and I don't feel guilty to say, [00:10:30] that my cup gets filled first.
[00:10:32] Saras Naidoo: Without any guilt.
[00:10:33] Amy: That's, that's wonderful and beautiful and I hope others will hear that, they say, and you always use the analogy of the airplane. They say, put your mask on before you help others. I mean, that is key to a healthy and fulfilling life where you can assist others.
[00:10:49] Amy: Because if you are not well, what, what are you giving? You're giving half of yourself, half of your energy, half of your, Space to others when you could be giving your full self.
[00:10:58] Saras Naidoo: And you know what else helped me, Amy? I said we lived a really good, healthy lifestyle, right? And to prevent cancer or anything else, start out with a healthy body. Because that is what helped me heal. So fast through my journey because I started out with a healthy body. Chemo, can really, really knock you out.
[00:11:22] Saras Naidoo: But because I was healthy, I was able to, to get through that. I wouldn't say I didn't, go through the pain and that I did, but I'm pretty sure it would have been much worse., for anyone listening in.
[00:11:37] Saras Naidoo: Even if you don't have cancer, take care of your body from now, , to prevent anything. I found once we pass 40, we have to take Even more care of ourselves first, because it seems that's when everything thinks they have a right to come into our bodies, right?
[00:11:56] Amy: And even different care. I'm 37 and I've noticed that [00:12:00] from 35 onwards, things are changing and the way my body responds to the things I used to do, , isn't as fast. Nothing happens as quickly. I just, I need different nutrition. I'm craving different nutrition and I'm sure I'm craving it because I'm needing it.
[00:12:16] Amy: My exercise routines look very different. And not because I'm not capable of doing those routines that I was doing in my early 30s or my 20s, but because my body is reacting differently to them.
[00:12:29] Amy: So I think there's something to be said, well, you can eat really healthy or think you're eating really healthy and doing all the right things, but sometimes you need an outside perspective or a little bit more knowledge.
[00:12:40] Amy: And so my point is you can absolutely be doing all the right things and taking the right approach and still learn and still improve.
[00:12:49] Amy: And there's absolutely no shame in getting some extra insight. Let the professionals help you,
[00:12:55] Saras Naidoo: We are always learning, right? And, the biggest lesson I learned was just step back and listen to your body. Your body is intelligent and knows how to heal itself. And that's my mantra. Anyone ask me for, okay, what, what advice would you give me? That's the advice I would give them.
[00:13:14] Saras Naidoo: , listen to your body. Your body knows what it needs. But don't do something because you are listening to it somewhere, because you think it's the right thing to do. Listen to your body, and your body will tell you what it needs.
[00:13:27] Saras Naidoo: And another thing that, , that I [00:13:30] started doing was just being grateful, and thankful. So writing a gratitude journal. That's something I get my clients to do the first, first time when I start working with them.
[00:13:43] Saras Naidoo: And even if you have to repeat the same things every day, the more you repeat it, the more you manifest it.
[00:13:49] Amy: I love gratitude journaling and I see immense benefits in it. And another thing that I've started doing the last few years is making myself be conscious when I'm in a present moment. So if I'm at a concert, you know how you see a lot of people kind of watching concerts on their phone because they're recording the concert?
[00:14:08] Amy: I mean, how many people actually go back and rewatch it after? But instead of, , finding yourself, Oh, I'm recording this for Instagram, but actually no, put my phone down and watch the concert. And think, take a moment and think, wow, I'm so grateful I'm here. I'm so happy that I was able to make this happen.
[00:14:28] Saras Naidoo: It's so important to be mindful, you know, and I teach a lot of that in, in my program as well being mindful, no matter what you are doing, , especially when you are eating. To me eating food is very sacred. And when you are eating your food, there's a way you eat it Not while watching TV or, , thinking of a thousand other things.
[00:14:50] Saras Naidoo: You be present with that food. Because there's life in that food. And that's what's going to provide nutrition for your body. So you be mindful about every [00:15:00] mouthful of food that you take. And I, kind of teach that process. And I do it. I practice it too. So it's amazing. Now it's just part of my routine.
[00:15:09] Saras Naidoo: And it doesn't take long time. You know, it takes seconds to bless your food and be in that moment, right? , it's not like you, you racing for time, spend that time with your food because that's part of your self care as well.
[00:15:25] Amy: I'm a meat eater, and I am very conscious that an animal has died so that I can have the food that I need, and I, I'm very appreciative and grateful of that, and I try to always remember to be grateful that something has actually had to die to feed me.
[00:15:42] Amy: And I think that's so important, , in the cycle of life,
[00:15:45] Saras Naidoo: It is. It is. And if you bless that food and bless the animal no matter what it went through you clear that energy, that negative energy, right? And then you consume that and thank it. for providing nutrition to your body, but giving up its life, you know. So, everything, I mean, we all live in this world and we, we help one another and the oneness of everything comes through.
[00:16:12] Amy: So you've gone through this journey, you've worked with, the Canadian healthcare system. Through your own work and your own research, you found all these techniques and you're, you know, very kind to share this.
[00:16:24] Amy: Now you're doing work to help other people live and battle with cancer [00:16:30] as you did. And so , when somebody reaches out to you, I would imagine they're, you know, they're scared and probably overwhelmed. And what can they expect then when you're intaking a new client?
[00:16:41] Saras Naidoo: Well, when a new client comes to me, either through my masterclasses, or through my website, or through my, you know, Facebook challenges, whatever it is, the first thing I do is I work on a, on an emotional scale. And then once I know that take the steps to provide them with information, how we can work together and the steps that they are going to need to take to get up to those higher level of emotions.
[00:17:11] Saras Naidoo: And once I feel We are fit for both of us, then I provide them with my six month program,
[00:17:18] we go through the nutrition part, we go through the exercise, you know, body movement. And, We go through all the alternative ways that I can help them, you know, with the Reiki and hypnotherapy and everything that we do. I have a website and I have a client portal that they can get into and I have a lot of free information there that they can get started working on.
[00:17:45] Saras Naidoo: And then a Facebook group as well. There's all kinds of information on the Facebook group. So they have access to a lot of information
[00:17:54] Amy: It sounds like it's a very individualized plan throughout those six months
[00:17:58] Saras Naidoo: Yes, it is very [00:18:00] individualized because every person that's going through cancer, every person that's going through that journey is so unique. You know, they have unique needs. So I like the one on one program where I can give them my full attention and help them through the process they need to be going through.
[00:18:18] Amy: Saras, I'm very happy that you're here with us today, cancer free, and that you are helping other people, , it's got to be a rewarding work. It's very important. And I'm sure all of your clients are very grateful.
[00:18:29] Amy: You mentioned that you have a website and a Facebook page and all that, and for everybody listening, I'm going to make sure those are linked into the show notes of this episode so that you can reach out. You can have a look at some of the resources available or ask Sarah's a question.
[00:18:45] Amy: And sometimes it's just a, just a small question can spark a really meaningful and valuable conversation. Saras, thank you again so much for your work and for joining me today, sharing your story and your work with everybody listening. It's been an absolute pleasure.
[00:18:58] Saras Naidoo: Aw, thank you, Amy. So, feel so blessed to be here.
[00:19:02] Amy: And for everybody listening, thanks again for joining us today on the Holistic Health Show. I hope that you found this episode valuable. If you or someone you know, has received a recent cancer diagnosis, is living with cancer. . Check out some of the resources on Sarah's page and as Sarah's mentioned, if you don't have cancer, it is time to start improving your health.
[00:19:26] Amy: You are always going to benefit from making small [00:19:30] changes today.
[00:19:30] LINKS TO OTHER SPEAKER RELATED INFORMATION
https://www.sarasnaidoo.com/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/cancerfreedomsisterhood
https://www.queeniespiceworks.com/
The Holistic Health Show