VivaCore

You don't have to know what to write to start journaling.

During my cancer journey, journaling became another way for me to process what was happening inside me.

Some days there was fear.

Some days there was anger.

Some days there was gratitude and hope.

And sometimes all of those emotions existed at the same time.

If you don't know where to begin, try these three questions:

💚 What am I feeling right now?
💚 What am I afraid of?
💚 What do I need today?

Then write without worrying about grammar, spelling, or whether your thoughts make sense.

This isn't about creating something anyone else will read.

It's about creating a safe place for you to be completely honest.

And when you've finished, take one slow breath and ask yourself:

"Is there anything I can put down for today?"

You don't have to solve your whole life on one page.

Sometimes writing it down is enough for this moment.

I asked for a second opinion because I needed to understand why I was still receiving radiation after my CT scan showed no detectable tumors.

The explanation I received was that radiation had been part of the treatment plan created when I was first diagnosed.

So I asked:

"Why wasn't the plan reconsidered when my situation changed?"

The doctor looked at me.

He didn't answer.

I have never forgotten that moment.

It reinforced something I had already begun learning:

Being a patient doesn't mean giving up your voice.

Ask what the goal of your treatment is.

Ask about the expected benefits.

Ask about short- and long-term risks.

Ask whether new information changes the original plan.

And when you need more clarity, ask whether another medical opinion would be appropriate.

You don't have to be a medical expert to participate in decisions about your own body.

💙 Tomorrow, I'm going to pause before starting the next chapter and look back at everything this first journey taught me.

This is my personal recollection of my cancer treatment. Cancer treatment is individualized, and a scan showing no detectable cancer does not necessarily mean additional treatment has no benefit. Treatment decisions should be discussed with your oncology team or another qualified specialist.

For the past several Healing Minutes, I've been sharing practices that helped me through one of the hardest periods of my life.

Meditation. Breathing. Visualization. Gratitude. Relaxation.

These weren't replacements for my medical treatment. They were practices I used alongside it to support my mind, body, and emotional well-being.

And eventually, I asked myself:

What if I could put everything I learned into one place so other people didn't have to search for it the way I did?

That's why I created VivaCore. 💚

VivaCore brings together guided meditations, breathing exercises, energy practices, mindset work, and other supportive practices in structured programs you can follow day by day.

Over the next few Healing Minutes, I'll continue teaching you practices you can do right here—and I'll also start showing you how you can go deeper with them inside VivaCore.

Because sometimes healing starts with something very small.

One breath.
One meditation.
One new habit.
One day at a time. 💚

I will never forget this conversation.

After my CT showed that my tumors had disappeared, I was still receiving the radiation that had been included in my original treatment plan.

Then an ER doctor asked me why.

So I asked my radiation doctor.

His answer made me think about something I hadn't considered enough:

My life after treatment.

Not just surviving cancer.

Living afterward.

What would my health look like five, ten, or twenty years later?

That experience taught me to ask not only about the potential benefit of a treatment, but also about its short- and long-term risks.

And when I still didn't feel comfortable with the answer...

I sought a second opinion.

💙 Tomorrow I'll tell you what happened when I asked another doctor one very simple question.

This is my personal recollection of a conversation from my own cancer treatment. Treatment decisions are individual; don't stop or change cancer treatment without discussing the risks and benefits with your oncology team or another qualified specialist.

One question from an ER doctor changed the way I looked at my radiation treatment.

"Why are you having radiation therapy if there is no cancer in your body?"

I didn't have an answer.

My radiation had been part of the treatment plan created when I was first diagnosed, so I had simply continued following it.

But that night made me realize something:

I didn't actually understand why I was still receiving it.

The next day, I decided to ask.

This isn't a message to stop or change cancer treatment on your own. Radiation can be recommended even when imaging shows no detectable cancer, depending on the diagnosis and the goal of treatment.

My message is much simpler:

Know why you're being treated. Ask about the expected benefit. Ask about the risks. And when your circumstances change, ask whether the plan still makes sense for you.

💙 Tomorrow I'll share the answer my radiation doctor gave me.

Gratitude during cancer can sound almost impossible.

I wasn't grateful for cancer.

I was grateful for the things cancer couldn't take away from me.

My daughter. ❤️
Love.
A sunrise.
A conversation.
A laugh.
Another morning.

Over time, gratitude became more than positive thinking for me. It became a way of deliberately directing my attention toward what was still good in my life.

Research has linked gratitude practices with changes in brain activity and improvements in aspects of emotional well-being.

But you don't need to understand the neuroscience to begin.

Tonight, ask yourself:

What is one thing I'm genuinely grateful for today?

Then don't just think the answer.

Close your eyes, breathe, and allow yourself to actually feel it.

Even for 30 seconds. 💚