Breast cancer is currently the most common cancer globally and is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women of the U.S. Stephanie Fletcher was one of those statistics in 2020 at the age of 40.
Now N.E.D., Coach Steph has transformed her health coaching efforts by incorporating the experience of her cancer journey so she can help others navigate their cancer paths. She shares many things she learned along the way including the importance of the whole body healing; physically, spiritually, and emotionally.
Listen in today as Coach Steph shares her experience and advice with anyone who may be on their cancer journey.
Connect with Coach Steph at Health Haven Coach:
https://healthhavencoach.com/
Suggested Resource Links:
Your donations power our podcast's mission to support cancer patients with hope, insights, and resources. Every contribution fuels our ability to uplift and empower. Join us in making a lasting impact. Donate now! 🌟
Breast cancer is currently the most common cancer globally and is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women of the U.S. Stephanie Fletcher was one of those statistics in 2020 at the age of 40.
Now N.E.D., Coach Steph has transformed her health coaching efforts by incorporating the experience of her cancer journey so she can help others navigate their cancer paths. She shares many things she learned along the way including the importance of the whole body healing; physically, spiritually, and emotionally.
Listen in today as Coach Steph shares her experience and advice with anyone who may be on their cancer journey.
Connect with Coach Steph at Health Haven Coach:
https://healthhavencoach.com/
Suggested Resource Links:
Your donations power our podcast's mission to support cancer patients with hope, insights, and resources. Every contribution fuels our ability to uplift and empower. Join us in making a lasting impact. Donate now! 🌟
Hi, I'm Ivelisse Page, and thanks for listening to the Believe Big podcast, the show where we take deep dive into your healing with health experts, integrative practitioners, biblical faith leaders and cancer thrivers from around the globe. Welcome to today's episode on the Believe Big podcast. My name is Ivelisse Page and it's an honor to spend this time with you. Today you will hear from cancer thriver Stephanie Fletcher on effective healing habits for anyone in a cancering process. Stephanie is a wife to Lee of 20 years and a mom to four kids, ranging from seven to 17 years old. She graduated from Abilene Christian University with the degree in exercise science and has worked in health and wellness for 23 years. Six years ago, after an autoimmune diagnosis, Stephanie went back to school through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition to get her certification in holistic health coaching because she knew there was more to health than what she had gotten used to in the teachings for years. Two years ago though her life as she knew it took a pivot when she received a breast cancer diagnosis and embarked on the biggest learning journey of her life. She is now passionate about walking with other breast cancer patients to help them become their own advocates and empower them to heal from within. Welcome, Stephanie to the show.
Stephanie Fletcher:Thank you so much. I'm excited to be here. It's awesome.
Ivelisse Page:We always like to learn from our guests what their favorite health tip is, and I'm sure you have many, but can you share one with us?
Stephanie Fletcher:Oh man, I have to choose one. I think especially in the season that I'm in as a mom of four, I think my biggest tip would be to protect your sleep and sleep is where our body does a lot of its healing. It's what our body has to have. And I think sometimes, especially as moms, we tend to forego certain things in order to make sure everything else is done. And that's one thing that I kind of stick to my schedule. And even though I have two teenagers that sometimes get home later than me or go to bed after me, that is just something that I try to protect.
Ivelisse Page:So true. And you're not the first health expert that have shared that. you're with several great people that have said the same thing, so we really need to listen to that for sure. Before we get into our main discussion on effective healing habits, can you tell us a little bit about how you found out you had cancer?
Stephanie Fletcher:Yes, actually I went in for a routine mammogram. So had had one at 40 years old, got my second one at 41, and that mammogram came back abnormal. They sent me back for a sonogram. That sonogram turned into a biopsy and a diagnosis of lobular carcinoma.
Ivelisse Page:And so what did you think at that time? Because you have a similar story like me, where I was taking care of my body, I was exercising, eating well, and I found myself with cancer and I realized later what triggered my cancer. Have you been able to evaluate, to discover what might have played a role in your cancer?
Stephanie Fletcher:Yes. So when you said, I went through, in my introduction, the biggest learning journey of my life, going into that diagnosis, I did consider myself a fairly healthy individual, especially in comparison to the rest of the world. And what I later found out, and luckily I had been going through this journey five years prior through going back to school at IIN, I discovered that health was so encompassing of spiritual, emotional, physical. And I think sometimes we think, I'm working out and I'm eating a lot better than the normal world, so I'm considered healthy. What I found out was I'd had a lot of other things going on as far as my emotional health, my stress level, how I like to pack on 40,000 things at one time. And I thought that I was multitasking well, which then I found out there is no such thing as multitasking. But I found that the hard way. I think that through it all, I was able to dig back into my family history and into just as a kid remembering always being sick and having multiple ear infections. And I grew up in France actually. And my parents were big on homeopathic care. Cause that's just what there was back then in France. So I think looking back there was a lot of things that stemmed to my diagnosis, right? And just my terrain was actually deep down inside was really not that healthy. And so I had to go back. Luckily I didn't have to go back to ground zero, but I had to go back to close to ground zero.
Ivelisse Page:Yeah, I think so many of us focus so much on the physical side. You have a disease and here's how you treat it, but we don't really focus in on that emotional, mental aspect that plays such a huge role in our healing. That was part of my story as well. I was harboring on forgiveness and to God no less, and I had no idea. Through that process of discovering that brought so much healing to my life. And so, integrative or complimentary therapies did you include in your protocol?
Stephanie Fletcher:I wanna say this before we go into that because, and I don't know if you guys knew this when I emailed back. Y'all were an extremely, and it makes me tear up cuz y'all aren't a massive organization, but your website is what led me to where I am. I was googling everything I possibly could and searching for, what do I do? Because even in the holistic world, there are tons of different options and everyone thinks that they're right. And so it was something about your website and even part of the resources, what to ask your physician when you go in and just a calm really came over me and I started looking at what physicians offered mistletoe, cuz mistletoe and that therapy made sense to me. It was one of the very first things that I could, in my holistic background and what I knew and all that, it made sense to me. And so I started looking, and I don't even know really why I picked Durango, Colorado, but I did. And I knew that my husband's cousin lived there and I was at least I have one person that I know in this city. And so I went and come to find out they were actually gone the week that I was there, so I was able to use their car. But I went to Namaste with Dr. Stacy Mulkey, and it was one of the biggest God-sends. I literally wrote the whole time that I was there, story after story of the Durango Angels. The hotel that I stayed at, the chef there, I was changing all of my eating habits and being super strict and I was like, where do I eat? What do I do? And the chef came out and he was, his name is Chef Safari and he was from Africa. And he said, go to the store next door and buy everything that you can eat and I will make something. And so I
Ivelisse Page:My gosh!
Stephanie Fletcher:Bought, all these vegetables and stuff, and he came out and this is that moment where you're like, what in the world? And I was sitting in the restaurant by myself, and I'm a very big extrovert, so it was hard to eat by myself, but I made friends. He comes out with three beautiful soups and he had carved flowers out of the vegs and made it so special for me. And we're still friends to this day. There was those types of things happened all over Durango. And they were just kinda, what I call my first loves. And then I ended up finding a local, an unbelievable place called Root Causes Medicine, which I think you've been there.
Ivelisse Page:Yes. They're great.
Stephanie Fletcher:They're incredible. And so now I get to work with Dr. Guillory at Root Causes Medicine and so I transferred. I still talk to Doctor Stacy and all the people in Durango but, it's just easier with my life and it being full to be somewhere local and they have been absolutely amazing.
Ivelisse Page:Incredible, you went to two wonderful places. I love both of those offices and how that chef, that's really loving people. He really was the hand and feet of Christ for you and you have people praying, sure enough, God's angels did show up for you there and that's incredible. I know you're a person of faith, so how did that play a role in your journey?
Stephanie Fletcher:I feel like I'm gonna cry like this entire time.
Ivelisse Page:You are able to.
Stephanie Fletcher:So when I went and had my biopsy done, I was actually flying out soon after to go to Oregon and I was speaking at a health conference. I called my doctor and I said, hey, listen, no matter what the results are, please do not contact me. I will contact you when I get back. And she was like, really? Usually people don't do that. I said, I'm really not that usual. Because either way, if I tell you, don't call me if it's bad or don't call if it's good, I'm gonna be nervous, so I'm just gonna let it go and do my thing in Oregon. And so we went to Oregon and I was staying with two very close friends, on a house that was right on the coast. And it was cold, January of 2020 by the way. So we go outside and we were walking the sea, just walking in the sand and enjoying the beautiful view, but it was cold and all of a sudden it starts pouring down rain. My two friends are like, we gotta go. We're jetting back and we're talking rain, like the kind that hurts. It's going sideways. And so in the whole time, in my mind, I knew I needed a minute by myself. And so I'm like sitting here talking to myself, like, how do I tell them to go inside? But I don't want them to feel sorry for me. I don't want them to stay outside. I want them to go inside. So I was going through this whole thing and I was like, hey girls, I'm gonna stay outside for a minute, y'all go in. They're like, are you sure? I was like, yep, go. And they left. And so I stood out there and I was facing the ocean, and the waves were now like big and rolling and crashing and the rain's pelting me and I said, God, I know that I'm getting ready to go through a storm and the only thing I ask is that you go ahead of me. And I cried. And I stood there being pelted by rain, and then I went in. And I think I knew at that point what I was gonna go home to. And ironically, my husband had actually called the doctor while I was gone. He was wanting to call them and get good news to call me in Oregon and tell me everything was fine. And unfortunately he found out that I had cancer. And so I got back in the airport, the kids were all in bed, the house was clean. And I was like, what is happening right now? I should have known at that point something was wrong. And so I get in the bath and he says, hey Babe, I called the doctor while you were gone. And I was like, you did? Why? He said, I was wanting to call you in Oregon and tell you that everything was okay, but it's not. You have cancer. And I was like, am I being punked right now? Is this for real? And even though my soul had probably been prepared for it, the words I was not quite prepared for. And so I had a moment in the bathtub. He's a very smart man cuz he knows that's where I relax. Had a moment, we prayed, we talked about it. And then, sleep was a little hard that night. But then the next day we just got to work. And I honestly believe. That when I said that prayer and I said, God, I asked that you go ahead of me, everywhere I turned, he had already gone ahead. In the oncologist that I chose here, in my surgeon that I chose here, and Dr. Stacy and all the angels in Durango and my friends and family and my team, I have a large team of men, women, and they all just would send stuff and did a GoFundMe page for me. And these earrings, ironically, that I have on is from a jewelry lady that I always love feathers. And she did a fundraiser and these are called Stephanie.
Ivelisse Page:I love it.
Stephanie Fletcher:And people bought earrings to support. And it was one of those things to where my faith was just strengthened by the fact that He went ahead of me the whole time and I physically saw those moments.
Ivelisse Page:And when I hear you talk about the storm, it is a storm that we're walking into. The good news for us is that we know that He can calm those storms, and so all He has to do is speak peace, be still. And as the story went the disciples were on the boat and it calmed the waters instantly. And so He has that power to not only hold our hands through those storms, but to calm them. How did you practically calm those storms, especially the ones of your mind?
Stephanie Fletcher:That's a great question. One of the very first decisions I made was not to Google anything, as far as my diagnosis. I mean, if it was things like when I was looking for an incredible breast surgery center I was looking for things like Believe, Big, alternative treatments, that was fine. But I wasn't going to dig into anything that was causing my energy to go down. My husband was the one that did a lot of that research and I gave him that assignment. I think immediately I thought, okay, who is going to be part of my healing team? And this is how I coach women when they're first diagnosed. You have to create a healing team and you have to also remember that that team can change and it can morph at all times. And so I just started thinking, okay who is not going to be on my team? But who do I want to really surround myself? So I had a group of prayer warriors that I specifically asked to be my prayer warriors during this. I have a very strong family. We unfortunately did not have a good church family at the time because we had just moved churches and then COVID hit. But I will say that that peace comes from surrounding yourself with words, with people that keep the peace, right? If you're surrounding yourself with people that are putting fear in you, or if you're listening to things that are putting fear in you, then that is gonna stir up fear. And so I try to stay as far away as I could from any of the things that really caused me a lot of fear.
Ivelisse Page:Yeah, and there's actually scientific studies that talk about how laughter is so healing and things that, you're watching like the news and things like that cause your body to become in a stressful state and not in a rest, and a repair state. So there is actually science to back what you're saying as far as making sure you're surrounding yourself with positivity, people that are encouraging you and praying for you, and things that are filling you and not draining you. So that's really good. Can you share with us some of the things that you did integratively? I know it's different for each person, but if you were to pick three or four things that you feel were essential part of your healing journey, what would you say they were?
Stephanie Fletcher:Diet was a big thing for me and honestly, it still is. I feel like that's morphed as well. For me, diet has probably been the hardest piece of it for me, but a really important piece. And I've actually watched, physically watched my blood work change either for the worse or for the better, depending on whatever diet that I was utilizing at the time. But to me, you can't really go wrong with plants, right? So I'm actually not a vegan or vegetarian, but I do believe wholeheartedly that plants can heal. The other one was getting rid of toxins and chemicals in my home. So I had actually been doing this prior to my cancer diagnosis. And I was called the Health Haven coach. I taught people how to create health havens in their home, and that looked different for everybody. But for me it was getting rid of plastic in my kitchen and getting rid of anything I put on my body, on my face, my makeup and my hair. No more candles, things like that were a big part of my health journey. So trying to take my toxic level down so my body wasn't having to fight so hard with other things. And then I would say that was two. Oh my goodness, how do I narrow it to three? Oh supplementation! The very first two things that I hit strong were high dose vitamin C and mist letoe And so I do believe that both of those were huge for me cause I did do four rounds of chemo. I will say I chose to do chemo as a wife and a mom and not so much as a health coach. Because if anything were to happen in the future, I wanted my kids to know that I had done everything in their book. But during it, I did it my way. So I did high dose vitamin C, I fasted, I did mistletoe, and I did a lot of my supplementations. Obviously, I didn't do all of my supplementations during it. But my doctor was extremely pleased in how that went. And I love that now, my conventional oncologist, her eyes were opened to a lot of the things that I do. She called me randomly and asked me what my fasting schedule was for another patient. That's really my goal and for all of this not to go in vain. To be able to bless other people that are getting this diagnosis. There is such a stigma against cancer and right now cancer is not going away. I just got a text last night, another good friend, young mom, breast cancer and lymph nodes. She has two little boys. So this is not going away. I heard somebody say that I live between anger and passion and I like it. And I think that's probably me because when I get those texts, I get angry. But my passion takes over and I'm like, Okay, so what are we gonna do about this? It's fine that I went through my journey and I came out okay and I feel like I'm healed. But what about all these other people, these other mommas and dads, and humans that are going through this process, it doesn't have to be this way. I truly believe that. And so I will speak out. I will do what I need to do and utilize my story.
Ivelisse Page:You really turned your challenge into opportunities not only for even those around you, but for your future and your kids seeing all the ways that you fought and how you incorporated both sides and how you remain well even going through something difficult. So how long has it been since you've been N E D or no evidence of disease?
Stephanie Fletcher:Actually, I had my double mastectomy in May of 2020. I was N E D at that point. I actually did a cancer tumor cell test in June of that year. I had done another one and I was at a four. Then I did another one right before I started chemo, but I did not get the results back until my second round of chemo and I was at a zero.
Ivelisse Page:Wow.
Stephanie Fletcher:And so I guess May of 2020 is when I have been N E D and I've done like the prenuvo scan and things like that.
Ivelisse Page:That's fantastic. As a coach, I know you don't treat disease, so what is your role in the cancer treatment team?
Stephanie Fletcher:So my role is really accountability, guidance and putting what these docs and nutritionists are giving to the patients. Taking it and putting it in the real world. It's fine to tell someone, this is what you need to eat, this is what you need to do. You need to go ground for 30 minutes, get your eyeballs in the sun, blah, blah, blah. You give that to a mom of four and she's like, I have no idea how to take 471 supplements and walk barefooted with four kids hanging on me. It's okay, let's look at your day and let's see how we can implement this stuff in what your life looks like. What is possible right now? And so I take the information they're given and the instructions they're given and we mold that into what's the reality for them. And I think some of it goes to talking to someone who's been there and who's done it. And I think that's helpful for them. I have a client that only calls when she needs me. She knows she has 12 sessions. It's very different. I usually do not do this. So she called me from the doctor's office and she's like, my doctor's saying this. What do you think? And I'm like, what is your gut telling you? And she's I don't wanna do it. I'm like, then I guess that's what you need to tell your doctor. You know what you want to do so you just do it. And so that's what I do.
Ivelisse Page:That's awesome. So you help to empower them to make informed decisions. I love that. Do you only help breast cancer patients, or do you help all cancers?
Stephanie Fletcher:So my focus is really more breast cancer, just because that's what I can most relate to, and that's where my knowledge box is in. But I have actually had a male client that was not breast cancer, I've had colon, I've had ovarian. So I try to stick in that realm, but obviously I'm not gonna say no to somebody.
Ivelisse Page:So if you could have go back in time now, knowing what you know now, what would you have done differently at the start of your cancer journey? Is there anything you would've done differently?
Stephanie Fletcher:At the beginning of my journey? Honestly, no. Now later on, maybe like when I decided to have my ovaries taken out. I think, I wish I would've had some more information and dug into it a little bit deeper, but I was on a time crunch, which is unfortunately what happens a lot of times. You get diagnosed and all of a sudden you're on a timeline. And I'm like wait, how did you even know when this clump came together? That is fascinating. So I think that, there's things I wish that I had taken more time. I did take a lot of time at the beginning and I was very strong telling my doctors, I'm not gonna do this until whatever. But when I came to the ovaries, I did have a surgery scheduled and the doctor could do the ovaries at the same time, and so I went for it. And now looking back at it, that's the only decision I might have thought through a little bit more.
Ivelisse Page:You're absolutely right. People are put on this conveyor belt of chemo, surgery, radiation. They're the sense of urgency. They don't feel like they have time. And we are always telling people based on what our physicians share, which is most of the time you do. They say it typically takes seven to 10 years for the cancer to grow in the first place, for it to be visible. And so you have time to take two weeks, let's say three weeks, four weeks, to really dive into making sure that you're making the best decisions for yourself. Unless it's an acute situation like a bowel blockage or something like that, then you know you can't, but, but you typically do have time. And I think that's one of the things that most patients experience is what you did. You're put on this time restrictive, decision making process. And, when we rush and we make decisions without really spending the time to really look into it, it can make it more difficult to feel like you're empowered to make the right one for yourself. What advice would you give to someone who has recently been diagnosed?
Stephanie Fletcher:It goes back to what I just talked about, take a breath. I think that if we could learn to breathe and just slow down in our process of diagnosis, then we have the opportunity to listen to what our bodies are saying. But I think in the noise and the speed and the fear that a lot of the medical community will put on us. we just don't take the time to breathe and to think. We almost become these uneducated robots. All of a sudden, it's you get cancer and then you're like, yes sir, yes ma'am, whatever you tell me to do, cause I just don't wanna die. And I'm thinking to myself, first of all, this might be news to all y'all, but we're all gonna die at some point.
Ivelisse Page:Yes, we all have that expiration date, my husband says.
Stephanie Fletcher:That's right. Yeah. And we all want to die, well. But the problem is that in that fear of not wanting to die, we're not really living. And we're living in this fear of, what if? Like the fear of it coming back is a real fear for me. And I usually can keep that under control. But there's days that I'm like, man this would suck to have to miss this or this, and it's hard. So what I would say is take a breath, slow down. And if there's a doctor or a nurse or anything that you do not feel comfortable with, you have the power to fire them. You are paying for these people. You're paying for their expertise. And so put yourself back in that place of empowerment and realize it's okay if I don't like what you're saying to me and you're putting fear in me, so I'm gonna move on. Cuz believe me, there are tons of people in the medical field that are incredible people that are willing to work with you. So go find someone else.
Ivelisse Page:Yep. That's great advice. And that's one of the things that we also share with patients that reach out to us is that this person's gonna be following you for years to come, and you wanna make sure that they are a team player and not someone, that's my way in the highway, I say. Interview three different oncologists for your cancer type at three different hospitals, and see who responds to those questions in the way that you feel would be most supportive of your desire and for your approach, and is so critical because, yeah, they're gonna be in your life for a long time and you don't want every time that you walk into their office that it's gonna be a fight or, causing you more stress. So really great advice. And in closing, I can't believe that the time has gone by so quickly. what about someone
Stephanie Fletcher:I know
Ivelisse Page:like yourself, who has rung the bell, you're cancer free and you're told that What advice would you give to that person that has just rung the bell?
Stephanie Fletcher:Here's the thing. What we are is, and I tag this in all of my things, is it's a cancering to healing journey. And this journey does not end with a bell ringing or a end of radiation or a surgery or whatever. This is a continuous journey. Does it get easier? Yes. Are you gonna have better days or days that you don't think about it? Yes, for sure. But I will tell you that this journey is usually something that helps us to pivot in ways that we should have pivoted a long time ago. We have to learn that what we are doing to our bodies, whether it's cancer, autoimmune disease, thyroid, whatever it is, any kind of dis-ease in our body, We have to learn that this healing journey is forever. There's never gonna be a pinnacle point in our lives where we're I just reached it. Like I literally just won. I am a hundred percent the healthiest I will ever be. That's not gonna be true. You gotta take things slow and you've gotta learn that your journey is gonna look like those waves, right? It's gonna look very different. And so give yourself some grace. I gave myself a lot of grace this year maybe a little bit too much. And so I'm trying to get back into that rhythm of when I was like full on in that healing mode, right? Enjoy this journey and realize that this healing journey is really the one that everyone should be on. Every single human should be on this journey of how can I serve this body that God created in the most amazing way, so that I can serve others in the best way? Because when we are not well, it is very hard to be those incredible vessels, right? That, that God's created us to be.
Ivelisse Page:Yep, that's great advice. And when you're talking about that, I have this picture of a fire truck and they're always ready for whatever call is coming, but those fire trucks aren't dirty and the tires aren't flat. Every time you see'em, they're spotless, they're ready to go full of gas, ready for whatever emergency it is. And that's similar to our body. We need to treat it so that we're ready and we're prepared to do what God asks us to do next. And I'm so glad you shared that because even almost 14 years post my N E D, no evidence of disease, I still, to this day take mistletoe as prevention. I still get all of my cancer markers done every year to make sure that my levels are right, my toxicity levels, and all those things that are part of living in the world that we do today to continue to live a healthy, a long and vibrant life is so important. So thank you so much for all the wisdom you shared today, and, I know that this podcast is gonna encourage so many on their cancering to healing journey and, we'll look forward to hearing from you again soon.
Stephanie Fletcher:Thanks so much for having me. This was awesome. Thank you. Blessings.
Ivelisse Page:If you enjoyed this episode and you'd like to help support our podcast, please subscribe and share it with others. Be sure to visit believebig.org to access the show notes and discover our bonus content. Thanks again, and keep Believing Big!