BCV
Rites of Passage for Breast Cancer Victors
by
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Restoring Your Character
The great Oglala Lakota medicine man, Black Elk once said of the bison, an animal that provided sustenance to the plains people in the form of food, clothing and shelter, "The bison is the chief of all animals, and represents the earth, the totality of all that is. It is the feminine, creating earth principle which gives rise to all living forms…" It may be hard for us [women] to think of ourselves as sacred beings after we have had a mastectomy or a lumpectomy, but we have to. We are that "divine feminine, creating earth principle that is central to the lives of our families and loved ones." We should remember that while we are trying to rebuild our character.
"Character" is synonymous with nature, quality, temperament, personality, disposition, spirit, moral fiber, and make-up. When a person has been wounded by a disease such as breast cancer, and as a result has had radical corrective surgery performed, their emotional health suffers greatly.
Initially, self-esteem may be lowered, women may feel insecure about their appearance, they may feel like their husbands or mates will no longer find them attractive or, will no longer love them.
If your mate decides to check out on you while you're in crisis, remember that you are as much a woman with one or no breasts as you were with both breasts. Disease is one of many things that can arise and put a strain on a relationship. But, since coming down with a disease, such as breast cancer, is not something a person can control or foresee, it is also not something that should lessen a mate's love and concern for their partner. And now is certainly not the time for mates to become weak and succumb to their own insecurities or selfish druthers.
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About the Book
“My mother had five daughters -- four of us have had breast cancer. But we survived. And you can too. I'll show you how. My methods may be unorthodoxed, but when you learn to walk in your power
-- you'll know your power."
--Raining Deer
BCV is a thougtful, sometimes humorous but candid account of my personal journey with breast cancer. It addresses what anyone who has been diagnosed with breast cancer initially thinks, which is one of three things:
2. “Am I going to die?”
3. “How am I going to tell my loved ones?”
In BCV – Rites Of Passage For Breast Cancer Victors, I give you a roadmap for moving from breast cancer "victim" to victor by celebrating the divine nature of healing. My self-affirming rituals will help you learn to walk in your power, thus becoming more than a survivor but a victor over breast cancer by invoking divine healing principles that are deeply rooted in traditional spiritual practices.
In BCV I take you through these steps:
· Finding out you have breast cancer
· Exploring medical and alternative treatments
· Having the treatment of your choosing
· Regaining clarity and your sense of purpose through the divine healing principles of Prayer, Praise and Power.
Once you walk this journey with me, you'll understand the purpose for this book. --Raining Deer
"Raining Deer's rituals provide rites of passage into divinity." --Wallis Tinnie, Ph.D.
About the Author
Raining Deer is a member of the United People of the Cherokee Nation and became a member of the Seminole Tribe of Florida (Cox-Osceola Seminole Reservation) when she married the tribe’s medicine man in 1990. A popular motivational speaker on the Inspirational/Self Help and Health Improvement circuit, Raining Deer was known for presenting Tea Parties for Breast Cancer Awareness up and down the eastern coast of the United States until she became associated with the Philadelphia Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure as its chair of fundraising. Her Jet-Setting with Jeanette tour (titled for her given name Jeanette Stephens-El), which was established by Komen, has her making appearances at numerous events such as health fairs, fundraising campaign kick-offs, community programs, national conferences, on radio, television and private charitable functions. This free-lance writer is the author of T-Time: A Rites of Passage Manual for the Adolescent Female (AH 2005), and 10 Tips to Avoid Breast Cancer (Unless It's In The Genes) in 2007. She has been an arts administrator, events coordinator, magazine editor, and theatrical producer, in addition to serving as a long-time publicist to Philip Michael Thomas (star of Miami Vice). Raining Deer is the recipient of numerous awards and honors.