ulie Campbell, Bella’s October 2018 cover girl, received a 2013 diagnosis of aggressive and hormone positive ductal carcinoma in situ just a year and a half after losing her brother to lung cancer. She was scared and confused. Her diet was clean and she worked out six days a week – what had gone wrong?
“Luckily, I was blessed with a strong, faithful, loyal husband who stayed by my side during my journey and continues to be my rock,” Campbell said. “I had an outpouring of love from family, friends and church. I was truly blessed with support, for which I’m forever grateful.”
She underwent a radical bilateral mastectomy in 2014 as well as reconstructive surgery.
“Through my healing journey, I was led to my life’s passion. It truly is a privilege to be a part of other’s healing journeys. We really don’t know when our time is up on this earth. For this reason, I try to live each day with no regrets, to love hard and pray for the Holy Spirit to guide me.”
“I know breasts do not define who we are, however, they are a definite part of our physiology and sexuality. The diagnosis and losing this part of my body changed me physically and mentally – it was truly humbling. I felt weak, lost and didn’t recognize the woman in the mirror,” she said.
Campbell sought out a John Barnes Myofascial Release trained therapist to help release the fascial restrictions from the mastectomy. This led her to Barbara Bruni and Pilates Core Training.
“My Pilates Core Training family pretty much saved me – or kept me sane at the very least. After living in chronic pain for 15 years, MFR and Pilates created such a huge paradigm shift in my life, it was truly a miracle. I joined the team only six months after becoming a client. My healing journey is the number one reason I have dedicated my life to helping others,” Campbell said.
After the mastectomy, no additional treatment was needed. The cancer had not breached the ducts and her node biopsy was normal. She chose reconstruction which was a nightmare lasting two years and included six surgeries. But she then felt whole again and the MFR was helpful at reducing restrictions and scar tissue. Without the MFR, she believes recovery would have been even harder.
Campbell often asks herself, “if I were diagnosed now, with the knowledge I have, would I make the same decision to have the mastectomy?”
“I have lost two special friends to breast cancer and have known many others through friends who have perished, so I just don’t know – likely a fear driven answer,” she said. “I’m constantly working on letting go of fear and stress. It is my belief that the lack of tools to process chronic stress is the reason I succumbed to cancer in the first place. Many of us just stay busy and try to ignore stress. Our sympathetic nervous system goes into overdrive activating our fight-or-flight response, putting extreme stress on our physical and mental well-being. I would strongly advise anyone dealing with cancer to learn how to mitigate stress. Getting control over one’s diet is also crucial. Too much sugar, or anything that turns into sugar, can cause inflammation, which can lead to or feed cancer.”
When asked for her advice for those who have been recently diagnosed, Campbell suggests doing your research, seek out an MFR therapist, mitigate stress, exercise and eat a well-balanced diet. Try to look for the blessings your journey will bring to your life and the lives around you.
“Through my healing journey, I was led to my life’s passion. It truly is a privilege to be a part of other’s healing journeys. We really don’t know when our time is up on this earth. For this reason, I try to live each day with no regrets, to love hard and pray for the Holy Spirit to guide me.”
