ReDefine October: Moving from Awareness to Activation in the Breast Cancer Journey

October is here again, a month often defined by its sea of pink ribbons and the global focus on breast cancer awareness. But for those of us who have lived through the reality of breast cancer, we know that true healing goes beyond awareness. This month is not just about being aware—it's about being active participants in our own healing. It’s about creating health from the inside out.

My Journey Begins: The Day Awareness Became Personal

On October 24th, 2012, the month known for Breast Cancer Awareness, I was ironically diagnosed with breast cancer. I became acutely aware of everything having to do with this month—pink. SO MUCH PINK. I never cared for pink. I was a tom boy growing up, so pink wasn't a colour I was fond of, but there it was. Staring directly at me, taunting me and haunting me.

That was the start of my journey, which I had to face over the years that followed, including a recurrence. This month, I wanted to speak up about how I feel about this month. 

Moving Beyond Pink: Reclaiming the Power to Heal

For me, this month is not just about pink, but how we create health from the inside out. How we rewrite the narratives and harness our healing from within. How we pull from the deep recesses of our bodies to find the strength to carry on, despite not wanting to. It's a club no one wants to belong to. A forced membership, with the worst fees and minimal perks — but the best members.

We stand together, we band together and we bleed together. These are the trenches we face, the darkness that aims to consume us, and the love and light that refuses to let us journey alone.

Cancer isn’t just something that happens to us. It’s something we have to live with and actively work through—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Healing doesn’t just happen with treatments or medications; it happens deep within our bodies, at a cellular level, and it requires us to be participants in that healing.

Healing From the Inside Out: A Powerful Metaphor

Take, for example, a small cut on your finger. At first, the wound is raw, open, and exposed. But beneath the surface, your body is already hard at work. The deeper layers of tissue are mending themselves, new cells are being generated, and over time, the skin knits itself back together. The final stage is when the wound closes and a faint scar remains, a reminder of the body’s incredible ability to heal.

This is a beautiful metaphor for how the body heals itself. Whether it's an injury, an illness, or trauma, healing doesn’t happen on the surface — but deep within, at the cellular level, with your active participation.

Your body knows what to do. It always has.

Activation Over Awareness: Taking Control of Our Health

Cancer may be part of the story, but we hold the pen to our health journey. We are not passive observers. We are active participants. 

While I’ve realized that awareness is important, I found both cancer tumours myself by being body aware, it is only the beginning. We must progress from awareness to activation. We must engage in our healing process and take control of our health.

Here are some ways I’ve learned to activate my own healing:

1. Harnessing the Power of Belief

Healing begins with a belief in our body’s ability to heal. I had to learn to trust my body after receiving the initial cancer diagnosis - and the second one. Trust that it would heal and that I could participate in that process, even if it was only small moves in my mindset each day. Our mindset plays a critical role in the healing process, and shifting from fear to forward was essential for me.

2. Nourishing the Body with Intention

Nutrition isn’t just about food; it’s about how we feed our entire being—physically, mentally, and emotionally. I had to become more intentional about what I put into my body and how I treated it. I learned that nourishing myself with love, self-care, and healthy practices was an essential part of my recovery.

3. Creating Space for Emotional Healing

Physical healing is only one piece of the puzzle. Cancer brought up a lot of emotional wounds that needed to be addressed. I learned to create space for emotional healing, letting myself grieve, process, and release fear, anger, and pain.

4. Finding Community and Support

I couldn’t do this alone. Community has been a vital part of my healing journey. While cancer can make you feel isolated, I found strength in connecting with others who understood the journey. We stand together, we band together, and we heal together. The bonds we form are part of what makes us stronger, reminding us that we are not alone in this fight.

5. Trusting the Body’s Innate Wisdom

The human body is designed to heal. It knows what to do. I learned that my role was to support that process, not control it. By giving my body the space to heal, nourishing it, and reducing stress, I found that my body responded in ways I hadn’t imagined. I've had to pivot many times over the years with how my body moves, realizing it's been through a lot and needs more rest than it used to, and I had to come to peace with that. 

The Importance of Awareness, but the Power of Activation

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a time to reflect and raise awareness, yes. But we must also move beyond awareness. Awareness opens the door, but activation is what walks us through it. It’s about being an active participant in your health, no matter where you are in your journey—whether you’re in treatment, recovery, or navigating life beyond cancer.

Let’s normalize the conversation about the body’s incredible ability to heal itself. Let’s remind ourselves that healing doesn’t just come from external sources, but from within. This month, let’s celebrate the strength we have to create our own health stories.

Conclusion: We Are the Authors of Our Healing

Cancer may be a chapter in our lives, but it’s not the whole story. We hold the pen, and we have the power to write our healing journey. Let’s shift from passive awareness to active participation, trusting that we are capable of far more than we often give ourselves credit for.

This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, let’s move from awareness to activation. Because awareness is the key, but activation is the unlocked door.