A Message of Hope From a 56-Year-Old With Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

A message of hope from a 56-year-old living with CML for the last 5 years. 

Bonjour, everyone. I’ve been here a little while but never wrote anything, so, here I am. I am a wellness, fitness, and nutrition coach (BSc in physical activity & sports and a healthy-eating and weight-loss specialist) in Quebec, Canada. For more than 25 years, I’ve been teaching people how to take care of their health and vitality through movement and healthy eating. Imagine my surprise when I got this diagnosis (in the emergency room at the hospital) after what I thought was a sports injury… 

A Little Background

I was diagnosed with CML (Chronic Myeloid Leukemia) on January 6th 2019.  

I’ve been on TASIGNA since the beginning. My doctor told me that my life expectancy is as high as anyone else’s, but I told him that it’s not to live long I want, it’s to live a healthy, happy, active life for as long as I can. 

He told me, “If you keep doing what you’re doing, you will have all that.” So, here is what I truly believe in and what I’ve been wanting to share with all of you. Even when it’s our toughest day — we’re tired, aching everywhere as if we just ran a marathon — we need to get our bodies moving. A slow walk and a little stretching can do miracles. As for nutrition, instead of taking things out of our daily menu, we just need to add good nutrients wherever it’s easy for us. The more great nutrients we get in our bodies the less space there is left for bad food. Important to note is the fact that cancer cells love sugar! We need to try to cut that out as much as possible but keep the nice dark chocolate in there.

Key Longevity Tips

It’s as simple as that. And, most importantly, we need to: 

Listen to ourselves.

When it’s time for a little meditation or a 15-minute nap in the middle of the day, it’s our right; we deserve it.

There are little cranky cells living inside of us; the people “judging us” don’t. We need our mind to be in the right space in order to get better, stronger. It’s a powerful tool.  

My CML Journey

So, here is my story: 

My biggest challenge so far …

Oof! As someone who loves challenges, chronic myeloid leukemia I could have done without. Life, on the other hand, had decided to slow me down. 

In 2017, I passed the 50 milestone and, knowing that the symptoms of perimenopause were going to strike at one time or another, I prepared very well. Being in very good physical condition, I pushed my health and nutrition a little further and added yoga and meditation to everything I was already doing as physical activity. In August of 2018, I was at the top of my form, having achieved all my goals. At age 51, I was in better physical shape than at 20! I was ready for perimenopause to hit me.

And suddenly, in December came an unwanted rapid weight loss and a level of energy that was decreasing more and more. Not normal.

Everything rocked on January 6, when it was not the anticipated pre-menopause that knocked on my door, but CML (chronic myeloid leukemia). I hesitated to talk about it, perhaps due to shame. Me, whose mission is to spread my passion for “wellness,” struck by CML. What had I done it all for? 

Staying the Course

Although quite the setback, this diagnosis did not make me lose my beliefs about healthy eating and physical activity. On the contrary, all my preparation for this famous perimenopause were going to be an enormous help in my healing process. The side effects, from the beginning until now, are minimal and, when I do feel sore, I like to think it’s because I trained too hard!

I now have changed the way I talk when I give conferences. I don’t say that we need to take care of our health to protect ourselves against illness/diseases, but we need to take care of our health to be ready to face life’s challenges when they happen to us. To make sure we do have longevity, but one that is in health and not in time. A long healthspan, if you will, to enjoy doing everything we love.

The words I live by:

“Bouger dans le bonheur & manger en couleurs.”

Even after being diagnosed with blood cancer, I still believe it’s the only way to live a long, active and happy life. 

I wish you all a very happy, healthy, longevity!

It would be a privilege and an amazing opportunity to spread my message of hope to everyone who’s struggling with an incurable disease or a chronic illness.

We’re alive, life is beautiful! 

À bientôt!

Nathalie Roy

@healthyhappylongevity