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My life has been a nice mixture of sunshine and rain. I began early as I started walking at age 7 months and started singing and dancing by age 2. Anything that had to do with performing or the stage was the magnet of my excitement. In grade school I took 7 years of dancing, 3 years of Piano and 2 of baton twirling and was in the school Chorus. I began playing clarinet at age 10 and by age 12 made the high school marching band and concert band. I excelled in clarinet to become a member of the All Parish and Louisiana All State Band. At age 16, I formed my own Jazz Band called The Harmonics that lasted thru my Senior year. When I went to college at LSU, I became a Member of the LSU Tiger Band, Summer Starlight Band and their Symphonic Concert Band. I entered my first Beauty Pageant at age 23. Although I didn't win the pageant, I won a diamond ring. While in the band, I met a drummer from Michigan, who I married and had one child with. Her name is Stephanie West and she married, had two natural children and adopted two fraternal twins from Romania. Stephanie you might say was "Mother Theresa meets Barbie." She is a gorgeous lady on the outside as well as on the inside. She does Missionary work for the Lord in such countries as Asia, Africa, South America and the U.S. She is a spiritual motivation to me in my life. Then my life touched the world of Broadcasting thru my first job at WLCS Radio Station in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. There, I began doing voice-overs on radio commercials. That job led to modeling assignments, which was the kick start to the next 20 years. I won the titles of Miss Louisiana Queen of Boats and years later moved to Arkansas and became Miss Arkansas Outdoors. That was the year I met Governor Bill Clinton (later to become President Bill Clinton). I met and married a man in the Hotel Business and we traveled and lived in 8 states. I continued entering Beauty Pageants and held the titles of 4th Runner up to Mrs. Oklahoma, Mrs. New Orleans and then Mrs.Louisiana, which took me to Mrs. America. In 1985 at our hotel in New Orleans, I met the President of Hawaiian Tropic, Ron Rice. That moment changed my career, as I began directing Beauty Pageants all over Louisiana. Years later, I would become one of the National Directors for Miss Hawaiian Tropic in 4 states. I also continued my modeling and events producing. That same year, one of my Promotions garnered a place in the Guinness Book of World Records and made CNN and ABC News. I made the World's Biggest Valentine, measuring 23,383 square feet. My world came to a screeching halt in 2004 when I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. After not having a mammogram for 2 years, a doctor friend in Texas had called and pushed me to have the exam. That call got my attention. She must've been the angel God chose to Save my life. After 2 surgeries, I got my life back and was Cancer free. I then became one of the spokespersons in print & media for Memorial Medical's Cancer Centers.
I appeared in magazines, publications and a Billboard. That Billboard was the only one that Hurricane Katrina did NOT destroy in the Hurricane in 2005. Because it stood for courage and hope, I feel it was spared from the ravages of the storm.
Today, when we think of the word "survivor" for many of us, our thoughts jump to the daring reality television show of the same name, with visions of a Tribe of dirty, sweaty men and women existing on an exotic jungle to test their survival skills. Their strategy is to outwit, outplay, and outlast their competitors, to shift the power, in their favor, to come out on top and win the big prize-one million dollars.
The single most important tool available to shift the power in your favor in the fight against Breast Cancer is awareness--awareness that early detection is the key to survival. The American Cancer Society estimates that a woman in the U.S. has a 1 in 7 chance of developing Breast Cancer in her lifetime. Despite having people around you to guide and direct your choices, "you" are the only one that can save your life. If I can offer some real good advice, it would be to do something my Surgeon said upon my initial diagnosis.
I got to actually speak to author Greg Anderson, who is an actual Lung Cancer survivor. You can reach Greg Anderson at (800) 238-6479 or www.CancerRecovery.org He sent me a phamphlet that lists the beliefs to conquer Cancer:
Being a very spiritual person from my childhood upbringings in the Catholic Church, I believe in the Power of Prayer and the intercession of prayer thru The Saints, was the biggest part of my healing. For no matter what your religious or spiritual beliefs, your greatest strength and greatest hope, comes from God and Prayer. The importance of prayer cannot be underestimated in your personal recipe of healing.The 3 components of healing include Mind-Body and Spirit. None stands alone.
Mind...you must capitalize on being Positive and fill your mind with healthy visualizations. For me, I saw my cyst with a wall around it so thick, that nothing bad could enter it while my body was healing. I pictured God's angels as soldiers around the Cyst. Whatever you chose to imagine as your own visualization of healing, it is necessary that you do this each day. I also did an asarnation for health when I said my prayers. . .these are the words:
Visualizations and Affirmations are important because they sink into the subconscious and reinforce the core of your being. You must surround yourself with the power of the positive. The body component of Mind-Body-Spirit consist of adopting a healthy dietary strategy. Most of the toxins from the wrong foods we consume can become the reason we get Cancer in the first place. Scientific evidence of diet's link with cancer recovery is overwhelming. Remember this fast rule: If a food is Boxed, bottled, canned or frozen, it has most often been processed and lacks the live nutritional content of the fresh alternatives. What you put into your body will definitely make a difference in your recovery outcome. And now for the Spirit part of the component. Prayer is God's medicine. Medical science tells us that there are many incurable diseases and most treat them with man made medicines and treatments. Mixing Faith with God's Word by speaking it out of your mouth is a means of applying God's medicine. Medical science aids healing through physical means by administering medicine into the physical body. It is administered through the human spirit. (1 Cor. 2:9-12) Just as you would take medicine into your physical body to aid healing by physical means, so you MUST receive God's word concerning healing into your spirit for Supernatural healing. Every time you speak your faith, it creates a stronger image inside you. If it is healing you desire, the healing image is created by God's word and your continual affirmation and agreement with it. God's word is spoken of in Proverbs 4:22 as being medicine to all our flesh. It is the most powerful medicine available today and is capable of healing your body without side effects. No, I am not teaching against doctors or medicine. But don't depend on doctors or medicine alone to keep you healthy. If you are taking medicine, mix faith with it. Study, read, research and seek professional medical opinions about what medical treatments to take.
But make PRAYER a part of your healing journey. Remember you can never overdose on prayer and there are NO side effects! Continue to pray until you develop faith in the healing Power of God's Word. The most important aspect of Prayer is you MUST "believe." When you truly believe you will receive your healing. Confessing the word of God can also change your world. It can change an image of sickness into an image of healing and health. I suggest and encourage you to pray audibly over your body, two or three times a day. I highly recommend the book "God's Creative Power For Healing" which has been my Bible of Prayer for almost 3 years now. It contains countless healing verses found in the Bible. It is beautifully written. You can obtain it from Capps Ministries (877) 396-9400.
My Journey To Heaven
My journey to heaven
My life was grounded
I tried to give witness
I loved to give hope
I called my car God's taxi
God knew what he was doing
So I pray to reach that heaven
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2000 - 2008 Mary West.com © COPYRIGHT 7 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. |
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St.
Peregrine - The Cancer Saint who was cured of Cancer 700 years ago.
The Prayer To Get To Heaven
