Ep #24 Surviving Breast Cancer, and Gratitude, with Tatiana Gottschalk
We welcome the taboo conversations surrounding life and death on the How To Die Happy Podcast. So when Tatiana Gottschalk reached out to our hosts Martin O'Toole and Julia Malcolmson, wanting to discuss how she survived breast cancer and her work with the dying, we were only too happy to make it happen.
According to Cancer.org, in 2022, about 287,850 new cases of invasive breast cancer were diagnosed in women in the US. That's almost 30% of all new female cancers each year. Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women globally. In 2020, 2.3 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer, with 685,000 deaths globally. When gripped by this terrible disease in her early 30s, Tatiana had a choice: she could play victim to her suffering or see the life-changing event as a gift she would use.
"I decided I would make this a success story," she says. "This was going to be the best thing that happened to me. And I decided that I wouldn't just survive; I would thrive. I would change my life," declared Tatiana during our conversation.
In this inspiring episode of the How To Die Happy Podcast, we have a candid conversation about surviving breast cancer and the game-changing energy of gratitude. We also discuss the impact of a breast cancer diagnosis on one's mental health, how families are affected, and what it feels like to face death in this way. Tatiana's story offers much inspiration for others facing severe health problems, demonstrating how one can use such events as powerful life lessons.
Breast cancer is a disease that affects millions of women worldwide. In this episode, we talk about how surviving breast cancer is a testament to one's strength and the importance of breast cancer awareness. We also delve into how one can choose to allow such events to crush and immobilise them or use them as opportunities for growth and change.
No matter how much time we might have left on this Earth, we always have the free will to take on new modalities for the art of living. Doing so can change our experiences and perspectives forever. This conversation offers valuable insights into how to thrive in the face of adversity and the transformative power of gratitude.
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