By Tammy Phillips.
My friend Tyra remembers very clearly the day when she discovered she had cancer. That morning in February of 2016, she happened to brush her hand across the side of her breast and felt a lump. Alarmed, she immediately called her medical provider, who immediately had her come in for a mammogram and an ultrasound. They found a hard mass, and quickly scheduled her for a biopsy. A few days later she was diagnosed with Stage-1, mid-grade, aggressive breast cancer. She was devastated by the news because she knew her life was going to change forever.
Tyra is one of the kindest, most compassionate, and inspirational people I know. But she’s also dynamic, and determined not to let her illness and recovery slow her down. At the time of her diagnosis, and during the subsequent treatment, she was a full-time school psychologist for Cherry Creek Schools. On top of that, she was busy preparing her Ph.D. dissertation at the University of Denver, and also got engaged, and planned her wedding. She had to have two lumpectomies, but opted out of chemo because of her obligations to her education. (She committed to radiation treatments instead.)
When her treatments were completed her medical team cleared her to have a massage. While sitting in the lobby of an Elements Massage office she glanced at the side table and saw a brochure for LifeSpark. Not knowing what LifeSpark was, she began to read about the benefits of Reiki. The things that caught her eye were that Reiki reduces stress, pain, and anxiety, and helps people relax and sleep. She loved the idea that the Reiki sessions could be held in her home, which was more convenient for her and her schedule. After her massage, she called LifeSpark and asked questions about Reiki, and scheduled her first in-home session then and there. She had a total of 12 sessions, and loved them so much that she asked for six more. She didn’t want them to stop. And having experienced firsthand how effective Reiki is, she has since even become a Reiki Master herself.
During Tyra’s third session (as a participant) she felt a profound emotional release, and deep calm and relaxation. Her body and mind had not felt so relieved of stress and anxiety since she was diagnosed. That night she slept peacefully for a full 10 hours. She found that, for a few minutes during each subsequent session, her brain could shut off, and relax into a meditative state—her favorite thing about her LifeSpark sessions.
The thing that stood out in my interview with Tyra was, “Cancer has shown me that there is a blessing in everything, including cancer,” adding that she “witnessed compassionate humanity in many people, and it was humbling.” Tyra is extremely grateful that her husband Jon, her mom, her grandmother, her medical team, and LifeSpark offered such a wonderful support system during the most difficult time in her life.
She now recommends LifeSpark to other people she knows with cancer. I am honored that she agreed to share her inspirational story with LifeSpark.
