Page 20 - Tracy Anderson Issue

Robin "Nadirah" Bray temperature in the chest cavity rises to between 105 and 107.6 F (40.6 and 42 C). The
chemotherapy solution circulates for several hours to kill the cancer cells. The pump is
turned off to allow the treated region to cool to normal temperature.Then the surgeon
removes the tubes and temperature probes, closes the incisions, and sends you to
recovery.
“Thankfully, the surgery was a success, I was opened from sternum to pubic bone. It was
stage 4 cancer so the cancer had spread to different parts in my abdomen I am very grateful
that all the areas it spread to could be taken out. Because there was cancer in some lymph
nodes they wanted to do IV Chemo for 6 months as a precaution. Two weeks later I went to
the hospital to get the port put in: This is a small round disk they put under your skin so they
can administer the chemo through it. They usually put it near women’s breast so they can
hide it with their shirt. I was already imagining myself performing again, so I asked if there
was another place they could put it. With the costumes I wear people could see the port if
it was near my breasts. They placed the port just above my elbow on the inside of my arm.
I could use armbands and cover that easily and no one would ever know.” Two weeks after
getting out of the hospital Nadirah started Chemo and that same week she went back to
dance class.
Just two months later I was back performing while going for chemo every other week. So
on the week I was off chemo I performed and I also started attending group dance classes
every week it brought a sense of normalcy back to my life. My husband said why don’t you
rest and when you are done with chemo go and perform. I did not want to take 6 months off.
I needed to get my life back, so I did.”
Getting through this ordeal was not easy for Nadirah; luckily she had the support of her
husband and boys. “It was tough at times. My husband kept saying that I was going to be
fine. And I wanted to be fine too, but at the same time, I kept thinking ‘what if I did die?’
I read the 7 stages of grieving before and and I wanted to use it with him the week I got the
diagnosis, because if we could acknowledge the worst thing that could happen we could go
there and feel it. Then it had no hold on us. If we mourned me not being here and that’s the
worst thing that could happen, then the only place to go from there was up! My sons did not
do well in school that year. They were scared and uncertain of what was going on and what
would happen. I know it was very hard on them because I spent most of my day in my bed
although I would make myself watch a movie or go to the park or ride bikes with them as
often as possible.”
Dancing Her Way to Wellness
What do you do when you are 33 years old with three young children ages 8, 6 and 1 ½ Getting back to her career was not only important to Nadirah, but critical to her healing.
years old and you are told you have Stage 4 Cancer? Some of us cry, some of us pray, So she jumped in with both feet and looked over some of the goals she had defined for her
others give up. For Nadirah Bray it took a little while for the shock to wear off but once it did, career before her illness. “In 2012 I got picked to be a contestant on a web show called
she knew the answer, Nadirah was going to dance. “Project Belly Dance.” I was competing with 24 other belly dancers for the chance to win
Nadirah had been a belly dance student, teacher and performer since 2004. She taught amazing prizes, one of which being the star of your very own instructional DVD. I did not win
weekly dance classes and performed 2-10 shows a week. What Nadirah didn’t realize was that competition, but I did share my story and had the opportunity to be the star of my own
that her life was filled with all types of stress. “When I look back at my life, before I was ill, DVD “Belly dance healing from illness” with the top producer of belly dance DVD’s, Michelle
I realize that there was a lot of stress in my life that I did not even notice; fight or flight was Joyce and her company Cheeky Girls Productions” out of the Bay Area. My DVD is based
my default setting. I felt unsupported and unloved. I felt like a failure in every area of my life, on holistic exercises that I did to reclaim and rebuild my health during a time in my life when
as a wife, as a daughter, as a mother and as an entrepreneur. I was a people pleaser who I had experienced multiple surgeries, chemo and limitations. Creating this DVD inspired me
wanted everyone to get along, and it seemed to always backfire on me. I was in the middle to go back to school. I wanted to learn more about holistic health and learn more about the
and no one was pleased including me!” whole body and its healing process. I remember my last day of chemo and the chemo doc-
Here was a woman, in phenomenal physical condition, with no obvious symptoms, suddenly tor said “Go live your life”. I really felt a lot of anxiety because she did not give me any new
noticing an uncomfortable bloating feeling in her stomach when her little ones would sit on tools, and the way I had been living my life before ended in my diagnosis of a life threating
her lap. Finally, she decided to check this out with her doctor. “I made an appointment with illness. I thought, I have exercised and eaten well my whole life. I did not manage my stress
my doctor. She had no idea what was going on so she ordered a cat scan. It was there or my emotions well though. I thought I need to learn more about the whole body and how
that they had found out that my appendix was perforated, and they told me that I had to go the mind/body/emotions and spirit work together to create harmony and optimal health.
directly to the emergency room for an emergency appendectomy. The surgery took a little Nadirah has recently introduced the "Goddess In Motion" Institute where she
longer than expected - for a routine appendectomy. The Doctor told me to make an appoint- teaches and empowers women worldwide to activate their feminine energy through dance/
ment in a week or two. The next week the Doctor called and said “How come you have not movement, holistic practices and self-development and leadership exercises. “Through
made your appointment?” And I told him that I felt great and that he had said a week or our services we train women to improve their body image, get in touch with their feminine
two so I thought I would come in next week.” He said “Can you come in tomorrow so I can essence (Inner Goddess), raise their self-confidence, develop holistic health practices,
go over the biopsy with you?” And my reply was “Yeah as long as you don’t tell me I have increase authentic self-expression and vitality, and release stuck energy that prevents them
cancer or I am dying.” To which his reply was “I cannot tell you anything over the phone”. I from fulfillment, passion and success in their professional business and personal lives. We
have no idea why I said what I said because I really felt great! And I was joking!” provide classes, workshops and at the moment are looking for women who would like to be
Nadirah was given the shocking news that her biopsy showed that she had Stage 4 a part of our Goddess In Motion Facilitator training program. Our goal is to transform over 1
Appendix or appendiceal cancer, an extremely rare form of cancer affecting an estimated million women’s lives this year! “
600 to 1,000 Americans each year. “I was in shock hearing the word cancer. I was always After spending time speaking with this amazing woman I don’t doubt that Nadirah can
told how healthy I was. I did not know anything about cancer. I thought cancer was not a accomplish anything she sets out to. I asked her how this experience has changed her life?
good word and I thought stage 4 did not sound so bad. I asked the doctor, ‘what does it The answer surprised me. “I would not be the happy, passionate, loving, fulfilled woman I
go to 10 or 100? He said no, 4 is the worst. I was in total shock at that time and all I could am today if I had not had that experience with cancer. Cancer saved my life! Cancer took
think about was my boys, and how I needed to get this out of my body so I can go back to me on a journey to self-love! And cancer shared with me the healing benefits of belly dance
living my life.” (sensual movement) first hand, and after I graduated from school with a degree in Holistic
With this rare type of cancer comes the rare chance of survival according to Nadirah. Health. I realized that belly dance and movement is a powerful holistic health tool. Belly
“I believe that the statistics are very grave for sufferers of my type of cancer. These patients dance is like Qi Gong, Tai Chi and yoga which promotes healing on all 4 levels: Mental,
are faced with a 90% death rate, except for individuals who have the HIPEC treatment which Physical, Emotional, Spiritual. My passion and purpose now includes sharing those benefits
I had done by Dr. Barone, oncology surgeon and appendix cancer specialist here in San through coaching, trainings and retreats with women around the world. I am also passionate
Diego. And I believe that there is an 80 percent success rate of people who have had about having belly dance/movement as a part of integrated health in hospitals, rehabs,
HIPEC. Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemoperfusion (HIPEC) is a surgical technique that schools and nursing homes. And that is why I am creating a facilitator program, because I
is used to treat these types of tumors. In HIPEC, surgeons may first debulk, or partially can’t do it alone. I am a cancer survivor who wants to remind you to live a life you love and
remove, the tumor prior to treating.Afterwards, the surgeon makes two small incisions and remember you have unlimited potential!”
inserts tubes: One to pump the heated chemotherapy solution into the patient’s body and To learn more about Nadirah and her programs email her at
one to circulate the fluid back to the heating equipment.Once the treatment begins, the nadirah.dances@gmail.com