Valerie Bourdain spent nearly a decade caring for three family members who were suffering from cancer. When the last one died, Valerie realized she was the one who needed help.
In a span of five years, Nebraska native Valerie Bourdain lost her daughter to adrenal cancer, her mother to lung cancer and her father to Chronic Lymphomatic Leukemia (CLL). Midway through their daughter’s cancer journey, Valerie's husband left the marriage. Valerie forged ahead. But as the sole caregiver for all three family members, her weight and blood pressure soared to dangerously high levels. Finally, she was motivated to get healthy so her grown son wouldn’t have to care for her later in life. As Valerie slowly rebuilt her life, and her body with the help of a fitness and nutrition coach, she also began working on a memoir titled, "Put Up Your Umbrella: Finding Shelter in the Storm of Cancer." Tune in for an incredible story of resilience, reinvention and learnings along the way.
Note: this episode first aired August 18, 2016 . We have an update at the end of the show.
For a transcript of the episode as it originally aired, click here: Transcript
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What is Adrenal cancer?
Music:
“Always Late” by Ketsa | CC BY NC ND | Free Music Archive
“I can see daylight again” by Dlay | CC BY NC ND | Free Music Archive