You Are Not Your Diagnosis

Book excerpt: You Are Not Your Diagnosis is Delmastro-Thomson's inspiring and emotional story of being mis-diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 25. We meet the author at the time of her diagnosis, when she believed she was a healthy young woman scheduled to have elective surgery. Instead, she describes how she was dropped down the rabbit hole of the Western Medical system when pre-op bloodwork showed some very alarming abnormalities. Delmastro-Thomson paints a vivid picture of the diagnostic process, the emotional moment of her diagnosis, and the life-altering ripples that this moment created in her life. The second part of the book reflects on the key lessons the author learned during the six years following her initial diagnosis. Delmastro-Thomson offers readers insights into topics like how diagnosis can become one's identity and how to transform that pattern, how the words we use to talk about our health have power, and the power of our minds for either healing or staying where we are. The final section of the book offers the reader several simple practices to begin to incorporate the lessons offered by the book into their own lives.