‘Cancer, cannabis and me’ – Patient’s moving blog about her journey with stage 4 cancer

Medical cannabis patient, Teresa Baker writes about her experience with incurable cancer, cannabis and motherhood in an emotional blog to raise awareness.

Teresa Baker, who was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 30 and has been battling the condition for more than a decade, is determined to document her experiences to help other patients who may be suffering and are considering medical cannabis. 

Speaking with Cannabis Health News, the mother-of-one explains her reasons for starting her blog, Cancer, Cannabis and Me.

“We all know that cancer is awful but there has to be a balance between fighting cancer and living,” says Terri.

“I have been fighting cancer for 12 years now and it never gets easier. What you do is learn is how to manage life when you are living with an incurable disease. I have had the pleasure of doing a few podcasts for friends, interviews on the radio and videos for the medical cannabis company that has helped me.

“I always feel like there is more I could do which led me to starting the blog and my Instagram account. I wanted to create a life through a lens situation.”

Teresa’s blog is an honest and detailed account of her battle with cancer, her treatments and being a mother to her two-year-old daughter.

Teresa shares photos and posts about her treatments including chemotherapy and her struggles with neuropathy. However, it’s not all negative as Teresa finds the humour in situations familiar to lots of patients with difficult conditions that are forced to think creatively about their daily routines. 

She encourages others not to give up.

Teresa says: “It’s been pretty brutal so far because of the first round of side-effects. My oncologist is going to drop the chemotherapy slightly to help with the extreme sickness I have experienced which will help me to live a balanced life. When you are given a diagnosis of incurable, it is really easy for not only yourself but others to see you as someone who is dying but in truth, we are all dying, it’s just a matter of timing.”

She adds: “You have to change your mindset to not just living with, but fighting against cancer. Every day is a choice to fight, to see your child grow up, to see your family, to watch that sunrise, to have that cuddle with your partner that lets you know you are loved.”

“That’s why I’m doing this. So that people know, it is awful but there is always hope and there is always life if you can fight for it.”

Cancer, medical cannabis and me

Teresa was diagnosed with stage four cancer last June after it was discovered in different parts of her body. She turned to medical cannabis to help with the pain and nausea of chemotherapy.

“I would be wiped out for two or three days which is difficult when you have a two-year-old,” she says.

“I was having to get up in the night to make sure she is okay because only wanted mommy. Being a mum never stops, even when you are sick.”

Teresa decided to start with alternative therapies including CBD along with a diet change to veganism.  

“A friend of mine who had lung cancer asked if I had ever tried cannabis before. So she grew me some as I was struggling to get to sleep. She said if you aren’t sleeping, then you aren’t healing. One day I was so ill that I just thought, I’m going to try it. I did and slept the longest that I had in two years.”

She adds: “There were studies that show it may help your appetite, anxiety and sleep. Not only are there studies that suggest it helps with cancer cells, but I also wouldn’t need Diazepam to help me sleep. I wouldn’t need Codeine to help me through the day. Just having the CBD oil seemed to me, a much better option as it was natural, so I found an oncologist who agreed with me.”

Teresa discovered that switching to tinctures helped her to consume her medication more easily as the tumours spread to her lungs.

“I use tinctures so that I don’t have to use a vaporiser because it’s gone to my lungs as well. I need my lungs to be as strong as possible so my doctor was happy with me taking the tincture form,” she says.

“This is perfect for me as it sits in my fridge, it is away from my daughter. She knows it’s mummy’s medicine and that it helps me to sleep. She knows that mummy is in pain and has cancer, and she knows this helps mummy.”

Read more: Cannabis and cancer: It lets me hold on to my dignity a little longer.