Since being diagnosed with breast cancer in early 2001, Birmingham news anchor Brenda Ladun has put a public face on the disease by bringing personal experience and cutting-edge research to her viewers.
Now she is sharing more of her journey in an upcoming book and DVD project, “Behind the Scenes of Breast Cancer: A News Anchor Tells Her Story of Body and Soul Recovery.”
From the beginning, Ladun has been open about her illness and how her faith helped her deal with her diagnosis and treatment. In 2002, the 20-year veteran of news reporting and anchoring wrote “Getting Better, Not Bitter: A Spiritual Prescription for Breast Cancer.” That first book detailed the challenges of living with breast cancer and examined how each step of the journey strengthened Ladun’s faith in God.
Now as a survivor who has been cancer-free for five years, Ladun wants to give her readers the benefit of what she has learned about recovery.
“I had this great eye-opening experience with the Lord getting me through this tough time, and this book is about how the Lord carries us through and continues to grow us,” said Ladun, a member of Hunter Street Baptist Church, Hoover, in Birmingham Baptist Association.
In “Behind the Scenes of Breast Cancer,” set for release in September from New Hope Publishers, Ladun shares not only her personal experiences but also stories from others dealing with seemingly insurmountable health obstacles.
These stories of physical healing and spiritual growth have come from people at work, church, community and school events and speaking engagements sharing testimony of the miracles God has done in their lives, she said. The stories were encouraging to her, and she hopes that she can encourage others by sharing them with a broader audience.
“At one time or another, we’re all going to have to walk through that fire, but if we hold on to the Lord’s hand, we won’t get burned,” Ladun said. “These stories just put an exclamation point on how God’s glory can carry us through.”
Through the stories featured in the book, Ladun offers insight into the importance of faith during recovery, said New Hope managing editor Joyce Dinkins.
“Brenda’s new book really focuses on the spiritual journey during the five years after the diagnosis,” Dinkins said. “She is very real in what she shares about her spiritual journey through the years, as well as her struggles with her physical recovery.”
The physical aspects of recovery are the major theme of the DVD that comes with each copy of the book. For the DVD, Ladun interviewed several experts who work closely with breast cancer patients, including a physical therapist, massage therapist, personal trainer, registered dietician, swim instructor and plastic surgeon. The advice and information these experts provide teach women that they can be even better after surgery than they were before, Ladun said.
“I was blessed to have very good, godly doctors who spent time explaining things to me,” she said. “I also sought information as a reporter and found advice that really helped.”
For example, one post-surgery condition Ladun focuses on in the DVD is lymphedema, a swelling of the arm that sometimes happens after surgery to remove lymph nodes. Without proper care and exercise, lymphedema can cause serious infection and loss of motion in the arm, a condition known as “frozen shoulder.”
Ladun felt led to address this condition after meeting a woman at a speaking engagement who was stricken with it.
“She was never given the information about how to get therapy, so she just didn’t know what to do,” Ladun said. “I felt the Lord was saying, ‘You’ve got all this great information; now share it with others.’”
Other topics covered in the DVD include eating well, improving posture, dealing with stress and prayer walking, which helped Ladun return to her daily routine as a working wife and mother to three active boys.
“It’s fun and conversational but it’s all factual information that God used to show me all the things I could do after cancer,” she said.
Ladun sees the world of breast cancer as her missions field and hopes this book will give hope to those who read it. Most importantly, she wants readers to know they are not alone in facing their struggles, whatever they may be.
“When human beings tell us we can’t do something, we tend to believe them. But then there’s the Lord with this infinite power,” Ladun said. “Trusting Him in the big things, but also with the little things, would give us a lot more peace.”
For more information, visit www.wmustore.com or call 1-800-295-6536.
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