You have probably asked yourself, “Why did I get this?” This key question is generally avoided by doctors or, at best, answered with “We are not sure”, or even more directly, “We don’t know”. Even when genetic mutations are found in the cancer cells, doctors cannot link this to a specific prior event, a toxic chemical, radiation exposure, too much stress…simply put, we cannot explain why the cancer cells developed these genetic changes in the first place.

The 3-box model is an extremely simple way of looking at your cancer. It puts the science to one side and is designed to show you the central role you have in your own treatment, in what is, after all, your life. The 3 boxes are:

1. the cancer
2. modern cancer treatment
3. where the cancer came from

I use the 3-box model to help people understand – without any scientific jargon – how the 3 boxes interact and why each person has a key part to play in their own recovery, as well as insight as to why the cancer happened at all. This model has a direction of travel, from the past – where the cancer came from – to the future, where you are moving towards…that is the 4th box! There is no going back to he past, “going back to (the old) normal”, as your life before the cancer is the path that led you to it in the first place.