Elle Macpherson is opening up for the first time about being diagnosed with breast cancer seven years ago, as well as her decision to eschew traditional cancer treatment in favor of a holistic approach. And while the 60-year-old admits that it might not be the choice for everyone, she also revealed that she's currently in clinical remission.
Macpherson details her cancer battle in a new self-titled book coming out in November, Elle: Life, Lessons, and Learning to Trust Yourself. In excerpts of the book published by Australian Women's Weekly, she says she learned of her diagnosis after undoing a lumpectomy. To treat her HER2 positive oestrogen receptive intraductal carcinoma, her doctor recommended a mastectomy with radiation, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and an eventual reconstruction of her breast.
"It was a shock, it was unexpected, it was confusing, it was daunting in so many ways," Macpherson recalls. "And it really gave me an opportunity to dig deep in my inner sense to find a solution that worked for me. I realized I was going to need my own truth, my belief system to support me through it. And that’s what I did. So, it was a wonderful exercise in being true to myself, trusting myself and trusting the nature of my body and the course of action that I had chosen."
After meeting with 32 doctors and medical experts, Macpherson eventually decided on "an intuitive, heart-led, holistic approach" for treatment of her cancer under the care of her primary doctor, who specializes in integrative medicine.
"I came to the understanding that there was no sure thing and absolutely no guarantees. There was no 'right' way, just the right way for me," the Australian model writes in her book. "I chose an holistic approach. Saying no to standard medical solutions was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. But saying no to my own inner sense would have been even harder."
"Sometimes an authentic choice from the heart makes no sense to others … but it doesn’t have to," she continues. "People thought I was crazy but I knew I had to make a choice that truly resonated with me. To me, that meant addressing emotional as well as physical factors associated with breast cancer. It was time for deep, inner reflection. And that took courage.”
Though, Macpherson admits that her sons Flynn and Cy, who were 19 and 14 years old at the time, were not exactly on board with her holistic plan.
"Cy simply thought that chemo kills you. And so he never wanted me to do it because he thought that was a kiss of death. Flynn, being more conventional, wasn’t comfortable with my choice at all," she explains. "He is my son, though, and would support me through anything and love me through my choices, even if he didn’t agree with them. My children were extremely supportive in their different ways but I knew they felt very scared."
Her sons' father, financier Arpad Busson, was likewise skeptical of her plan. "Of course he was scared because I’d decided not to take a conventional pharmaceutical route," Macpherson says. "He considered that extreme. I, on the other hand, felt the chemo and surgery route was extreme."
But despite the risks associated with holistic treatment, Macpherson reveals that she's now healthier than ever.
"In traditional terms, they’d say I’m in clinical remission, but I would say I’m in utter wellness. And I am!” she adds. "Truly, from every perspective, every blood test, every scan, every imaging test … but also emotionally, spiritually and mentally—not only physically. It’s not only what your blood tests say, it’s how and why you are living your life on all levels."
With any hope, Macpherson continues to remain cancer-free.
