Cancer is a disease. The illness is everything around the cancer - side-effects from treatment, fatigue, sleeplessness, stress, fear, grief, etc. Use healing guided imagery to begin to create a sanctuary inside to help reduce the illness and learn to balance your emotions and responses. Guided imagery also can help to prepare for surgery, reduce side effects of chemo and radiation. Check out Journey into Deep Relaxation as a CD - it's the most popular/helpful recording used by CRC in Northern California. I hope it helps you along your journey. Blessings, Doreen