Alexis Acker-Halbur has survived cancer and diabetes, loss, childhood abuse, rape and sexual exploitation. Her book, Never Give Up: Break the Connection Between Stress and Illness provides stories and tools for making meaning out of life’s events. Alex has her master’s degree in writing and is a communications and writing professional. In her career, she has worked in the health care, financial and retail fields. She volunteers at Well Within, a nonprofit holistic wellness resource center, and currently serves on their board of directors.

Alex begins by describing the Never Give Up program she currently offers monthly at Well Within, a program that helps people deal with various loss and stressful situations. Over 20,000 studies show that stress weakens our immune system and contribute to over 2/3 of visits to physician offices. After enduring much stress, loss and challenges in her own life, Alex had a dream that helped her understand the connection between these events and her various illnesses, including a recurrence of stage four colon cancer.

She then shares the traumatic effects of enduring sexual and physical violence, including as a child. While being treated for colon cancer, she had two near-death experiences that affirmed her faith and provided comfort during that frightening time in her life. She is now committed to helping others deal with their own life challenges and shares some of her favorite coping techniques.

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NOTE: Alex will give a presentation at the second annual Becoming Well Within Conference for Cancer Survivors and Those Who Love Them, sponsored by Well Within. For more information about this conference, located near St. Paul, MN, please visit http://wellwithin.org/special-events/. Scholarships are available.