Finding My Way Home: A Journey of Healing and Renewal

As I move into the final phase of my treatment and begin preparing to return to work, I wanted to reconnect with our beautiful Radiant Chi community.

Some of you knew the reasons for my sudden medical leave; for others, I simply stepped quietly away. I did this to preserve my energy and focus privately on healing. As health practitioners, we hold space for others’ wellbeing — but when we face our own health crisis, that balance can shift. Stepping back allowed me to ensure everyone at Radiant Chi continued receiving the quality of care they deserve, while giving myself permission to heal deeply without dividing my energy.

The weeks that followed were a blur: emotionally and physically exhausting, filled with appointments, scans, and tests. Behind the scenes, I was trying to keep everything at Radiant Chi running smoothly with new faces, while facing a breast cancer diagnosis that evolved with every new result.

Radiant Chi has always been more than a business to me, it’s like another child: a living extension of care, connection, and purpose. Learning that I would need to step away for longer than I’d imagined was heartbreaking. My diagnosis, an aggressive invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), triple positive (fed by estrogen, progesterone, and the HER2 protein) had already spread microscopically to my Liver, meaning an advanced diagnosis. This meant there really was only one path forward: chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and an aggressive surgery (which would allow me to avoid radiation later).

At first, that was an incredibly difficult truth to face. As an Allied Health Practitioner, my instinct has always been to seek gentle, supportive approaches. Chemotherapy felt like the very thing I’d spent years helping others recover from. I also know that healing isn’t about choosing sides or a particular path of medicine being best — healing is often the most powerful with integrative approaches, best outcomes often come from blending Western (allopathic) medicine’s precision with Eastern (complimentary) medicine’s deep understanding and wisdom of the body’s innate intelligence.

Chemotherapy and immunotherapy became the tools to halt the process and to quiet the biological “switches” that were stuck in overdrive, while Chinese medicine, acupuncture, herbs, nutrition, rest, and emotional regulation helped my body remember how to heal.

Cancer, to me, is not something to “fight.” It’s the body’s final cry for balance, not an enemy, but a message. Nothing our body does is against us; it’s always seeking homeostasis. When we stop seeing illness as betrayal and instead as communication, we open the door to deep healing.

Allopathic medicine helped stabilise my body, while complementary care allowed me to stay connected to myself and support my body in recovering from those demanding protocols. Those complimentary treatments were my lifeline through the hardest months, and I know they are the reason my body has been able to find its rhythm and rejuvenate so well in the weeks since chemotherapy ended.

Thank you to Dan, Sarah, and Colleen at Radiant Chi; Di at Integrative IV; Lina at Ramsay Health Psychology; and Myriam at Aurora Therapeutics — your medicine was the soothing balm my body needed.

To Dr. Powell and the Joondalup Oncology team — your care, compassion, and respect for my integrative approach restored my faith in how allopathic medicine can hold patients with love. Together, we achieved what we hoped for — no signs of active cancer. ❤️

Right now, I’m in the six-week pause between chemotherapy and surgery, back in the care of Dr. Anitha K at SCGH Breast Clinic, another amazing specialist who has further restored my faith in allopathic care. I’m allowing my body to recover before the next step, when Dr. Timms (Plastics) and Dr. Anitha K will perform a 10–12 hour surgery to remove what remains of the treated tumour and begin reconstruction.

Recovery after surgery will take around three months, and my plan is to return to clinical practice gradually in February 2026, bringing with me a renewed depth and understanding of how we can support the body through chronic illness and regeneration. During this time, I’ll continue my ongoing care with Dr. Anitha K, Dr. Timms, Dr. Powell, and the Joondalup Oncology team, including around six more months of immune therapy and any minor follow-up surgeries that may be required.

This next phase is about rebuilding, restoring what’s been depleted, rebuilding my immune and organ function, and creating the terrain that keeps me well.

We know that around 75% of cancers are influenced by environmental and lifestyle factors, which means we hold great power in prevention and recovery. That’s not about blame, it’s about empowerment. We can’t control every outcome, but we can shape the terrain our body lives in.

So, I’m choosing to trust my body’s wisdom, to support its path back to balance optimally and to continue blending the best of both medical worlds: science and spirit, medicine and energy, discipline and grace.

Thank you for your patience, care, and the love that has continued to flow in from all of you.

To my family — my Geoff, for being my number one carer, learning new things in the kitchen, and keeping me nourished and loved through it all; to my Kian, my little human who somehow grew so much during this time and now wraps me in the biggest hugs (and to his Dad, for his love and support); to my Mum, my crazy, wonderful clan, and my extended family of dear friends and the Radiant Chi team — thank you for surrounding me with love, hope, and laughter when I needed it most.

Natalie and her partner Geoff

Natalie with her son Kian

Natalie out in nature October 2025 following her chemotherapy as she returns to optimal health

I can’t wait to return to the space we all love and to continue helping others reconnect with their body’s innate ability to heal. I look forward to seeing familiar and new faces in 2026.

Over the coming months, I’ll be focused on quiet, private healing, though I may occasionally share reflections for those walking similar paths. Please know your kind messages and thoughts are always felt and deeply appreciated, even if I’m unable to reply to everyone personally. The clinic will continue to be held with the same care and intention that it always has.

With love and gratitude, Natalie x

Natalie Bailey is a registered Chinese Medicine practitioner (Acupuncturist) and founder of Radiant Chi, integrating Traditional Chinese Medicine with modern approaches to whole-body healing.