National Caregivers Day: Honoring the Ones Who Step Forward

Behind nearly every cancer journey, there is a caregiver.

• A daughter researching late into the night.

• A spouse learning new medical language.

• A friend organizing appointments and asking harder questions than anyone else will.

• A Terrain Advocate who listens deeply and helps make sense of overwhelming information.

• A Terrain Practitioner who becomes part of the steady support system.

On National Caregivers Day, we pause to honor the individuals who walk beside patients — often quietly carrying enormous emotional and logistical weight.

At the Metabolic Terrain Institute of Health, we recognize that healing is rarely a solo journey. Caregivers are part of the terrain too.

From Caregiver to Advocate

In 2017, Michelle Ciavola’s mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Like so many families, they were blindsided. Within days, they were making life-altering decisions with little clarity — and even fewer answers.

When they were told the cancer was simply “bad luck,” Michelle felt compelled to look deeper.

Her search led her to The Metabolic Approach to Cancer™ and to a new understanding: that cancer is often a metabolic process influenced by terrain — the internal environment of the body.

Working alongside a terrain-trained physician, Michelle helped her mother implement metabolic and lifestyle strategies during surgery, chemotherapy, and recovery. They assessed her mother’s whole terrain — nutrition, inflammation, stress, metabolic markers — and made steady, intentional changes.

The results were powerful. Her mother navigated treatment with minimal lasting side effects and emerged healthier than she had been in years.

Witnessing that transformation changed Michelle’s path.

She completed intensive Terrain Advocate training and now supports other families navigating the same overwhelm she once faced.

Caregivers Change the Conversation

Caregivers often become:

• Researchers
• Advocates in exam rooms
• Coordinators of care
• Nutrition planners
• Emotional anchors

Michelle’s journey reminds us that caregivers are not passive observers. They are powerful participants in the healing process — often guiding the shift toward more empowered, terrain-centered care.

To the Caregivers Reading This

If you are supporting someone you love:

• You are seen.

• Your curiosity matters.

• Your exhaustion is valid.

• Your advocacy is powerful.

• You do not have to have everything figured out.

• You do not have to carry it alone.

On this National Caregivers Day, we honor you — not just for what you do, but for how you show up.

Caregivers are part of the healing story.

And you are not alone.

About Michelle Ciavola

Michelle Ciavola is a Certified Terrain Advocate. Through her work, she helps bridge the gap between practitioner and patient — partnering with individuals to implement personalized metabolic and terrain-based healing plans created by terrain-trained providers.

From sourcing supplements and ordering lab work to supporting low-carb or ketogenic diet transitions and meaningful lifestyle changes, Michelle’s goal is to alleviate overwhelm and help individuals feel confident navigating their healing journey.

To learn more about Michelle’s work, visit https://www.metaboliccancercoach.com/.

This Community Spotlight is shared as part of MTIH’s ongoing effort to highlight trusted advocates and lived experiences within the metabolic health community. Michelle’s work is independently operated and not an MTIH program.