Gail Rognan is on the telephone trying to have a conversation but each time she tries to talk, Brodie starts to bark.

Rognan attempts to comfort her canine companion, assuring him that there’s nothing outside to get excited about.

This happens several times, and on each occasion, Rognan maintains her soothing voice to calm him, apologizes for the inconvenience and ultimately laughs.

“He’s actually a sweetheart,” Rognan said. “He just has his barking fits.”

Rognan doesn’t sweat the small things anymore.

She’s learned to look at life differently and live more simply — in her case, in the comfort of a small cabin on a farm.

Four years ago, Rognan was diagnosed with breast cancer. Even though the tumor was found in only one breast, she chose to undergo a double mastectomy. Two years after the surgery, the tumor returned.

And after it was removed, it came back again.

The rollercoaster of emotions Rognan went through made her re-evaluate her life, make significant changes and attempt to take control of her own well-being.

She began to do extensive research about her illness and chose an unconventional path toward healing while also undergoing a spiritual reawakening.

She’s written a book about her journey, “I Lost Two Boobs and Gained Two Balls,” which shares her experience and offers support for others impacted by cancer.

“Cancer is a process you have to reverse,” said Rognan, 62. “Just because you cut out a tumor doesn’t mean you get rid of cancer.

“Cancer is the end result of a lot of stuff gone wrong, an imbalance. I believe it is a multi-faceted process. It’s complicated. I think it starts in the spiritual realm. There’s an imbalance, something wrong. It goes to an emotional level and manifests as a physical manifestation.”

Rognan opted against chemotherapy or radiation treatments. She’s chosen alternative health treatments such as reiki, a Japanese technique that channels energy and healing through touch.

She also meditates, exercises regularly and drastically changed her diet, taking away sugar, gluten and dairy while also taking supplements.

“For me I couldn’t just deal with the physical,” Rognan said. “I had to look at my whole life, where I got off track. I believe in God. I’m a very spiritual person. I had to look at the relationship there and see where it went wrong. I looked at my family relationships.

“I did a lot of work. I decided I would be healthy and whole no matter what happens physically. Whether it would cure me or not, I just wanted to heal myself.”

Through her journey, Rognan started writing down everything she discovered, which led to the idea of self-publishing her book.

She said by learning more, she was able to get over her fear of cancer, which she believes, has helped her heal.

Rognan won’t say she’s cancer-free, but she no longer feels the tumor that had returned.

She said she doesn’t judge anyone who opts for traditional treatments, adding that those treatments might be the best choice for some people.

For her, the natural and spiritual approach suited her best. She said she feels healthy and has energy. She started doing a job she wanted to do, caring for pets as the Pet Pal Lady.

Even though she said she’s not comfortable doing so, she said she’s compelled to speak to others about her journey and offer support.

Rognan will do a book signing from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 18 at Island Drug in Oak Harbor and another at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 22 at the Oak Harbor Library.

“I don’t ever give advice,” Rognan said. “I tell people to listen to their intuition. If you can get past the fear, your body is going to tell you what you need to do and you just follow it.”