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My 2nd Act came together by meeting so many women who didn’t have support while going through treatment. I wanted to find a way to help. Starting my charity, Girls Love Mail, combined my love for letters and my desire to encourage other women. It was one of those ah-ha moments.

I tend to dream big and my brain doesn’t seem to stop! I want to create a mind shift in the way we think about treating breast cancer, focusing more of our energy and resources on prevention. I want to help women and their loved ones not have to go through this horrifying disease!

There were a few dark moments, but what stands out is the not knowing. Would I live? Because inside I felt like I was dying, especially laying there in bed after a chemo treatment. So many questions, and I felt dark inside, with those closest to me not understanding what I was trying to say.

There are so many things that I have learned as a cancer survivor for which I am grateful, but perhaps the most important is understanding the importance of living an authentic life, being authentic and surrounding myself with authentic people.

Wasting time and energy is no longer tolerable to me. Dealing with people and issues who or that have no real purpose to promoting the greater good – love – are no longer a part of my life.

I recognized I had been given a 2nd Act, but shouldn’t stop there, not at mere acknowledgment. I needed to put it into verb-form: into action. I am now so much more appreciative and aware of life’s blessings, verbalizing it frequently. You quickly learn that it’s not about the what (what I do, what I have, what people think, what I accomplish), but rather the who that I have in my life (God, family, friends)!

The first was a dragonfly that graced me with its presence as I was going through treatment. It flew over my balcony, and repeatedly fluttered against my door as if trying to come in. I have never seen a dragonfly this close or act this way before. I now know that the dragonfly is the symbol of wisdom, change, and perhaps, the sign to live differently. This was a huge wake up call for me. It was what I needed to see to tell me it’s time to move forward, move on and accept the change that cancer has thrown into my life.

After being told I had a rare and incurable cancer, I decided to continue, and even increase, my efforts of sharing my gifts of learning, speaking, and communicating to serve others.

For me, that summer of my despair became the summer of my determination, because I believed I could make a difference in the lives of others.

Have you ever seen that greeting card with a little girl on the front, standing tall, legs splayed open hands on her hips that reads, “She thought she could so she did.”

As a Michigander, I claimed this quote from Henry Ford, “Whether you think you can or your can’t, you’re right.” I thought I could and I did, and you can too.

For me, that summer of my despair became the summer of my determination, because I believed I could make a difference in the lives of others.

Have you ever seen that greeting card with a little girl on the front, standing tall, legs splayed open hands on her hips that reads, “She thought she could so she did.”

As a Michigander, I claimed this quote from Henry Ford, “Whether you think you can or your can’t, you’re right.” I thought I could and I did, and you can too.

When I got the news was the darkest moment for me. Shock. Disbelief. Confusion. The emotions so common when we get the “news.” Even though it was 19 years ago, I remember what followed. I said to myself, “I will get through this. I will be well.” I remember thinking, “Now is the time to use every single ounce of strength, all my inner resource and knowledge to become well.” I was more determined than I had ever been in my life.

Fortunately, I was one of those “lucky” ones. My cancer was slow growing and caught early. But I would tell my pre-cancer self (and have actually apologized to others affected by cancer before I knew better) – that there is nothing good about cancer. Nothing. There is no “good” cancer. I would be more compassionate with cancer patients and their families. I would be more patient, a better listener, and a more giving friend to anyone cancer impacts.

After three perfect strangers reached out to me when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I felt a deep need to pay it forward. They shared their stories and it made all the difference for me to be to come out of despair and begin to heal. They helped me learn first hand the power of sharing one’s story. And that is why I created the magazine.