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An excerpt from Lisa's story:

"The guiding light of my family is helping me through. I know they are as afraid as I am, but they do not let me see their fears. The tables turned and they have become my cheerleaders. From the fun, silly party in my honor the night before surgery to the hand holding through each chemo session, they made me smile. They made me fight harder than I believed I could. And they continue to be my source of strength as I navigate the post-treatment portion of this yellow brick road. I also have a 3-month-old grandchild now which has given me even more to fight for.

My family has grown recently with the addition of my pink sister community who continually show me compassion, empathy and share success stories to help with my struggle. My guess is that they do not realize how much they have positively impacted me. The love, laughter and tears at times have taught me lessons that are invaluable to reaching my goal of living each second of every day in joy.

Although I am still working on letting go of fear, I am having more good days than bad, and I allow myself grace if I slip into darkness for a bit. I feel I can see Emerald City and am ready to click my heels three times, however my slippers will be pink instead of red."

Thank you to our sponsor, Dr. Martha Stewart, Board Certified Dermatologist.
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Still I Rise features stories from You Night's STORY CRAFTING COMMUNITY. To read additional stories, visit our Facebook page:

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An excerpt from Pam's Story:

"While this is one of the hardest moments of my life, there are some beautiful chapters in between. At the age of 24, I married my husband and had two amazing children. In my experience some people become their past and carry on the behavior in which they were raised or they become the exact opposite. I chose the latter. I made it my mission to be the best wife and mother I could be and to give my children a life that I only dreamed of. I made it to nearly every football game, dance competition, softball game, and every academic ceremony. My children are grown now, both are college graduates, and my daughter recently got married. My children have always been my world and will continue to be.

A word, a date, and a place rewrote my expectations for chapter 55. I was driving home and received a call from my doctor. I didn’t know that this would be another life changing call. She asked me to pull over and she uttered the words, “You have cancer.” The word cancer has boundless meanings for everyone, and my mind was filled with racing thoughts. Thankfully, I was diagnosed with stage 1 invasive ductal carcinoma. I told my husband and children about my diagnosis, but I tried to hide the fear. I kept myself busy trying not to think of all the possible outcomes. However, the Lord saw my tears at night and heard my every prayer.

March 14th of 2024 was the day I had my double mastectomy with reconstructive surgery. My family will now say how scared they all were because they didn’t know the extent of the surgery. I woke up in room 3012, ten hours later with two of those hours in recovery trying to stabilize my blood pressure. I don’t really remember anything from the first few days except for the pain. I have truly never been in pain like that, and it was jarring looking at my body for the first time with so many connecting scars that looked like a road map. Thankfully, a week later I was told that my cancer had not spread to my lymph nodes and that I did not have to have radiation or chemotherapy. I do, however, have to take medication for five years since the cancer was estrogen receptive. While the side effects are challenging, I am grateful that most of my racing thoughts did not come true.

Since then, I have physically recovered, but I am still working on my emotional recovery. I am so thankful to have a loving family and a Savior that never left my side. Another source of comfort has been being a part of the Sheroes group. I have met the most resilient, brave, and strong women that are actually real-life superheroes. They help me to see the silver lining and to know my book isn’t over."

Thank you to our sponsor, Dr. Martha Stewart, Board Certified Dermatologist.
Please SUBSCRIBE to this podcast so that you can be inspired by future interviews!

Support the show

Still I Rise features stories from You Night's STORY CRAFTING COMMUNITY. To read additional stories, visit our Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/YouNightStories. Would you like to participate in a 6-week Story Crafting small group experience so that you can share your story? Write to us at teamyounight@gmail.com

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Excerpt from Brenda's story:

"In navigating through life’s turbulent waters, where uncertainty clouded my path, my girls were my beacons of light amid the storm. They guided me towards my purpose when I didn’t think I had one. Amanda and Caitlin will always be my every heartbeat, my every breath, my two reasons, my shining lights, my entire world.

Today, our team of three has grown and I am the luckiest mommy and mimi on this planet. My family is and always will be my beacon of love, hope, positivity, and light. My faith also helped me immensely. God’s power can make things that seem impossible possible. I am truly blessed.

The lesson? Persevere through the pain and swim toward victory over those things that stand against you. Life is a struggle. It is a continuing battle, and it takes perseverance to go the distance. As a result of my cancer journey, I am stronger than I was before. I’m not saying that I don’t worry about the cancer returning, but I am eternally thankful for each new day I am given. I realize every day is a gift. I try to follow the simple advice of my favorite Disney fish, Dory, “Just keep swimming!”

Thank you to our sponsor, Dr. Martha Stewart, Board Certified Dermatologist.
Please SUBSCRIBE to this podcast so that you can be inspired by future interviews!

Support the show

Still I Rise features stories from You Night's STORY CRAFTING COMMUNITY. To read additional stories, visit our Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/YouNightStories. Would you like to participate in a 6-week Story Crafting small group experience so that you can share your story? Write to us at teamyounight@gmail.com