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The Other Side Of Breast Cancer: 3 Years Later

Breast cancer permanently changed my life three years ago today. Each year I spend time thinking about my experience. In a weird way, I think I might even be happier now.  Read my thoughts about life on the ‘other side…

Visit Beijing China: 8 tips for a smooth experience

After a ton of research, we were ready to see the best of Beijing! We had our smog masks and hand sanitizers ready. However, I don’t think any amount of research could have prepared us for the smog, the intense traffic congestion, and the number of people in Beijing spitting on the ground.  In fact you need to be very very comfortable with your…

5 Things to Do after a Cancer Diagnosis

1.  Get multiple opinions and choose your breast surgeon wisely
When I received my cancer diagnosis, I needed to quickly find a breast surgeon and reconstructive surgeon. I reached out to friends who had traveled this journey, friends in the medical industry, and of course the internet. I felt fortunate to live in a city with some of the best medical care in … Read…

8 reasons Tavarua Island will steal your heart

We’re often asked what our favorite place is we’ve visited, and it’s so hard to answer… there are the city trips, the wonders of the world, the exotic trips…. BUT…. If you had one place to visit in your lifetime and asked me where to go…. I’d absolutely tell you to RUN not walk to our heart shaped heaven, Tavarua Island…

Ten Cool Facts About Easter Island’s Moai Statues

The mystery surrounding Easter Island’s massive Moai statues is what brings most visitors.  There are many theories, but it is still unknown today exactly why they were carved or how these massive stones were transported around the island.
1. The Moai statues on Easter Island all face inward
Legend has it that the Polynesian people who built the Moai – the Rapa Nui…

5 Reasons to Visit Easter Island Now

We knew visiting the Moai sites on Easter Island would be breathtaking, however, seeing them in person was truly a spiritual experience…

10 Lessons Learned From Breast Cancer

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I never dreamed it would all be so complicated. I also didn’t realize I’d have to make decisions that would affect my ‘survival rate’ or ‘cancer recurrence rate.’ I thought a team of doctors would tell me what to do. Everybody I met had a different opinion, and ultimately, I had to…

Mastectomy: What You Can Expect

So I was just given a cancer diagnosis … now what? After receiving my breast cancer diagnosis in late March, I quickly scheduled consults with breast and reconstructive surgeons. I needed to remove these vile, growing, tumors, STAT! I wanted multiple opinions, and as I quickly discovered, there wasn’t a ‘one size fits all’ to breast cancer. I’d need to remove the tumors, have…

Diagnosed with Breast Cancer…What Now?

My world as I knew it changed on March 27, 2015. I was a 43-year-old mom of two very active boys, wife of 17 years to Hot Hubby, active, non-smoker, with no family history of cancer. We work hard and play hard. Perfect right? Turns out that none of that mattered when I was unexpectedly diagnosed with breast cancer.
After my diagnosis…

What Every Breast Cancer Survivor Wishes You Knew

April 29th is just another day for most people, however for me it is filled with crazy emotions. Two years ago my life and body changed forever when I had two cancerous tumors removed, both breasts, and 13 lymph nodes. I am grateful for each day that I get to walk on this earth, however, I will never be the same again. I mean &hellip…