If life you gives you lemons, make lemonade. That has always been my philosophy and it has certainly served my family and I well, no pun intended. Being a native Long Islander, the decision to move from New York to Orlando was not a rash one, but rather one created by the sheer desire to give my family a better quality of life. As much as I enjoyed my time in New York, life on Long Island was extremely difficult for each member of my growing family. To be honest, living in the second-highest taxed county in the nation was one of the main reasons my family relocated to the sunny (save for summer afternoons, which seem dedicated to thunderstorms)... [Read more]

My life has always been about teaching others; I just now execute that skill through another profession. As a scuba instructor, I was used to a classroom setting in the water. Today, I stand on dry land (well, kneel actually) over a manikin as I demonstrate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to students seeking certification of these life-saving skills. This second career was an unexpected, yet heartfelt, decision after I earned a different type of label - heart attack survivor. Last year, I was shocked when I suffered a major heart attack at just 47 years of age. I knew I might be at risk because I’m a former smoker and also have a strong... [Read more]

It was December 2008 and I was ready to wrap up the year with a nice Christmas vacation with my family. Unfortunately, one week before Christmas I was told that my position at work was eliminated. I work in marketing and communications and have been laid-off before; and I was very fortunate to find a new position fairly quickly. But, the marketplace and economy were never like this. I was frightened about the financial impact this would have on my family. Since 2008, Michelle Matura Hentzell has changed her career and life dramatically due to the economy. Photo provided by Rick Zimmer with Absolute Photography. My 2009 started in a very rough... [Read more]

Imagine a World with Less Cancer and More Birthdays. My life changed when I heard the word cancer. Looking back I remember when this whole thing started. Two weeks before finding out I had cancer I was easily fatigued and bruised easily. So on July 4, 2010 I went to the emergency room and blood work quickly showed something was deeply wrong. In the ER, they warned me of the possibilities. The next morning, I found out it was Leukemia, most likely Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).  This was confirmed later that day by a Bone Marrow Biopsy. With a diagnoses of AML they don’t let you go home; treatment (Induction Chemo) had to be started immediately,... [Read more]

Little did I realize that converting my home to “green products” would be such a life changing experience for my family and I. Going back to when I was a small child, I have always suffered with Asthma. I remember my mother would make frequent trips to the doctor and the hospital, if not monthly, at least every other month. History repeated itself when my second child, my son, was born eleven weeks early because I developed preeclampsia. The doctor warned me that he could develop asthma - which he did. We struggled a lot with his attacks in New York, so we decided to move to Florida, away from the cold weather to see if this would... [Read more]