I now have two dates each year that are personally meaningful. The first being a true celebration of life, my birthday, and the second is the anniversary of being cancer-free.

I am a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother, a friend and now I am a Survivor. My cancer has changed not only my life, but the lives of those around me. My faith and a wonderful support system gave me the strength and courage to fight this disease and helped me teach my daughters how to triumph over adversity.

My personal story with breast cancer is an example of why things happen for a reason. Had my husband not been laid off from his employer, then I might not have found my cancer at an early stage. It was because he lost his job and we were going to lose our family medical benefits that I went for my annual pelvic/breast exam several months earlier than scheduled. The skilled nurse practitioner found the “marble” in my breast. I did self breast exams and had yearly mammograms! How can this be?

Immediate treatment choices were made resulting in four surgeries and chemotherapy - all within an eight month time period. The doctor appointments, the myriad of tests and the multiple surgeries were all very difficult and complex. The side effects from the drugs and loss of hair were sobering facts of the disease to say the least. My cancer crisis was further complicated by a year of health insurance issues and family unemployment.

Since the beginning of my diagnosis however, I have chosen to be very open with the details of my cancer. I share my personal journey with those who ask and I am able to educate them by being so forthcoming. By retelling my story, I hope to empower others affected by cancer, illness and hardship.

For me, “healing” is much more than just physical.  Education, community, volunteering, faith and family are some of the ways that I have regained my strength. I now travel to national conferences and events for breast cancer survivors. These trips have allowed me the opportunity to meet many strong, compassionate and inspirational people. From the most recent research, to the various treatment options and even the post-cancer aftercare - there is much to be learned, thus enabling me to teach others more about breast cancer.

I believe that we help ourselves when we help others. Connecting with my community on all levels and volunteering has been an important part of my personal healing process. From the beginning, being involved with the Susan G. Komen Central Florida Affiliate has been very rewarding. I have gladly participated and help to raise thousands of dollars locally for both the annual “Race for a Cure” and also “The Chair Affair”. They ask me often to be part of other fundraising events in the greater Orlando area and I am always honored to do so.

My faith, family and friends played the strongest role in my recovery.  Prayers for my healing from all my family and friends truly made a difference.  Our temple congregation stepped forward to assist however they could. The generosity that our wonderful friends and neighbors bestowed upon us will never be forgotten. The journey through cancer or any illness can be stressful and having a strong support system undeniably helped ease the pain and fears for all of us.

To all my family, my friends and medical teams who helped me through those difficult times - thank you for your love, prayers, respect, compassion and devotion to my healing.

Would you like to learn more about how you can Race for the Cure and UKNIGHT in PINK for a great cause this month? Visit www.KomenCentralFlorida.org to learn how you can participate, donate and help fight this terrible disease.

Article by Judy Procell

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) Central Florida.

As a parent, educator and craft enthusiast, I’ve always wanted the best life has to offer for my family. With that said, first and foremost, quality education was at the forefront of my mind. Moss Park Elementary was clearly the choice for our family. Call it Déjà vu, but when my husband and I first set foot inside the majestic, atrium-styled lobby we knew that this was where we wanted our children to grow, learn and become their own individuals. It just felt right. The Lake Nona area has been an incredible community to call home and we couldn’t be happier living here.

While we were diligently putting endless hours into turning our house into our home when we first moved last year, summer turned into fall and before we knew it, winter was already upon us. Our first Christmas in our Florida home was also our first Christmas away from our New York one. The feeling was bittersweet. A holiday without snow seemed so strange to us. Somehow palm trees just didn’t quite fit the bill. Fortunately for us we moved into the perfect neighborhood! An array of endless lights for as far as the eye could see and ongoing neighborly acts of kindness truly filled our hearts with joy, making it one of, if not the most, magical Christmas we could recall. Thankfully for us, that feeling of holiday cheer, or what I consider “community” has remained long after the winter season ended.

Being a mother of two elementary-aged children, I want to be there for my children every step of the way, and yet also be there for my new found community. Giving back, even in a small way, is truly what life is about for me. This summer I founded my very own company, www.aDYEnamicEVENT.com, a colorful, hands-on, tie-dye T-shirt business that has as many facets to it as the wearable artwork created by its customers. It’s fun, it’s creative and it allows me to spend time with my kids. It’s really a win-win-win. On top of that, fundraising for local events and schools is yet another dye-namic avenue that has allowed me to give back to the community.

I take great pride in partnering my business venture through the Orange County Public School District, through their Partners in Education program. Partners in Education is a vital program in helping the community and the school system work and grow together. In fact, it’s one of the best things I’ve done, both for my business and my personal life. Principal Irma Moss of Moss Park Elementary and her wonderful, professional staff together with my DYEnamic team of creative moms, students and staff members are truly the foundation to creating an unparalleled sense of community here in our new home.

I am so thankful to everyone in my adopted community for filling up my glass of lemonade. Cheers!

Article by Christine Fox

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 family history of cardiovascular disease. My mother, father, uncle and grandfather all experienced heart issues, including sudden cardiac arrest and various heart procedures. Still, I dismissed my own symptoms for months including body aches and shortness of breath.

Anticipating that a cardiac event may be in my future, I scheduled an EKG just as a precaution. My results came back with an abnormal reading; so I took the next step by scheduling a stress test. But I never got to take it. Just two days before the planned assessment, I attempted to lead a scuba class as usual but it would turn out to be anything but an ordinary day at work. My equipment had never felt so heavy and I gasped for air. I was having a heart attack!

I was treated at a local hospital and underwent quadruple bypass surgery to correct the massive blockages in my arteries to restore proper blood flow throughout my body. I worked to rebuild my strength and heal my body through cardiac rehabilitation and the support of family including my five children, ages 8 to 28.

Following my cardiac event, I immediately knew how lucky I was to have made a full recovery, especially since other members of my family were not as fortunate. Doctors saved my life with procedures and research developed by the American Heart Association. I felt a calling to give back and committed to helping others surrounding heart health. I became an American Heart Association certificated CPR instructor and joined the team of Linde ProHealth Associates, a CPR training center serving multiple cities in Florida. It’s empowering to teach others about prevention, how to recognize the warning signs and how to save a life during a cardiac emergency.

Would you know how to save a life? Anyone can learn how to perform CPR - you can take a class, learn at home or use Hands-Only CPR. If you see an adult suddenly collapse and you haven’t been trained or are unsure of your conventional CPR skills, you can try Hands-Only CPR. First, call 9-1-1 and push hard and fast on the center of the chest until help arrives. Don’t be afraid - your actions can only help.

This fall, I’ll add another title to my rankings serving as my company’s Team Captain for the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk. I know that my efforts to raise funds will continue to impact lifesaving research, education and programs that might impact my life again one day or save the life of a complete stranger.

For a video demonstration on Hands-Only CPR, visit www.Heart.org/CPR.

Article by Phil Daniels

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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.

My 2009 started in a very rough way, too. I could not find a corporate position. I searched job websites multiple times daily and applied for positions non-stop. Unfortunately, I never received a call for an interview. The whole thing just seemed hopeless. Then, my friends mentioned I may want to consider doing some consulting projects. That got me thinking about whom I knew and where there may be opportunities for me. So, with my list in hand, I hit the streets to see what I could find. Almost immediately I was able to get a few small projects that helped keep my family afloat financially. But I could not find that one big project to help me move forward and establish myself as a true consultant.

Then, right before Christmas 2009, I received an unexpected phone call to consult for a large health plan’s pharmacy area. It was an outstanding opportunity! For 7 months, 5 days a week, I traveled back and forth to Cincinnati and was able to help a start-up specialty pharmacy get off the ground. This opportunity allowed me to identify gaps in my business knowledge and led me to think about what I could do to provide better value to potential clients or corporations in the future.  Eventually, the travel started to get to me and I really started to miss my family. I decided it was time to stop all the travel and focus on my family. It was also time for me to think about what I could do next.

I really started to think about ways that I could add more value to a corporation and at the same time better myself. So, I decided to apply and earn my Master of Business Administration from Florida International University. I started their online program so that I would have the flexibility to work while I attended school if the opportunity arose. I never thought I would ever go back to school, but I am certainly glad I did; and now I can say with confidence I am now looking forward to my February 2012 graduation.

In November 2010, I was called by the organization where I did the consulting in Cincinnati. They asked me to return to work for them on another project. I worked on that project wondering how long it would last and if there would be a corporate position out there that I would want to apply for. As I waited and wondered, something totally out of the blue happened. In February this year, I received a call from the company that eliminated my job in 2008. They had a new role that they thought would be a perfect fit for me. The organization was a great one and I was really sad when I lost my job, so this was the opportunity I was looking for. This new role would give me the opportunity to grow my business acumen while completing my MBA.

When I first started on this journey in 2008 it seemed like a hopeless situation; but I learned a lot in the process looking back on it. I know it sounds trite to say that “everything happens for a reason” - but for me, there were many reasons.  This time in my life pushed me to seek new opportunities, become more creative, expand my knowledge and, ultimately, led me to improve the most important thing: me.

Article by Michelle Matura Hentzell

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, which in my case started on July 7 and lasted for seven days. Fourteen days after the Induction Chemo another bone marrow biopsy was performed showing there was no longer any cancer there. On August 5 I was able to go home after a month in the hospital.

In August, my Oncologist told me to get a consult with a Bone Marrow Transplant Doctor. On September 15, 2010 I had that consult and was told to have the best chance of remaining in remission would need a Stem Cell Transplant. On October 15, 2010, I received a call notifying me that a donor had been found who was a male, in his 30s with an AB+ blood type. It only took a month to find a donor and I felt so blessed on that day and throughout this whole treatment.

Transplant day (day 0) is like starting over; the days before it I received rough treatment of conditioning chemo. People celebrate their transplant day as a second birthday, mine is December 14, 2010 and I will never forget it. Around Day +21 my counts started coming up, which showed Engraftment. The first stage showing that the transplant was successful. I was at the Moffitt Cancer Center from December 8 to January 7 for treatment so I spent Christmas and New Years in the hospital.

During my stay I lost my hair again and had been put on a pain pump due to Headaches and Mucositis which were side effects of the Chemo. After being discharged from the hospital my Mom and I went to local housing because transplant patients must stay local until day +100; but I was lucky enough to leave around day +85. Coming home is the best feeling someone can have after treatment.

I am sharing this story to encourage others to support the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life and join me on May 6 as I complete my very first Survivor Lap. I will be attending not only as a survivor but also as an alumnus from Timber Creek High School.  At just 20 years old I believe it was something I had to suffer through to make me who I am today.

Article by Vanesa Cintron