The last few months have been the happiest of my life. I'm working with cancer survivors and finding new ways to support them. Three hundred fifty copies of my first book, the What's Next For My Life? Companion Journal for Cancer Survivors are being distributed at no cost to cancer patients in South Florida, thanks to
Photo courtesy of George Kamper Inc.  |
funding through the Southeast Florida Cancer Collaborative from the Florida Department of Health. And I'm on the cover of the August issue of Breast Cancer Wellness magazine, an incredible publication that encourages breast cancer survivors to thrive through finding balance in mind, body and spirit. Here is a short excerpt from my story in the magazine.
Thriving Instead of Just Surviving...
In September of 2000, I took the biggest leap of faith of my life. Over a four month period my husband and I parted (amicably); I gave notice to my job; bought my own house; and started my own company. Everyone thought I was crazy, or having a mid-life crisis, and maybe I was. I did know in my heart and my soul that I was doing what I was meant to do, and I was powerless to deny it.
So there I was. No husband, no money, no clients, and a looming mortgage payment, trusting that somehow God and I would figure it out. The voices in my head were screaming things like "You're too old to start over. You only have one breast; no one will want ever want you again," and "you're going to fail and be living in your car."
Can anyone relate to those annoying, nay-saying voices?
I gathered up my courage and asked my employer to become my first client. I was shocked when they agreed. The before cancer Paula would have been afraid to ask.
My landlord was getting fined for renting to me illegally. I convinced him to let me stay for free to stop the fines while I was prepping to move into my house.
Other friends and connections from my career in advertising hired me on a freelance basis. My leap of faith had paid off!
I am happy, healthy, and thriving in ways that had never been possible before my diagnosis. My mantra has become, "Why wait and why worry?" My courage is based on the absolute conviction that if I can do cancer, I can do anything. My new-found way of showing up in the world is based on compassion for myself and others, with excitement and curiosity about what we can do together, rather than alone.
I believe that cancer is a wake up call, a reminder that thriving is about being our own unique selves, and actively working to make the world a better place, one small or large step at a time.
As I finish writing this story, I'm singing out loud to one of my favorite songs. The line that resonates in my heart says "I can be myself now finally, in fact there's nothing I can't be." I wish this for each and every one of you.
