Who Says I Can’t?

During Young Adult Cancer Week last week, several stories about young survivors were featured on the LIVESTRONG Blog. When I read the story of Jothy Rosenburg, I was absolutely blown away. At age 16, Jothy was told that he had a zero chance of a survival. Thirty-five years later, Jothy is still defying the odds with one leg and one lung. Since he overcame cancer, he has earned his Ph.D., become a double black diamond skier, biked from Boston to NYC three times, biked 192 miles across Massachusetts 7 times, raised over $100,000 for charity, swam across the San Francisco Bay, started 6 high tech companies, had 3 kids and one grandchild–all before turning fifty.

Jothy is living proof that through perservance, hard work, faith, and the determination to succeed, you can accomplish anything you put your mind too…no matter the odds. He wrote a book “Who Says I Can’t” to share his story and motivate others to overcome adversity and live to their full potential. I encourage you to watch this video and share it to those who might need a little inspiration.

It just goes to show that life is what you make it. Everything is a matter of perspective. It would have been easy for Jothy to pity himself and give up, but he made the decision to prove everyone wrong and turn his death sentence into an opportunity to empower others.

The road to success is never easy. Achieving your dreams requires a lot of work, resilience, and determination, but you have the power to make them real. Give those who say you can’t a big smile, never give up and keep on keepin’ on. It is SO worth it.

Have a great weekend and live strong.

an ode to my mentor, my best friend

It’s already late and I have a research project to tackle, but I felt it in my heart to update the ole blog with a post about my best friend. Some may think it’s an odd friendship, as she is a decade older and wiser than me, but it is a firm and true one. Undoubtedly dependable, absolutely inspiring, intensely encouraging, and SUPER supportive, Shannon is one I am proud to call a friend. She lives a life of integrity, always sacrificing herself for the good of others. It is for her bold, courageous, unconditionally giving soul that I admire her most.We met when I was fifteen at the Brooks High School youth cheerleading camp. I was a varsity cheerleader, and she was her daughter’s team sponsor. I immediately recognized her dedication and enthusiasm for her daughter and fellow mini cheerleaders. Through the years, we ran into each other from time to time, and I was always happy to catch up with Shannon–our bubbly personalities just clicked. After I graduated high school and started going out and about around town, I bumped into Shannon more frequently and we became more than mere acquaintances.  About six years from the time we met, I started working at On the Rocks, a bar and grill downtown. Shannon and I chatted when she came in, and she eventually asked me if I’d tend bar at a friend’s private Christmas party. After the party, we verged out into the night together, and a couple drinks later, we realized how compatible we were!

Both coming out of failed relationships, we were trying to rediscover ourselves as confident women and find our place in this wide world. After a girls trip to Atlanta, which we appropriately titled, “New Year, New You,” we spent all of 2009 living life to the fullest we knew how–adventuring, traveling, reading, running, drinking wine & ritas, cooking, making mistakes, and learning from them. We began running together, made healthier decisions, and both managed to shed a few pounds too!  I ran my first half-marathon in April, and Shannon greeted me proudly at the finish line. Shannon also returned to her beloved career at Bestheda Cancer Center after testing out the waters of insurance sales.

As the director of marketing at Bethesda Cancer Center and the LiveSTRONG Leader of the Shoals, I knew Shannon advocated cancer awareness. It wasn’t until mid-May, while volunteering at the Shoals’ Relay for Life that I learned my very best friend was a cancer survivor herself. It was then that I fully understood her perseverance and dedication for the fight against cancer. Shannon has traveled to DC with the American Cancer Society and the Lance Armstrong Foundation in order to make the fight against cancer a national priority. Through her connections with the LAF, she met Sean Swarner, the first cancer survivor to climb Mt. Everest. She worked hard to book Sean as the guest speaker at our community Relay for Life event, so that he could share his incredible story of survival and hope to everyone in attendance. It was a day I will never forget.

Looking back, 2009 was an emotionally trying year for the both of us. After a rough spring semester in school, I decided to take off to Cape Cod to see if the skies were bluer for me there. The morning of my departure, I heard an unexpected knock at my front door. It was Shannon, at 7 AM, with a bag full of snacks and The Secret, to remind me that focusing on the positive will bring great things to my life. The love and generosity she showed me was unprecedented. However, Cape Cod wasn’t as heavenly as I had hoped, and I moved home a little over a month later. Shannon’s divorce finalized and she began the search for a new home. I reconciled with Cade and decided to move to Auburn, another short-lived venture. Due to financial reasons, I decided to move home to get back on my feet and give UNA one last shot. Shannon was there through it all, to restore my faith in myself when I felt like I had failed at everything. She reminded me that I was brave to embark on new journeys by myself, something several people never do. It takes hard-earned experience for a stubborn girl to learn that it’s not always where you are that matters, but who you’re with. In the fall, Shannon found a house perfect for her and Tiffany across the river. She found a church that she loves to call home…a serene place where she can let everything go and give it all to God.

Back at UNA, I fell in love with my public relations writing and cases classes. After joining the LLS’s Team in Training, I quickly realized my career path: a compassionate public relations non-profit professional. Recently, Shannon encouraged me to apply for an internship with the LAF. Since then, I have been passionately applying to non-profit intern positions all over the country. Just this week, we decided to start a team for the Austin LiveSTRONG Challenge in October, our first endurance event together. We’re also running a 5k in May for the American Cancer Society. Shannon had Bethesda Cancer Center sponsor my Team in Training fundraising event and the design and printing of the posters. It’s impossible to believe I would be where I am today without Shannon’s guidance and support. I have no doubt it is because of our friendship that I have realized the meaning of my life.

So here’s to you Shannon, my mentor and my best friend. Never forget how fabulous the journey is and the lives you’ve touched along the way. I love you!