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I don’t just count days passing by. I make each day count. -Leslie Lawrence

October is breast cancer awareness month, so we’re featuring the inspiring stories of breast cancer survivors. Early detection has been a game changer in the fight against breast cancer, and I’m pretty sure that never missing my yearly mammogram saved my life. Promise me that you’ll NEVER miss your mammogram! Today’s episode was recorded at Book Love in the Pine Hills before a live audience. www.book-love.com. A first-time author, Leslie Lawrence is a 7-year breast cancer survivor www.leslielawrenceauthor.com. Written as a photographic memoir, I’m A Lucky Woman is filled with wisdom and deeply personal pictures that tell the story of one woman’s journey from diagnosis to survivorship. As the daughter of a woman who died of breast cancer, Leslie spent her adult life dreading every mammogram and hoping against hope that she would never hear the words “You have breast cancer.” Those four words were spoken when Leslie was 66, and her late mother, Isabel, remained her role model throughout her treatment for aggressive triple negative breast cancer. Blessed with a rock-solid marriage, a devoted son, a niece, and many friends who love her, Leslie’s tribe lifted her up, making it possible for her to endure every challenge. Says Leslie: “It was a old, framed cross-stitch on my wall that kept me hopeful, it reads: “Today is the tomorrow that worries you yesterday and all is well.” If you are newly diagnosed, I’m A Lucky Woman is an easy read, filled with the kind of wisdom only a survivor can impart. For a 22-minute dose of courage, a few laughs, and a fun little tune you can sing along to called The Mammogram Song by singer/songwriter Krisanthi Pappas, www.krisanthi.com, just hit that download button. #breastcancer #survivor #author #grateful

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You are going to have some bad days, and that’s okay, but the good days have to outweigh the bad ones. You have to put your mind into beating breast cancer. -Theresa Jay

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, we’re profiling inspiring survivors with incredible stories to tell. My friendship with today’s guest began in 2006 when I donated my wedding dress to her charity. Theresa Jay is the Founder of the Pink Rose Foundation www.pinkrose.org which provides scholarships to college-bound students who have lost a parent to breast cancer. To date, the charity has awarded over 100,000 dollars in scholarships. Diagnosed at only 41 with stage 3B metastatic breast cancer, there was a time when she thought she might not live to see her son and daughter grow up and go off to college, but here she is today, a 25-year survivor. Determined to play an active role in her treatment and recovery, Theresa became her own best advocate. Her mastectomy was performed after four grueling rounds of chemotherapy and when her pathology revealed 17 active lymph nodes, she asked her care team for stem cell therapy and enrollment in a clinical trial for a drug called Herceptin. Says Theresa: Even if the clinical trial and all the other treatments didn’t work , I felt that it was my responsibility to be a part of breast cancer research for the next generation of women.” 18 months of treatments exhausted her in mind, body and soul, but during that time in her life, Theresa refused to give up or give in. “My love for my
children propelled me through the toughest days. I just couldn’t see anyone else raising my children. I got dressed every day, regardless of how badly I felt, and I put my makeup on. You look good, you feel better”. When her treatments were finally over, Theresa went right back to work as an engineer and launched the Pink Rose Foundation. In this interview, she’s got a lot of wisdom to share including advice for someone who is just getting started on her breast cancer journey: Take a day and cry. Process it. And then, the next day, wake up and decide you are going to WIN.” For 22 minutes with a survivor who beat the odds, just hit that download button. #breastcancer #metastaticbreastcancer #breastcancerawarenessmonth #courage #hope #grateful.

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It’s okay to be scared when you are diagnosed with breast cancer. Gather your friends and family. Educate yourself and stay strong. You CAN get through this.- Claudia Mintz

October is breast cancer awareness month, so we’re shining the spotlight on the stories of survivors. Meet Claudia Mintz. The devoted mother of three, her children were only 5,4 and 2 when she was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer in the middle of a contentious divorce. Says Claudia “I decided I was going to do whatever I could to stay alive. What scared me the most was the idea of leaving my children. Falling apart was not an option for me. “ Now the Executive Director of the One Wish Project, www.onewishproject.us, Claudia shares the story of how the non-profit was created 7 years ago by her daughter Hannah, who launched the charity with her babysitting money. Recently featured on Good Morning America, One Wish Project provides customized birthday celebrations for children and teens experiencing homelessness with the belief that every child’s birthday should be honored. What started with one birthday party for a 9-year-old child at a nearby shelter in 2017 has now turned into birthday celebrations for 1200 kids a year in shelters and foster care. Now a 20-year survivor, Claudia shares what kept her strong throughout her breast cancer battle. “There have been some dark times when I didn’t know if I would make it, but I learned that you have to live your life every single day as if you never received that diagnosis.” For 22 minutes of inspiration, just hit that download button. #breastcancer #birthday #survivor #charity

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There is something very magical about being an innkeeper, to welcome people in, to take care of them, to feed them. It is the best part of my job. -Trisha Perez Kennealy

We talk a lot about living our lives in chapters, and Trisha Perez Kennealy is living proof that there is so much to learn in every chapter. She’s a former investment banker with an MBA from Harvard who decided to ditch it all and study at the Cordon Bleu Culinary School in London, earning her Diplome de Cuisine and Diplome de Patisserie while taking care of her newborn baby. Years later, she and her husband purchased the historic Inn at Hastings Park in Lexington, Massachusetts, where she is both an innkeeper and a culinary educator, dazzling her guests with her delicious culinary creations. Born and raised in Puerto Rico in a neighborhood that was both flavorful and loud, Trisha remembers that “everyone was running in and out of everyone’s houses and wherever you landed at mealtime, that was where you got fed.” The devoted mother of three, Trisha has passed on the traditions of her Puerto Rican culture. “Gathering around the table for a meal is a sacred time” says Trisha. “It’s where conversations happen. Plus, research shows that children who eat with their parents have greater academic success.” In this interview, we follow Trisha through her life and the bold decisions she has made, culminating in the exquisite restoration of the Inn at Hastings Park, which boasts 22 rooms, each decorated in a unique way for guests who become like family. Opened in 2014, the property includes 3 buildings, all built in the mid-1800s and just a stone’s throw from historic Lexington Green. With grounds that boast landscaping that evolves through the seasons, Trisha’s Inn is an oasis for the soul and a huge accomplishment for a woman who has explored her many talents with gusto. For 23 minutes of a chef’s delicious story, just hit that download button. #innkeeper #chef #cordonbleu #lexington #culinaryarts