I would consider my life fairly "normal" and routine until 2014. It's as though three bombs dropped in the center of my life starting in January. On January 9^th, my sweet Mom passed away suddenly from a brain aneurism. On February 8^th, my neighbor's dead tree fell on my house during a storm. On March 11^th, I was diagnosed with lymphoma. The journey that followed is documented in my manuscript titled Gather Your Tribe. When I was first diagnosed, one of my doctors said, "Kathy, I know you're used to being the Mom and taking care of everything, but now it's time to gather your tribe and accept the help." So, "gather my tribe" is precisely what I did I emailed my tribe regularly throughout my journey. My first email was a heavy one. I told them about my very deep, horrible fear of chemo. I asked them for their honest opinion about what they believe they would do in my situation. They made me realize that I, at least, needed to try it. That helped me tremendously because I then realized that I always had the power to change my mind if it was too awful. Much to my delighted surprise and relief, chemo is not what it used to be The medical community has made great strides when it comes to dealing with the side effects. This is just one of the messages I'd like to convey to everyone facing a cancer diagnosis.
My story is both painful and uplifting at the same time. It has felt like life highly intensified. Several of my tribe members shared with me how my experience has changed and enhanced their lives. They encouraged me to write a book. My hope is that Gather Your Tribe will have a positive impact on those who read it. I want to let people know that they CAN face their biggest fears and that tremendous blessings may abound when they do One of my many blessings came as an unexpected phone call from the White House regarding a letter I had emailed to President Obama They wanted permission to highlight my story. This is just one of the many ways my life was no longer "normal" and "routine."
If my story helps even one other person, I will be eternally grateful. I feel absolutely compelled to tell my story. I have been so incredibly blessed and now this is my time to give back.