05/26/2026
I think a lot of people only know me as the girl with cancer now, so I wanted to introduce who I was before all of this.
Before cancer, I loved life in such a full way. I loved to cook, try random foods, dance around, hike, run around outside with the kids, jump on the trampoline, ride the mechanical bull at the fair, and say yes to fun things just because they sounded exciting.
I loved fairs, festivals, rides, being outside, staying busy, and making memories. I loved both early mornings and late nights. I used to stay up too late wrapping Christmas presents every year because I wanted everything to feel magical for the kids.
I loved doing my makeup and hair. I loved feeling pretty without even thinking about it. I kept up with self care, the kids’ school activities and sports, a clean house, and home cooked meals. All the little things that made our house feel like home.
I used to pick all the kids up from school and have all four of them by myself until Nick got home in the evenings. Dinners, baths, teeth brushing, bedtime routines. I handled it all and still had energy left after.
One of my favorite things was playing “Survivor” outside with the kids to see how long we could stay outside before coming in. We could spend hours outside together and I loved every second of it.
I loved hosting. I loved making people feel welcome. I loved being the person who brought energy into a room.
I was blissfully ignorant to hospitals, medications, pain, scans, and medical words.
