Every Woman Deserves a Seat

There are moments in life that divide everything into two chapters: before and after.

For me, that moment came with a routine mammogram. I walked into the appointment expecting reassurance. Instead, I began a journey I never imagined, one marked by fear, difficult decisions, unexpected strength, and countless reminders that life can change in an instant.

Breast cancer didn't just challenge my body. It challenged my identity. As a wife, mother, grandmother, educator, leader, and woman accustomed to caring for others, I suddenly found myself in the unfamiliar position of needing care. I learned that strength isn't pretending you're okay. Sometimes, strength is allowing others to carry you when you no longer can carry yourself.

The surgeries, appointments, and recovery became part of my story. But they did not become my identity. Along the way, I discovered that healing is about far more than medicine. Healing happens in conversations. In prayer. In laughter. In quiet moments of reflection. In the embrace of family and friends. Healing happens when someone simply reminds you that you don't have to walk alone.