Part I: EMBRACING CHANGE allowed me to OVERCOME a DEVASTATING DIAGNOSIS and LOSING NEARLY EVERYTHING(including my life) and create MY DREAM CAREER!

Hello, this is my story.

People have been urging me to share my story for decades (literally!).

Why am I sharing it? It is my hope that by sharing my story, you might find hope if you need some and that it will allow you to benefit from what I learned the hard way.

You see … almost 20 years ago, I lost EVERYTHING.

When I say I lost everything I really mean EVERYTHING – including my identity (and I don't mean identity theft!). I was STRIPPED OF EVERYTHING that had been important to me. I no longer knew who I was …

The year was 2000.

I had become suddenly and completely incapacitated due to the onset of a life-threatening, incurable illness.

After I got sick, I wasn’t expecting ever to have much of a life again, much less one that could involve fulfilling work and being able to help or contribute to society.

And, I’m NOT a negative or pessimistic person.

However – FEAR HATES CHANGE YET ALL GROWTH REQUIRES CHANGE

As I write this, it is 2018.

In some ways, I have come full circle.

I like to think of my life as an upward reaching, ever-expanding beautiful spiral.

However, as you will see, there were some serious glitches along the way that threatened to completely derail me.

What saved me? I could say my Faith in God and end the story there, but that wouldn’t be interesting or helpful to anyone.

From a practical standpoint, two things saved me:

TENACITY and CHANGE (more on that later).

TENACITY. That’s a word people have used to describe me pretty much my entire life. I decided to look it up.

Tenacity: the quality or state of being tenacious

Webster’s Definition of tenacious - persistent in maintaining, adhering to, or seeking something valued or desired 

·      a tenacious advocate of civil rights

That felt ABOUT right…so I went a step further and looked at a Thesaurus where I found these words (I do love words!):

^      chutzpah

^      courage

^      determination

^      grit

^      backbone

^      stick-to-itiveness

That seemed to sum it up…

Luckily, I had these traits before I got sick,

and luckily, they survived my disease …

which, in turn, allowed me to SURVIVE my disease!

There is a certain freedom that comes from losing everything that's important to you, but TRUE freedom comes when you finally realize that none of it matters!

Ask yourself – If you lost everything, absolutely everything that was important to you,

What would you do?

How would you identify yourself?

Stripped to the essence of your being – what then?

THAT IS WHAT HAPPENED TO ME OVER 18 YEARS AGO!

Before I share "IT" with you, I should tell you a little bit about my life before "IT" attacked.

MY LIFE BEFORE “IT” HAPPENED

To understand what I lost, it’s important to know who I was and what was important to me.

My early childhood was idyllic.

I KNEW WITH ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY THAT I COULD DO ANYTHING! 

My parents supported me wholeheartedly in that notion.

Believing myself to be powerful, I concluded that such power meant I needed to help people who weren't as powerful.

I LEARNED VERY QUICKLY THAT I ABSOLUTELY LOVED, LOVED, LOVED HELPING PEOPLE!

My parents encouraged me in my desire to help others.

They set an example that I would try to follow my entire life.

Even in elementary school, if someone was being treated unfairly, I was always quick to stand up for them even if that meant standing up to authority. I was fearless!

My parents always had an open-door policy.

Everyone was welcome.

We always had guests at our holiday dinners – oftentimes students who didn't get to go home for the holidays.

My father was a physics professor at the local university and my mother was … everything to me.

Overall, my parents instilled in me qualities that I believe are more important today than ever before:

·      Tell the truth, especially when it hurts

·      Ethics matter

·      Stand up for people even when it's uncomfortable

·      Work hard

·      Respect for others

·      Be kind

·      Love others

·      Love yourself

INFLUENCERS IN MY LIFE

·      My Mother and Father.

·      Atticus Finch. Scout.

·      Camelot.

·      Poverty.

·      Education.

·      God.

LED ME TO HAVE

·   The Heart of a Servant Leader

·      A Desire to Inspire

·      A Helpful Mentality

·      A Love to Lead

·      An Ever-Optimistic Outlook – Silver Lining Kind of Gal

·      A Stand Up in the Face of Reality and Deny it Kind of Attitude!

·      A Determined, Never Give Up Mindset!

I learned at an early age that nothing is more energizing for me than being able to help someone.

I became a CANDY STRIPER at the Hospital when I was 12.

I felt like my life’s work had finally started!

From there, I went on to

·      Work with disabled adults,

§ Autistic Adults and Children,

§ Then, on to become A SOCIAL WORKER.

§ Onward to Law School!

§ FINALLY, A LAWYER!  

§ GUARDIAN AD LITEM.

§ Taking on PRO BONO CASES.

§ LITIGATION! JURY TRIALS!

LIFE WAS GRAND!

I was 33, healthy, happy, living the dream – personally, professionally, and financially!

Great Career! Great Income! Great Family! Great Health! And even HORSES!

I was working in one of the best litigation firms in the area and loving every minute! I had the best mentors I could hope for and was poised to become partner.

I woke up every morning to see MY HORSES running up to the fence from the back of the property. They would start running up to the fence when they noticed me get out of bed because my bedroom windows faced the field. They knew that once I started moving it wouldn't be long before I was out there to take care of them. My first two horses – my very own! 

I led a blessed life.

My parents had instilled in me the absolute belief that I could have and do anything I wanted.

And I believed that wholeheartedly as my life went EXACTLY as I had envisioned and planned!

Until it didn’t.

Before "IT" happened, my life was picture-perfect!

After "IT" happened, NOTHING of that picture-perfect life remained, NOTHING.

CHANGE would become the only reliable t

hing in my life.

I would quickly learn that the only thing you could absolutely count on, without fail, was CHANGE.

Just CHANGE – not for the better, not for the worse –

Just CHANGE.

Ironic that CHANGE is the only true CONSTANT.

CHANGE was my only lifeline during the years that I was prisoner to a disease. I clung to this realization for my very survival!

July 11, 2000: "IT" HAPPENED -

LIFE AS I KNEW IT CAME TO A SCREECHING HALT!

I woke up in PAIN that morning.

By the time I had arrived at my office, the PAIN had become unbearable.

My secretary found me in the ladies’ lounge fading in and out of consciousness from the PAIN!

I was rushed from my downtown corner law office on the 17th floor to the ER!

I awoke in the ER with IVs, my parents and doctors surrounding me . . .

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT WAS UNTHINKABLE, NOT POSSIBLE, SIMPLY COULD NOT BE. . .

__________________________________________________________________________

I hope you have enjoyed the first part of my journey - a life  filled with LOVE, LIGHT, and EMPOWERMENT – until IT happened.

.........PART TWO will be released in about a week, so please connect OR follow me here on LinkedIn: Click Here