Healing is as much about reclaiming yourself as it is about mending the physical wounds.

This chronicle - documenting my raw, unfiltered, real-time emotional and spiritual journey through cancer from testing positive for the BRCA gene mutation, receiving my diagnosis, enduring chemo and surgeries, and navigating the early years of survivorship - was originally published online as a blog. When I embarked on my breast cancer and ovarian cancer “pre-vivor” journey, it felt like being caught in the middle of a tornado — everything swirling around me, impossible to process or stop. It was a time of grappling with the loss of the life I always thought I’d have and facing the loss of my identity around traditional notions of what it means to be a “woman.” So, I wrote, no holds barred, as a means to help heal myself as well as connect with other women seeking the same kind of support I so desperately needed but couldn’t find. And now, many years gratefully “NED,” no evidence of disease, while the cancer story is no longer my story, I want to share it with those searching for solace during their own cancer experiences. My hope is that this collection can bring comfort, connection, and the reminder that even in the darkest storm, slivers of light (and laughter!) can find their way through.