I’m certainly unique, but not so different from everyone else. Life has been generous to me many times, but I have had a few awful patches. I really do not like to use the word bad, so instead, I refer to those days as “challenging experiences.”

In November 2018, my dad visited for Thanksgiving, and during that time, he became ill. He was rushed to the emergency room and was later diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer. I felt like my world had crumbled and was totally devastated because I now had two family members fighting a cancer battle: My sister-in-law was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer a year before my dad’s diagnosis. Now, I had to find the strength to remain strong not only for my dad, but also for my sister-in-law. After all, this was going to be a life-changing event for everyone. My husband was extremely supportive when I immediately took action and became the caregiver for my dad.

There are so many great lessons that came from these difficult moments. I worked on keeping an attitude of gratitude everyday for essentials like food, shelter, love, support from my husband, family, friends, and the ability to manage my emotions. I created this mantra: “I don’t believe in rehearsing tragedy; instead I just positively embrace life. I can’t control the outcome or the result of situations, but I can do my part by showing up, be emotionally present and let the rest fall into place naturally.”