At the beginning of this year, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Even now, it’s incredibly difficult to write. This is the scariest thing I ever faced and I hope that reading this, you’ll never have to share this experience with me. It’s my birthday today and I don’t think I’ve ever appreciated the significance of getting to cherish and experience another year of life. Especially thinking back at all the birthdays I welcomed and experienced healthy. Aside from not having the capacity or strength to post on social media during this difficult time, I can now say from a place of gratitude how blessed and thankful I am to make it another year—regardless of the journey. Full transparency, it isn’t easy. Parts of me get deeply sad or angry but not today. Today is a celebration of life, a practiced effort to focus only on all that has gone right for me and will go right for me, and not to stress what I can’t control. I am loved, my support system is strong, I have angels here on earth with me, and I’m lucky to have access to technology and medicine helping me along this battle. The world we live in today makes it easier and easier to take life and health for granted, I’m guilty of it. There’s alot of distraction from what really matters, take time to reset. Health is the most invaluable currency. I will be sharing my story and journey because if it reaches just one person that needed to come across it—it’ll be worth it. I feel like more now than ever, it’s beyond crucial to get information out and share. The number of younger people getting cancer is climbing at alarming rates. 1 in 8 women in the U.S. alone will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. I ask that you go get your exams, do self exams at home, and check your family history for any genetic predispositions. We need to practice and promote a sense of community. Please share this post with mothers, daughters, wives, sisters, girlfriends, and friends as a reminder or nudge to prioritize this. It can save a life!