Breast Cancer Month ..... Gratitude and Love!

This is dedicated to those who have lifted me up, encouraged me, prayed for me and held me in their hearts. I am grateful!! This is my first blog post and it rings very dear to my heart.

I AM A SURVIVOR!! This month is breast cancer awareness month. A year and a half ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I have no relatives with this horrible cancer, no genetic mutations, no reason for the diagnosis. I was lucky to have a best friend with the same cancer, triple negative, that was a strong advocate for me and worked diligently for me to get the best care and doctors available to me. Levine Cancer Institute was wonderful, as were my doctors, Dr. Richard White, Dr. Richard Burri, and Dr. Antoniette Tan. They and their teams were consistently proactive, checking my progress and returning my scared calls. I am forever grateful for their kindness, compassion and making me feel as if I were their only patient. The heart you see in the picture was given to me by my team when I completed everything. It means the world to me.

Powell and Sullivan as honored to be chosen for this month Interior Design Spotlight series in collaboration with Walker Sanger and CREW (Charlotte Real Estate Women) to design a room for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The first thing I said to my best friend and business partner after my diagnosis , Jen, was, please make sure I work through this to keep my mind busy to force me not worry about the things I cannot control. She was a stallion and a rock during the low times and the highs. I had 16 Chemos, 2 surgeries and 30 radiations and many tests in between. I am so much stronger for the support I received form my family, friends and clients. I WILL SAY AGAIN, I AM A SURVIVOR!

Please, everyone ... make sure you get your mammogram every year. It is covered by insurance and takes 30 minutes. It is what saved my life. It was undetectable without it. I am hopeful they caught it early and I will be cancer free. Be comfortable in your skin and don't feel that a wig will hide your cancer. My superpower was not to wear a wig. I fought it strait on and refused to acquiesce. If you see a bald woman, then be kind and give her a smile. Be compassionate, kind, thoughtful, and grateful.

The gentle, caring, hopeful, positive people I met on my journey made it so much easier.

Love your family, friends and those closest to you. They will mean the most is a crisis.

xoxo

Jessica