From Patient to Therapist: My Journey Through Cancer and What It Taught Me About Healing
At 25 years old, I was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. I carried the BRCA1+ genetic mutation, but nothing could have prepared me for the physical, emotional, and spiritual upheaval that diagnosis brought into my life. Overnight, my world shifted from building a future to simply fighting for one.
Then, at 30 years old—just when I thought I had survived the storm—I was diagnosed with breast cancer again. This time, I wasn’t just a young woman navigating treatment. I was also a mother, caring for my 9-month-old daughter while enduring surgery, chemotherapy, and the endless fatigue that comes with cancer. Trying to hold my baby while my body felt broken was one of the hardest and most humbling experiences of my life.
Cancer forced me to face my own mortality not once, but twice, before I even turned 31. And yet, it also became the catalyst for my deepest healing and my calling as a therapist.
How Cancer Shaped My Path
During my treatments, I realized how isolating illness can feel—even when surrounded by loved ones. Well-meaning friends didn’t always know what to say. Doctors were focused on saving my life, not necessarily helping me process the fear, grief, and uncertainty I carried.
What I needed most was someone who truly understood. Someone who could sit with me in the rawness of pain and help me find meaning in the chaos.
That realization planted a seed: once I made it through, I wanted to become that person for others. After completing treatment, I went back to graduate school and became a therapist. My background in medical social work, hospice, and end-of-life care deepened that passion—but my lived experience as a cancer survivor made it personal.
Why I Am Passionate About Working With Cancer Survivors and Those With Chronic Illness
Today, in my therapy practice, I walk alongside people impacted by cancer and chronic illness. When I sit across from a client who feels scared, angry, or hopeless, I don’t just hear their words—I feel the echoes of my own story.
I understand what it’s like to:
Wonder if you’ll live to see your child grow up
Wake up every day in a body that doesn’t feel like your own
Struggle with the guilt of not being “strong enough”
Hold both gratitude for survival and grief for everything cancer took away
Because I’ve been there, my approach to therapy isn’t just clinical—it’s deeply human. Healing is not just about surviving; it’s about learning how to live fully in the aftermath of illness.
The Lessons Cancer Taught Me About Healing
Cancer taught me truths I now carry into every session with clients:
- Tomorrow is not promised.
Yes, it sounds cliché, but facing cancer twice before age 31, made me realize just how fragile life really is. This drives me to live—and to help others live—with intention. - Health is everything.
You never realize how precious your health is until you lose it. This awareness shapes the way I help clients prioritize rest, nourishment, and compassion for their bodies. - Healing is not linear.
There is no “going back to normal.” Healing looks like learning to accept the new version of yourself, finding joy in small victories, and embracing life as it is now. - Community matters.
None of us are meant to go through illness—or life—alone. Support, connection, and shared stories are essential.
My journey from patient to therapist wasn’t one I ever planned. But cancer, as devastating as it was, gave me a gift: a deeper understanding of suffering and a profound passion to walk alongside others in their own journeys of illness and healing.
If you are a cancer survivor, a caregiver, or someone navigating chronic illness, please know this: you are not alone, and your story matters.
As a therapist in Overland Park, Kansas, I specialize in supporting cancer survivors and those impacted by chronic health challenges. My hope is to create a space where you feel understood, supported, and empowered to not just survive—but to truly live.
If my story resonates with you, or if you’re seeking a therapist who understands the complexities of illness firsthand, I invite you to connect with me. Together, we can explore your healing journey with compassion, courage, and hope.
From Patient to Therapist: My Journey Through Cancer and What It Taught Me About Healing
At 25 years old, I was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. I carried the BRCA1+ genetic mutation, but nothing could have prepared me for the physical, emotional, and spiritual upheaval that diagnosis brought into my life. Overnight, my world shifted from building a future to simply fighting for one.
Then, at 30 years old—just when I thought I had survived the storm—I was diagnosed with breast cancer again. This time, I wasn’t just a young woman navigating treatment. I was also a mother, caring for my 9-month-old daughter while enduring surgery, chemotherapy, and the endless fatigue that comes with cancer. Trying to hold my baby while my body felt broken was one of the hardest and most humbling experiences of my life.
Cancer forced me to face my own mortality not once, but twice, before I even turned 31. And yet, it also became the catalyst for my deepest healing and my calling as a therapist.
How Cancer Shaped My Path
During my treatments, I realized how isolating illness can feel—even when surrounded by loved ones. Well-meaning friends didn’t always know what to say. Doctors were focused on saving my life, not necessarily helping me process the fear, grief, and uncertainty I carried.
What I needed most was someone who truly understood. Someone who could sit with me in the rawness of pain and help me find meaning in the chaos.
That realization planted a seed: once I made it through, I wanted to become that person for others. After completing treatment, I went back to graduate school and became a therapist. My background in medical social work, hospice, and end-of-life care deepened that passion—but my lived experience as a cancer survivor made it personal.
Why I Am Passionate About Working With Cancer Survivors and Those With Chronic Illness
Today, in my therapy practice, I walk alongside people impacted by cancer and chronic illness. When I sit across from a client who feels scared, angry, or hopeless, I don’t just hear their words—I feel the echoes of my own story.
I understand what it’s like to:
Wonder if you’ll live to see your child grow up
Wake up every day in a body that doesn’t feel like your own
Struggle with the guilt of not being “strong enough”
Hold both gratitude for survival and grief for everything cancer took away
Because I’ve been there, my approach to therapy isn’t just clinical—it’s deeply human. Healing is not just about surviving; it’s about learning how to live fully in the aftermath of illness.
The Lessons Cancer Taught Me About Healing
Cancer taught me truths I now carry into every session with clients:
- Tomorrow is not promised.
Yes, it sounds cliché, but facing cancer twice before age 31, made me realize just how fragile life really is. This drives me to live—and to help others live—with intention. - Health is everything.
You never realize how precious your health is until you lose it. This awareness shapes the way I help clients prioritize rest, nourishment, and compassion for their bodies. - Healing is not linear.
There is no “going back to normal.” Healing looks like learning to accept the new version of yourself, finding joy in small victories, and embracing life as it is now. - Community matters.
None of us are meant to go through illness—or life—alone. Support, connection, and shared stories are essential.
My journey from patient to therapist wasn’t one I ever planned. But cancer, as devastating as it was, gave me a gift: a deeper understanding of suffering and a profound passion to walk alongside others in their own journeys of illness and healing.
If you are a cancer survivor, a caregiver, or someone navigating chronic illness, please know this: you are not alone, and your story matters.
As a therapist in Overland Park, Kansas, I specialize in supporting cancer survivors and those impacted by chronic health challenges. My hope is to create a space where you feel understood, supported, and empowered to not just survive—but to truly live.
If my story resonates with you, or if you’re seeking a therapist who understands the complexities of illness firsthand, I invite you to connect with me. Together, we can explore your healing journey with compassion, courage, and hope.
