After the Silence: Living Each Moment We’re Alive

After surviving breast cancer twice, I thought I’d feel relief when treatment ended—but instead, I felt completely lost. I couldn’t return to my job as a dental hygienist due to lymphedema, and when I asked my doctor what to do next, I was told, “Reinvent yourself. Our job is done.”

That moment gutted me. I left their office in tears, thinking: What now?

There was support during treatment—but after? Nothing. only written guidance, no plan, no one to talk to. I was scared, grieving, and unsure how to move forward. I needed connection, and I knew I wasn’t alone.

So many women were silently navigating the trauma of life after cancer. They needed community, hope, and someone to say, “You’re not crazy, and you’re not alone.” I knew I had to do more. And I knew cost could never be a barrier.

That’s when I made the decision to turn Each Moment We’re Alive into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2019.

Each Moment We’re Alive is more than a name—it’s a promise. And I will keep showing up with live support to help others rediscover life after cancer, because I know the fear, the pain, and the power that comes from walking through it.