It’s been an exciting month with little time to blog, though I have managed to Tweet here and there! The Liver Symposium in Chicago was filled with some incredible stories of survival. It was an honor to speak and be with survivors who live fully each day. I spoke about Embracing Happiness, something they know a lot about. I will attach a few photos. Suzanne Lindley, the director of the event, made it memorable for all.

This last week I presented our longitudinal research on Wellness Coaching for Cancer Survivors at the American College of Sports Medicine’s Annual Meeting in Seattle. I never imagined that I would have such an opportunity, given that over 5,000 researchers from around the world attend. I’m what you might call an “honorary researcher” as the principle investigator calls me. I’m not a PhD, researcher, but a practitioner with passion! Several years of work has culminated in some great data showing significant improvement in survivors quality of life, depression, anxiety, and healthy lifestyle measures. Participants reduced their BMI (Body Mass Index) and weight, as well as ate more fruits and veggies, over the 3 months of coaching. The exciting part is that one year after the coaching ended, weight loss was either sustained or continued to go down!!! Fruit and vegetable consumption also continued or increased! Helping people live their healthiest, happiest lives, in their own way, is what I love to do and I’m thrilled to confirm that what I thought was working, IS!

I am so grateful for Dr. Mary Lou Galantino, who took on the project and continues to inspire those around her. She is also a cancer survivor and is passionate about doing research that will improve survivor’s quality of life. Stay tuned...

This wonderful month culminated in the opportunity to go to some beautiful locations in British Columbia, Canada... Victoria, Vancouver, and Whistler (the site of the 2010 Winter Olympics). I’ll share some photos of it all.

I am grateful for the opportunities I’ve been able to take part in over the month. The beauty I experienced wasn’t just the beauty from the “sights” but in the hearts and minds of those I came in contact with. Wish I had some good photo’s to share of them. More to come!

Take a moment to think about what you appreciate today. Science is telling us it is one of the most important pieces of improving our happiness!

Chicago was beautiful in the spring!


Reunion of LIVESTRONG Orange Monarchs (Leana May, Suzanne Lindley, and me) at the LIVER Symposium, Empire Room at the Palmer House where Jim Belushi and his Sacred Hearts Band performed for all.


Presenting our research at ACSM


Seattle... with Mt. Ranier in the background



The drive between Vancouver and Whistler... breathtaking


On Whistler... we did the Snowi Limo which is someone skiing you down the mountain while you sit in a chair... soooooo cool. It’s not available in the US because of our litigious society, by the way. insurance is unavailable :-( I took this little video (click here) as I sat in the limo and FLEW down the mountain...


The Fairmont Empress, turn of the century hotel l in Victoria... outside, inside, and the courtyard with my parents... then Bouchard Gardens. All beautiful!



Buchard Gardens in Victoria


I couldn’t talk about the last month, without showing a picture of our newest addition to the family :-)

Next week Suzanne Lindley, the Stage IV colon-cancer survivor I interviewed in my last blog, will achieve a special dream. She has long wanted to bring together physicians and survivors in a special forum that will benefit both and bring hope to all. HOPE is the overriding purpose. She has worked tirelessly to make this global event happen. To learn more, go to www.TheLiverSymposium.com or read this informative press release from CNBC. In addition, a high profile celebrity performer will open the event in a performance that is said to bring people to their feet and bring the house down! Please share with anyone and everyone that might benefit.

I am honored to be a part of this and will be wrapping up one of the days with a talk about happiness. The title of my presentation is “Embracing Happiness: Five Simple Steps”, though a better name would be “Suzanne 101”. Watching her LIVE and thrive with great meaning and purpose, through what most would consider major obstacles everyday, is something that will stay with me forever.

Thank you, Suzanne, for the gift that you are!

Many years ago at the age of 16, I met a woman who would come to be a big part of my life and ultimately, through her later diagnosis of cancer and untimely death, bring a special group of friends into my life. Today, we spent a few hours together laughing, crying, and reminiscing about the woman who brought us together and the individual journey’s of our lives.

We came to know each other because of Jean Pendergraft. Jean was the epitomy of Joie de Vivre. She loved life and her positive, spirited approach, no doubt, kept her alive many years with metastatic, or Stage IV, breast cancer. About five years before her death, she decided that she wanted to form her own support group, that would take turns taking her to her various treatments. She chose friends of different ages and backgrounds. We did not see each other except upon the occasions that Jean would bring us together to thank us. One time she rented a limo that picked us up and took us to a restaurant in Raleigh. We giggled the whole way there and back. Our ages ranged from 40-62. Jean liked hanging out with younger women because though she was in her 60’s, she had the spirit of a 20 year old. Another time she took us all in a van down to her beach house at Wrightsville Beach, for an afternoon and evening out. We got to know each other during these fun gatherings with her as the ring leader of fun.

We took care of her until the end, coming over and fixing her hair and make-up each day, as this was of vital importance to her. When she looked better, she felt better, something she made a priority her entire life (and a habit that rubbed off on me as an impressionable young woman when I met her). I kept her stocked with a special apple cake recipe that she insisted was keeping her alive in her final months. We did whatever we could to make it easier. We came to know each other in this supporting role. Jean told us we were going to need each other.

As she had predicted, we did need each other. Two years after she passed away, TWO of us were diagnosed with breast cancer within a month of each other. Amazing. I was one of them, the health and fitness professional who wasn’t supposed to get cancer! Who would have thought, only a few years later, we would again experience her journey in a very real way. I always said, “I thought I understood what she was going through, but I had NO IDEA.” But thank God for friends.

I was so blessed and privileged to be a part of Jean’s life. She left us many gifts. The gifts of friends she shared are among the greatest.




A picture from the late 90’s of our group celebrating with Jean.

A picture of laughter today as we gathered to reminisce and have lunch.

Yes, Copenhagen, Denmark. I was interviewed about the work I am doing with cancer survivors on National Public Radio in Copenhagen, Denmark. AMAZING! I was thrilled to know that people around the world have an interest in the health and well-being of survivors. It seems they have a weekly program around “coaching” and they heard about my Healthy and Fit After Cancer℠ program, coaching survivors, and the research we have participated in. I would post the interview, but I wasn’t allowed to-just a link. The web site where it was posted, http://www.dr.dk/ , was of course, in Danish, and didn’t offer much for my English speaking friends and colleagues. Anyway, the message here, is that there is international interest in SURVIVOR’S health and well-being!!! YES!

Coming back after surgery, injury, illness, chemotherapy, or radiation always seems to take longer than we anticipate! Remembering a few key principles will go a long way to helping you heal faster and come back better than before! Dr. Julie Silver’s books (Super Healing or After Cancer Treatment: Heal Better, Faster, Stronger) are great resources that give extensive detail about why these factors are so important and how to address them.

1. Sleep
2. Nutrition
3. Exercise

Sleeping is one of the most important factors in healing, as your body needs that time to recover and heal. Uninterrupted sleep of 7-8 hours, with little to no sleeping during the day are the recommendations. In addition, getting less sleep has been associated with a number of health problems, too numerous to mention here. The bottom line is to talk to your doctor and do whatever possible to sleep through the night.

Eating nutritious foods helps our bodies do the healing work needed within the cells. Healthy eating is never more important. See www.mypyramid.org for more information about what a healthy diet consists of.

Exercise is the most under-prescribed component of healing, but is probably the most important and beneficial. Therapeutic, cardiovascular exercise that gets your heart rate in your Target Heart Rate Zone (makes you breathe harder, breaking a sweat), is what can make a huge difference in energy levels, reduction of fatigue, and healing. Of course, one should always check with a doctor first. As you are able to progress from increasing daily activity, to walking for 20-30 minutes, exercise should progress to a more intense level for a minimum of 15-20 minutes at least 3 times each week, when possible. Oxygen consumption is increased and better utilized throughout the body to do a first class job of healing!

I had major surgery in August and can attest to the power of these three components. The first two (sleep and nutrition) are what most people think of for recovery. Exercise is almost never considered a major part of recovery in most people’s minds. I have to admit that in spite of being an exercise professional, and KNOWING this, I have been guilty of forgetting from time to time! I most notice the reduction in fatigue that comes from aerobic exercise. Exercise IS medicine, (www.exerciseismedicine.org) and can actually affect the other two categories in a positive way. More to come...

Pilot Study: A lot has happened in the last year! We are in the middle of a pilot study, through Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, Cancer Care Connection in Delaware, Rutland Regional Hospital in Vermont, and Northwest Community Hospital outside Chicago to study the benefits of wellness coaching for survivors. We hope to have a larger clinical trial in the near future, so we can prove the efficacy of wellness coaching for survivors. My personal hope is that with this data, we can apply for funding so that all survivors can have access to a wellness coach if they want one!