At a young age, I had a very clear picture of what I wanted out of life….without question it was to be a loving wife and mother. This dream was fueled by the fact that I grew up in an amazing household that was glued together by parents who were once high school sweethearts. The possibility of true love was always something that I believed in. Given this overlying theme, my pre-teen years were filled with plenty of baby dolls, playing house, and throwing tea parties. Anyone who knew me back then would also attest to my passion for adventures, water sports (skiing/swimming), and general rough housing. To tell the truth, I never really outgrew any of those things.
As a teen, I did EVERYTHING, and loved it….soccer, choir, skiing, friends, trips with my family, and as many social activities as possible. In eleventh grade, I even lived in Germany for a full year due to my Dad having a work assignment there. I didn’t enjoy it at the time, but looking back, it was an invaluable experience. My high school years were filled with lots of great friends, many of whom still remain core individuals in my support system. In retrospect, it may have been a jinx, but I left high school bearing the esteemed title of “Class Optimist”.
After high school (1994) I went to the University of Buffalo to get a Business degree, and as fate would have it, I met my soul mate Chris. He was a little rough around the edges, but his charm and tremendous heart were impossible to walk away from. By 1999 we were married, and by January of 2001 I had my first beautiful child, Colin. As his mother, I’m obviously biased, but he is the most compassionate and intelligent child on this planet J Two and a half years later I gave birth to my little princess Lily. As one would expect from my daughter, she is a well dressed, muddy little doll mommy, and brings my heart more warmth than I could ever accurately communicate. Thanks to my hardworking husband, I’ve been able to be a stay at home mom for the last six years. Everything that I had dreamed about since I was a child was now a reality……
The reason you’re reading my bio right now is because in early February I was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called a Sacral Chordoma. This malignant tumor is unfortunately situated on my lower spine, and needs to be surgically removed before it spreads. The surgery is critical, complicated, and scheduled to occur at Johns Hopkins on 3/27. The outcome of this surgery, followed by some radiation therapy (in Boston), clearly is going to dictate how the next chapter of my story goes……. See my journal for recent updates, and thank you sincerely for your support.
