My Daughters Personal and Courageous Story

I started this blogpost when my Daughter Dana started sharing her story on her first blogpost. We were together in Arizona while Dana was undergoing an integrative cancer treatment program.  I titled it Healing From Within, not because I knew it was possible, but because I so wanted to believe it. As a Registered Nurse, I wasn't taught nutrition, nor really any of the tools to build health that I offer today. Drugs, surgery and radiation were the only tools in the conventional backpack. It took a lot of courage to question her doctor and to step outside of conventional medicine. It takes courage to be your own healthcare advocate.

Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is facing the fear and taking action in spite of the fear. 

Please take a few minutes to listen to my daughters courageous story. I am so very proud of her courage, compassion and commitment to connect with others. 

What is your story? Will you choose the courage and compassion to share it?

For more information or to follow Dana and her associated non profit work:

Forced Joy Project & Living Courageously

Cassie Hines Shoes Cancer Foundation & Base 2 Summit

True North Treks

With Love & Gratitude,

Lisa

About Lisa Jackson, RN, CHC, RYT-500, AFMC

Lisa is an author, functional nutrition, and functional medicine trained health coach, yoga teacher, and retired Registered Nurse. Her mission is to inspire, educate and empower individuals and corporations to achieve optimal health.

Lisa's book, Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think & Thrive is a self-health book offering her seven steps to optimal health.

When she is not coaching or speaking, you can find Lisa joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance or playing with her two grandchildren. She is the mother of four adult children and believes that "Optimal health should not be a secret."

9/11 Remembrance

Sometimes life stops you dead in its tracks. Tragedy forces us to stop and re-prioritize. Fear can be paralyzing or mobilizing.

This day, sixteen years ago, terrorism hit home in America. Our dear friends and colleagues lost loved one in the collapse of the World Trade Center and at the Pentagon.

My father had retired. The third plane hit where his office had been in the Pentagon. He was the architect behind the Pentagon's renovation and he died 6 months after 9/11. The Vice President of Tramel Crowell spoke at his funeral and shared how his renovation had saved lives. The expanded fire walls prevented further damage and the fact that part of this section was still vacant.

This is day that many remember. I was working in my office in Rockville, Md when I received an instant message from my daughter Dana in college. "Mom, Do you know what's happening? They are saying another plane is heading towards the Pentagon." Her younger sister, Margo was in school not far from there. I jumped in the car and arrived at her Arlington school on autopilot, stuffed Margo and four friends in my two seater car and brought them home.

We react out of fear or we respond out of love. On September 11th, 2001, I did both.

I had stayed in a hotel with a bird's eye view of the World Trade Center just the Tuesday before. My boss lost his brother in law, the Chief of the NY Fire Department when the second tower collapsed. My CTO at the time was David Beamer, his son Todd lost his life on the plane headed towards DC. His wife wrote the book, Let's Roll of his heroism on the plane to stop the terrorists.

I'm currently reading a book called Living Forward, by Michael Hyatt and Daniel Harkavy. It's a "how to" book on living a life of meaning, significance, joy, and satisfaction. One thing I know for sure is that we will all die someday.

So how do we live life today to it's fullest? We learn to live life on purpose. We live and choose consciously out of love, not out of fear. We create our own roadmap. We determine our priorities.

We must prioritize ourselves, for our loved ones to make it happen.

Are you living the life of your dreams? Or are you just drifting? What adjustments do you need to make to get back on course?

Will you take time today to remember the truth of who you really are?

Carpe Diem,

With Love & Gratitude,

Lisa

About Lisa
Lisa is an author, inspirational speaker and a functional medicine coach with a mission to inspire others to feel and look their best at any age.

Lisa's book Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think and Thrive outlines her seven-step process
towards optimal health that is fun and transformational.

Lisa is part of the New Self Health Movement and the Wellness Inspired Network. When she is not coaching, speaking or writing, you can find her practicing yoga and joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance.