What does FORD have to do with it?

The journey continues with Ford Motor Company... they have been in the fight for 20 years!

Thank you Ford for choosing me to be one of the 2014 Ford Models of Courage!  I am truly honored to be among a group of amazing people and we are all connected by a common thread... We are survivors who have joined the fight in working towards a world without Breast Cancer.  2014 marks the twentieth year that Ford Motor Company has been in the fight against breast cancer.  They have dedicated over $125,000,000 to the cause.  Please visit the site http://www.warriorsinpink.ford.com/models-of-courage to read more about these inspiring people.  You have an opportunity to join the fight simply by supporting warriors in pink apparel. 100% of the net proceeds supports 4 breast cancer charities.  You choose the charity at checkout.  Please help us bring awareness and support the fight! I am proud to stand with these men and women as a warrior, as a model of courage!

We were all brought together with one life changing experience.  
We laughed.. we cried.. we became friends...

  

http://www.warriorsinpink.ford.com/models-of-courage

WHO KNEW THE JOURNEY WOULD BRING ME HERE?

It's Been One Year!!

Today is my One Year Anniversary!

“Having courage does not mean that we are unafraid.

  Having courage and showing courage mean we face our fears.

  We are able to say, “I have fallen but I will get up.’            -Maya Angelou

This will probably be my shortest post because it is not easy write how I’m feeling today.  I reflect on the last year of my life and it feels like so long ago.  Everything happened so fast it all seems surreal.  It makes me think of a quote that would not leave my mind throughout the process, “You don’t know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.”  For the first time in my life I realized how strong I am.  I have been a little emotional the past week realizing it has been a year.  Every time I look up it seems like I am reading some not so great news and I am reminded of how thankful I am to be here, to have my health, for my wonderful friends and my family!

To my All is Well Crew and my list of angels!  I love you!!  I will forever be grateful for you holding my hand through the storm.  We are certainly on the other side of it.  Today, I ask everyone that reads this post to take a moment to sit in all the things you have to be thankful for and all the people you are grateful for because you are still here.   

I thank God for being here for these two little girls that I love more than life itself…

Oh What A Year Can Bring

“I want to feel my life while I’m in it.” ~Meryl Streep

This time last year, I was dealing with life changing news that changed the course of my life. I learned so much about friendship and family. I chose to look at the good that came out of the bad. My friends and I grew closer. I gained more patience. The quality time with my daughters is priceless. When stuck in the house and nothing but walls around you, you are forced to be in the moment and sit in your thoughts. For me, my thoughts brought out more creative ideas and things I want to accomplish while I’m still here.

I ask the question: “Are you really living? Or are you merely existing?” To live is to step outside of your comfort zone. To live is to follow a dream or take a chance at something in which you believe. When I read that quote above by Meryl Streep, it made me want to live more…

Life can be scary, and things will happen for which we just can’t plan. I’m always reminded that there is always someone experiencing something much worse than whatever it is that I may be going through. Have you ever called someone and all they did was go down the list of bad things that is going on in their life? I call this the ‘black cloud.’ I try to stay away from the black cloud. Sometimes that can be a habit that is hard for someone to break. Some people don’t even realize they do it. It is true that a lot of people are more interested in bad news than they are good news. I hear people say all the time, “You can’t share everything with everybody.” I will never understand that one.

I’m at a point in my life where I realize I have no complaints. It’s the little blessings in my life that make a smile creep across my face. I watch my children sleep and thank God for blessing me with them. I wake up to another day each morning with the ability to do whatever it is that I choose to do. I’m healthier than I have ever been in my life, and I am surrounded by positive people who truly love me. I am also realizing my dreams. I am truly living…

Last week I had a private celebration in my home. I was celebrating life! It was a year to the date of my diagnosis, and I was in the midst of launching my own clothing line. “Oh what a year can bring!” was all I could say. It took me going through this life changing experience to get the courage to just do it. This is something I have been working on for years. I wanted to do it when it felt right. Well, it was time, and the response has been phenomenal. This is only the beginning…

Here’s to a new year, new beginnings, and living life to the fullest…

Check out Tracy Nicole Clothing now!

www.tracynicoleclothing.com

My Wish for Awareness the Entire Year...

Thursday was the last day of breast cancer awareness month. Throughout October, I was blessed to be a part of some great events and participate in media that focused on raising the awareness of breast cancer.

Ask Miss A article on Dr. Jackie Walters' 50 Shades of Pink Foundation Luncheon:
http://askmissa.com/2013/10/25/recap-50-shades-pink-luncheon-dr-jackie-walters/

Interview with one of my closest friends Rashan Ali and the 94.5 Streetz Morning Show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVl7DSj1n2Y&feature=youtu.be

It's my hope that this heightened awareness can continue on throughout the entire year because breast cancer education is essential. Early detection is key. It's my hope that women can be informed and be cognizant of their health. A breast cancer diagnosis is not a death sentence, and if it’s detected early it’s treatable.

Telling My Story...

On October 13, 2013, I spoke to an audience about my story. The audience was a room filled with women--mostly breast cancer survivors and those with breast cancer--at this year's annual 50 Shades of Pink Luncheon. I was moved by the beautiful spirits that lit up the room. It's both fascinating and incredible how I find myself growing stronger every time I step outside of my comfort zone. 

I have to thank Dr. Jackie Walters for inviting me to be a part of this amazing event. When she asked me to speak, I told her I would let her know. (I was really scared as hell to get up and tell my story). I sucked it up and stopped thinking about my fear. Instead, I chose to focus on the positive. I started thinking about how my experience could touch the lives of others. I thought, "If my story helps inspire one person in this room, then I am serving my purpose." That thought threw fear out of the window as I settled in at the mic. Here are some pictures from that fantastic event.

   

This year has been a roller coaster ride that I've never been on and have no clue of what's coming next. When someone told me 2013 was my year, they weren't kidding. 

October is breast cancer awareness month, and the world is talking about something my life has been affected by the last 10 years. My mom is a three-time survivor (yes, she beat cancer's ass three times!). I feel truly blessed to be able to say I am a nine-month survivor and am healthier than I've ever been in my life today! It's important that we understand that early detection is key, and breast cancer is not a death sentence. As my survivor sister Jaquitta Williams would say, "I'm still here!"

There's No Journey Without Miracles ...

“Your life’s journey is about becoming more of who you are.” ~Oprah Winfrey

Like Oprah, I truly believe my entire life is a miracle. There are so many things that happen in our life that we do not plan but the important thing that I have come to know is to look at what we go through and be sure to learn something from it. This traveling the journey is how we come to know who we are. 

A couple of months ago, I got a phone call from Dr. Jackie Walters (you may know her from the reality show Married to Medicine) detailing her plans for a fabulous gala to launch her non-profit “50 Shades of Pink.” She went on to say that there would be a fashion show and she wanted me to design the clothes for it. She had a vision that I could truly feel through the phone. Dr. Jackie said she wanted these clothes to be comfortable for women who have undergone surgery after breast cancer and that she was passionate about the models being survivors or connected to a survivor. We traded stories on how when you look good it makes you feel good. We both acknowledged what an important role that played in recovery. (I know I wanted to look cute every time I went to the doctor!) I just felt like, ‘I can’t control what’s going on in my body but I can control how I look and that made me feel good!’

I was both thrilled and honored Dr. Jackie asked me! With my background as an Occupational Therapist, designing this line would be a perfect match!! Dr. Jackie told me she didn’t want to just do a fashion show—it was bigger than that. It had to have purpose, and she knew exactly what she wanted. Now, I was still recovering myself and had one more procedure to go…but if you know me then you know I said ‘Of course I will!’  (There were sooooo many moments I felt in over my head, but I didn't stop!)  While we were on the phone I began to sketch, and before I knew it I had 10 designs. With the help of Beverly Keys, a designer and one of my former interns from Clark Atlanta School of Fashion, I was able to design and construct every piece on the runway. It was amazing!! Yes, that was a miracle!! The driving force was the purpose behind the fashion show. Launching 50 Shades of Pink was a celebration of the inner and outer beauty of breast cancer patients and survivors. Here's one of my sketches:

The event took place on Saturday, July 27th at the The Ballroom at Carlos Center in Atlanta. Dr. Jackie gave a remarkable, touching and honest presentation. To watch a woman beat breast cancer twice and give back so much was not only inspiring, it motivated me to want to give more of myself. The event was a true success. They raised over $100,000 with plans to help so many women. I was honored to have been a part of it.

This experience allowed me to meet some really wonderful women who graciously wore my clothing on the runway. Each had her own unique story of survival, and it was an awesome experience to become a meaningful piece of their journeys.

It was a surreal moment as I watched these models on the runway. I was struck by the beauty of the women in the clothes—my clothes. Even more so, I was moved by the magnificence of how my story, my journey, has so beautifully come full circle. Not only was it a dream come true but the road traveled to get to that moment was nothing short of a miracle…

For more information on ‘50 Shades of Pink Foundation’ go to http://www.50shadesofpinkfoundation.org

Jumping Back In ...

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”

― Confucius

Last week, I received a phone call from my mother. “Tracy, you didn’t finish!” were the first words she said. “Finish what?” I said, a little confused. She said “You didn’t finish telling your story. People are waiting to hear the rest. You didn’t even get to the surgery yet.” Immediately I felt nervous. She was right. I didn’t finish. I had to stop and think about why I slowed down with the story. I know that at times I questioned whether people really wanted to hear more. But the real truth is I was having a difficult time writing about my journey—especially the part of it where I had left off. I didn’t realize how traumatic the experience had actually been, and writing about it was bringing out all of those emotions. I’m not an emotional person, so this was uncomfortable for me. As a result, I just pulled back a little bit and didn’t realize it.

My mom’s phone call helped me to recognize that I have not written about the hardest turn of events that occurred (probably on purpose). The comments, feedback and encouragement about this blog have helped tremendously. I guess the best thing to do is to jump back in and keep moving forward…  I have the best people in the world in my corner!!! So here goes:

The day of the surgery, my sister drove me to the hospital. I know she sent messages to all of my friends, but, to this day, I have no idea what the messages said. All I remember is getting sedated and then waking up. My surgery lasted 4 ½ hours. I had assumed that when I woke up I would be all bandaged up. I wasn’t. I was however definitely heavily medicated! I woke up, looked down inside my hospital gown, saw these perky breasts and I yelled out, “Did you do the surgery?” No one responded, so and I yelled again. “Hey! Did you do the surgery? Did you get all the cancer out?” (Yes, I really yelled that! I guess I need reassurance that it was removed. When they initially told me about the cancer and its location, I kept thinking I could feel it and that it was going to move somewhere. The cancer was messing with my head so much I couldn’t wait to get it out!)

A nurse came over to comfort me and said, “Yes, your surgery went well. You are in recovery until you completely wake up from the anesthesia.” I think I dozed back off because the next thing I remember was being wheeled into a room filled with flowers and cards. Everything seemed so surreal. I don’t really like hospitals or sitting still, so I knew this was not going to be easy. The best thing I remember was not being in any pain. I was on pain medication that was connected to my IV, and all I had to do was push a button to administer it anytime I felt uncomfortable. The staff really took care of me at Northside Hospital. The nurses were the best. These were some strong meds that kept me extremely comfortable!! I emphasize this because everyone that came to visit would look at me like I was suffering, and actually I was really comfortable. The surgery was the easy part (if there was an easy part). It was the next step, the recovery, that was definitely the hard part…

(to be continued)