At the beginning of this journey, when I posted on Facebook about my cancer, I knew all eyes were gonna be on me. I didn’t want to be that whiney person, I didn’t want to be that poor pitiful me person, I wanted to be that strong warrior, and I wanted to show people that God IS good. I wanted people to look at me and say “Because of YOU, I didn’t give up.”

My grandchildren came to visit. Seeing my wig in my hand, a grandson yelled to his brother, “Come quick! Geegee has just take-ed her hair right off the top of her head!”

On December 23rd 2011, I found out I had cancer. Who get’s cancer for Christmas?! Well, obviously I do and all the others that packed the waiting room at my oncology office. I thought to myself, ‘I’m only 39 years old how can this be??’

When one person is diagnosed with cancer, the ones closest to them are afflicted too. There’s no way around it. You can’t complain. You have no choice but to roll up your sleeves and deal with it. Each person plays a part in the treatment, comfort, and emotional support.

My treatment included chemotherapy and radiation. I did very well but it still was a long and arduous journey. Anytime I heard that someone I knew had been diagnosed I reached out to say YOU CAN DO THIS!!! I felt it really was a message I needed to tell.

“One day at a time, I try to keep those promises to her.”

“Life is the journey”, cancer is a bump in the road of life. Cancer does not discriminate against us nor define us, it is a part of us. We are “Turtle Angels”, slow and steady.

Now that I have a do-over, my life priorities have changed. Do you remember the movie City Slickers? When cowboy Curly said there was only one thing that is the key to a happy life, Billy Crystal continuously asked Curly what is it was and Curly wouldn’t tell him. At the end of the movie, Billy Crystal finally figured it out. That “one” is different for everyone. It’s up to each individual to discover what the key to happiness is.

5 years Ago I joined a wonderful group of people I now consider family. Live Like Liz, a group dedicated to a young girl with the same cancer I was diagnosed with.

At 46, I was a workaholic mother of two teenagers, wife of a local politician, and daughter whose mother is a breast cancer survivor and suffering from Alzheimer’s. And then I was diagnosed with Stage 3C Ovarian Cancer.

I’m Colleen Johnson, wife, chicken farmer, marathon runner, endometrial cancer survivor.

Having cancer has changed my life FOREVER!!  My 2nd Act changes everyday!!  I have trained myself to find a blessing in every moment of my everyday life!!  Oh my God!!  And the people that have randomly appeared in my life after Cancer!  It’s just amazing.

The first time I was diagnosed with cancer I learned a lot about life, but the main thing I learned was that our personal relationships are our most valuable possessions on life, and material objects have no real value at all.

I have not yet figured out where exactly God wants to use me, but until then I guess I will just continue doing what I’m doing now.

I’ve been through the pain of treatment and the grief in recovery. I’ve struggled just like so many others of us have. And because of that, at AnaOno Intimates we’ve made it our goal is to make certain every woman knows they are Never Alone.

There really is a sisterhood of survivor-ship. The best thing I can do it to be fully engaged in others in the specific manner they may be lacking from those often closer to them.

My journey has been a big step of faith. I’ve never regretted my decision from day one. I drew near to God, and he to me. I realize he’s all I need, the past is behind.

The word chemo no longer scares me. It has become a part of my normal routine, CTCA has become my second home – it always offering me a warm smile. Friends, family and friends of friends I don’t even know are cheering me on from across the world.

July 15, 2018, will be my 7-year cancer free journey mark and I will be celebrating my doctors, their teams and all of those who supported me with their positive messages, funny jokes and great smiles during my battle.

Cancer was the journey, survivorship is the destination. This is a mantra that I live every day as I reinvent myself as a wife, mother, friend, teacher and human being after my cancer diagnosis.