What do you do when your head is spinning, thinking about your world being turned upside down? The plans you made, suddenly were upturned. Ever just look up at the clear blue sky and think, will things ever be the same? I did, in the Summer of 2015 when I was diagnosed with cancer and an autoimmune disease that had wrecked my body.
Choosing to leave my hectic, corporate job in March 2015, just weeks before I was delivered the news, I did it because my own health was on the back burner. I felt tired but didn’t know I was sick. Just two years prior I had started my own side business with the doctors that created Proactiv and much like anything in life, I had no idea that would be my saving grace. What would carry me through my diagnosis and treatment and allow me the time to heal without my family having to make significant financial sacrifices. My intent was to put more time into my family and try and find a pace that wasn’t equivalent to a speeding train with no destination. Even in making that decision, I hadn’t put myself first. This is defined as being a mom. Even when we know something is wrong, we still walk around blindly taking care of that next errand, the next conference call, the next little one that needs to be cared for. Little did I know….
No matter what the scale was saying or what new information tests revealed, or what body part ached, I could always care for my skin and put my best ‘face’ forward. My body became something that was beyond my control – it was angry and in turn, was failing me. The trips to the gym that were merely a mental game to get me out the door now became a challenge to even get out of bed but yet my face still showed up, everywhere.
My lesson in all of this is, as someone who would rather sit on a bed of needles than asking for help, who was forced to hand over control of her home, errands, driving, being ‘queen’ of running her household, and the rock everyone leaned on did I realize I did have control over something. I had my backup plan in place long before I found out I needed it. We have more control than we think. I chose to rise and shine to face the world, regardless of my struggles and I decided to do that brilliantly.
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Melissa Fitzgerald-Liceaga
Skincare by Melissa, Life by Design
(photo credit: Susan Carson with permission)
Melissa F. Liceaga 