My Journey to the Ironman
Hi, I'm Leslie, and this is my story...
Living my life as as a nurse, wife, and mother at age 33, my reality suddenly came to an end. Life as I knew it stopped.
In the blink of an eye, I was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer; the type of 'person' that a nurse was suppose to take
care of. Not be. Life for me became what I could never have imagined...
I underwent 6 rounds of chemotherapy with
all of it's side affects, a total mastectomy, 33 radiation treatments, reconstructive surgery, and a total hysterectomy.
After the surgeries and treatments were finished, I began to realize that 'life' for me was never to be the same. My reality
had been severely shifted. So many things would be need to be re-evaluated...
My Journey of Faith through this experience
lead me to realize many things. And it allowed me to change my life. I knew that I never wanted another woman to face
this devastating disease alone and scared, forced to give up her hopes, dreams, and plans for her future. I left my job as an
ER nurse to become a Breast Care Coordinator, to help other women work through their time of illness. I wrote and published
my book, 'Faithful Journey: Memoirs of a Breast Cancer Survivor', to help other breast cancer survivors realize that they are
not alone. I began a Survivorship Fund.
And...I became a Triathlete!