I’ve always approached life from a glass half-full perspective. As a small child, I watched my mother thrive on being a victim, in every situation. That early perspective gave me the ability to develop a different way of coping with life and to survive whatever came my way. That decision has served me well.
In 1988, I was kidnapped by the Honduran Military Commandos. Had I given in to what they had in store for me, I would not be here. Instead I kept my wits, and kept the person with me calm, until there was an opportunity for us to escape. In 2004, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Subsequently, I’ve had 10 breast cancer surgeries and 8 rounds of chemo, and I’m doing great.
Attitude is a choice we make: We can choose to be poor, pitiful me, or we can gather up our strengths and become Ramborella.™ A year ago, I was taken to the emergency room for a heart-related matter caused by chemotherapy. While the medical team worked on me, I focused on a spot on the ceiling and kept repeating the Twenty-Third Psalm, over and over, again. I wasn’t just in “green pastures and beside still waters,” it unfolded in my mind like a movie. At one point, a doctor leaned down and said, “I don’t know what you’re doing, but keep it up. It’s working.”
Pessimism and a negative attitude is not acting in our own best interest. Take charge and believe you have the strength to do anything, and then make it happen! Since breast cancer, I have launched a media company to produce online, print and television content for cancer families. Our first endeavor is the BreastCancerSisterhood.com where I’ve produced over 100 original content videos for each member of the breast cancer family, and have been named a Top Breast Cancer Blog on the Internet.
Whether we know it or not, we are empowered with an innate strength and courage. Own it. Draw on it. Make it your own.