MY STORY

I'm a mom of a healthy, vibrant 8 year old daughter, Registered Biomechanics Yoga Instructor E-RYT 500, Usui Reiki Master, Holistic Health & Nutrition Coach, Pilates Reformer, AADP & a 13 year, stage 4, brain cancer survivor, GBM.

I graduated from the University of Buffalo in 1999 with a double degree in Psychology & Management Information Systems. After I graduated from college I headed to New York City. The city was a place I always dreamed of living. I was able to acquire a great job working for PepiCo as a computer Project Manager. I loved living in the city experiencing different cultures, food, museums; however, in 2000 my parents called me from Buffalo & told me my 30 year old sister was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor called GBM. At that time, I had minimal knowledge about the disease. My sister was pregnant with her third child and was developing debilitating headaches. My sister was able to give birth to a healthy baby girl, but a few weeks after meeting with her doctor the brain scan showed GBM stage 4. My sister already had 2 other boys at the time, so the diagnosis hit hard. Unsurprisingly, my grandfather passed at 53 with the same disease. My sister fought hard, but passed 2 years after diagnosed. I flew back & forth every month to Buffalo to check on my parents & nephews. Although the passing of my sister was so devastating to our family, there was a huge support system in place for my parents, niece, nephews, & brother-in-law during this difficult time. My brother-in-law remarried to a wonderful women, who became part of our family. She had no children of her own & she moved across the country to develop a close relationship with my nieces and nephews.

Still grieving from the loss of my sister, in 2002 I found yoga. I really didn’t know much about the practice, I was always active & fit growing up as a dancer. I started to take more classes that were offered at work I began to notice how it was helping me heal from the suffering I had from sisters passing. I was hooked on the practice & healing properties, so I decided to get certified to teach in 2005. I taught yoga throughout the New York City area while I still worked as a Project Manager.

As the years progressed & times changed living in NYC, in 2010, I knew I needed to leave. I realized that I overstayed my welcome. The chaotic lifestyle, a relationship that wasn’t going anywhere, it was my time to move to a place I never imaged living - Las Vegas, NV. My best friend from childhood was living there & I was quite surprised how easy it was to live here. I was able to get a great job & although the first few months of the desert heat were hard, I was enjoying my new friends & my life in Sin City.

In 2010 I began to notice different shifts in my ability to read, write, memorize, comprehend & in decision making. During my work hours when I was presenting a project I would get extremely nervous. There were many times I couldn’t express the idea or the view point that was needed for the project. There were a few times when I was teaching yoga, I remember having mini-seizures. At that time, I contributed all my symptoms to stress. I never once thought that I had a large tumor growing in the left parietal zone of my brain.

On February 2011, Super Bowl Sunday, I was feeling very ill. We went to eat Italian food the night before, so on Sunday I thought the throwing up was due to the food. The next day I had a grandmal seizure in my bedroom. Luckily, my parents were visiting & called 911. I was admitted to the hospital & after a brain scan it showed the tumor. My family & I were in disbelief. Due to the severity of my tumor, 7cm, it needed to be removed immediately. After pathology reports came in showed Stage 4 GBM surgery was scheduled the next day & I was told I would live for less than one year.

Although I knew the severity of this disease, I truly believed I would get through it. I had many weeks of suffering, but instead of thinking about death, I thought about surviving. I used my inner strength & fortitude to convince myself I was going to beat the battle. After having 6 weeks of radiation & 2 years of chemotherapy, my doctor said, “You’re done.” I was so perplexed & worried. My scans were clear, my treatments are done now what? My doctor said, “Go live your life.” I had mixed emotions at that time. I was thinking the chemotherapy & radiation were my safety blankets & worried that my cancer would return. Then the light (which I call my angel) inside my head sent me a message to go forward and live life; good things are coming.

With faith & persistence, good things came! I got married to my wonderful husband in 2014 & in 2015 I gave birth to my daughter, Gianna. She is truly my miracle considering the chances of conceiving after chemo & radiation are very low. Since 2011 I continue to get regular brain scans with no recurrence. I completely changed my lifestyle & now I dedicate my time to the things I love the most which are Teaching, Healing, Nutrition & Supporting My CANCER SURVIVORS.

 I understand the process of suffering & I want all my clients to feel supported, loved, & to find confidence in their healing abilities.  I strive to create a supportive environment that enables the client to articulate & achieve their goals. I look forward to working with you. 

Love & Light,
Susan