Congratulations – you’ve had a baby. And you have cancer.
I had just rented a basement space for my business and hired my first employee so I could take a bit of maternity leave. A few weeks off full-time, and then part-time, because my business likely wouldn’t stay afloat without my presence to drive sales in some way.
The problem was, I never started my maternity leave. I was put on sick leave instead because, during the birth, we discovered I had cancer.
A tumor the size of an orange was blocking the birth canal – and that was the only reason the cancer was discovered.
So there I was – with a baby in my arms, two big boys at home, my little new business, with big dreams and plans, and a life-threatening illness that suddenly demanded all my attention.
It was… Horrific. To say the least.
The paradox between the immense joy of having a healthy newborn and staring down my own mortality was intense and required everything from me.
All my activities with Cana Care suddenly became secondary, and thanks to the initial success, I had the leeway to let the business run itself for a while as I tried to regain my footing in a life that had suddenly changed.
The days passed, and then the weeks. And then one day, just before my very first round of chemotherapy, I posted a video on Instagram where I shared my situation. I was incredibly nervous about how it would be received. What if people no longer wanted to buy my products now that I was ill…