The pain of infertility

April 25, 2018 | Danielle | Cancer Survivorship, Faith | 1

I deeply struggled to accept and explain the pain of infertility – zero chance of becoming pregnant – after my hysterectomy. At 28 years old, I’d elected to have a surgery that made me infertile for the rest of my life. No turning back, the decision was permanent. Why I became infertile Initially, I pointed […]

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My Arrow Tattoo

June 20, 2017 | Danielle | Faith | 1

Eight years ago, I swore I would never get another tattoo but recently, I got an arrow tattoo. The arrow tattoo has a variety of meanings for me. The arrow tattoo points to identity I’m a cancer survivor. Over the years as I’ve worked through this pain, I’ve not only dug up trauma from cancer […]

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This is 33

December 14, 2016 | Danielle | Faith | 0

I opened my eyes only for a second before I wrapped up tighter in the the 11-year old quilt that my grandparents gave us for our wedding. My husband’s winter beard scratched my face as he leaned in to whisper. “Happy Birthday.” I closed my eyes again and tried to drift back to sleep. Of […]

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Facing my fear of birds

July 30, 2016 | Danielle | Faith | 2

I freely walked into a bird cage at the zoo today and faced my fear of birds phobia. With my body shaking, I stretched out my arm and let a lorikeet perch on my finger and drink nectar from a small cup in my hand. At one point, two birds rested on me. But one […]

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Today I went to a black church.

July 17, 2016 | Danielle | Faith | 16

Today I went to a black church. No, I didn’t have an agenda. It wasn’t for work. There wasn’t a rally to attend or any special invitation (other than the one from my friend Rene who’d been praying for the African American community and felt told to go). I went to listen and pray alongside […]

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How to Trust God When My Friends Are Dying

February 23, 2016 | Danielle | Faith | 0

“How could you…? Why didn’t you…? “Where were you…?” I struggled to find the strength to complete my prayerful sentences. I didn’t want to pray my honest prayers. And it wasn’t because I was scared to hurt God’s feelings; I’d moved past that months ago. The memories of dearly loved friends who went all too […]

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