What's your story: Not just "the girl with breast cancer."

A while back I started creating monogram jewelry, and it has become my favorite to receive these custom orders, the best part is learning all the stories behind each of these pieces of jewelry.  celebrations of life lived and lost, of loved ones so very cherished, of goals met and being pursued.  so inspiring to be a part of all these women's stories.

I have designed a new bracelet and necklace in my monogram collection, and am very excited to share it with you on my new site.

And because it's October,

And because my friend Lecia is in her 8th year breast cancer free, Yay!!!

I wanted to re-share this post about her journey.

And let you know that 100% of the proceeds from the Vintage Pink Bead Charm will go to breast cancer research.

***
This story belongs to my dear dear friend Lecia.  We met in college and have walked through so many major life events together.

surprising her, bright and early, on her birthday {probably like 10am}

this picture totally captures this moment so well.  Lecia is cool and collected, I am TRYING to be as we pose next to my major-crush-whom-I-can't-even-bring-myself-to-get-close-to-I'm-so-nervous-now-husband.  and yes we are seniors in college {not high school}.

coffee date with auntie Leesh

Lecia is the reason behind the vintage pink bead in the monogram collection.  among many things - a lover of vintage, magazine journalist, dedicated Pre-K teacher, total goofball, fashionista, loyal friend, she is a survivor of breast cancer and a huge inspiration to my life.  I vividly remember getting her call and the news.

this is {a small part of} her story,

I was as healthy as one could be at 26 years old-- I pirouetted my way through at least 10 hours of ballet a week and precisely chose from a vegetarian menu both at restaurants and at home. While browsing for a birthday gift in-between film auditions on the 3^rd street promenade in Santa Monica, California, my 1960’s pink and yellow sundress kept catching the breeze off the Pacific not two blocks away. Desperately trying to gain control of my skirt’s desire to fly, I wasn’t able to find my cell until after the third ring. A call from a doctor who had just promised me the day before that the lump I felt in my breast would turn out to be nothing more than a cyst. After all, I was young…and free from family history.

The conversation was one-sided. He spoke; I half listened as giggling girls with their lattes looped around me to get to their next shopping destination. All I heard my doctor say was that I had breast cancer, it was aggressive and surgery was urgent. Anything else he uttered hit deaf ears which caused me to click “end call” before he could wish me luck I obviously didn‘t have.

Within a couple of days I was living with family friends in the bay area. My brain felt like it had been held up to an ice pack for hours. Numb and unfeeling. Entering surgery had me neither frightened nor anxious. It just was something that was happening to someone who bore a chilling resemblance to me. Nothing was real. From the moment I was given the diagnosis to the moment I woke up to a crying surgeon that told me I had cancerous lymph nodes and my life would be over in a year to the sessions of chemotherapy I had with my Panama-born male nurse who repeatedly asked a dying girl out to dinner to the sight of a trash can filled with my lost hair to the mornings of radiation where my skin was being barbequed. Nothing about it seemed real until it was over…and I was still alive.

Somehow through experimental drugs, the love of family and friends, the mercy of God and the choice to explore avenues of myself that I hadn’t previously taken time to do, I was able to keep a heart beat. I started out my new chance with a craving for knowledge and adventure--went back to school, became a UCLA graduate, explored Europe, Africa and South America and fascinated myself with the cultures of each. Eventually, however, the adventure seeker who had to “live life to the fullest” and be grateful that she was alive at all times wore thin. As appreciative as I was for my life, I couldn’t continue to feel like I wasn’t allowed to be a real person with varying moods and complexities and always on display as “the girl with cancer.”  I had to find my way back to real life without losing the emotionally positive changes that had occurred within. Once I rid myself of the anxiety that I didn’t have time on my side and could relax into being me with goals for a future, my life developed into an existence covered in peace. Because of the cancer I went through, I was able to open myself up to the unexpected. A willingness to jump at opportunities or take paths that were not part of a prior plan lead me into an unforeseen career as a writer. For this change in perspective and for the excitement I now have in what awaits me, I will always be grateful for cancer.

***

Please do your self-breast exams, Lecia was 26 when she found her lump.  here is a great reference for the correct way, you can even sign up for monthly reminders. 

xo,

kirsty

What's your story. Meet Kimbra...

The best part of our monogram collection is learning the stories behind each of these unique pieces of jewelry.  The celebrations of life lived and lost, of loved ones so very cherished, of goals met and being pursued, it is soo inspiring to be a part of all these women's stories.  

This one in particular is about adventures dreamed in far off lands.

Meet Kimbra, her strong, courageous, and caring spirit is infectious, she has always been a huge supporter of mine and I'm honored to have her share her story here.  And what a gorgeous model for my jewelry right?

{follow her on instagram}

I've always been a dreamer, and I think thats partly what has always drawn me to travel. That and the fact that my mom owned a travel agency throughout my childhood. I used to help her out in her agency on weekends and in the summers filing away. As I would sit there filing the brochures on exotic places around the world, I would find myself dreaming of going to those far & away places: the bright colors of Mexico, the blue waters of the Caribbean, the mountains of South America, the historical buildings throughout Europe, the exotic cuisines of Asia….I could sit there for hours, pouring over each place and dreaming up my "would-be" adventures. So I guess its no surprise that due to studying spanish throughout my adolescent years, that I would want to study abroad. Obviously I chose a spanish speaking country but from this decision, where do I go? I began once again pouring over brochures at the University of Washington's study abroad offices and decided on Spain- someplace far away from where I was raised, someplace that seemed so exotic to me that I couldn't even fathom traveling there. So off I went for a semester abroad in Sevilla, Spain. I think its obvious to say that I had the time of my life in Spain and throughout Western Europe that semester!

Fast forward 8 years and I meet my husband. Instant connection and love at first sight. I just knew "the world would be our oyster" as they say. I always wanted to be a wife & a mom and I knew he would be my perfect partner. A short 7 months after we began dating, we took off for a 2 week whirlwind trip to South America- a big test to see if we could stomach each other "on the road". Again, its obvious we both passed the test. Fast forward a few months and my now husband gets offered his dream job. The catch: he would have to move from our idyllic life in Southern California to the cornfields of Indiana. I fully supported his dream but meanwhile my heart was breaking into a thousand pieces. What would happen to "us"? I sure wasn't moving to the midwest. I had a life in SoCal and no ring on my finger. Sigh. Anyway, after dating long distance and seeing each other every 4-6 weeks for about 6 months, he popped the BIG question back on the beach where we had our first date. I screamed in delight and thus began the process of moving my life to Indiana as well as plan a wedding back on the west coast….to commence a short 7 months later. Yikes! Well with a few hiccups our big day came and went and off we jetted for a huge splurge of a honeymoon: 3 days in Hong Kong en route to a 10 day stay in Bali, Indonesia!! What a dream. I had never been to Asia so it was like my whole world opened up and I just loved every second of our peaceful and romantic honeymoon.

Fast forward again to our 1 year wedding anniversary. Due to both of us traveling like mad for our respective jobs, we had a ton of miles and points stockpiled so again we dreamed up our next adventure. We decided what would be more romantic that a stay at Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany (his idea), followed by wine & cheese in Paris, France (my idea)?! Gotta love how the male & female brains work together :). And to make our 1 yr wedding anniversary even more crazy 2 weeks before our trip my hubs got offered a once in a lifetime (well, maybe more if we are lucky) job to live & work in SE Asia….crazy how God's plan works. We were to tack another week onto our European getaway and head to Malaysia & Singapore to check it out and make a decision.

Fast forward to current day. Here we are, 2 years later, living and working in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and most importantly, raising our own little global babe. Our little slice of heaven was born this past July here in Kuala Lumpur (what an experience!) and in the past 12 months, Ava has enriched our life together immensely. I honestly can't believe all my dreams have come true. It was a long and winding road getting here, but I am just so thankful and blessed to live the life I lead: I have a wonderful partner, an adorable little lady, and an adventure every time I open my front door. I'm not saying my life is perfect nor is it easy, especially trying to successfully live as an expat in an arguably third world country, but it is worth every second, and for this I'm forever grateful. I simply cannot wait to see what happens next as I know this is just the middle of "Part 1". :)

THIS is my story.

Thanks Kimbra!