Life is a gift

Amanda Preasha

Whoa,  it has been awhile since I have been on here but life has been crazy and my brain has been overwhelmed with so much these last few months.  With starting a new career, by the way I have never been so excited to get up and go to work everyday.   I just feel so honored and grateful. Just the feeling of knowing that I can be a positive impact on a person is humbling and makes my heart full of joy.

Life has also thrown some curveballs my way recently with some health issues.  I recently had met with my oncologist after a 3 month follow-up CT Scan for some nodules found in my lung and kidney.  Unfortunately, when waiting for the results and you get a call you are praying for some good news. Well, when I answered my phone the other day my oncology nurse had asked me if I could come in that day at 12:40 pm because my oncologist wanted to meet with me.  Well of course the first thing I think is, I have cancer again.  My anxiety went through the roof and I was shaking.  So, my husband and my mother joined me at the Nebraska Cancer Specialist office and I checked in and went to a room.  As my oncologist opened the door I felt like I was going to pass out.  But because she is the most caring and comforting Dr. I know, I knew I was in good hands.  She is very honest and open and I love this about her.  So she sat down and explained to myself, my husband and my mom that since my last scan 3 months ago there is a new growth in my lung that is concerning to her and could be cancer.  So with her being so on top of things she had scheduled me for a PET Scan in the upcoming week and I will be meeting with a Lung dr. to discuss what the next steps are and to have a bronchoscopy done as well. She did say this may be a whole separate issue from the breast cancer or this could be from it, so we will see.  This was not the news I was hoping for but I have also fought this battle once before and know that whatever it is I will fight it again and with my amazing support system.  I am trying to stay as positive as one can but it is scary and overwhelming.

~We just never know what life has in store for us.  This is why I share with my kids that life is too short and to not take it for granted~

On another note i’m not sure about y’all but I am so thankful for cooler temperatures! Happy Fall Y’all!!!! Enjoy this beautiful day that has been given to us!

Stepping outside of your comfort zone.

Amanda Preasha

Have you ever wondered what God has planned for you, or curious what your life is suppose to be? We tend to stay inside our space and do what feels comfortable. Instead, we should try and step outside our comfort zone. Do something you wouldn’t normally do, introduce yourself to people that you wouldn’t normally go up to, say hello to a stranger, etc. I have always been a pretty social person. In fact my grandmother gave me the nickname “butterfly” because I was always and still am a social person. But what people wouldn’t know is I was terrified of large audiences, I did not like to speak in front of a group of people. But over time the more I introduced myself to others and became more open the more confident I became.

Years ago I would have never been able to meet a stranger for coffee, lunch or whatever. But when going through life and different journeys I have learned the importance of listening to others and sharing my struggles/achievements with others to see how I can benefit from others and vice versa.

This morning I had breakfast with a beautiful soul. Not only was it an honor to meet her and her son but to listen to her journey as a breast cancer survivor as well. We can all learn something from one another if we would just listen and stop judging one another. Life is to precious 💖 Happy Thursday!

Finding our Purpose in LIFE

Amanda Preasha

Wow,  I can’t believe it is March 1st!  Spring is finally in the air waking up to birds chirping is always a good sign.  Poured me a cup of coffee this morning and I can just hear the birds chirping away outside.   I am so grateful to see another season of life.  I have always appreciated life and the ups and downs but after my diagnosis I cherish every bit of it.

This past Tuesday after 6 months of not exercising I laced up my brooks and stomped the pavement. I finally did it! It was nice enough outside and I was feeling pretty good so I decided to go for it. I made it 2 miles in 24 minutes and 20 seconds. I knew I wasn’t going to come out running 9 minute miles like before and I was A-OK with that. As I was running I did catch this little voice in my head telling myself to not give up as I wanted to so bad. Before my diagnosis I was very active so not working out for 6 months has been very challenging for me not only physically but also mentally and emotionally.  Have you ever heard that saying, ” you never know what you can do, until you can’t do it,” this journey has made me realize that.  Don’t take things for granted because there may come a time where you don’t have the ability to do those things.  We also never truly realize that our setbacks are setting us up for greatness and that our setbacks surprisingly turnout to be our greatest strengths.

I remember about 5 years ago when I started my weight loss journey.  I never realized that journey was inspiring others to get healthy and helping achieve personal goals.  It was then when I realized what my PURPOSE was in life! TO HELP OTHERS and to share my life journeys.

When I was diagnosed October 13th, 2017 with Stage 2A Invasive Ductal Carcinoma I thought to myself, should I share my journey or do I keep it private.  I decided to share it because I could help bring awareness and the importance of self breast exams, and also I wanted to open up and provide not only the good days but also the bad days.  Cancer is a scary disease but I chose to embrace this journey for the positive.  I have been so incredibly grateful for the support and love that not only I have received but also my family.  This setback has turned out to be the greatest blessing in disguise. I have been able to pursue my passion and purpose.  No matter what season we are in we will have to overcome obstacles that we never thought we would have to so embrace all obstacles.

I found my PURPOSE! Have a blessed day!

Saturday Vibes

Amanda Preasha
So most of you know or maybe you don’t 🤔 but I’m a very open person. I enjoy sharing my life with people. No matter what path I’m on I’ve always enjoyed sharing it. It brings me joy! Why, because I hope that I’ve inspired someone, 👈🏽  (that brings me happiness.) I love seeing people with a smile on their face or happiness in their heart. And if I can do that for one person then my heart is complete. Have you seen that quote that says, “don’t allow others to steal your joy,” yeah I’m not going to allow that anymore because sharing my journey brings me joy not a pity party.

Like I’ve said before what you see on social media are my good days. But damn I’ve had some extremely, challenging days that I want to share with y’all. The last few days I have been extremely emotional and stand-offish because I am struggling both physically and emotionally. Friday was really hard for me because being a marathon runner  and a person who loves to workout  I have not physically been able too. What hit me was when I had to stop half way up my stairs because I was out of breath 😭. I was so frustrated that I started crying. Just mad and angry that this is my life right now. That I’ve been dealt these stupid cards in life. (No I don’t want a pity party) just simply stating my frustrations. I did make my way to the top of the stairs to get ready 🙌🏽  and yes I got over it but it still pisses me off.
So as I went to bed last night, I got about✌🏽 hours asleep as I was awoken by night sweats. And when I say night sweats I mean drenched in sweat 😓. Why do I have these  could be a couple things; chemo, or medications I’m on. Who knows but they are annoying too. Needless to say I’ve been up since 1:30 am watching tv, and trying to go back to sleep. So since that didn’t work I made a cup of joe ☕️  (my grandpa👴🏼 used to call it that) and started to read a book that I was given by my dear friend Jill, called, Option B. I didn’t even make it through the Introduction without crying 😢  because I felt like it was written for me to read at that very moment. And was Gods way of speaking to me at that very moment. In the meantime I’m racing to the bathroom to get sick (which is a first) because I was nauseous from the side effects of chemo.
But there is a quote in this book that I think we could all benefit from in some aspects of our lives.

~Option A is not available. So let’s just kick the shit out of Option B~

~Life is never perfect. We all live some sort of Option B, so let’s all kick the shit out of it~

So what I took from the book and the last 6 months of this not so planned journey I’m on is, no matter what obstacles are placed in front of me if what I’m doing isn’t available go to Option B and kick the shit out of it!

With all that said I pray that each and every one of you has an amazing Saturday, whether you’re enjoying warm weather ☀️  or this cold weather ❄️ enjoy your Saturday! MUCH LOVE, STAY BLESSED ✌🏽💖🙌🏽😘