Building a life after cancer
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When I was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, a friend of mine joked that I am the absolute worst at receiving one of the things I am best at giving: Help.
Asking for support can feel scary. Though, cancer has taught me that life is not meant to be done all alone. People want to help, you just have to let them in.
While treatment may be finished for me, in many ways, healing has only just begun. The lasting effects from treatment currently have me spending mostly all of my time at home. I am unable to drive, so my parents support me in taking me to all of my weekly doctor appointments. Of these challenges, I also have a prolonged form of chemo-brain and Complex PTSD. For years now, writing has been my only profession, and the constant mental fog and neurological sensitivities have made it nearly impossible for me.
It has me asking myself the big question: Who am I without this part of myself?
When I look back on my life, I find that the through-line has always been about my quest to reveal the beauty in things. Not from an aesthetic sense, but rooted from something deeper, that reminds us we are all connected.
My dream now, isn't a new one. Since I was a child I have wanted to own a flower farm, and it has been affirmed time and time again throughout my journey with cancer. I want to grow, sell and give something back to the world that has brought so much beauty, joy and healing into my life.
I recently came into the opportunity to study under the mentorship of Erin Benzakein, who specializes in maximizing flower growth in small spaces. Learning from her will allow me to grow a business that will support me financially as I continue to heal. My five year goal is to expand and purchase 10+ acres and use the farm as a healing center for others to come to and stay at.
I have decided on the name, Lily of the Valley (@lotvfleur on IG) in loving remembrance of both my cousin Alicia, who died from brain cancer, and the flower, Lily of the Valley, whose own story symbolizes “A Return to Joy”
Your donations will go directly to the supplies it will take for me to turn Lily of the Valley into a thriving small-scale farm and business startup.
While in treatment, a woman wrote me a letter about a dream she had about me, where I was dancing in an open field of flowers, free of pain and full of joy. This is all I can ever wish for any of you — a joy so untamed it feels like freedom.
Asking for support can feel scary. Though, cancer has taught me that life is not meant to be done all alone. People want to help, you just have to let them in.
While treatment may be finished for me, in many ways, healing has only just begun. The lasting effects from treatment currently have me spending mostly all of my time at home. I am unable to drive, so my parents support me in taking me to all of my weekly doctor appointments. Of these challenges, I also have a prolonged form of chemo-brain and Complex PTSD. For years now, writing has been my only profession, and the constant mental fog and neurological sensitivities have made it nearly impossible for me.
It has me asking myself the big question: Who am I without this part of myself?
When I look back on my life, I find that the through-line has always been about my quest to reveal the beauty in things. Not from an aesthetic sense, but rooted from something deeper, that reminds us we are all connected.
My dream now, isn't a new one. Since I was a child I have wanted to own a flower farm, and it has been affirmed time and time again throughout my journey with cancer. I want to grow, sell and give something back to the world that has brought so much beauty, joy and healing into my life.
I recently came into the opportunity to study under the mentorship of Erin Benzakein, who specializes in maximizing flower growth in small spaces. Learning from her will allow me to grow a business that will support me financially as I continue to heal. My five year goal is to expand and purchase 10+ acres and use the farm as a healing center for others to come to and stay at.
I have decided on the name, Lily of the Valley (@lotvfleur on IG) in loving remembrance of both my cousin Alicia, who died from brain cancer, and the flower, Lily of the Valley, whose own story symbolizes “A Return to Joy”
Your donations will go directly to the supplies it will take for me to turn Lily of the Valley into a thriving small-scale farm and business startup.
While in treatment, a woman wrote me a letter about a dream she had about me, where I was dancing in an open field of flowers, free of pain and full of joy. This is all I can ever wish for any of you — a joy so untamed it feels like freedom.
Only and ever grateful for it all.
With love,
Danielle
Organizer
Danielle Doby
Organizer
Bedford, TX