In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” Proverbs 16:9
This is hard for me to share my story, my journey with you.
I have a voice and I am confident in my voice but sharing this journey is different.
I am not eager to divulge detailed personal experiences with people who I do not know; sometimes, it is even hard to do it with people I know.
Yes, over the past twenty years I have shared my story with support groups, one-on-one with friends, family and neighbors but never in this forum. I am a private person when it comes to having a voice about an experience that is so dearly intimate to me.
There have been five recent incidences over the past 12 months that have compelled me to write a book, now after 20 years, about my breast cancer encounter.
Here are the 5 things that happened.
1. I found an old journal from 20 years ago that chronicles the period in my life I was fighting breast cancer.
2. I celebrated my story by blogging about it in three different posts during breast cancer month of October 2020.
3. In January 2020, I celebrated 20 years since a breast cancer diagnosis.
4. A fierce woman I called my friend died of breast cancer in March at age 46.
5. I saw my oncologist for my annual visit in June of 2021 and he greeted me with a huge smile; and, announced that that very same week 20 years ago I completed my final and sixth round of chemotherapy. He gave me a huge hug.
The only way I can do this is to put God first and to have HIM the focus of this book. I humbly submit this journey I share with you as a testimony to my up-close and personal Reflections of God’s Grace: My Personal Encounter with Breast Cancer.
At this point in my journey, I am only sharing my story with the desire to give others hope who have been blind-sided with a breast cancer diagnosis; and, to encourage friends, families and neighbors that there is hope.
Hope that you will get through this season of your life.
Hope that you can fight through the fire with faith.
Hope that you have a future waiting for you.
For me, hope began one day at a time. I was diagnosed with breast cancer 20 years ago.
It has always been difficult to say that I am a breast cancer survivor.I fumble over the word and it always comes out like a whisper.I feel that it is difficult because it continually reminds me of the women I know that did not survive.You will not hear that term a lot as I share my journey; but, long before I was a breast cancer patient and then a survivor; breast cancer was personal to me. My sister’s best friend, Laurel, was the first person I ever personally knew that was diagnosed with breast cancer. Laurel died six years after her breast cancer diagnosis. She left two young children behind, it was a tragedy. A tragedy that happens every single day.
I always share how I ran in the annual Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 5k races in New York City’s Central Park when I belonged to the NYRR Club. By running, I celebrated, Laurel, and all who were affected by breast cancer. I ran in those races for years for women, men, and their families that I did not even know facing a fierce disease.
Ultimately, years later I realized I was running for me. Celebrating my life. Getting ready to fight the breast cancer diagnosis that was coming my way trying to STOP my life journey here on earth.
Sonya Ruff Jarvis is an entrepreneur and founder of Jarvis Consultants, LLC, a marketing, events and branding firm that helps businesses create innovative approaches to navigate the world of marketing. Sonya has been a part of the B2B retail industry for more than 25 years and is the founder of the Home Improvement eRetailer Summit. Follow Sonya on Twitter @jarvisconsult and @eretailersummit or contact her directly at sonya@jarvisconsultants.com. She is also an author and her books can be found on AMAZON.