Julie’s friends and family rallied around her and cooked for her family when she could not. Different organizations, such as the Pink Ribbon Girls, stepped in, sending cleaning supplies and food, and offering to take her to appointments. “When you are going through chemo, it wears you down and takes your strength and agility away, so my family and friends came in and cleaned,” she says. “They took my son to school for me and more.” It’s also important to understand that not everyone gets the same type of chemotherapy treatment, she says. Her stage 2 invasive carcinoma – it was almost stage 3, she says – prompted her to go with a double mastectomy, based on her research and family history. Her grandmother and mother both had breast cancer. “I am the first-generation grandchild to have cancer, and right after me, I had a cousin that was diagnosed,” Julie says. “So I did what I believe was best, realizing every treatment needs to be specific.” She says she wanted to survive because she still had things she wanted to finish. Julie joined a support group for breast cancer patients so she could learn more. She refused to let depression or mental anguish prevail. The surgery and chemotherapy hurt, she says, but she prayed every day for the Lord to help her manage any pain she had, which He did. Without the lessons learned from her challenges and trials, Julie says, she wouldn’t have been able to manifest the life she has. “Today, at 50 years of age, I have no fear or qualms,” she says. “But when I was younger, I tried to just fit into the box that was presented to me. I did not realize that, even at a young age, I could have definitely created the life I wanted and not followed the pack.” “ I want to see all women have access to tools and skill sets to help them mentally and physically. ” Her next goal is for her organization to expand and go global. “I want to see all women have access to tools and skill sets to help them mentally and physically. It is about healing her mind, healing her body, and healing her soul,” she says. “Healing her mind is the continuous education that I think all women should stay involved in. Healing her body, for me, is part of my journey with having breast cancer: getting your check-ups, going to the doctor, 42 | ENVISION PROVEN SUCCESS MAGAZINE and making sure you are eating well. Healing your soul involves finding your purpose in life.” As a breast cancer survivor, community leader, and coach, Julie says that, in leadership, we are to be forever students – even those who are already leaders or pillars of the community. “In leadership, one needs to create healthy boundaries and understand why it is important to have those boundaries,” she says. “Another thing that I have learned is understanding different people have different personality traits and skill sets. So, in leadership, I mainly focus on the gifts since this is what I have learned to help people grow.” Julie emphasizes the importance of networking with other women as an opportunity to learn something new. Though she has been through a lot, Julie is always caring for other women, because “Healing Her” heals others, too. Alethea Morris Alethea is a volunteer and a 2023 writer for EnVision Proven Success. She was also featured in the 2019 edition of EnVision Proven Success magazine.
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