I was raised to have a grateful heart. I have come to appreciate this value my parents taught me. They modeled the importance of expressing gratitude frequently with friends, family, and even strangers. Mom and Dad always said gratitude should be given freely from the heart, expecting nothing in return. I dedicate this blog to an individual I have known for five years. I encourage the reader to take the time to acknowledge those in your life who have made a difference, large or small, either publicly or privately with a simple note of gratitude from your heart.
Moments in life are sweet and precious, tenuous and unpredictable. We don’t always know the direction our lives will take. There are the planners and the gypsies. I have always considered myself a planner with a bit of gypsy spirit. A plan I put in place in 2014 was to complete my M.Ed. program. I was going to mentor other teachers. I wanted to share all the knowledge and experience I gained in my years as an educator and help them navigate their own journey through the profession of being an educator, a teacher. My passion has always been to empower others with education.
The Educator Meets her Mentor
I had to embrace my gypsy spirit. The plan I made to continue my education was disrupted by a second breast cancer diagnosis. The plan to complete my M.Ed. was put on the back burner until I completed treatment and surgery necessary to return to optimal health. My life switched from classes, research, deadlines for papers due, and finals to focusing on my health.
After a double mastectomy I knew I wanted to reconstruct my breasts. I utilized the knowledge I gained working on my M.Ed. to research the finest reconstructive microsurgeon to perform what I chose for breast reconstruction, DIEP flap. I chose Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo. It was at my first consult the educator was about to meet her mentor. My compass was set to be realigned and I had no idea what was going to unfold after leaving his office the day of my initial consult. I only knew this man displayed honesty, integrity, skill, and something I observed that day, a sense of gratitude for what he could do for those affected by breast cancer.
Gratitude and a Push to Educate Others
I returned from traveling for my breast reconstruction surgery and began healing; physically, mentally, and professionally. The call to educate others via my blog was my own decision. DiepCJourney blog was created in early 2015. Connecting on social media gave me the bandwidth to reach a broader audience. But it also led to requests for guest blogs, representing the breast reconstruction community, and becoming involved in something I did not plan to be a part of, opening a nonprofit Foundation.
Dr. C was the first person to encourage me to do this. He was driving home from a long day of work. I received the phone call from him. Those who follow us both on social media know we interact a lot. It is because of our focused mission to educate others about all options for breast reconstruction. Few may know it was the phone call in February of 2016 when I was encourage by him to open DiepCFoundation. I was overwhelmed with the suggestion at the time. Learning about Word Press, blogging, and writing for a purpose took me a full year. This was a new push, a new challenge.
A note of Gratitude Five Years Later
Dr. C and I see each other a couple of times a year at medical conferences and breast reconstruction events. We always find time to have coffee and catch up. I will admit, we don’t always agree on all topics after knowing each other for five years. But, it is part of what I admire most in him. He does not waiver in encouraging me to achieve goals he knows I am capable of.
Most recently, while attending a round table discussion for patients returning to work after cancer, I received a message from him. All it said was, “Check your DiepC email”. I told him I would open it later in the day when I returned home. He replied, “No rush”.
I knew he was asked to write a paper about the Patient of Courage Award I received from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons in 2018. It took him time, research, and commitment to submit the paper to the Plastic Reconstructive Surgery Journal, the premier publication of plastic surgeons. There is an arduous review process for PRS Global Open papers to be accepted. He sent me an email with the published paper. Yes, I needed something to wipe the tears away after reading it. Five years after meeting Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo, he acknowledged the push to open my Foundation by pouring hours outside of his incredibly hard-working professional day by writing and submitting the paper.
A Simple Note of Gratitude
I find it hard to express words of appreciation for your unwavering trust and confidence in my work, Dr. C. The switch in my professional life in 2014 was inspired the day I walked into your office to plan my breast reconstruction. The shared decision-making conversation we had was the catalyst and call to stand beside you to educate others impacted by breast cancer about their options for breast reconstruction.
Let’s continue this Journey. This is my simple note of gratitude.
