ABOUT ME

Have I got some stories for you…

My name is Mary, I’m also Auntie Mimi to many, and I’m a two-time cancer survivor.

I was diagnosed in the late 90s, at age 16, with early-stage Hodgkin’s Disease. Back then I was treated with chemo and radiation, and I’ve been on a wild 25-year journey since.

Experiencing new diagnoses caused by my 90s cancer treatments, and navigating the cold and complicated US healthcare system as an adult, has shaped who I am today.

Getting diagnosed with breast cancer nearly two decades after first hearing the words “you have cancer” lit a fire in me to start this blog so I could talk about all of it – how cancer has affected most of my life, how I’ve learned to advocate for myself through situations I never expected to find myself in and why I’m grateful for everything cancer has taught me.

Serving My Community Through Advocacy

Always choosing to turn my pain into power, I’ve enjoyed a long career in healthcare communications, working with a number of pharmaceutical companies and advocacy groups to educate patients and doctors alike. In 2023 I became a member of the Board of Directors for the Tigerlily Foundation, a premiere not-for-profit global organization that educates and empowers breast cancer survivors, metavivors and caregivers throughout their journeys – before, during and after cancer.

In 2024, Tigerlily is expanding beyond breast cancer, broadening its focus on women’s oncology and overall health.