.
STAFF
.
L A K E
N O R M A N V O L U M E
X I
,
woman N U M B E R
I V
PUBLISHER DANA NIETERS
dana@lakenormanwoman.com
EDITOR LESLIE OGLE
leslie@lakenormanwoman.com
SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE STEPHANIE SULLIVAN
stephanie@lakenormanwoman.com
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE MICHELE SCHUERMANN michele@lakenormanwoman.com
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE JESSICA JONES
jessica@lakenormanwoman.com
ART DIRECTOR CHELSEA BREN
chelsea@lakenormanwoman.com
DISTRIBUTION MANAGED BY CAROLINA CONSULT, LLC
O C TO B E R CO N T RI BU TO RS :
Dr. Deborah G. Agisim; Stephanie NieuwendijkBramble; Kariann Ellis; Dr. Derick Lengemann; Michelle Love; Dr. Lindsey Mashburn; Dr. Jean-Pierre Riou; Lori Smith; Dr. Louise Zhou
C O N TAC T U S : PO Box 1000 | Cornelius, NC | 28031
704.895.6168
WWW.LAKENORMANWOMAN.COM
Ad Submissions: ads@lakenormanwoman.com FIND US ON
Lake Norman Woman reserves the right to deny any advertisement or listing that does not meet Lake Norman Woman standards. Submissions are welcome but unsolicited materials are not guaranteed to be returned. Lake Norman Woman assumes no responsibility for information, products, services, or statements made by advertisers or editorial contributors. An advertised special printed in this publication is subject to change without notice. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher is prohibited.
from THE PUBLISHER L I F E S U R E C A N T H R O W YO U
some curve balls. Actually, it’s my experience that it’s not just a matter of if it will, it’s a matter of when. And while it might be great fun to watch a pitcher buckle a batter’s knees with an awe-inspiring 12-6 breaking ball in the world of baseball, it’s not so great when one of those pitches—or even worse, one after another after another—are thrown at you in your own world. For me, this past summer was “The Summer of Wicked Curveballs.” It seemed just about every time I dusted myself off and stepped back up to the plate, life reared back its throwing arm and launched another one in there. A death in the family, a strained relationship, a troubled family member, and a loved one’s life-altering health issue brought me to my knees. I’ve faced many challenges before…they’re just part of life, after all, and you can’t live to be 51 years old without striking out from time to time. But this past summer nearly put me on the bench for good. Like a batter who has just whiffed at a ball that he couldn’t see coming, I felt exposed, vulnerable, and overwhelmed. I found myself in a dark place, wondering if I would ever be happy again. And then I met Lynn. After several years of infertility, Lynn had been loving life as the mother of three young girls when life threw a devastating curve ball her way—inoperable, terminal cancer. There was nothing her doctors could do, and she was told to get her affairs in order. That was two years ago. Many in her shoes would live in fear for what lie ahead, but Lynn is one of the most positive, happy people I have ever known. “What will be, will be,” she asserts. “I don’t know what the future holds, but I have today and I am not going to waste it with anxiety and worry. Life isn’t always easy, but that
doesn’t mean I can’t laugh. Sure, there are challenges ahead, but that doesn’t mean I can’t smile. I can allow what is going to be to be and enjoy life as it unfolds.” After meeting and talking with Lynn, I was ready to pick myself up and dust myself off— step back up to the plate for another swing. After all, how could I not be inspired to get back in the game by her example? She is living proof that happiness isn’t the absence of problems, it’s how you choose to deal with them. She epitomizes the notion that it’s not what the world takes away from you that matters, it’s what you do with what you have left that counts. She embodies the fact that true strength comes when you have so much to cry and complain about, but you choose to appreciate life as it is instead. This is our “Pink Pages” issue that we publish annually in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. Although great advances have been made in the treatment of this disease in the last 20 years, in 2017 alone, more than 250,000 American women will get thrown this curve ball. And though I don’t know firsthand, I feel certain that a breast cancer diagnosis must feel as if you are facing the wickedest pitch of your life. If you or someone you love is standing in that batter’s box, I hope that you won’t be like me and let the worry, wonder, and doubt bring you to your knees. Instead, I hope that you will think of Lynn and stay strong and steady as the pitch comes in and hit that darn ball right out of the park!
a n a D DANA NIETERS PUBLISHER
C O N TA C T D A N A V I A E - M A I L AT D A N A @ L A K E N O R M A N W O M A N . C O M