If I could describe Cathy in one word, I would say the word would be fierce. I think most people would have been down so low at the cancer diagnosis that I am not sure they would put themselves through the fertility journey again. But Cathy persevered. One miscarriage is enough to break someone. After the cancer treatment, she had two miscarriages, but she continued. Cathy did this because she had a dream, and she was not taking no for an answer. For this reason, I am so incredibly inspired by Cathy's perseverance and strength.

Lessons from Cathy:

1. Stop at nothing. As I pointed out before, her fierce personality was not going to take no for an answer. She stopped at nothing for the child she wanted. It is true that not every person ends up able to have a child, if that is their hardship. Still, her perseverance is something we can all learn from in our personal dreams and goals we have set for ourselves in our own lives.
2. Create your best life. Cathy realized that her new reality was much different than her previous life. Instead of living a life of lamentation, she adjusted. She took the time to learn and respect her new body: what it needed, what it couldn’t handle. She made the appropriate adjustments, even when they were so difficult. Today, she realizes that she didn’t take care of her body properly before cancer. She feels that she is a lot more careful and mindful of her body’s needs now. Probably by being more attuned to the needs of her body, she may even extend her life and certainly her quality of life.
3. Share the wealth. Cathy learned so much about how to care for her body, mind, and spirit. She could have only made these changes on her own life alone, but this would not be good enough for her. Upon seeing her own transformation and how vital it was for her life, she brought her son along, even if one would think it is weird or less cool. She also became available to other women and shared the knowledge and experience she found.
4. Recognize blessings in disguise. At present, Cathy knows all too well that fertility struggles saved her life. She is aware of the hardship she went through, but she doesn’t ignore the reality that it also saved her. Today, she is grateful for the journey. Often times, we don’t recognize the reasons behind our hardships. Sometimes we can, but it is still so traumatic that we don’t distinguish its blessings. Cathy’s outlook is one of complete gratitude and recognition of her miracle, even if it was disguised as tragedy.

Don't Take No for an Answer

I am blessed to have had kids without problems, if you don’t count being bedridden for all four pregnancies due to HG. (If you don’t know what that is, feel free to ask me.) I also had major issues at birth, including ending up in the ICU with my last pregnancy. I almost didn’t make it. Even with that in mind, the experience of not managing to get pregnant month after month is something I did not experience, and frankly, it seems to me to be beyond unbearable. To add that on top of Cathy's miscarriages, which again I am blessed to not have experienced, I am left speechless by the strength and tenacity I saw in Cathy and of all the women who didn't take no for an answer.

To learn more of what to say and not to say to someone experiencing infertility Click Here.

The National Infertility Association: www.resolve.com

To connect with Cathy, you can follow her on this Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/wellnesswarriorcoaching/

To purchase Cathy's book you can do so on the link below:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084BX8VX1/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

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