Be Positive was around long before I started a blog called Be Positive Mom®. It all started around 2005 when my hubs and I (before kids) lived in Arizona. We were there just a short stint because soon after our move, my sister Stacy was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer, Stage 4. The outlook was bleak. My hubs and I moved back to California for what was going to be a very difficult journey.
Sisters: Nicole, Stephanie and Stacy
My sister had a very spirited personality. She loved to party and play. She was driven and confident yet had her moments of being vulnerable. Who doesn’t?
The first option doctors gave her was an aggressive surgery that she chose to do. The day of her surgery she found out her blood type was B+. She made a joke by telling us to “Be Positive” and everything would be OK.
We were all scared and upset but she didn’t want any sad face. She yelled down the hallway as they wheeled her to surgery, “Be Positive!” and waved her hand in the air as if she was scolding us.
The concept for Be Positive came out of that moment for our family. A friend and I campaigned to family and other friends with B+ t-shirts and the proceeds from the shirts we sold went to the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition. We all wore them to support my sister and she wore her shirts to her appointments. Of course she had an assortment of colors.
Throughout her 2 ½ year battle, she maintained her positive, motivating and infectious attitude. Stacy passed away October 4, 2007.
In her last days, she told me that if her fight and eventually her death helped another woman become more aware of this disease, get a check-up or prevent the disease from being found so late (as it was with her), then all she went through would be worth it.
Until just a short time ago, I could barely type let alone say the word cancer. I never knew how I could possibly do anything with her message. I don’t think my focus can ever be on the fight against cancer or finding a cure exclusively because it is so painful. That may seem selfish I know.
As I thought about writing, blogging, and what eventually led to developing Be Positive Mom®, I had an epiphany about those two words, Be Positive. And shortly thereafter Be Positive Mom® was born! I created Be Positive Mom® and blogged there for many years. In 2014, I shifted the blog to this current site. My sister is still very much a part of why I blog and how I live my life.
I miss my sister immensely and think of her every day. Some days are harder than others but I know things happen for a reason. It took me a while to realize her message is not so much about the cancer that caused her death, but about having a positive attitude so you can live life to its fullest potential.
Me and Stacy in Boston 2003.
Take the time to smell those roses and enjoy the moments that will pass by so quickly. Laugh off the stressful things. Flip it around to look at the bright side.
I once read a fellow blogger’s comment stating that many people start blogging as a result of a life altering experience. I will raise my hand as one of those people. The journey with my sister changed my life forever.
Stacy’s message in Be Positive or mine in Be Positive Mom® may not save the world. At the very least, it will put some positive energy back into it.
I love you sis… thank you…
Our girl wearing a B+ t-shirt with a picture of her auntie.
Be Positive Mom® is a registered trademark and although it’s not longer a public facing website, the message and meaning it carries will forever be in my heart, my soul and how I live my life every day.
It’s that time of year when everyone is rushing through the season. We survived Thanksgiving and now the crazed Christmas rush is well underway. It’s also the last month of the year and the last days of the decade. 2020 will be the start to new beginnings and the passing of old experiences. How will you reflect on 2019?
