Life's Valleys and Mountaintops

When I went to the Place Maillardville Community Centre for a community event I was drawn to the Princess table and shortly after her performance began. My son and granddaughter were very excited and it didn't take long for a huge crowd of people to come over. Many were filming and taking pictures as she performed.

What really captivated me was how she sang as if no one was in the room. Her eyes were on the kids and the performance was spectacular. I reached out and asked Katrina Froese to share her story on the show so we could all learn the strategies she learned to be a successful Professional Princess.

In this podcast interview, we explore the journey she went on before she opened her business. her mindset while she is performing and more. You can find out more information about the work she does or book a party for your own children or class by clicking on the links below.

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Music credit: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes/

Every Day Is A Second Chance Real Life Story Edition. Sharing real-life stories of those that have overcome illness, accidents and trauma. Welcome to our community! Show notes available at synergymindsetcoaching.com

A Second Chance Podcast will be going Corporate. This is the Host of the podcasts story as she appeared on Dr. Brad Miller's show Pathway to Promise.

Hear how she went from having a heart attack, learning to live with Vasospastic Angina to starting a business.

Share your opinion on the shows direction on the fb page at: https://www.facebook.com/everydaysecondchances/

Sharing inspiring stories of healing at everydayisasecondchance.com Find out the skills and mindset our guests have used to heal from illness, accidents and trauma.

Our guest today is Angela True sharing her courageous story of healing from the trauma of losing her Father to gun violence at a young age followed by her mother from illness. http://everydayisasecondchance.com/angelatrue/

Jan’s  Second Chance Story

Imagine finding out you have Leukaemia when you are still under 30, not only with a three-year-old but while pregnant. The fear, the worry, the what iffs’ yet Jan shares a story that is positive, uplifting and offers hope and inspiration to realize that Cancer is the beginning and not the end.

 

Her Second Chance Story

Jan found out she had Leukaemia while she was pregnant and was more concerned about her son than her own health. She went to the doctors' office for a test for Rubella and the doctor called her the next day and told her they needed to see her right away.

She went to the doctor worried that he would tell her she had a miscarriage because she had one eight months prior. He came in looking like he had lost his best friend, and with tears in his eyes told her they thought she had Leukaemia.

Jan didn't know what it was and had thought that they were telling her that her baby had Leukaemia. As she began to realize what it meant, she asked him if he was telling her she was going to die and his answer was, "not necessarily"!

This was not very comforting to her. He checked out the baby and told her it was healthy. At this time, there were no cell phones so she went to find a payphone and called her husband. She told him that she had good news and bad news, the good being the baby was fine and the bad,  she may have Leukaemia.

Can you imagine how long that weekend must have been, waiting to see the specialist?

She took the weekend off and went home. Although she tried to act as normal as possible, her thoughts went to what iff's and she decided she was going to make it through.

She went to the doctor and then the specialist a couple of days later. He confirmed that she had Leukaemia and very coldly, went over her options. He felt the odds were against her and recommended she have an abortion and gave her two weeks to make a decision.

Jan was a strong and courageous young woman and stuck with her belief that she would give birth to a healthy baby. Although the doctor didn't give her any hope or encouragement she found a way to find it herself. He did a bone marrow aspiration without pain medicine due to the pregnancy. He had told her there was no possibility of having a bone marrow transplant and would need extensive chemotherapy.

She came back two weeks later and he looked at her chart with a grim look on his face and told her she had the terrible, horrible type of Leukaemia. She was 1,000 away from having Acute Leukaemia. He asked her again if she decided about having the baby and she told him she was keeping the baby.

The specialist had a connection to a doctor at Vancouver General Hospital that was a woman and also pregnant that may be able to help her. God is good!

She went home that day and although she was not a religious person, she went on her hands and knees and prayed to God. She tells us she didn't believe before this but believes that  "There are no Atheists in a foxhole".  She prayed to God on her knees and said that if there is a God please help her and she promised to help other people with Cancer.

God listened to her and n the way to the doctor she saw a semi truck with a message on the sign that said Cancer can be beaten and she thought, oh my God, that is my sign.

 

The Turn Around Point

The doctor at Vancouver General Hospital worked with her and she also saw an Oncologist. Her white blood cell count went down every three weeks. Without any treatment, she kept getting better and the Oncologist couldn't believe it. Jan ended up with diabetes during her pregnancy and her doctor was so worried, Jan kept the mentality she was going to make it and make it she did! Her son was born 7 lbs 8 oz,

Today I have the privilege of speaking with James Swanwick, the author of the 30 Day No Alcohol Challenge, helping people reduce or quit using alcohol. He will be sharing his own personal Second Chance Story with you after I tell you a bit about his professional life.

He is an Australian - American entrepreneur, a speaker, The CEO of Swanwick Sleep and creator of blue light blocking glasses helping people sleep better.

He has interviewed celebrities including Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, George Clooney and Arnold Schwarzenegger. He has been interviewed on podcasts such as Art of Charm and Entrepreneur on Fire and places such as Huffington Post and Psychology Today.

Wow, His time is in high demand, James, thank you for taking the time out of your day to share your story, please take a minute to tell us a bit about yourself so everyone can get to know you.

His Second Chance Story

James decided to try giving up alcohol for 30 days and never started drinking it again. He tells us that he never felt he was an alcoholic but was what society would call a “social drinker”. In 2010 he was staying in a hotel room in Austin Texas and noticed he had put on about 25 lbs over a year just from casual social drinking and one day, he looked in a mirror and noticed he only looked like a 5/10.

The casual drinking was making him just a little bit irritable, slowing him down just a little bit, making him a little bit unhappy, and he had just a little bit less money.

In the 30 days, he lost 13 lbs, noticed his sleep improved, the quality of his friendships began to improve and these small changes led to even more changes.

He began new habits of meditation, self-improvement, watched less tv and read more books. Breaking one habit kindled the spark that led to many new habits that in the end led him to help thousands of other people and create a business.

www.everydayisasecondchance.com/jamesswanwick and www.jamesswanwick.com

Nicole spent over 30 days in the hospital and was diagnosed with a rare lung disease. She was told she would have a lifespan of up to 8 years and she never allowed that belief to enter her mind. Many others living with this have not survived and Nicole had some survivor guilt to work through. She faced post-traumatic stress and was able to find a mindset of gratitude and thanksgiving. https://www.everydayisasecondchance.com/nicolewipplam https://www.nicolewipp.com

In the blink of an eye, Jake's life changed course and he ended up being paralyzed from the chin down. In just a few short days, he made the decision to choose to adopt the motto Life Happens, Live it! It took some time for him to live that motto to its fullest and he shares his journey with us here.

 

I want to thank Joel from Relaunch for introducing me to Jake.  What really inspired me to share Jake's story was listening to the podcast Mere Mortals Unite, with Julie Ann Sullivan.

Jake tells us that people can see his wheelchair so they know exactly what he is dealing with, but other people have some kind of wheelchair that we just can't see.

He is a University of Idaho graduate and a huge fan of anything outdoors.

Despite the difficulties he has encountered in his life, he is able to make others smile and turn things away from a victim mindset into a being the leader and speaker that he is today.

His Second Chance Story

Jake was on top of the world and, celebrating receiving his degree, to work in his dream job in forestry. He had been drinking and celebrating when he ran into his old childhood best friend. A freak accident took place between when his friend took him down in a headlock, and Jake couldn’t brace his fall landing head first in the pavement. He later found out he became a C6 Quadriplegic that evening. Sharing his story, we will find out how he was able to find happiness in a different way that he had planned the day he had graduated.

The Turn Around Point

When he was in the therapy room he was surrounded by people who were really hurting. He witnessed another patient whom’s way of looking at her situation changed his whole perspective. This is when he began to look around and realize that he was not the worst off in the world. He committed to healing as victoriously as he was able to.

You can listen to the whole interview to hear all the details of Jake’s experience.

 

A Closer Look

 What about you changed the most from this experience?

Jake was no longer able to do many of the things he once could. He tells us how his Mom was amazing and taught him to never give up. With his perseverance and courage, he learned how to do many things again including driving.

 

What is one piece of guidance you would like to share with us?

 

He tells us a hilarious story about how someone brought him a hot pink wheelchair and his friends had a good laugh and called it ManGenta. He asks what has happened in your life that you can turn into you own ManGenta situation and how can you find the funny in the situation?

What is one resource you couldn’t have made it without?

Never Give Up! Success in Life Is an Attitude Paperback – 2005.                                                                                             by Ron Heagy (Author),‎ Donita Dyer (Author) https://www.amazon.com/Never-Give-Success-Life-Attitude/dp/0975417207

Links

Jake's Website http://www.jakefrenchinspires.com

In this interview, she courageously shares her story for the first time.