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Today’s story is called “A River Never Ceasing” by Helen Connors—and it is exactly that… a life that keeps moving, keeps flowing, no matter what it encounters.

Helen is someone who doesn’t sit still for long. She moves forward, pushes through, gets things done. But as you’ll hear, when she allowed herself to slow down and tell her story out loud, something unexpected happened.

There was a moment—one she didn’t anticipate—when emotion rose to the surface. It caught her off guard. It was tied to a very early chapter in her life… when her mother left her as a child.

And isn’t that interesting?

How we can carry something for decades—filed away, managed, maybe even minimized—and then suddenly, when we revisit it, it speaks again.

Sometimes our memory banks hold more than just facts… they hold feelings. And those feelings can surface when we least expect it. They can even trigger us.

But here’s the beautiful part—and what makes this story so powerful:

Those emotional responses aren’t something to fear… they’re something to listen to.

Because when we pause and evaluate them, instead of pushing them back down, we gain insight. We gain healing. We gain understanding of the parts of ourselves that are still quietly asking to be seen.

Helen’s story is one of resilience, growth, and perspective—but also a reminder that even the strongest among us have moments that deserve reflection.

She describes herself as a river—shaped by the rocks, but never stopped by them.

And as you listen today, you may just find yourself reflecting on the places in your own life where the current kept moving… even when it was hard.

This is “A River Never Ceasing.”

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Still I Rise features stories from You Night's STORY CRAFTING COMMUNITY.  To read additional stories, visit our Facebook page: 

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When Kimberly Meyers-Turner sat down for this interview in September 2025, she believed she had survived breast cancer.

After undergoing a double mastectomy and reconstruction, she was celebrating what she thought was the end of a long and difficult journey. Full of faith, hope, and gratitude, Kimberly shared her story believing the battle was behind her.

But just months later, her life would be completely uprooted.

Kimberly began noticing something unusual on the skin near her reconstructed breast—small changes that didn’t seem urgent at first. Like many women, she trusted the system and followed medical guidance. She was referred to a dermatologist, facing a long wait for answers, while cancer cells were quietly continuing their spread beneath the surface.

What was initially believed to be a dermatological issue was later identified as something far more serious: cutaneous metastases, a form of secondary breast cancer that appears in the skin.

By the time the correct diagnosis was made, what might have been a more treatable situation had progressed. Kimberly was given a devastating prognosis—between three months to two years to live.

And yet, Kimberly’s message is not one of fear.

It is one of awareness, advocacy, and urgency.

In this episode, Kimberly shares her story so that other women will know what to look for. While cutaneous metastases are not the most common form of recurrence, they are real, and they can be missed.

Her message is clear:
 If you notice anything unusual—any bump, nodule, rash, or change in the skin on or around your breast after cancer—do not wait. Ask questions. Push for answers. Insist on a biopsy.

Kimberly hopes that by sharing her experience, other women will be empowered to advocate for themselves, catch signs earlier, and potentially change the course of their own story.

This is not just a conversation.
 It’s a warning.
 A lesson.
 And a powerful reminder to trust your instincts.

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Still I Rise features stories from You Night's STORY CRAFTING COMMUNITY.  To read additional stories, visit our Facebook page: 

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What happens when life slowly wears away your sense of worth—and then cancer delivers what feels like the final blow?

In this powerful episode of the Still I Rise Podcast, Lisa sits down with Dina Buscher, who shares her deeply personal story of growing up in a loving Italian family, building a life rooted in strong values, and then slowly losing sight of her own worth through years of painful circumstances.

Dina describes her life using a powerful metaphor: a wooden post carved by the Master Artist—God Himself. Over time, life’s hardships and hurtful voices sanded that post down until she felt like nothing more than dust and shavings.

Then came cancer.

Instead of asking “Why me?” Dina faced the diagnosis with faith—but the emotional weight of the journey revealed something even deeper: who truly stands beside you when life gets hard.

Through her battle with cancer, Dina experienced a profound spiritual awakening. In a moment of worship, she felt God speak to her spirit with the powerful reminder:

“The same power that crushed the enemy lives in you.”

In this episode, Dina shares:

• Her experience navigating a cancer diagnosis and treatment
• How painful life experiences can erode our sense of identity
• The role faith and spiritual surrender played in her healing
• The surprising ways cancer helped her rediscover her worth
• Why our value is never defined by circumstances or other people

Dina’s story is a powerful reminder that even when life reduces us to ashes, God is still the Master Artist—and He is never finished with us.

If you’re facing cancer, personal loss, or a season of feeling worn down by life, this conversation will inspire you to remember that your worth was never lost.

Listen now to this moving story of faith, resilience, and rising again.

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Still I Rise features stories from You Night's STORY CRAFTING COMMUNITY.  To read additional stories, visit our Facebook page: 

https://www.facebook.com/YouNightStories.  Would you like to participate in a 6-week Story Crafting small group experience so that you can share your story?  Write to us at [email protected]

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 What happens when you are just three months away from celebrating ten years cancer-free… and you hear the words no survivor ever wants to hear again:

“You have cancer.”

In this powerful episode of the Still I Rise Podcast, Lisa sits down with cancer survivor Jeannie Travalini, whose life was turned upside down when cancer returned just before her long-awaited 10-year milestone.

Jeannie shares her deeply personal story of navigating a second diagnosis, the emotional toll of recurrence, and the unexpected ways faith, nature, and resilience carried her through some of life’s darkest moments.

Using the metaphor of weeds in a garden, Jeannie reflects on how life’s toughest challenges—like cancer, loss, and uncertainty—can become the very experiences that shape our strength and growth.

In this conversation, you’ll hear about:

• The emotional shock of cancer recurrence after nearly a decade
• How faith and spirituality helped her through the hardest moments
• The lifestyle and holistic changes she embraced after her diagnosis
• Finding strength in unexpected places
• Why life’s “weeds” sometimes become our greatest teachers

Jeannie’s story entitled "Weeds that Grow Us"  is raw, honest, and inspiring—a reminder that resilience doesn’t always look perfect. Sometimes it simply means getting up and trying again.

If you or someone you love is navigating breast cancer, cancer survivorship, or recurrence, this episode will remind you that even in life’s hardest seasons, hope can still grow.

Listen now to Jeannie’s powerful story of survival, faith, and rising again.
 

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Still I Rise features stories from You Night's STORY CRAFTING COMMUNITY.  To read additional stories, visit our Facebook page: 

https://www.facebook.com/YouNightStories.  Would you like to participate in a 6-week Story Crafting small group experience so that you can share your story?  Write to us at [email protected]

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In this powerful episode of Still I Rise, Alana Acereto shares her story, “The Darkness and the Light,” a deeply moving reflection on childhood trauma, generational healing, and her journey as a cancer survivor.

For years, Alana sought healing through therapy, trying to untangle the chaos left by early trauma. She shares that participating in Story Crafting was the first process that truly allowed her to release the pain she had carried for decades. While some parts of her story remain sacred and were shared privately within her small group, she chose to tell her public story through powerful metaphor — describing darkness, light, and the courage it takes to break cycles.

When she became a mother, Alana made a defining decision: the shadows of her past would not shape her daughter’s future. That commitment to bring light into darkness carried her not only through trauma recovery, but also through her own battle with cancer.

This episode explores childhood trauma healing, breaking generational cycles, motherhood as protection, cancer survivorship, and the power of storytelling as therapy. It is a testament to the truth that healing does not erase the darkness — it teaches us how to carry light into it.

If you are navigating trauma, illness, or the quiet work of rewriting your story, this episode will remind you: your light matters — even when it flickers.

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Still I Rise features stories from You Night's STORY CRAFTING COMMUNITY.  To read additional stories, visit our Facebook page: 

https://www.facebook.com/YouNightStories.  Would you like to participate in a 6-week Story Crafting small group experience so that you can share your story?  Write to us at [email protected]

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Some journeys aren’t flat roads — they’re mountains.

Mountains with loose rocks beneath your feet.
 Mountains that make your heart race.
 Mountains that force you to stop, breathe, and pray before taking the next step.

Today’s guest, Maryann Fonseca, describes her life as climbing toward the highest peak — even though she’s afraid of heights. Along the way, she’s heard the echo of her sister’s encouragement, felt the steady love of family, endured abuse, navigated motherhood at nineteen, and leaned on the unwavering support of her husband of 37 years.

Then, in April of 2014, she received the words no woman is ever prepared to hear: breast cancer.

Thirty rounds of radiation. Five years of Tamoxifen. Physical pain. Emotional exhaustion. And yet — that was not the summit.

In 2016, at a retreat in Sedona, something shifted. On a run through the mountains, Maryann experienced a spiritual awakening — a moment she describes as entering a vortex of healing. The woman she had been no longer existed. A new version was born.

Since then, she has run marathons. Founded her wellness company, Colorfull Aura. And committed her life to becoming a light for others — especially women and minority women navigating breast cancer and beyond.

She is no longer climbing in fear.
 She is climbing with purpose.

This is Maryann Fonseca’s story.

Reaching the Peak.

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Still I Rise features stories from You Night's STORY CRAFTING COMMUNITY.  To read additional stories, visit our Facebook page: 

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In this powerful episode of Still I Rise, Maureen Fedge shares her remarkable story of surviving acute myeloid leukemia (AML) as a child — not once, but twice.

Diagnosed at just twelve years old with an aggressive form of leukemia typically seen in adults, Maureen’s carefree childhood quickly shifted from Saturday mornings at City Park to hospital rooms, chemotherapy, and a life-saving cord blood transplant at Duke Hospital. After months in isolation and years of treatment, she was declared cancer-free — only to face recurrence again during her teenage years.

Through faith, resilience, and an unwavering will to live, Maureen fought back. Her journey through childhood cancer shaped her into a woman who now sees her scars — physical and emotional — as proof of strength.

Using the powerful metaphor of a caterpillar entering a cocoon, Maureen reflects on how darkness does not mean defeat. Sometimes it means transformation. Sometimes it means wings are forming.

This episode explores childhood leukemia survival, AML treatment, cord blood transplant recovery, faith during illness, and life after cancer. It is a moving reminder that even in the darkest seasons, hope can rise — and miracles are possible.

If you or someone you love has faced childhood cancer, this story will inspire courage, faith, and the belief that your time to fly may still be ahead.

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Still I Rise features stories from You Night's STORY CRAFTING COMMUNITY.  To read additional stories, visit our Facebook page: 

https://www.facebook.com/YouNightStories.  Would you like to participate in a 6-week Story Crafting small group experience so that you can share your story?  Write to us at [email protected]

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Life doesn’t come with a single ride.
It comes with twists, drops, music, stillness — and sometimes, pure fear.

When we meet Lauren Micciantuono, she describes her life like an amusement park. Some days are gentle and steady. Some days spin too fast to breathe. And some days feel like walking through a House of Horrors — dark, unpredictable, and heavy with the fear of what might come next.

Lauren is a wife, a mother of two, and a woman who once believed she could manage the ride if she just held on tightly enough. But cancer changed that. It stripped away control and replaced it with uncertainty — forcing her to confront fear, faith, and the courage it takes to keep choosing joy when joy feels risky.

In One Ticket. All the Rides. All the Feels, Lauren shares what it means to live with breast cancer — and now metastatic disease — while learning not to brace for the next drop, but to stay present anyway. Guided by faith, grounded in family, and honest about the tension between hope and fear, her story reminds us that life will always be a mix of rides.

The question isn’t whether the ride will be scary.
 It’s whether we’re brave enough to stay on…
 and sing anyway.

This is Lauren’s rise.

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Still I Rise features stories from You Night's STORY CRAFTING COMMUNITY.  To read additional stories, visit our Facebook page: 

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In this empowering episode of Still I Rise, Crystal Walcott shares her journey through breast cancer, resilience, and the deliberate choice to reclaim joy. Diagnosed after her first mammogram, Crystal’s life shifted in an instant — from a celebration of family, faith, and milestones to navigating surgery, recovery, and life-altering change.

Using the metaphor of a warrior carrying a boulder, Crystal reflects on the emotional weight cancer brings — the fear, grief, and anger — and the strength required to keep moving forward. Through the love of her husband, the humor and wisdom of her children, and a mindset rooted in faith and gratitude, she learned that happiness is not something we wait for — it’s something we choose.

This episode explores life after breast cancer, body image, resilience, motherhood, and what it means to carry your scars with grace. It’s a reminder that while the boulder may never disappear completely, it can grow lighter — and even beautiful — over time.

If you’re walking through cancer, recovery, or a season that feels impossibly heavy, this story will remind you that you are stronger than the weight you carry.

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Still I Rise features stories from You Night's STORY CRAFTING COMMUNITY.  To read additional stories, visit our Facebook page: 

https://www.facebook.com/YouNightStories.  Would you like to participate in a 6-week Story Crafting small group experience so that you can share your story?  Write to us at [email protected]

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In this deeply moving episode of Still I Rise, Allison Spampinato shares her story of living with metastatic breast cancer while carrying unimaginable grief, fear, and responsibility. Diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, Allison fought through chemotherapy, immunotherapy, surgery, and radiation — only to face a devastating turn when the cancer spread to her brain shortly after losing her father to metastatic pancreatic cancer.

As a mother of three, a wife, and a lifelong caregiver, Allison carried far more than illness. She carried grief, expectation, and the unspoken role of being “the strong one” for everyone around her — even after brain surgery and during ongoing chemotherapy.

Using the powerful metaphor of a shield and a trembling sword, Allison reflects on fear, resilience, and the slow, sacred process of learning that strength doesn’t mean doing everything alone. This episode explores stage 4 breast cancer, caregiver burnout, anticipatory grief, and the courage it takes to ask for help.

If you are navigating metastatic cancer, caring for others while silently breaking, or learning how to live alongside fear without letting it consume you, this story will remind you: you are not alone — and strength can be found even when the weight feels unbearable.

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Still I Rise features stories from You Night's STORY CRAFTING COMMUNITY.  To read additional stories, visit our Facebook page: 

https://www.facebook.com/YouNightStories.  Would you like to participate in a 6-week Story Crafting small group experience so that you can share your story?  Write to us at [email protected]