Jeannie was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006 and at the end of her treatment, suddenly went from weekly appointments to maintenance visits every three months or so. This left her feeling a little bit lost and even abandoned.

She was introduced to A Time to Heal by founder Kay Ryan, who was Jeannie’s mentor and friend. The abrupt end of chemo and the lack of any sort of post-treatment rehab is exactly why Kay and Stephanie Koraleski started A Time to Heal.

This began Jeannie’s amazing journey to not only recovery, but a whole new lifestyle. Read more about how she did it here: https://atimetohealfoundation.org/survivorship-101/

Jeannie remembers how important Survivorship 101 was to her, not just as a holistic survivorship program, but as a place to find support from other survivors. After completing the 12-week course, Jeannie was so inspired, she decided to become a facilitator and trainer for A Time to Heal!

Jeannie had always had an interest in nutrition and wellness, but her cancer journey prompted her to research more into the topic, as she looked for diets that would help reduce her risk of recurrence.

That research led her to lifestyle medicine, a medical approach that advocates behavioral and lifestyle changes to support health. The discipline focuses on nutrition, physical activity, stress management, sleep, social support, and avoidance of risky substances to help people make lasting healthy lifestyle changes.

There has been a lot of research in the field that indicates nutrition and especially plant-based diets as important to preventing cancer and cancer recurrences.

Jeannie has a passion for lifestyle coaching and education. She works as an Associate Professor and Program Director for the Master of Science in Wellness & Health Promotion Management at Nebraska Methodist College as well running Lifestyle Wellness, her private health & wellness coaching business.

When I asked Jeannie about her cancer journey and what lesson she would like to share, she said while she would never want to go through it again, she values the experience, because it gave her the opportunity to reevaluate her priorities, gain perspective, and support others through their cancer journey. She also mentioned the lifelong bonds formed with other survivors.

For advice, Jeannie said the attitude was important. Of course, you’re going to have your bad days, but it’s important to keep a positive attitude and to surround yourself with positive energy.

As of today, Jeannie has been cancer free for 16 years! Congratulations and thank you so much for sharing your story, Jeannie.

Jeannie will be presenting our Create Your Best Life webinar on Saturday morning, “Healthy Nutrition for Cancer Survivors”. If you would like to learn more about plant-based diets, you can register for this free event at our website here: https://atimetohealfoundation.org/best-life-events/.