Well, here we are – the end of 2021 is mere hours away and if you’re anything like me, you cannot wait for 2022 and better days. At least, I think so? I am hopeful that the new year will bring the “return to normalcy”, in whatever form that may look like and much better days for all of us. I don’t know about you, but I am sick of Zoom meetings, virtual events and the terms “social distancing” and “masking.”

This past year has presented all of us with unique challenges, requiring that we be able to adapt on the fly, and my job and passion for this cause has intensified. All cancer patients, but especially brain tumor patients, including patients with a benign tumor, are in desperate need of support and hope right now, so it is somewhat surprising to me that this is the first (and only) blog of 2021, but honestly, it is for the better. As a survivor, advocate and sole employee of the organization, I need the escape from time to time.

I have the pleasure of talking with so many patients and their families, hopefully being a source of comfort and hope for them as they are going through this diagnosis. After all, that is why my family, friends and I first began hosting our fundraiser and helping – to ensure that nobody else has to go through what I or my family endured. Now through the CTBTA, we continue to support groundbreaking research at the brain tumor centers here in Connecticut, as well as provide funding to ensure patients and their families can focus on their recovery and how to get better, as opposed to how they will make their mortgage payment or afford the electric bill.

In 2022, I will be a fourteen-year survivor, yet I still remember the day I heard the news, as if it was yesterday. So much has happened over the years, much of which has been shared here, but lately, I have been doing a lot of reflecting on my drastic career change. It all happened so suddenly and without much thought in the days and months that followed, but now that I have had the time to think back on it, I am perfectly content with the decision. Despite racking up a massive student loan bill, I am still glad I chose to attend law school and to push myself to return after my diagnosis and earn the degree. It is true, “you can do anything with a law degree” and despite not being a practicing attorney, I am utilizing my degree and fancy education that cost me a pretty penny, but in a way that is more satisfying, enriching and fulfilling.

Happiness is relative, but you need to follow your heart and mind. I could have sat for the bar exam a fourth time and who knows, maybe I would have passed, but would I have been happy? I don’t have the answer for that, but I would guess my answer would be “at first, yes, but in the end, not really.”

Life is short and if this pandemic has taught us anything, it is that tomorrow is not guaranteed.

My new year resolution? To continue my pursuit of happiness and adjusting the sails, for who knows what tomorrow will bring.

“And you asked me what I want this year and I try to make this kind and clear – just a chance that maybe we’ll find better days.”