Photo of me the day I found out I had breast cancer
October has always held a special place in my heart. Fall is my favorite season and I relish all the abundance that comes with it. October was also the month I was diagnosed with breast cancer and had my bilateral mastectomy. This month is filled with milestone anniversaries, and today, October 5th, is a big one.
Today, 6 years ago, I sat in the NYU Langone office of my breast surgeon, Dr. Freya Schnabel, and she definitively told me I had breast cancer. My friend, Meg, was next to me. Dr. Schnabel walked me through everything she knew from my biopsies: the stage, the aggressiveness, the location, and my options. She asked if I knew what I wanted to do. I did not cry. My voice did not shake. I told her I wanted a bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction as soon as possible. She told me it was the right decision. And so it began.
The pre-surgical MRI revealed much more, showing my case was worse than we originally thought. Then surgery revealed I needed a second surgery days later because the pathology showed an even tougher road ahead. There would be chemo, radiation, more surgeries, and waves of intense medications that would persist for years with horrendous side effects that impacted my physical and mental health.
Today I look back at that stoic version of me who sat in that chair 6 years ago, knowing nothing about what was ahead, and I smile. She was so brave. So focused. So damn determined to live and heal and rise up stronger and healthier than ever. She decided right then and there, in that chair, that she was going to kick the ever-loving shit out of cancer.
And she did. We did.
So many people helped make that possible and I will never stop saying THANK YOU to all of you for all of it. Every single kind word and act that so many of you gave to me is permanently etched in my memory forever. I’m beyond grateful to you.
I’m grateful for every day, the bad days included, because living and living well is a privilege denied to so many. I never take any of this beautiful, messy, imperfect, joyful life for granted. I’m doing my best to make the most of it.
The short of it:
Writer. Health, education, and art advocate. Theater and film producer. Visual artist. Product geek. Proud alumnae of the University of Pennsylvania (BA) and the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA). Inspired by ancient wisdom & modern tech. Proliferator of goodness. Opener of doors. Friend to animals. Fan of creative work in all its wondrous forms. I use my business skills to create passion projects that build a better world. I’ve been called the happiest New Yorker, and I try hard to live up to that title every day.
The long of it:
My career has stretched across Capitol Hill, Broadway theatre, education, nonprofit fundraising, health and wellness, and Fortune 500 companies in retail, media, entertainment, technology, and financial services. I’ve been a product developer and product manager, theater manager, strategic consultant, marketer, voice over artist, , teacher, and fundraiser. I use my business and storytelling to support and sustain passion projects that build a better world. In every experience, I’ve used my sense of and respect for elegant design to develop meaningful products, services, programs, and events.
While building a business career, I also built a strong portfolio as a journalist, novelist, freelance writer, interviewer, presenter, and public speaker. My writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, PBS.org, Boston.com, Royal Media Partners publications, and The Motley Fool on a wide range of topics including business, technology, science, health, education, culture, and lifestyle. I have also been an invited speaker at SXSW, Teach for America, Avon headquarters, Games for Change, NYU, Columbia University, Hunter College, and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. The first book in my young adult book series, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, was acquired by a publisher and launched in November 2017. I’m currently working on the second book in the series.
A recovering multi-tasker, I’m equally at home in front of my Mac, on my yoga mat, walking my rescue dog, Phineas, traveling with a purpose, or practicing the high-art of people watching. I also cut up small bits of paper and put them back together as a collage artist.
My company:
I’m bringing together all of my business and creative career paths as the Founder of Double or Nothing Media:
• I craft products, programs, and projects that make a difference;
• I build the business plans that make what I craft financially sustainable;
• I tell the stories that matter about the people, places, and products that inspire me.
Follow my adventures on Twitter at https://twitter.com/christanyc and Instagram at https://instagram.com/christarosenyc.
View all posts by Christa Avampato
I'd love to know what you think of this post! Please leave a reply and I'll get back to you in a jiffy! ~ CRA Cancel reply
