How My Bone Marrow Cancer Became A Blessing

In 2001 I came down with a bad upper respiratory cold and upon a routine doctor visit, my blood work indicated something more serious was going on. After quickly being diagnosed with a rather grave prognosis, my head was in a WTF spin when 24 hours later my primary care physician was suggesting an “inevitable” bone marrow transplant and a maximum of four years left to live. Three other opinions and extensive tests all later confirmed a different type of bone marrow cancer with a more hopeful outcome and an indolent, slow moving trajectory: Polycythemia. My next step was leaving my job at a company that represented film directors to think about my health and focus on a plan. Days later, while in a bookstore, a book about Feng Shui and health fell on my head. Yes, it literally fell on my head. A ray of sunlight beamed upon it too, but each time I have relayed this story I have left that part out because it really sounds so incredibly hokey – but it’s true. I always had an interest in this topic, so I bought the book, made some changes in my home and immediately felt a difference. When I heard that the author was giving a lecture in New York, I ran to attend and left feeling so impressed by the depth and interconnectedness of this ancient art of placement. I called up the author’s office and asked if I could work for her in exchange for going through her training program. As luck would have it, she happened to need someone that week. I ended up helping run her business, graduating from her training program, studying with other Feng Shui masters and then eventually leaving to start my own Feng Shui consulting business.

Thirteen years later, my Feng Shui business – much like my health -is healthy, strong and thriving. Yes, there are days that are pulsing with high anxiety and scary unknowns. Like when I go to the Cancer Treatment Center at Mt. Sinai for my 6 week check-in and I am sitting elbow to elbow in the waiting room with people who are visibly far worse off than I am. I start to inwardly panic and my thoughts go to dark places. There are times when my favorite nurse is not in and I dread the thought of how difficult it will be for his replacement to get a good vein for my phlebotomy. There are times when my spleen is being palpated and I am silently fearing that it has grown even larger. But all of these moments are small and insignificant compared to the blessings that this verdict of bone marrow cancer has brought to me.

I am lucky for this cancer. It made me stop and listen to my body. It made me stop and Heed My Call (Thank you best selling author, David M.Howitt). It brought me to have and. I have cancer and a thriving career doing what I love that I would never of had otherwise. Whether I am consulting on a small studio to consulting for developers on huge large scale projects, I am helping people make the connections between space and self. All of this has brought me to my new venture. I am about to launch a new online business, The Holistic Home Company (which is named after my upcoming book The Holistic Home, Fall 2015) that sells luxury home goods that inspire, uplift and motivate your mind, body, spirit and space. It represents a philosophy of living by connecting to your space and self in ways that are more meaningful, conscious and all inclusive of every aspect of who you are; physically, emotionally and spiritually. All of the products are either inspired by nature, beauty, love, positivity or spirituality, are hand made with high quality, pure ingredients or materials that are imbued with good energy and are encouraged to be used with specific, positive intentions. If I kept on the trajectory of what I was doing pre-diagnosis, I never would be where I am today.

Through my diagnosis and over a decade of helping others, I’ve come to believe that the items you use and surround yourself with should inspire your mind, revitalize your body, stir your soul and enhance your home. By connecting your mind (the psychology of how you dwell, symbolism and your subconscious) to your body (sustainability, pure ingredients, actions) to your spirit (atmosphere, intentions, energy) you are allowing the best to unfold for yourself, your home and even the planet.

It’s by looking deep beneath the surface that we really start to see the connections between our external and internal lives, which then allows the best in both to unfold. Sometimes, it takes something like a illness to help you see that. But it doesn’t have to. Sometimes, it could simply be a blog post.