This week, beautiful April Finley joins the In Her Lane podcast to talk about her BRCA1 positive gene diagnosis and breast cancer journey. Using her faith as a guide during her healing gave April the courage to speak to all races of women across the country regarding the cancer color barrier and forming a community of women looking for change. April’s foundation in faith and prayer guides her in reaching women of color going through their own fights with breast and reproductive cancers. 

Links/Products/Resources Mentioned

Compassionthatcompels.org

Compassion That Compels Facebook

Compassion That Compels Instagram

Kristiannestewart.com

www.breastcenter.com

Center for Restorative Breast Surgery Facebook

In Her Lane Podcast was funded by a grant from the Center for Restorative Breast Surgery.

Quotes

“And I think life has taught me through my own Christian experience that God is truly our Father, He's our Daddy, and with my earthly father, if there's anything I need to talk to Him about and say to Him, I can go to Him and I can say those things. And it wasn't until probably during this diagnosis, I realized I can have that same relationship in conversation with my heavenly Father, too.” - April Finley 

“It is so hard to hold hands and pray for someone and curse them at the same time. It is absolutely impossible.” - April Finley 

“Just because we're different doesn't mean that we're not the same on some levels. Because we all want to be loved, we all want to be accepted, we all want to feel that we have a place in this world.” - April Finley 

Beautiful Abigail Johnston joins us this week on In Her Lane Podcast to share about her journey with Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC), which started as a stage two diagnosis, and then she found out she had over 1000 metastases in her bones. A lawyer by trade, Abigail used some of her skills and knowledge to advocate for herself--practically making it a full time job to get the help she needed for through her cancer treatments. During that journey, Abigail realized there are so many other cancer overcomers who could use help navigating medical paperwork, insurance needs and knowing their rights as a patient. This inspired her to create a nonprofit; Connect IV Legal Services, which seeks to help connect overcomers with free legal representation. Abigail has taken her journey with cancer and transformed her gifts into a source of strength for other people, helping others find hope in places it’s hard to come by and changing one life at a time. 

Links/Products/Resources Mentioned

Compassionthatcompels.org

Compassion That Compels Facebook

Compassion That Compels Instagram

Kristiannestewart.com

www.breastcenter.com

Center for Restorative Breast Surgery Facebook

Connect IV Legal Services Website

Connect IV Legal Services Facebook

In Her Lane Podcast was funded by a grant from the Center for Restorative Breast Surgery.

Quotes

“In the process of really having a lot of the fluff stripped away, because of my diagnosis with stage four metastatic breast cancer, all the hardship and the changes that have happened—I do feel like [I have] a lot in terms of coping mechanisms.” —Abigail Johnston

“As much as I previously was focused on learning the law, now my focus is on research. My focus is on learning everything I possibly can about the biological processes that are relevant to my disease.” —Abigail Johnston

“When I was practicing law, we always used to say to our clients, ‘You bring the facts, we bring the law. We have to work together to make this possible.’ And I think that's the same in the medical field, except that patients don't always feel empowered to behave that way.” —Abigail Johnston

“What I have learned about carrying this different weight of a terminal diagnosis is that my normal coping mechanisms were not up for the job. What I would normally do to deal with hard things and I've dealt with a few hard things in my life, nothing like a terminal illness, but a few hard things. And it just wasn't enough.” —Abigail Johnston

“While I don't embrace the idea that cancer is a gift or that cancer has somehow made my life better, I think that cancer has crystallized certain things in my life. And one of those things was that I wasn't taking very good care of myself.” —Abigail Johnston

“Everything that I've been through in my life has brought me to this point, to be able to have compassion for the people who are going through something similar or just suffering.” —Abigail Johnston

Beautiful Emily Pareti joins the In Her Lane Podcast to share how she found healing in bodily movement, and how utilizing yoga during her lymphoma treatments helped her recenter her mind and speak affirming “I am” statements over her life and her health. Emily found her purpose in the world, and became a certified yoga teacher to help others on their journey to healing from the inside out.

Links/Products/Resources Mentioned

Compassionthatcompels.org

Compassion That Compels Facebook

Compassion That Compels Instagram

Kristiannestewart.com

www.breastcenter.com

Center for Restorative Breast Surgery Facebook

Emily’s Instagram

Emily’s Facebook

In Her Lane Podcast was funded by a grant from the Center for Restorative Breast Surgery.

Quotes

“I wanted to feel normal and be normal and not let this take control and take over my life.” —Emily Pareti

“My sense of normalcy was actually brought onto my yoga mat. Yoga during my cancer treatments really helped me heal. I really came to my mat to help me stay present throughout my cancer journey and not focus on what's next or what previously happened that month before. But just stay present and tune in with my body, my mind and my spirit really connect the three.” —Emily Pareti

“The healing and the cancer community was just so worth it, worth all my time and and my passion and wanting to bring my yoga teaching to others was just finally falling into place. And I just felt purpose. I just felt purpose in this world, like doing what I love on a professional level and doing it for myself as well.” —Emily Pareti