Month: June 2019

Still Dancing Through Life, Thanks to Poise…

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This post was made in partnership with Poise®. All opinions my own. 

Once upon a time, I was a young dancer. My life was all about ballet; all day, everyday. I started dancing when I was four years old and took this love and passion into my university years. I received a scholarship to college because of ballet, and I am the person that I am today because of ballet.

I never really wanted to do anything else with my life. I wanted to be a prima ballerina and dance on stage. But one day in my early 20’s, I realized that it wasn’t going to happen.  There were physical obstacles that I just couldn’t plow through. I had horrible hips that would not allow me to turn out completely and feet that just couldn’t arch properly or place me on pointe in the perfect position that was needed. So I pivoted. After college I became a journalist and covered breaking news stories. When I became a mother years later, I took my love of journalism and developed that into a media company that I operate today. 

I did a cold, hard stop with ballet over 20 years ago. It was painful to leave my greatest love behind. But because of my 10-year-old daughter, I’ve found myself back at the barre. She dances five to six days a week with The School of American Ballet here in New York City, and is becoming quite the little ballerina. It is with her passion and dedication for ballet that I have now found myself having a dance re-birth.  

My children have always known about my ballet background and my love for dance. They’ve seen me dancing around our house just about anytime I can. But seeing my daughter in class inspired me to take ballet classes all over again. And I’ve been able to do so with success and ease thanks to Poise®. 

I suffered from LBL (light bladder leakage) after my third baby arrived. However, I wasn’t going to let one more thing keep me from enjoying ballet again. Poise® Impressa® goes in just like a tampon and stops light bladder leaks from happening. Its allowed me to live my life the way I want to. I can jump and dance without fear of leaks or urgent bathroom breaks. From now on, my children know once the music’s turned on, a dance party’s about to happen, all thanks to Poise® Impressa®. Check it out for yourself now by shopping on Amazon or visiting Poise.com. 

Now I never have to worry while dancing with my kids in the kitchen or while practicing my grand jetés at the studio. I’m my best, youthful self, everyday. When I look at myself in the mirror during ballet class, I feel like the young girl I used to be, once upon a time.

Our Way Forward and Shannon Miller

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Community. What does that mean to you? To us, it’s always been about connecting, sharing stories and helping others.  

The community we gathered a few weeks ago at CUT by Wolfgang Puck in Los Angeles is uniquely special.  

It was a community of moms, care partners and loved ones—most with a connection to cancer. Gathering together and sharing our individual experiences helps provide others with the support they need to continue the fight. There’s nothing more inspiring than that!

I am a breast cancer survivor and my partner, Melissa, is the sister and daughter of cancer survivors. That’s why we were so proud to host ovarian cancer survivor, and seven-time Olympic medalist in gymnastics, Shannon Miller. She joined us in partnership with Our Way Forward and TESARO, Inc., a GSK Company, for one of our MAMARAZZI events. The event helped raise awareness about ovarian cancer and encouraged women to talk about their experiences and seek out resources. 

Shannon was diagnosed with ovarian cancer almost eight years ago and since her diagnosis, not only has she advocated to help ensure other women are aware of the signs and symptoms of this disease, but she has helped to develop and spread awareness about the support and resources that are available to them. 

Hearing Shannon speak reminded all of us in the room about the importance of putting our own health first, even though we, as women, are often prioritizing others in our lives—whether it is our spouses/partners, children, family members or friends. 

At The MOMS, there’s something we have learned over the years about our community and it’s that we are all driven by love and support. To continue supporting our own, Shannon, Melissa and myself were all proud to wear outfits by fellow ovarian cancer survivor and single mom – Pia Gladys Perry. We also met Cheyann Shaw for the first time and are connecting her with potential speaking opportunities because her ovarian cancer story is so powerful. She is a stage 4 ovarian cancer survivor and was diagnosed just before her wedding. We also reconnected with some of our mom friends and learned more about their connections to cancer. 

Looking ahead, we will proudly continue to share our stories in the hopes they help others. Storytelling is the foundation to empowering others. That’s why Our Way Forward is so important—it offers several resources, including events, videos, blog posts and a discussion guide that can help address the unique conversations and emotions that are associated with an ovarian cancer diagnosis, treatment and disease recurrence. We didn’t want to be a part of the cancer community—in fact, no one really does. But if you have to be, at least we have a place where we can support, learn, connect and empower each other. 

To learn more about Our Way Forward, visit www.ourwayforward.com or the Facebook page. To learn more about Shannon Miller, visit www.shannonmiller.com. 

Event produced by Geanine Cilenti