Author: Melissa Eppard

I am a professionally trained and certified Life Coach with personal experience overcoming cancer as a mom in my mid-30's. After a diagnosis in 2014 I began blogging as a way to communicate with my family and friends, but it soon became much more than that. Writing was my lifeboat and connection with the outside world while immune compromised and healing from surgery. Now I’m using my personal and professional experiences and living my dream of supporting others as a Healing Hope Cancer Coach. I help my clients understand their options, develop the best care team and a supportive network. Together we unpack the experience of having a cancer diagnosis, processing the emotional impact of a cancer. I offer stress reduction techniques to help manage fear and uncertainty, and coaching to support healing on all dimensions. After treatment ends, I help people find their personal roadmap through the pain and uncertainty, to a life fueled by clarity, personal strength and a connection to their unique life purpose. From diagnosis, through treatment and recovery, no one should go it alone! I draw upon 10+ years of work immersed in holistic health and wellness. I was born and raised in the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York and live there still with my husband and son. My survivorship blog Melissashealinghope.com chronicles my healing journey. You can learn more about my work as a coach at MelissaEppardCoaching.com.

Navigating the Rocky Seas of Cancer Survivorship: The Things No One Prepares You For

Melissa Eppard

Navigating the Rocky Seas of Cancer Survivorship: The Things No One Prepares You For During cancer treatment, your doctors, nurses and support staff have been there with you, but what about after treatment is over? How do you deal with an understandable sense of isolation as you resume your life? How do you deal with the trauma and emotional toll of your diagnosis? What about the effect that your experience has had on your sexuality and relationships? How do you regain a sense of well-being and improve your health? Join us for this 3 part cancer survivorship series for women post-treatment that begins on Thursday, February 23rd at 5:30 P.M. ET

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Growing Resilience

Melissa Eppard

My friends and family know that I'm an avid gardener. This time of year, I am closely following the weather trends, waiting for the barometer to rise enough to safely begin the "hardening off" process for my seedlings. Hardening off describes the process by which you gradually expose your plants to the elements of sun and… Continue reading Growing Resilience

Bias Towards Breastedness & The Future of Breast Cancer Care

Melissa Eppard

How can a cancer patient make an informed and fully resonant choice when you don’t include all the options and disclose all possible complications? Find out why I am a "Flatvocate" after living with breast implants for 5 years.

Our Voices Rising: At the Intersection of my Flat Chest and an Antiquated System of Care

Melissa Eppard

Women everywhere are calling for the standard of surgical breast cancer options to shift and include flat closure. We’re finally positioned culturally and historically to demand autonomy over our health care choices, and how we express our ideas of what is truly healthy and beautiful for ourselves.

When Raised on Crumbs of Love

Melissa Eppard

When parents are trying so very hard to keep their heads above water, they may not be able to show you what it is to be a strong swimmer. It can feel messy and scary, like drowning. As a young woman, I wish someone had told me is to stop flailing, to lie on my back and look up at the stars, and helped me to see what I could have and be if I stopped waiting for rescue.