Plugged into the wifi -a dandelion seed plucked and devoid of nature mind naked in a lonely room and my devices pulling, pulling. breaching a wall of silence peeling back sounds and thoughts and urges There is nothing to be Done right now. Just me and my breath breathing commentary: My house is literally abuzz with… Continue reading Loud Wishes
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.
2015 -Lighten the Load
What do you hold on to? to possess and label MINE? -or ours this stuff I shuffle room to room S-uffocating T-hings U-nder F-oot F-orever I'd like to peel them all off -layer by layer- see them lift up and float back to their source, my trunk, a store, a shelf, stuffy crate, rusty boxcar,… Continue reading 2015 -Lighten the Load
On Your Mark… Get Set…
Waiting to start, a splinter of light against a vast dark. What can begin to take hold in this barren yet fertile ground? Chemotherapy strips you down, like paint thinner washing out the last self portrait. On a cellular level, diminished as each and every dark internal corner is washed in an acrid bath. It… Continue reading On Your Mark… Get Set…
Water, my Dirty Little Secret
I'm guilty for relishing too long in a hot shower, getting licked and lashed by each lavish drop, distractedly brushing my teeth, preferring to wait and warm my washcloth. I don't want to take this precious commodity for granted, so casually slipping over and through my fingers down the drain. Next time I'll take her and hold… Continue reading Water, my Dirty Little Secret
Gifts You Can’t Find on Black Friday
I grimaced inside when in an attempt to comfort me, people would mention that there would be Gifts, unknown to me now, that this cancer diagnosis would bestow upon me. How could any of this be seen as a gift?! For my readers who know of someone newly diagnosed, please note that this is not… Continue reading Gifts You Can’t Find on Black Friday
Let it be KNOWN
I asked God to be K N O W N to me And suddenly Angels were everywhere They have been there all along! Little flecks of Divine in each and everyone It is the little spark of "I Believe" that gives us flight At times the spark may flicker and wane And the Angels swarm, encapsulating… Continue reading Let it be KNOWN
The Table We Share
BC (before cancer) I was an "I" in an us & them world. Now I sit at the table of humankind. We are together at the most amazing buffet... feasting in good company with abundant servings of thoughtfulness and generosity, simplicity and forgiveness. We honor each other just by showing up. It will take me… Continue reading The Table We Share
Neupogen; Why Sometimes You Can’t Go Home For the Holidays
There is a new kind of terror lurking in my chest. It sets my heart to a manic pace just thinking of it. Neupogen. The little leaflet that comes with these injections says that a majority of people don’t experience severe side effects. It also says that your doctor has chosen this drug for you… Continue reading Neupogen; Why Sometimes You Can’t Go Home For the Holidays
A Day to Celebrate
I was looking at photos of myself from 2 years ago and could barely recognize myself. Being a Scorpio, I find my November 6th birthday usually filled with a measure of heaviness and reflection that somehow suits these colder days marked by less foliage and daylight. This birthday feels different. After a good cathartic cry… Continue reading A Day to Celebrate
Canary in a Coal Mine
I'm not sure I would have said this a year ago, but I'm glad it was me. Could I have been strong enough if it were my sister, or my mother? I'm glad I found that lump early and having removed all breast tissue, my run-in with hereditary breast cancer will be put to rest shortly… Continue reading Canary in a Coal Mine
Melissa's Healing Hope 