CANCER WASN’T ON MY TO-DO LIST

When cancer entered our lives, I didn't slow down. I sped up. I simply added cancer to my already very long to-do list. The weekend of the first diagnosis, I did something completely out of character: I began journaling. I had never been one to sit still and pour my feelings onto paper, but I took out a sheet of paper and started writing.

It felt good.

As I continued writing, I realized I wasn't only processing what we were going through—I was chronicling our journey. Eventually, those notes, questions, research, appointments, treatments, and lessons became the Cancer To-Do List.

When I later became the cancer patient myself, I understood even more deeply how overwhelming a diagnosis can be. Even with my background in health and wellness, I found myself wondering: What do I do first, second, and third?

So what does a perfectionist, high-achieving teacher and health enthusiast do when she gets cancer? She researches. She takes notes. She makes lists. And then, of course, she turns everything she learned into a checklist to help someone else.

THE BACKSTORY

Long before cancer, I was a perfectionist who lived by my to-do list. Checking things off gave me a sense of accomplishment—and, if I'm being truthful, a sense of control. It started when I was a very forgetful child. In eighth grade, I created a master to-do list to help me remember everything I needed to do. What began as a useful tool eventually became a way of life. I became a to-do-list aficionado. I could accomplish more in 24 hours than most people could in a week, and I wore that ability like a badge of honor—often to my own detriment. Cancer challenged so much of what I thought I knew about health. But God would eventually show me that there was something even deeper in my life that needed His attention.

THE TURNING POINT

In early 2023, my life took another drastic turn. This time, God used the tests and trials of the years before to bring me to my knees in surrender before Him. I had known God my entire life. But I began to understand that knowing about God and truly surrendering my life to Him were not the same thing. For years, I had put enormous energy into becoming physically healthy. I researched food, exercise, treatments, supplements, sleep, stress, and seemingly everything I could do to improve my health. But looking back, I wish I had understood during cancer what I understand today: my spiritual health mattered even more.

I wish I had walked through cancer with a deeper faith in God instead of believing that everything depended on how perfectly I managed my health and checked the right things off my list. God began teaching me about surrender, discipleship, and what it means to truly follow Jesus. At an age when I thought I was already grown up, I finally began growing up in my faith.

And that changed everything.

FROM TO-DO TO TA-DA!

I still use to-do lists. I'm pretty sure I always will. But I don't approach them the same way anymore. Not everything needs to get done today. The most important “big rocks” at the top of my list are no longer simply about how much I can accomplish. God is the biggest rock! He sets my agenda each day—not me.

I used to think I needed to be the master of my list instead of allowing my list to master me. What I've actually learned is who the true Master is—God. My journey has taught me that true wellness is about more than physical health. We can care deeply for our bodies while also recognizing our need for spiritual growth, surrender, purpose, and, most importantly, a relationship with God.

That is the heart behind what I do today—helping others pursue greater health and a deeper faith while sharing the lessons I've learned along the way.