Subtitle: If you read this post, it can save lives.
My First Walk Around My House 6 Weeks After Diagnosis
It’s been more than a month, and saying “I have cancer” still sounds weird to me. Although, when I want my mom or Scott to get me stuff I’m not against jokingly playing the cancer card.
“Honey, can you get my blanket? … But I don’t wanna get up. … Please? *cute whiny voice* Come on, I have cancer.” Needless to say, I get my way and they are always there for me with a smile. We move on one beautiful moment at a time, even if I am a bit more of a princess now.
Cancer Is Crazy Weird
It’s weird to talk about it with friends and team members and clients. It’s weird for them, it’s weird for me. It’s uncomfortable. It’s awkward. But acknowledging that it is weird somehow makes it less weird, you know? Let’s just accept it’s weird then move on to having mostly normal moments and business together.
If you work for a company and you get cancer, I imagine there’s a lot of stress over benefits and/or whether you’ll keep your job and how you’ll maintain your income and keep up with bills insurance might not cover (if you are insured). Sure, they might need you, but they can train someone new and really that’s the least of your worries.
The Future of M3
Getting cancer when you own a business is a whole different animal. People rely on me and my purpose has been and will always be to serve both our clients and my team to the best of my ability. Cancer might slow me down, but I’m never giving up. I don’t have children yet, and like it or not, M3 is my legacy no matter what the future brings. I’ve always wanted it and needed it to be bigger than me. And I’m proud to say it definitely is.
It started with humble beginnings when I went to school for this for a while first in Radford, VA then in Orlando. From there I freelanced out of my living room and in retail a while to earn my chops and perfect my skills. I started doing work for large companies and celebrities and small films and then in April of 2010 I started the Agency you now know as M3 Makeup. My dreams started with building an agency of excellence and one day I see a future with multiple studios, a national education program, a custom makeup line and much more. I couldn’t be more in love with my career and it’s really because of everyone that is part of it including our amazing team and clients.
So don’t worry…we’re not going anywhere! We are proud to announce that the wonderful Melissa Collier, previously the office administrator for M3, has stepped up as Operations Manager and will be managing our sales and team alongside my other managing partner, Scott Mann during my downtime. Rest assured our team will continue to uphold the highest standards in our industry day after day.
A New (if scary) Adventure
This whole experience has opened my eyes greater than I could have ever imagined. Words do not come to me when I try and truly talk about how I have felt since everything that has happened. But what I can say is that I am a fighter and I’m ready for the challenge.
I started part 1 of this blog by saying how very blessed I feel in my life. Cancer hasn’t changed that. The amount of love and support that has been shown during this difficult time has left me speechless. My husband, family, teammates, close friends, and even those I don’t even know are lifting me up and helping give me the confidence to fight this with all I’ve got.
I can’t even begin to tell you how dramatic the impact has been on my life…how the life I knew has been replaced by something scarier and full of a million needles and long nights. But it’s also been replaced by a closer connection with everything I love. “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” Oh how much I want everyone to realize how true this statement is. I’ve never really had serious trauma before and it was almost impossible for me to fully understand this until now. I’ve had equally good and bad cries. And I’m just now seeing how very beautiful life is in every small moment. So here I am saying don’t take any of this life stuff for granted, do this for me. Hug a little harder, laugh a little easier, smile more and kick ass every day because that’s what it’s all about.
I Get by with a Little Help from My Friends
Why This Blog Is So Important – Together Saving Lives
So now the scary part. The doctors have told me I need to have a bone marrow transplant. They go to the siblings first for this since that’s the best chance of a tissue match. We are hoping that my older brother will be the answer. However, if he is not, there is an online site where you can find out how to become a donor. Best part, even if you can’t help me, you could help to save another life. A lot of people have asked how they could help and the answer is very simple: register with BeTheMatch.org and give someone like me another chance at life.
Even if the thought of donating bone marrow is something you don’t feel comfortable with, simply sharing this can have a measurable impact, so please help by sharing this incredible organization with others!
Thanks for listening. Thanks for caring. Thanks for doing business with us and thanks for sharing some of this life with me. It means more to me than I can express.
This cancer stuff is obviously a pretty personal thing in some respects, and my business website isn’t the best medium to talk about my health woes and triumphs. But if you want to follow my adventures you can find my new personal blog at http://michelemann.blogspot.com/. I promise to try and update it once every week or two.
