Sometimes we bloom in the darkest of times. I bloomed after my second cancer diagnosis.

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020, I took care of it and moved on. I brushed that part of my life under the rug and pretended everything was fine. I went back to my teaching job, back to my old routines, back to the rut I’d gotten used to. When I was diagnosed again ten months later, something inside started stirring. The rug that I’d so carefully hidden my problems under was ripped away, and while some might call it a wake up call, I thought it was a nightmare.

Through chemo, radiation, and more surgeries than I’d like to count, I tried to accept the new life I’d been dealt. This came with the realization that I had been traveling down the wrong path. I was being pulled toward something new. I took the signs I was being given and gave myself permission to listen for guidance and direction. Most importantly, I allowed myself freedom to welcome change.

A forgotten peony plant became a light in my darkness. Watching it grow and bloom, seeing the beauty unfold before my eyes, knowing that I helped usher that into the world felt like a puzzle piece clicking into place. With a determination to bring more beauty and light into a dreary world, Brandy and Bloom was born.