CHILLIWACK, BC, CANADA, February 18, 2010
/24-7PressRelease/ -- How do we face adversity? We can be survivors or we can be victims; we can choose to smile or we can choose to cry. Three determined BC women have started a world-wide movement for people who have faced any type of adversity and who are "Choosing to Smile."
In 1988 Michelle Rickaby was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, just five years after her brother died from the same type of cancer. Michelle says, "I wasn't ready to die but not many of us are. I was a mother to two precious little girls and I knew they would need me for a very long time. I was only 28 years old, but the reality was that I was the same age as my brother when he was diagnosed and he died 11 months later." Determined not to let history repeat itself, Michelle used all the resources available to her to get well again for her young family and move forward.
In 1987 Glenda Standeven was a young wife and the mother of a toddler when she was diagnosed with bone cancer. In January, 1988, she lost her entire right leg, including her hip and pelvis, to the disease. Adjusting to life on one leg was not easy, but, less than three years after her surgery Glenda gave birth to her second child. Today she is an inspirational speaker who uses a sense of humour and insight to describe her life as a disabled person living in an able-bodied world. She received the Governor General's Caring Canadian Award in 2005.
In 1995 Julie Houlker was diagnosed with breast cancer and went on to have a mastectomy and breast reconstruction. Four and a half years later cancer was discovered in the reconstructed breast and Julie became one of the few women who have had a mastectomy twice on the same side! She was optimistic that the cancer was gone but Julie is now fighting breast cancer for the third time. She says with a smile, "I'm determined to be the world's longest survivor of metastatic breast cancer and dance at my grand-daughter's wedding!" Her grand daughter is nine years old.
"We're not saying it's not okay to get angry or shed some tears when things go wrong. We're saying that at the end of the day, if we're still alive, we have a choice to make. When we wake up in the morning we can smile and be grateful or continue to live in a state of resentment, anger and fear. Which of those two choices will make me happy?" asks Glenda Standeven. "People face adversities every day. If we're unhappy, we make changes if we can. For us, it starts by choosing to smile. We know it's not easy to smile when you're dealing with addictions, abuse, bankruptcy, divorce, illness, or the death of a loved one. If we survive these traumas then we are left with a choice - we can continue hurting and being angry or we can choose to smile for however long we have left. An attitude of gratitude starts by choosing to smile so we're choosing to smile and we're not alone."
'Choosing to Smile,' the upcoming autobiographical book written by the three women is scheduled to be released on March 8, 2010 to coincide with International Women's Day.
Join the "Choosing to Smile" movement on Facebook and visit the Choosing to Smile website at http://www.choosingtosmile.com.
About Choosing to Smile
Choosing to Smile is a worldwide movement started by Glenda Standeven (a bone cancer survivor), Julie Houlker (a breast cancer fighter), and Michelle Rickaby (a Hodgkins Lymphoma).
For interviews or photos contact Glenda Standeven - Glenda@choosingtosmile.com.
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