The Story Behind Her Success

wife, mother, nurse, breast cancer survivor elliefund.org @elliefund Intuition plays a huge role in being a great nurse.  There is a divide between nursing and medicine and I think that physicians rely on nurses for our intuition. We can look at a patient and know: something is not right.  It’s a calling. – Paula Campbell  Welcome to part two of the story of wife, mother, nurse, and breast cancer survivor, Paula Campbell. Diagnosed in 2022 with stage 2/3 breast cancer, she see slipped through the looking glass and now sees her experience with the disease as a way to help others navigate a complicated healthcare system. As a GI oncology nurse,  I started out this interview by asking Paula if she is a better nurse now that she has gone through her own cancer journey.  Her answer? A resounding YES:   “Nursing is the profession of caring, and I now know what my patients are going through.  I can give better care, knowing how it feels when your pain is not controlled.  My assessments are better, my timing, and my interventions are all better. “  Born in Boston to Jamaican parents who came to the United States via England as part of the “wind rush generation”, Paula’s mother trained as a nurse in the UK and was recruited to come here in the 1970’s during a nursing shortage, only to experience the horror of the historic Boston bussing crisis.  The family moved from Jamaica Plain to the suburban town of Sharon where they settled into a community of caring.  A graduate of Boston College, Paula says that she knew she wanted her life to be about empowerment, and got her start in real estate development before going back to school to become a nurse.  What are the key attributes to a great nurse?  Says Paula:  “empathy, intution, honesty, respect for science, and practical thinking.”   When asked about success, she says:  “I’m all about legacy.   My people did not come here for me to fail. They sold many a goat, many a chicken, to make sure I make good choices.  If that means I had to work through a tough diagnosis in order to set an example for those who will come after me,  so be it.  Dare to be true. Live your truth. “  Inspiring?  You betcha.  #breastcancer #legacy #jamaica #bostoncollege #nursing 

nurse & breast cancer survivor elliefund.org Sometimes things that you love have their time in your life, and then you part ways. Before my double mastectomy, I thanked my breasts for what they had given to me and my babies.  I made my peace with them and then I said:  “you’ve gotta go.”  -Paula Campbell You don’t have to go far to find a woman who has had breast cancer.  As a nurse, Paula Campbell saw breast cancer through a different lens because she had to go from taking care of others, to allowing others to take care of her.  A wife and mother, Paula was diagnosed in 2022 with stage 2-3 breast cancer.   She endured 6 grueling rounds of chemotherapy, and although her breast surgeon originally recommended a lumpectomy, Paula fought hard for a bilateral mastectomy.  “It’s one part of my story that I like to share, because I had to advocate for myself as a patient and as a nurse. Intuitively, I knew, my breasts had to go.” Leveled by chemo, Paula says:  ““Chemo is very humbling.  It will rock your soul.  It gave me no choice but to accept the care of others around me. Thankfully, she connected with an incredible charity called The Ellie Fund www.elliefund.org and experienced the friendship, connection and sense of community this small but mighty non-profit is known for.  Their mission?  Supporting patients, funding care and providing hope.   Says Paula: “I’m their self-proclaimed ambassador.  I just can’t say enough about what they did for me.”  Our conversation continues in part 2 of this powerful interview, where Paula reveals the loss of her health insurance as a nurse employed in the same hospital where she was scheduled to receive her breast cancer care.   For 23 minutes of inspiration, just hit that download button.  #breastcancer #womeninspiringwomen 

breast cancer survivor & podcaster @erinomalleysfrequency I’m not afraid of death. Something came to take me, and I beat it with faith and love.   I have a second lease on life. -ErinO’Malley  This up close and personal interview with Boston broadcaster and podcaster Erin O’Malley www.erinomalleysfrequency.com gives you a birds-eye view into the life of a woman who leads with love. In part 1 of this interview, Erin shared the story of her early life in Pittsburgh, and her proclamation at 12 that she wanted to be a radio personality.  After graduating from the University of Dayton, she began her climb from a small station in Wheeling, West Virginia to major market radio, landing in Boston at Mix 104.1 where listeners came to think of her as their friend. She and her husband were delighted to learn they were expecting a child and although her pregnancy was normal, her delivery was a nightmare and their baby boy had a stroke.  Gabe survived, but at 6 months, required brain surgery and is severely disabled.  Says Erin:  “Everyday, Gabe shows me how to live a better life. He’s an angel on earth.”   In part 2 we dive deeper into Erin’s success story and learn that in May, 2018, she felt a lump in her right breast and was diagnosed with stage 2, triple negative breast cancer.   Throughout her treatment, her positivity was on full display.  She wore a superwoman costume to chemo, handing out gifts to fellow patients.  At work, she talked openly about her breast cancer journey, encouraging listeners to do breast exams. “Cancer hates positivity.  Your attitude matters, so flip the script. Amazing things happen when you attack cancer with positive vibes.”   In this interview, Erin also tells the story of what happened the day she lost the job she loved and then decided to find the silver lining and bring her positive vibes to the world of podcasting.  For friends, family, fans and new admirers, this episode has all the feels. Follow Erin on Instagram @erinomalleysfrequency.  #breastcancer #radio #womensupportingwomen   

Wife, mom, podcaster, survivor erinomalleysfrequency.com  I’ve always been an optimist who looks for the best in everyone and everything.  -Erin  My mission has always been to introduce you to women who inspire you to say, ‘If she can do it, I can do it.’  Today, I am sitting across from a woman whose positive attitude and infectious voice are woven into the fabric of Boston radio.  For 20 years, we shared the same airwaves at different frequencies.  She was on Mix 104.1 and I was on Magic 106.7, but I always admired her vibe on the air.   Alone in a room, with only music, contents and commercials to play, Erin knows the secretto being a first-class broadcaster:  reach through the radio and make a listener believe you are talking directly to them.  That’s a gift, and Erin has it in spades. But there is so much more to her success story.   As a child, her family moved around a lot, due to her father’s job.  At one point, when Erin was 12 years old, they were living in Pittsburgh and radio became Erin’s companion. She remembers calling into the local radio station and becoming friends with the air talent.   It wasn’t long before Erin declared to her mother that someday, she would be on the radio, and despite her mother’s initial doubts, that’s exactly what she did.  In this very personal interview, Erin shares early career stories,  including falling asleep on the radio while playing American Pie, getting better and better at her craft and moving up the ladder to bigger radio markets, landing in Boston, getting married, and giving birth to her son Gabe, who experienced a stroke following a difficult birth and is severely disabled.  Through it all, Erin O’Malley chooses to embrace joy in everyone and everything.  Says Erin:  “Gabe is an angel on earth and the best gift ever.  He wakes up every day smiling and shows me how to live my life.”  Don’t miss this deep dive into the life of a truly exceptional woman.  It’s so good, we’ve decided to air it in two parts.  Find out about Erin’s new podcast series and stay connected here: erinomalleysfrequency.com   #motivation#positivity #radio #podcast

Philanthropist  elliefund.org @elliefund Life is full of heartache and if you don’t have humor, it’s very hard.   Have a belly laugh once a day!  -Ruth “Chip” Spalding Twenty years ago, in the middle of 8 rounds of chemotherapy and 35 radiation treatments for stage 2 breast cancer, Ruth“Chip” Spalding opened the door to find a delivery of flowers. That single act of kindness took root inside of her, and bloomed into a legacy of hope.  Chip began searching for a local non-profit that shared her passion for patient care and ended up connecting with The Ellie Fund elliefund.org.  Says Chip:   “I was just the fuel.  I provided the money.  The Ellie Fund was the engine.”   2,000 bouquets of flowers have been delivered to grateful breast cancer patients (includingme) and now, Chip is taking her act of kindness one step further by establishing the Ruth “Chip” Spalding Flower Endowment Fund which will ensure flowers are delivered to breast cancer patients even after Chip has left this earth.   Born and raised in Dedham, Massachusetts by kind-hearted, civic-minded parents, Chip spent her early career working for a congressman on Capital Hill.  The mother of two, she was diagnosed in her 50’s and recalls looking at herself in the mirror saying: “You have breast cancer and you are lucky they found it. Get on with it.”  How did breast cancer change this wise, no-nonsense woman?   “The blue became bluer, the green became greener, and I began practicing the 3 C’s:   anti-clutter, anti-complaining and cut to the chase.”   For 25 minutes of inspiration + wisdom + kindness, just hit that download button.   #breastcancer #kindness #hope #flowers