Hey, friends, it's me Megan Divine, host of Hereafter with Megan Divine. Season two is coming up soon. It'll be here before you know it. But in the meantime, while you're waiting, I wanted to introduce you to a couple of shows I think you're going to like. You might even get some new favorite podcasts out of it. So give these episodes a listen and stay tuned for the announcement of the launch of season two coming soon. See you soon, friends, Road, Little Food for Yourself, Life, ain't Oh, it's pretty Bay, It's pretty beautiful, beautiful, laugh a little more kicking with four Happy Thursday. Welcome to Four Things, Amy, And I'm sitting across my friend Leslie Simon, and I'm so excited to have her on today. We're gonna talk about a lot of different things, but mostly Leslie's cancer journey and outlook on life. And I feel as though breast cancer is something that gets a lot of awareness in October because that's Breast Cancer Awareness Month. But Leslie has been kind enough to come on and share her story because I think it's an important thing that especially women, but even men can have breast cancer, need to be talking about and doing self exams, advocating for themselves. Leslie and I were talking before we were started recording our friend Clia, who is one of the founders of the Home Edit, a design company based out of here in Nashville. Will not design organizing company. They do design things. Now they have their own product line at container store in Walmart and all the things. But now they have their own Netflix show, Like it's really taken off. But did you just meet clear recently and you'll realize you'll both had the same type of cancer. So Leslie was like, oh, we have a mutual friend, Clia, And you know, Clia had to advocate for herself and she's someone who now is able to use her story and her platform to get the word out and so I'm thankful to have Leslie on to to share her story. But Leslie, I pulled up your Instagram and I love the quote that you have in your Instagram bio, which is a Maya Angelo quote. This is a wonderful day. I have never seen this one before, and so why don't we start with why that's something you have front and center on your page. And I mean, I know this about you, but that's because of your your outlook on life, but share a little bit of that, and then your your backstory and when you were first diagnosed and what that looked like for you. So in two thousand and seventeen, I found a lump in my left breast, and I've found one a year before, and it was ASSIST. So when I went in to have my mammogram, you know, I said, there's something here, and they said, yeah, there is and they didn't see anything on the mammogram, said I did an ultrasound, she showed, said it was it says she was very confident was assist. She wanted the radio. I'll just to look at it. Long story short, it was ASSIST. But when I left, of course I googled, which I tell people now don't google, but I googled what assists looked like versus what a cancer chamber looked like. And so when I saw that, I was like, definitely this is a system. I'm not worried. They asked, rated it no big deal. Probably in April of that of two thousand and seventeen, I found one in my left breast and my husband and I were on our way to Israel. We had this big trip planned and and I just didn't want to mess with the trip. And I was like, you know what, I've got my mamogram schedule when I get back. I'm sure it's another syst. I'll just handle it when I get back. So we went to Israel. We had this life changing experience together in Israel, and then came back. I went in for my appointment. Nothing came up on the mammogram, so I had the ultrasound and level behold as I'm watching this ultrasound screen, I was like, that's not assist and I knew. And so when I finished, you know, she said who do you want me to send your results too? And I said, um, well, you also send them, you know, to my Gona colleges. But we also sent them to my dear friend who is a surgeon in that hospital, and they did. I went into his office and it took about a week. I had a biopsy done. Like a week later. They called and said, we want Robert to come with you for the appointment. And they're like, no worries. You know, we did this with everybody after a bobsy But you know, when I walked in, it was good for us. It was a dear friend but I mean he looked at us and was like, y'all, it's cancer. And really at that point it was like Charlie Brown's teacher was talking. I really don't remember anything else that came up. I know I asked questions, but I couldn't tell you what happened after those words came out of his mouth, because I think it's just so incredibly jarring and shocking. I was forty five years old. I mean, it was absolutely shocking to me to hear those words. So we did the genetic testing to see if I had any kind of genetic history, and I was negative for every single one, and so it seemed like a pretty cut and dry case. I opted to do a double mestectomy and reconstruction, and then they did what's called an onche type test, and in that test, they discovered that I actually really needed to do chemo. And truthfully, Amy, I mean, we thought the chemo was an insentrance policy. It was like, that's just to make sure it never comes back. And so I've changed my quote. That's always been one of my favorite quotes to my antelo quote, and I changed that the morning that I went in for the surgery for my double mistectomy. Because I really had a lot of fear going into the surgery. I compartmentalized very well, so I kept working. I kept working, and then about two days before surgery and I was having just panicking. I've never been under. I was under for nine hours and they're literally like removing all of the tissue from your breaths. I mean, that's shocking what actually happens in that surgery. So I changed my I changed my Instagram that day and put that quote in because I just said, that's how I have to live my life. I mean, there really are no more guarantees, not that there ever were before, but there's a real perspective shift when you have to look at life in a different way. And I really wanted it to be a positive perspective shift because I really felt like all the love and positive energy and you know, this isn't my life for a reason, and I just want to make sure that I'm using it for all of the right reasons. For I wanted to get as much positive out of it as I could, and also to understand that this is just part of my path, you know. I mean, how do I make the world a better place because of the experience that I'm having, and so that's kind of where that quote came from. And that was the start we really thought. I mean, I finished my treatment and to Scember of that year, I saw you a lot during that time because I was, you know, I was still going out on the road, I was still doing all the things. I had to take time off obviously for the surgery, but I mean even through chemo, I wanted as much normalcy as possible, and work is where I got a lot of that. Well. And since you mentioned were share with people a little bit about what you do. When we first met years ago, you were working for Sony, right, and so you've shifted jobs since then. But to me, you've always been someone that I've looked up to career wise, of like, I love seeing women in the industry just killing it, and you're one of those people. I remember early on we went out to dinner one night and got tan, but you were still with Sony and now you work with Garth Brooks. Yes, so I was with Sunny Um. I was ahead of promotion for Arista Gosh. I was there for thirteen years and then left there in two thousandsand and sixteen and went to that was when Garth was staffing his imprint UM So he had had his imprint forever and then he had done different sensing deals with different labels, and he decided in two thousand and sixteen to staff his own imprint and came on board as the general manager for both Pro Records and Gwendoline Records. Wyndolin is titious label and really overseeing the promotion and marketing of the recorded music for them. But you know, incredibly lucky to be a part of this extraordinary team, especially with all of these new issues that I had. I mean I was when I found out about the cancer. I hadn't even been with them for a year. I just even have this overwhelming feeling come over my body because I remember what that was like for my mom when she was diagnosed. I never personally had cancer myself, but walking alongside it with my mom, I can I only have that experience, And like, I don't know, I just felt this feeling inside of me of these little goose bumps because I remember my mom being so grateful for her employment because she worked for a family friend. She worked for her best friend's husband who also happened to be following me here my sister's husband's dad, so like it's very and then my father in law was vice president at that company, so it's very tangled. But also the support that you feel, and I guess I got that feeling because I know not everybody has that, and so it's this weird place of gratitude but yet like, oh, you know, just feeling for people that you know are not in a similar situation. You know, I'm sure you would have been taken care of wherever you were, Leslie, because everybody loves you. But if you think about it, how amazing it was that you got into that position in two thousand and sixteen and then you you know, you were in and you got your feet on the ground there and they knew your value and they wanted to come alongside and support you, and you had that new family to help you along with the whole process. Truthfully, I can't imagine being on the beginning of the journey and really where I am now in this journey without them because the support of Garthen, Tricha and everyone on the team. I mean when I say lifted up every day. When I woke up after nine hours in surgery, my hospital room was looked like a flower store. And then I came home and my home looks like a flower store. And it was just just this overwhelming amount of support. I mean, Garth, every single time I spoke to him, he would say, before anything, I would like want to dive into work, and he say, hold on, how are you feeling today? Every single conversation started with him stopping me to say how you feeling? How you doing? And it was just so sincere and just there's so many things along the way that I can't even imagine having gone through the journey to where I am now without that kind of support. And I'm with you. I mean, I walk into that cancer center every time I have treatment and there are people that are that do not have that same kind of support system, and it is one of the things in my life that I'm so incredibly grateful for. Or it's a shift in perspective. I mean, I think I had gratitude before all of this, but the level and the degree to which that changes and how you want to change how you live your life after going through this is really significant for me. And it's just so much of that has to do with the love and the support of my work team, my family, my friends, I mean people that I went to high school with or to junior high school with. I mean people that have crossed my life in all different ways over the last fifty years. Just coming to say I love you, We're here for you. Whether it's a text message or a social media message, or cards or gifts. I mean, it's just it really does blow your mind to see how people come and love and support and pray and they're with you on the journey. Well, and you're back and forth between Birmingham and Nashville because you can work either place in Florida, yes, but you're primarily in Birmingham with your husband, and I know that there's something going on there. And we were talking about this before we hit record, and I was like, Oh, I'm gonna shout you out because you're being honored at a gala in Birmingham this year, the Hope Gala, which there's a lot that they're doing in the community when it comes to cancer care, but specifically there's something called the Hope Lodge, and just share why that's important that something like that exists. And I'm sure every community in every city has their thing that could be helpful for people, and people can just know to google different resources or know how to support local resources that are really making an impact for people that don't have necessarily the support that you and I have. Absolutely well, first and foremost, um, the American Cancer Society is where you do your research if you have cancer. I always say, don't don't go to Google and just type in, because God knows what scary information you're going to get. But the real information that really how I educated myself on my disease was through the information I got from the American Cancer Society, and it allowed me in the very beginning to get a really good understanding of what I was dealing with and to help me formulate the right questions for my doctors, not only about my cancer, but about my treatment and the Hope Lodge. It really works in conjunction with the American Cancer Society. Growing him is a really incredible robust health care community, and we have fabulous hospitals. We have Research Hospital at U. A. B. I'm actually at St. Vincent's, which is a different hospital, but when people come here, I mean there are a lot of smaller towns around Birmingham, Alabama, and also just in the southeast that don't have the same type of medical services that we have here, and so when anyone with cancer comes to Birmingham, if they need a place to stay, it's not inexpensive to stay in a hotel and to have, you know, all of the expenses of living and then and then having your caretaker with you when you're going through treatment. So if someone is here at Saint Vincent's or at U a B or anywhere in treatment, they can actually stay at the Hope Law with their caretaker for free. And that to me is just one of the most special gifts that you can give to somebody dealing with cancer, for them to have a comfortable place to sleep and to not have to worry about those added expenses. My cancer came back and said I found out in September of two thousand and twenty one. So just for the fourth quarter of last year, my expenses on top of what my insurance covered were unbelievable. And I don't know how someone does it if they don't have great insurance, if they don't have um the resources, it has got to be such an added stress, which is exactly what you don't need. Sleep is critical to your recovery. You have to be able to go somewhere and rest. So what the Hoope Lodge is providing is just incredible and so extraordinary for people that are going through treatment and that are in need and that have the caretaker that needs to be there with them. I mean a lot of can't. They can't travel on their own, and they can't do it on their own. I never thought it was coming back so this summer. It was actually right after Bobby's wedding. I came back from Nashville and I called my doctor because I was heading down to Florida last summer, and I just said, Hey, I know I've got this check up on Friday. Can we bump into earlier in the week. I'm doing great, I feel great, but I know I've got to come in and see you. And he was like sure. And I went in and we went through you know, my physical checks, checking my lip notes, all of that stuff. Um, and he's like, you look great. How do he feels? Like? I feel amazing. Everything is going so well. I'm off of all medications and I feel so good about it. And he's like, awesome, So no news is good news, right, That's how we do this. And I was like yes, meaning I hadn't gotten my cancer marker. All my blood work looked great and the only thing that that was still outstanding was my cancer marker, which is for me, it's THEE is the protein marker that that reacts and shows if my cancer is coming back. And and I was like, yeah, no news is good news. See in six months. And I left and I was on my way to the airport to get on the plane and he called me and he's met the phone right. I literally thought I had left my purse or my keys or something at the doctor's office because I saw Alabama Oncology pop up on my phone and answered the phone and it was my doctor. He said, have you gotten on the plane? And I said I haven't. And I said should I not? And he said, well, your cancer marker has gone up significantly. And I was in shock, and I said what do I need to do? I said, do I need to stay here? And he said, well, I probably can't get you in for scans until next week, so I don't want you to cancel the trip. And I had left my car and at our house in Florida, so I was like, you know what, I'm gonna go home I'm gonna go home to Larida. I'll get my car, and then I'll just come back whenever y'all tell me you have me on the schedule. And they were able to get me in at the beginning of the following week. So I drove home and I actually started with cat scans and a nuclear bone scan because at the time insurance he had to have approval for insurance to cover a pet scan. And so the cat scan came back because they did a cat scan from here down and then from here up, and it was in my lymp node right here, and it was almost as if where the cancer was missed the cat scan. So everything came back from and all the scans came back from there, like there's nothing there. I was like, there's something not right. And Garth INTERESTI had helped connect me with another oncologist who I was also communicating with via email, and and one thing he had said to me was make sure you're doing your own self checks, your own lymph node checks, and so I asked him to do that and and he was like, you know, round your neck and in your armpits. And so that night I started just kind of feeling around here and I found this lump in my neck, and so I called my oncologists office. The other doctor had also told me about this really unique test called Signataria, and it's a DNA test that actually sequences the DNA in your original tuper because all of the pathologists they keep the tumors in the hospital in a path lab for ten years after your tumor. So my original tumor that was removed was at the hospital in Birmingham. They sent my tumor to California. The DNA sequence that and then they can run They take blood from you and they run your blood through this test that ship tells them if any of the original DNA from the cancer is present in your blood. And so I was going in to have that test, which, by the way, that is not a test that most insurance companies cover. I still get emails that you know, about things not being covered, but it's a really important at test. And so when I went in for that, she said, I want you to see the doctor. He needs to check that lump that you found. And and this was by the way, like six weeks after they originally saw my numbers go up. I mean, it's you're just going through different tests and trying to figure out and when we found that, he said, we have to have a biopsy immediately, and so I went in for the biopsy, and the biopsy showed not only was the cancer back, but it had mutated into triple negative, which is more aggressive than what I originally had, which is crazy. The like hearing six weeks and it's like if something is super aggressive, so much can happen in six weeks, right, And you know, mercifully for me, where it was it was growing. So once we had the biopsy, then he was able to order the pet scan. I went in for the pet scan and then the pet scans showed where it was, so for me, it was in my neck or in my limp nose. It's all in my limp system, in my chest wall, but not not in my organs, which is like the gift from God that it's not in my organs. But we found out the full diagnosis on the Tuesday after Labor Day, and I started came out on Friday. I did not have time to think. I didn't have time to say, wait a second, do I really want to do this? It was like we gotta go, and we gotta go fast, and we started at that point what I thought was four rounds of Adrian Eyasin, which is what they called Red Devil. It turned into seven rounds of Adrian Mayason and by the end my body started to reach a toxicity level that was too much for me to take any more of that. But then my cancer marker had had gone up and then down, and then it started going back up again. Which I've discovered after really talking to my oncologist and getting a better understanding, is you go through a line of treatment and you can stay on that line of treatment until either the treatment stops working or your body reaches the toxicity level that you can't do that treatment anymore. And that's one line of treatment, and then when you have to stop and move to a new one, that's going into a second line of treatment. So um, we knew at that point I had maxed out on the adrian mycin and that's when they switched me to it's called the Lota, is the oral chemo that I'm knowing, which is a little easier than going in and having an infusion. It's a little less on the side effect front. I still get pretty tired and nauseous, and you know, all of those things. There's a handed foot syndrome that comes with this that it's like a chemical burn on your hands and feet when you start to reach toxicity on this drug. But my cancer marker dropped down and then the last two times it went back up again. So now we are going in for scans next week. I have blood work tomorrow to see where my cancer markut is, and then next week I'll have scans to see if we're gonna have to switch to a third line of treatment. We mentioned one of the drugs being called the Red Devil, which clear from the home Edit had posted that that's the cocktail she's taking in and when she gets done with it, she's going to be working on a rebrand, because I'm right there with her. Yeah, you and I were gonna have to come up with a new name for it, because Red Devil is awful. But it's actually red. It's as red as that wall behind you going into you, and it's so toxic that the person who is injecting it into you, they can't just put it in an ivy bag and let it go in. They actually have to sit there with you and put it in with gloves on, because you can't just take it through an i V. You have to take it through report. It can literally beat through tissues, and so it has to be administered in a very safe way with somebody with gloves on watching it go in and making sure that there's no pain or burning as it goes in, because if there is, then it could have broken through. I mean, it's crazy that strong and that makes you feel that bad, you know, is also what is killing those cancer cells. You know. You mentioned having to do the self exam on your lymph notes. First of all, I only hear of self exams in the breast area, so I've not ever thought about I don't know if that's something like if you've previously had cancer, is that something we can be doing and not obsessing over it by any means? But I don't know why I would have cancer my lymph notes. But also when it comes to self exams, were you doing regular breast self exams pre the first time you were diagnosed? I did it like a few times a year. I didn't do it all the time, and then when I found the first one, which was the cyst, I was a lot more diligent, So then I probably started doing them once a month after the cyst. Okay, so I'm gonna also back up the first time it was a cyst, but then when you went back, they thought it was a cyst again, right, Yeah, we all thought it was assist just because I had just had when it was in the same breast, it wasn't about the same location, so I just assumed it was that. I will say when I went in from my gott a collegey appointment and she felt it, she was like, well, it feels a little different, but she didn't say what she thought it was. She was like, we just need to get an ultrasound in a mammogram. So I feel like I can sense a person's demeanor change. I struggled with infertility. I had seven miscarriages and watched ultrasound technicians a lot, you know, when I was pregnant, and I could see the demeanor change when they lost a heartbeat, even though I couldn't see the heartbeat necessarily, when they were searching and they couldn't find it, I could feel their energy changed with that sadness. And I felt that same thing with the ultrasound technician when she's um and I'm sure she knew it was cancer. When she saw it. I have a mammogram scheduled for June. This is me being responsible. And again I'm thankful to have the resources and insurance and I can sign up for this sort of stuff, But I'm not diligent about self exams admitting that I feel like, you know, I've had Laura on Raise Bay, raised wife by who you know well, and of course a her you know, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and then a few other people in my life kind of here and there. I'm like, oh, yeah, I need to do self exams, like you have these reminders that there's also this weird I don't know how it feels weird, calling it arrogance, but in a way, I'm just like, I'm not gonna get breast cancer. I was the same way. And by the way, it's very normal to feel that way. First of all, I mean, you know, for me at the time, I was like, I'm forty five years old. I'm young. I did have a family history of cancer, but it just never crossed my mind. It was like, well, that's not going to happen to me. It's kind of like we always you know, I've got teenage stepchildren in my life, and with teenagers, you know they're invincible. Nothing is going to happen to them, and you're like, as the parent, you're constantly like, oh my gosh, but what if what if? They're like, we're good, We're fine. That's how I felt as it related to cancer. And so right before I was diagnosed, the insurance companies had decided that you if you did not have a family history, and you did not have Brocca, the Broca gene, or some kind of genetic history of cancer, then you did not have to get a mammogram every year. And I remember my doctor in Nashville telling me, Oh, you don't have to get a mammogram. You only have to do it every two years. And I was like, awesome, that is great. And the only reason that I went back a year later was because I had had the system because I had found something. Otherwise, we wouldn't have even scheduled a mamogram. We would have waited two years. Okay, we'll see. Yeah. I was sort of patting myself on the back for booking a mammogram now my yearly because now that I'm forty, I am going to be doing it every year, and so my hope in talking about this in you know, early June and not in October where you're seeing it everywhere, is that you know, we will remember that we're not invincible and it can happen to anybody and we're not special. And the best thing you can do is try to do the self exam so that early detection can be a game changer when you're in the shower, just taking that opportunity to do yourself exam and then book those mammograms and then when you finish that one, whenever it's time and they'll allow you to book the next one, go ahead and just get it on the calendar. Make sure you're going to your O. B, g U, I, N and Leslie I. Just like I said, I have admired you for a long time and just some thankful to have you on so that people can just hear someone sharing their story and you know, knowing that they're not alone. But then also as a reminder to you know, listen to your self, listen, pay attention to what's going around, like like even with you, I think having to do that self exam on your lymp notes and that's something you learned by researching it yourself, because I my mind is blown that the scans missed that one section of your body where the cancer was. Is that not crazy? It's crazy crazy. And if if that doctor had not told me to check and I had not checked, we would have waited. I was gonna go back in from my cancer marker, another cancer marker, and late September, so we would have waited another month. And by that time, because when you start the chemo your cancer markers, the cancer is still growing, it's still going up. It takes a minute for it to start to come down. And so it would have been even worse had I not had we not discovered it when we did. And again that was from me finding that limp noode and calling and saying, I've got to get in and see him to check this out. And the other really interesting thing about cancer is often, especially with breast cancer, you don't physically feel bad. The only thing that makes me feel bad right now is my treatment. The cancer doesn't make me feel bad. And so it's really easy to have cancer and not know that you haven't if you're not doing things like so. And this isn't to put fear in anybody, This is just uh, I mean, because there's the treatment is amazing and has come such a long way. But just look out for yourself, you know, take care of yourself, and that means women should be doing brush checks all the time. Early detection is critical for this disease and for breast cancer. And now, I mean, I'm stage four metastatic. I'm going to have this disease for the rest of my life. It is highly unlikely that I will go into remission. What we are doing is trying to manage the disease. And my goal now is not to get rid of the disease. It is to live as full of a life is humanly possible, and to live every single day like it's my last day, and be with the people I love, bring positivity into my life and into the world, and just have fun and be filled with joy. I mean, I've always loved Pimp and Joy and what you all started, but it is really about living that way when you realize, you know, I have a disease that if we can just keep it in my olymputs and we can keep it at bay and we can manage it, we're great. If it goes into my organs, then it's a whole new process and it's a lot harder, and so right now we're just trying to keep it out. MO warrants, Well, I feel like this is a perfect time for you to share four things that you're thankful for, since you mentioned joy and gratitude is a big part of that. So I am thankful for the people in my life more than anything, like that's my number one gratitude, and that is everybody, from the precious woman that works at the grocery store down the street to the ladies to take care of my drive cling. I mean, every person that passes your path with good, positive energy that we should all be grateful for, because the more of that that goes around, the more we spread, and then we can really really try to have a positive impact, especially when there's a lot of negctivity, which we've all been experiencing these last few weeks with just what's happening in the world and really these last few years with COVID. But just being a light and the people that are lights, that's my number one thing I'm grateful for too. I'm just incredibly grateful for work and being able to do something that gives me this great sense of normalcy, and so um I have all of my work with Garthen Tricia, but I've also really started to discover the things that the my creative outlets and I'm passionate about in homes and design and all of that, and so being able to do those things as well, you know, having the opportunity to explore that. I think it's really important for people to follow their passions, even if it's a sad hustle or whatever. Have your passion, and I'm super super grateful for mine. I'm really really grateful to be off Kema this week. Oh my god, it was like my biggest celebration. I'd like to acted my friends. I'm like, God, I get a week off the chemo. What do I want to do? Yeah, because Martha is coming to Birmingham this week, So I was like, I get off chemo when my bosses are in town. I'm so so happy. I mean, I'm so glad because that was one thing I worried about, Like before we started recording. I just was like, wait, how are you feeling today? Because obviously if it was a bad day for you, I would want us to get off zoom and record another time. But You're like, it's my week off of chemo. So we planned this perfectly. And yeah, that's just a huge testament to just how yeah, how amazing you feel when you're not on it and how corrapp you feel when you're on it. But that means it's doing its thing, like that's what it has to do to fight the cancer. Okay, And so what is the fourth thing? The fourth thing is my husband has been such a support system through this because he understands that while we live in Birmingham and we live in Florida, for me for recovery, that salt air and son it's so we're storative for me. And so after treatment, I would go straight down to Florida and I'd get up in the morning and walk on the beach and meditate, like put a walking meditation in and it just absolutely has been so healing. So the Gulf and that salt water and salt air and sun and sand has been just the most amazing thing to help me through this illness. Well, thank you for sharing those four things. I loved them all. And you know, I know you mentioned Pimp and joy. So I'll just before we wrap say that tomorrow at nine Central, so that'll be on Friday. We'll be launching our patriotic Pimp and Joy line, which is what we do. You are wearing it. I'm going to send you one. Yeah, this is like our flag sweatshirt. And this is what we do every year leading up to Fourth of July where we partner with building homes for Heroes and pick one of the veterans that they're building a home for or remodeling one for to be more equipped to their needs. And this particular guy that was in the Navy, he was in Iraq and there was an I D and he's in a wheelchair and non communicative, so his wife speaks for him because he has a brain injury. But they're just instead of building a house from the ground up, they're just completely gutting their house and redoing it to fit their current needs. So I mean, because the housing market is totally crazy and they like where they are and so different upgrades would be great in their home. And we're just thankful for building Homes for Heroes and the work that they're doing, and just as Pimp and Joy and the Bobby Bone Joe coming alongside them and with the Shot Forward and and helping contribute to this. So that's going to be tomorrow on Friday. Well, podcasts are weird because people listen to things at different times. That tomorrow is Friday the third, and we'll have the stuff up for you know a little bit. But if you want it in time for fourth of July, then you need to order a s a p and you want it to be a part of this campaign. But I have a little Pimp and Joy card and and I'm just gonna read you know what is on the card and the shot forward puts it in the packages so you'll have a little explanation of what it is in case you give it as a gift, But it says Pimp and Joy is a celebration dedicated to people who are choosing to find and spread joy in their daily lives, even when facing challenges. The movement started with Amy from The Bobby Bones Show and her mom Judy with the positive Pimp and Joy message that she modeled so beautifully as she battled cancer. Will you choose joy for yourself and then spread joy to others? We hope, So we also hope that wearing your Pimp and Joy Garrett will remind you and also encourage you to choose and spread joy. Thank you for your purchase and know that will make a difference for a great cause. And the great cause right now is helping this veteran and his family and getting him in a home that will be better equipped to his needs and their lifestyle. And it's a d A certified and all the things. And you know, even as I read this leslie about my mom, you know the positive, pimp and joy message and how she modeled it so beautifully as she battled cancer, I see that in you. And and so you're someone that is facing this challenge, but you've modeled it beautifully and you're you went inward and we're like, okay, what am I going to do with this and how I'm going to use it for good? And you're not just sitting back and letting it control your life. You're doing what you need to do to take the reins. And you know it doesn't mean every day is easy. I know it's not, but you're getting involved, you're making a difference. I don't know if you ever thought you'd be that involved with the American Cancer Society. And yeah, and just the change in your local community in Birmingham and you know the Hope Lodge and thank you for being you and being awesome and sharing your story because honestly, I feel like you're sharing it and speaking up and getting vulnerable allows us to realize, like, Okay, this really is happening. It can happen to me, Like it's reminding me when I need to maybe even get one of those things and order it for my shower to hang up. That just reminds me and shows me, walks me through exactly how to do a breast exam and just have it right there in my shower. Yeah, You're amazing. I love you. I'm so grateful to be on this with you today and to be sharing any kind of positive message. But I really, really again appreciate all that you do for people in need. I mean, I love what y'all are doing for these heroes and building homes and obviously you're super involved with cancer and making an impact on people who have it and and bringing joy into their labs. So thank you, thank you, thank you. Just one quick story about my mom too, and how you can spread joy if you happen to be like at the hospital, is you know, Leslie, and I mentioned that some people are there alone and they don't have a great support system. Or people can't get off work or even with COVID, the they have to be alone because there's certain rules. I had to go by myself to every pet scan. I've gone by myself. Now I'm so used to going by myself that they've opened it up. And I told my husband, I'm like, Okay, I got this. If you want to come to the Dodger's appointment after the pet scan, you can. But all the other things I'm doing by myself, well, you just never know what someone is going through. So I don't know if you're at an elevator at a hospital or you're anywhere else, but you know, if someone's at a hospital or doctor's appointment, you know they might be going through a hard time. And that's one thing my mom always did was she always talk to people in the elevator, and she just made it a point to say hi to them, or compliment their scarf or there maybe their wig or their outfit, or found a way or their smile, to just talk to them in the elevator and give them like a little moment of of joy, a little sparkle of joy. I have to say, the kindness of a stranger is one of the greatest kindness is that you can feel an experience. Yeah, so just keep that in mind. And then Bobby Bones dot com for this patriotic pimp and Joy line if you want to check it out and see what they look like. It's all high quality, super cute, adorable stuff with a of the proceeds going to the cause. We don't ever keep any of the money. Um. You can also hit up the shot forward dot com slash Pimp and Joy is another way to get there, and I'll have it on my social rules at radio. Amy and Leslie, thank you again for for coming on. I just appreciate it so much and I hope I get to see you soon and hug your neck like if you make it through Nationale Nashville in like three weeks, so we'll such place before, all right, Thank you Hi very day

Hey, friends, it's me Megan Divine, host of Hereafter with Megan Divine. Season two is coming up soon. It'll be here before you know it. But in the meantime, while you're waiting, I wanted to introduce you to a couple of shows I think you're going to like. You might even get some new favorite podcasts out of it. So give these episodes a listen and stay tuned for the announcement of the launch of season two coming soon. See you soon, friends, Road, Little Food for Yourself, Life, ain't Oh, it's pretty Bay, It's pretty beautiful, beautiful, laugh a little more kicking with four Happy Thursday. Welcome to Four Things, Amy, And I'm sitting across my friend Leslie Simon, and I'm so excited to have her on today. We're gonna talk about a lot of different things, but mostly Leslie's cancer journey and outlook on life. And I feel as though breast cancer is something that gets a lot of awareness in October because that's Breast Cancer Awareness Month. But Leslie has been kind enough to come on and share her story because I think it's an important thing that especially women, but even men can have breast cancer, need to be talking about and doing self exams, advocating for themselves. Leslie and I were talking before we were started recording our friend Clia, who is one of the founders of the Home Edit, a design company based out of here in Nashville. Will not design organizing company. They do design things. Now they have their own product line at container store in Walmart and all the things. But now they have their own Netflix show, Like it's really taken off. But did you just meet clear recently and you'll realize you'll both had the same type of cancer. So Leslie was like, oh, we have a mutual friend, Clia, And you know, Clia had to advocate for herself and she's someone who now is able to use her story and her platform to get the word out and so I'm thankful to have Leslie on to to share her story. But Leslie, I pulled up your Instagram and I love the quote that you have in your Instagram bio, which is a Maya Angelo quote. This is a wonderful day. I have never seen this one before, and so why don't we start with why that's something you have front and center on your page. And I mean, I know this about you, but that's because of your your outlook on life, but share a little bit of that, and then your your backstory and when you were first diagnosed and what that looked like for you. So in two thousand and seventeen, I found a lump in my left breast, and I've found one a year before, and it was ASSIST. So when I went in to have my mammogram, you know, I said, there's something here, and they said, yeah, there is and they didn't see anything on the mammogram, said I did an ultrasound, she showed, said it was it says she was very confident was assist. She wanted the radio. I'll just to look at it. Long story short, it was ASSIST. But when I left, of course I googled, which I tell people now don't google, but I googled what assists looked like versus what a cancer chamber looked like. And so when I saw that, I was like, definitely this is a system. I'm not worried. They asked, rated it no big deal. Probably in April of that of two thousand and seventeen, I found one in my left breast and my husband and I were on our way to Israel. We had this big trip planned and and I just didn't want to mess with the trip. And I was like, you know what, I've got my mamogram schedule when I get back. I'm sure it's another syst. I'll just handle it when I get back. So we went to Israel. We had this life changing experience together in Israel, and then came back. I went in for my appointment. Nothing came up on the mammogram, so I had the ultrasound and level behold as I'm watching this ultrasound screen, I was like, that's not assist and I knew. And so when I finished, you know, she said who do you want me to send your results too? And I said, um, well, you also send them, you know, to my Gona colleges. But we also sent them to my dear friend who is a surgeon in that hospital, and they did. I went into his office and it took about a week. I had a biopsy done. Like a week later. They called and said, we want Robert to come with you for the appointment. And they're like, no worries. You know, we did this with everybody after a bobsy But you know, when I walked in, it was good for us. It was a dear friend but I mean he looked at us and was like, y'all, it's cancer. And really at that point it was like Charlie Brown's teacher was talking. I really don't remember anything else that came up. I know I asked questions, but I couldn't tell you what happened after those words came out of his mouth, because I think it's just so incredibly jarring and shocking. I was forty five years old. I mean, it was absolutely shocking to me to hear those words. So we did the genetic testing to see if I had any kind of genetic history, and I was negative for every single one, and so it seemed like a pretty cut and dry case. I opted to do a double mestectomy and reconstruction, and then they did what's called an onche type test, and in that test, they discovered that I actually really needed to do chemo. And truthfully, Amy, I mean, we thought the chemo was an insentrance policy. It was like, that's just to make sure it never comes back. And so I've changed my quote. That's always been one of my favorite quotes to my antelo quote, and I changed that the morning that I went in for the surgery for my double mistectomy. Because I really had a lot of fear going into the surgery. I compartmentalized very well, so I kept working. I kept working, and then about two days before surgery and I was having just panicking. I've never been under. I was under for nine hours and they're literally like removing all of the tissue from your breaths. I mean, that's shocking what actually happens in that surgery. So I changed my I changed my Instagram that day and put that quote in because I just said, that's how I have to live my life. I mean, there really are no more guarantees, not that there ever were before, but there's a real perspective shift when you have to look at life in a different way. And I really wanted it to be a positive perspective shift because I really felt like all the love and positive energy and you know, this isn't my life for a reason, and I just want to make sure that I'm using it for all of the right reasons. For I wanted to get as much positive out of it as I could, and also to understand that this is just part of my path, you know. I mean, how do I make the world a better place because of the experience that I'm having, and so that's kind of where that quote came from. And that was the start we really thought. I mean, I finished my treatment and to Scember of that year, I saw you a lot during that time because I was, you know, I was still going out on the road, I was still doing all the things. I had to take time off obviously for the surgery, but I mean even through chemo, I wanted as much normalcy as possible, and work is where I got a lot of that. Well. And since you mentioned were share with people a little bit about what you do. When we first met years ago, you were working for Sony, right, and so you've shifted jobs since then. But to me, you've always been someone that I've looked up to career wise, of like, I love seeing women in the industry just killing it, and you're one of those people. I remember early on we went out to dinner one night and got tan, but you were still with Sony and now you work with Garth Brooks. Yes, so I was with Sunny Um. I was ahead of promotion for Arista Gosh. I was there for thirteen years and then left there in two thousandsand and sixteen and went to that was when Garth was staffing his imprint UM So he had had his imprint forever and then he had done different sensing deals with different labels, and he decided in two thousand and sixteen to staff his own imprint and came on board as the general manager for both Pro Records and Gwendoline Records. Wyndolin is titious label and really overseeing the promotion and marketing of the recorded music for them. But you know, incredibly lucky to be a part of this extraordinary team, especially with all of these new issues that I had. I mean I was when I found out about the cancer. I hadn't even been with them for a year. I just even have this overwhelming feeling come over my body because I remember what that was like for my mom when she was diagnosed. I never personally had cancer myself, but walking alongside it with my mom, I can I only have that experience, And like, I don't know, I just felt this feeling inside of me of these little goose bumps because I remember my mom being so grateful for her employment because she worked for a family friend. She worked for her best friend's husband who also happened to be following me here my sister's husband's dad, so like it's very and then my father in law was vice president at that company, so it's very tangled. But also the support that you feel, and I guess I got that feeling because I know not everybody has that, and so it's this weird place of gratitude but yet like, oh, you know, just feeling for people that you know are not in a similar situation. You know, I'm sure you would have been taken care of wherever you were, Leslie, because everybody loves you. But if you think about it, how amazing it was that you got into that position in two thousand and sixteen and then you you know, you were in and you got your feet on the ground there and they knew your value and they wanted to come alongside and support you, and you had that new family to help you along with the whole process. Truthfully, I can't imagine being on the beginning of the journey and really where I am now in this journey without them because the support of Garthen, Tricha and everyone on the team. I mean when I say lifted up every day. When I woke up after nine hours in surgery, my hospital room was looked like a flower store. And then I came home and my home looks like a flower store. And it was just just this overwhelming amount of support. I mean, Garth, every single time I spoke to him, he would say, before anything, I would like want to dive into work, and he say, hold on, how are you feeling today? Every single conversation started with him stopping me to say how you feeling? How you doing? And it was just so sincere and just there's so many things along the way that I can't even imagine having gone through the journey to where I am now without that kind of support. And I'm with you. I mean, I walk into that cancer center every time I have treatment and there are people that are that do not have that same kind of support system, and it is one of the things in my life that I'm so incredibly grateful for. Or it's a shift in perspective. I mean, I think I had gratitude before all of this, but the level and the degree to which that changes and how you want to change how you live your life after going through this is really significant for me. And it's just so much of that has to do with the love and the support of my work team, my family, my friends, I mean people that I went to high school with or to junior high school with. I mean people that have crossed my life in all different ways over the last fifty years. Just coming to say I love you, We're here for you. Whether it's a text message or a social media message, or cards or gifts. I mean, it's just it really does blow your mind to see how people come and love and support and pray and they're with you on the journey. Well, and you're back and forth between Birmingham and Nashville because you can work either place in Florida, yes, but you're primarily in Birmingham with your husband, and I know that there's something going on there. And we were talking about this before we hit record, and I was like, Oh, I'm gonna shout you out because you're being honored at a gala in Birmingham this year, the Hope Gala, which there's a lot that they're doing in the community when it comes to cancer care, but specifically there's something called the Hope Lodge, and just share why that's important that something like that exists. And I'm sure every community in every city has their thing that could be helpful for people, and people can just know to google different resources or know how to support local resources that are really making an impact for people that don't have necessarily the support that you and I have. Absolutely well, first and foremost, um, the American Cancer Society is where you do your research if you have cancer. I always say, don't don't go to Google and just type in, because God knows what scary information you're going to get. But the real information that really how I educated myself on my disease was through the information I got from the American Cancer Society, and it allowed me in the very beginning to get a really good understanding of what I was dealing with and to help me formulate the right questions for my doctors, not only about my cancer, but about my treatment and the Hope Lodge. It really works in conjunction with the American Cancer Society. Growing him is a really incredible robust health care community, and we have fabulous hospitals. We have Research Hospital at U. A. B. I'm actually at St. Vincent's, which is a different hospital, but when people come here, I mean there are a lot of smaller towns around Birmingham, Alabama, and also just in the southeast that don't have the same type of medical services that we have here, and so when anyone with cancer comes to Birmingham, if they need a place to stay, it's not inexpensive to stay in a hotel and to have, you know, all of the expenses of living and then and then having your caretaker with you when you're going through treatment. So if someone is here at Saint Vincent's or at U a B or anywhere in treatment, they can actually stay at the Hope Law with their caretaker for free. And that to me is just one of the most special gifts that you can give to somebody dealing with cancer, for them to have a comfortable place to sleep and to not have to worry about those added expenses. My cancer came back and said I found out in September of two thousand and twenty one. So just for the fourth quarter of last year, my expenses on top of what my insurance covered were unbelievable. And I don't know how someone does it if they don't have great insurance, if they don't have um the resources, it has got to be such an added stress, which is exactly what you don't need. Sleep is critical to your recovery. You have to be able to go somewhere and rest. So what the Hoope Lodge is providing is just incredible and so extraordinary for people that are going through treatment and that are in need and that have the caretaker that needs to be there with them. I mean a lot of can't. They can't travel on their own, and they can't do it on their own. I never thought it was coming back so this summer. It was actually right after Bobby's wedding. I came back from Nashville and I called my doctor because I was heading down to Florida last summer, and I just said, Hey, I know I've got this check up on Friday. Can we bump into earlier in the week. I'm doing great, I feel great, but I know I've got to come in and see you. And he was like sure. And I went in and we went through you know, my physical checks, checking my lip notes, all of that stuff. Um, and he's like, you look great. How do he feels? Like? I feel amazing. Everything is going so well. I'm off of all medications and I feel so good about it. And he's like, awesome, So no news is good news, right, That's how we do this. And I was like yes, meaning I hadn't gotten my cancer marker. All my blood work looked great and the only thing that that was still outstanding was my cancer marker, which is for me, it's THEE is the protein marker that that reacts and shows if my cancer is coming back. And and I was like, yeah, no news is good news. See in six months. And I left and I was on my way to the airport to get on the plane and he called me and he's met the phone right. I literally thought I had left my purse or my keys or something at the doctor's office because I saw Alabama Oncology pop up on my phone and answered the phone and it was my doctor. He said, have you gotten on the plane? And I said I haven't. And I said should I not? And he said, well, your cancer marker has gone up significantly. And I was in shock, and I said what do I need to do? I said, do I need to stay here? And he said, well, I probably can't get you in for scans until next week, so I don't want you to cancel the trip. And I had left my car and at our house in Florida, so I was like, you know what, I'm gonna go home I'm gonna go home to Larida. I'll get my car, and then I'll just come back whenever y'all tell me you have me on the schedule. And they were able to get me in at the beginning of the following week. So I drove home and I actually started with cat scans and a nuclear bone scan because at the time insurance he had to have approval for insurance to cover a pet scan. And so the cat scan came back because they did a cat scan from here down and then from here up, and it was in my lymp node right here, and it was almost as if where the cancer was missed the cat scan. So everything came back from and all the scans came back from there, like there's nothing there. I was like, there's something not right. And Garth INTERESTI had helped connect me with another oncologist who I was also communicating with via email, and and one thing he had said to me was make sure you're doing your own self checks, your own lymph node checks, and so I asked him to do that and and he was like, you know, round your neck and in your armpits. And so that night I started just kind of feeling around here and I found this lump in my neck, and so I called my oncologists office. The other doctor had also told me about this really unique test called Signataria, and it's a DNA test that actually sequences the DNA in your original tuper because all of the pathologists they keep the tumors in the hospital in a path lab for ten years after your tumor. So my original tumor that was removed was at the hospital in Birmingham. They sent my tumor to California. The DNA sequence that and then they can run They take blood from you and they run your blood through this test that ship tells them if any of the original DNA from the cancer is present in your blood. And so I was going in to have that test, which, by the way, that is not a test that most insurance companies cover. I still get emails that you know, about things not being covered, but it's a really important at test. And so when I went in for that, she said, I want you to see the doctor. He needs to check that lump that you found. And and this was by the way, like six weeks after they originally saw my numbers go up. I mean, it's you're just going through different tests and trying to figure out and when we found that, he said, we have to have a biopsy immediately, and so I went in for the biopsy, and the biopsy showed not only was the cancer back, but it had mutated into triple negative, which is more aggressive than what I originally had, which is crazy. The like hearing six weeks and it's like if something is super aggressive, so much can happen in six weeks, right, And you know, mercifully for me, where it was it was growing. So once we had the biopsy, then he was able to order the pet scan. I went in for the pet scan and then the pet scans showed where it was, so for me, it was in my neck or in my limp nose. It's all in my limp system, in my chest wall, but not not in my organs, which is like the gift from God that it's not in my organs. But we found out the full diagnosis on the Tuesday after Labor Day, and I started came out on Friday. I did not have time to think. I didn't have time to say, wait a second, do I really want to do this? It was like we gotta go, and we gotta go fast, and we started at that point what I thought was four rounds of Adrian Eyasin, which is what they called Red Devil. It turned into seven rounds of Adrian Mayason and by the end my body started to reach a toxicity level that was too much for me to take any more of that. But then my cancer marker had had gone up and then down, and then it started going back up again. Which I've discovered after really talking to my oncologist and getting a better understanding, is you go through a line of treatment and you can stay on that line of treatment until either the treatment stops working or your body reaches the toxicity level that you can't do that treatment anymore. And that's one line of treatment, and then when you have to stop and move to a new one, that's going into a second line of treatment. So um, we knew at that point I had maxed out on the adrian mycin and that's when they switched me to it's called the Lota, is the oral chemo that I'm knowing, which is a little easier than going in and having an infusion. It's a little less on the side effect front. I still get pretty tired and nauseous, and you know, all of those things. There's a handed foot syndrome that comes with this that it's like a chemical burn on your hands and feet when you start to reach toxicity on this drug. But my cancer marker dropped down and then the last two times it went back up again. So now we are going in for scans next week. I have blood work tomorrow to see where my cancer markut is, and then next week I'll have scans to see if we're gonna have to switch to a third line of treatment. We mentioned one of the drugs being called the Red Devil, which clear from the home Edit had posted that that's the cocktail she's taking in and when she gets done with it, she's going to be working on a rebrand, because I'm right there with her. Yeah, you and I were gonna have to come up with a new name for it, because Red Devil is awful. But it's actually red. It's as red as that wall behind you going into you, and it's so toxic that the person who is injecting it into you, they can't just put it in an ivy bag and let it go in. They actually have to sit there with you and put it in with gloves on, because you can't just take it through an i V. You have to take it through report. It can literally beat through tissues, and so it has to be administered in a very safe way with somebody with gloves on watching it go in and making sure that there's no pain or burning as it goes in, because if there is, then it could have broken through. I mean, it's crazy that strong and that makes you feel that bad, you know, is also what is killing those cancer cells. You know. You mentioned having to do the self exam on your lymph notes. First of all, I only hear of self exams in the breast area, so I've not ever thought about I don't know if that's something like if you've previously had cancer, is that something we can be doing and not obsessing over it by any means? But I don't know why I would have cancer my lymph notes. But also when it comes to self exams, were you doing regular breast self exams pre the first time you were diagnosed? I did it like a few times a year. I didn't do it all the time, and then when I found the first one, which was the cyst, I was a lot more diligent, So then I probably started doing them once a month after the cyst. Okay, so I'm gonna also back up the first time it was a cyst, but then when you went back, they thought it was a cyst again, right, Yeah, we all thought it was assist just because I had just had when it was in the same breast, it wasn't about the same location, so I just assumed it was that. I will say when I went in from my gott a collegey appointment and she felt it, she was like, well, it feels a little different, but she didn't say what she thought it was. She was like, we just need to get an ultrasound in a mammogram. So I feel like I can sense a person's demeanor change. I struggled with infertility. I had seven miscarriages and watched ultrasound technicians a lot, you know, when I was pregnant, and I could see the demeanor change when they lost a heartbeat, even though I couldn't see the heartbeat necessarily, when they were searching and they couldn't find it, I could feel their energy changed with that sadness. And I felt that same thing with the ultrasound technician when she's um and I'm sure she knew it was cancer. When she saw it. I have a mammogram scheduled for June. This is me being responsible. And again I'm thankful to have the resources and insurance and I can sign up for this sort of stuff, But I'm not diligent about self exams admitting that I feel like, you know, I've had Laura on Raise Bay, raised wife by who you know well, and of course a her you know, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and then a few other people in my life kind of here and there. I'm like, oh, yeah, I need to do self exams, like you have these reminders that there's also this weird I don't know how it feels weird, calling it arrogance, but in a way, I'm just like, I'm not gonna get breast cancer. I was the same way. And by the way, it's very normal to feel that way. First of all, I mean, you know, for me at the time, I was like, I'm forty five years old. I'm young. I did have a family history of cancer, but it just never crossed my mind. It was like, well, that's not going to happen to me. It's kind of like we always you know, I've got teenage stepchildren in my life, and with teenagers, you know they're invincible. Nothing is going to happen to them, and you're like, as the parent, you're constantly like, oh my gosh, but what if what if? They're like, we're good, We're fine. That's how I felt as it related to cancer. And so right before I was diagnosed, the insurance companies had decided that you if you did not have a family history, and you did not have Brocca, the Broca gene, or some kind of genetic history of cancer, then you did not have to get a mammogram every year. And I remember my doctor in Nashville telling me, Oh, you don't have to get a mammogram. You only have to do it every two years. And I was like, awesome, that is great. And the only reason that I went back a year later was because I had had the system because I had found something. Otherwise, we wouldn't have even scheduled a mamogram. We would have waited two years. Okay, we'll see. Yeah. I was sort of patting myself on the back for booking a mammogram now my yearly because now that I'm forty, I am going to be doing it every year, and so my hope in talking about this in you know, early June and not in October where you're seeing it everywhere, is that you know, we will remember that we're not invincible and it can happen to anybody and we're not special. And the best thing you can do is try to do the self exam so that early detection can be a game changer when you're in the shower, just taking that opportunity to do yourself exam and then book those mammograms and then when you finish that one, whenever it's time and they'll allow you to book the next one, go ahead and just get it on the calendar. Make sure you're going to your O. B, g U, I, N and Leslie I. Just like I said, I have admired you for a long time and just some thankful to have you on so that people can just hear someone sharing their story and you know, knowing that they're not alone. But then also as a reminder to you know, listen to your self, listen, pay attention to what's going around, like like even with you, I think having to do that self exam on your lymp notes and that's something you learned by researching it yourself, because I my mind is blown that the scans missed that one section of your body where the cancer was. Is that not crazy? It's crazy crazy. And if if that doctor had not told me to check and I had not checked, we would have waited. I was gonna go back in from my cancer marker, another cancer marker, and late September, so we would have waited another month. And by that time, because when you start the chemo your cancer markers, the cancer is still growing, it's still going up. It takes a minute for it to start to come down. And so it would have been even worse had I not had we not discovered it when we did. And again that was from me finding that limp noode and calling and saying, I've got to get in and see him to check this out. And the other really interesting thing about cancer is often, especially with breast cancer, you don't physically feel bad. The only thing that makes me feel bad right now is my treatment. The cancer doesn't make me feel bad. And so it's really easy to have cancer and not know that you haven't if you're not doing things like so. And this isn't to put fear in anybody, This is just uh, I mean, because there's the treatment is amazing and has come such a long way. But just look out for yourself, you know, take care of yourself, and that means women should be doing brush checks all the time. Early detection is critical for this disease and for breast cancer. And now, I mean, I'm stage four metastatic. I'm going to have this disease for the rest of my life. It is highly unlikely that I will go into remission. What we are doing is trying to manage the disease. And my goal now is not to get rid of the disease. It is to live as full of a life is humanly possible, and to live every single day like it's my last day, and be with the people I love, bring positivity into my life and into the world, and just have fun and be filled with joy. I mean, I've always loved Pimp and Joy and what you all started, but it is really about living that way when you realize, you know, I have a disease that if we can just keep it in my olymputs and we can keep it at bay and we can manage it, we're great. If it goes into my organs, then it's a whole new process and it's a lot harder, and so right now we're just trying to keep it out. MO warrants, Well, I feel like this is a perfect time for you to share four things that you're thankful for, since you mentioned joy and gratitude is a big part of that. So I am thankful for the people in my life more than anything, like that's my number one gratitude, and that is everybody, from the precious woman that works at the grocery store down the street to the ladies to take care of my drive cling. I mean, every person that passes your path with good, positive energy that we should all be grateful for, because the more of that that goes around, the more we spread, and then we can really really try to have a positive impact, especially when there's a lot of negctivity, which we've all been experiencing these last few weeks with just what's happening in the world and really these last few years with COVID. But just being a light and the people that are lights, that's my number one thing I'm grateful for too. I'm just incredibly grateful for work and being able to do something that gives me this great sense of normalcy, and so um I have all of my work with Garthen Tricia, but I've also really started to discover the things that the my creative outlets and I'm passionate about in homes and design and all of that, and so being able to do those things as well, you know, having the opportunity to explore that. I think it's really important for people to follow their passions, even if it's a sad hustle or whatever. Have your passion, and I'm super super grateful for mine. I'm really really grateful to be off Kema this week. Oh my god, it was like my biggest celebration. I'd like to acted my friends. I'm like, God, I get a week off the chemo. What do I want to do? Yeah, because Martha is coming to Birmingham this week, So I was like, I get off chemo when my bosses are in town. I'm so so happy. I mean, I'm so glad because that was one thing I worried about, Like before we started recording. I just was like, wait, how are you feeling today? Because obviously if it was a bad day for you, I would want us to get off zoom and record another time. But You're like, it's my week off of chemo. So we planned this perfectly. And yeah, that's just a huge testament to just how yeah, how amazing you feel when you're not on it and how corrapp you feel when you're on it. But that means it's doing its thing, like that's what it has to do to fight the cancer. Okay, And so what is the fourth thing? The fourth thing is my husband has been such a support system through this because he understands that while we live in Birmingham and we live in Florida, for me for recovery, that salt air and son it's so we're storative for me. And so after treatment, I would go straight down to Florida and I'd get up in the morning and walk on the beach and meditate, like put a walking meditation in and it just absolutely has been so healing. So the Gulf and that salt water and salt air and sun and sand has been just the most amazing thing to help me through this illness. Well, thank you for sharing those four things. I loved them all. And you know, I know you mentioned Pimp and joy. So I'll just before we wrap say that tomorrow at nine Central, so that'll be on Friday. We'll be launching our patriotic Pimp and Joy line, which is what we do. You are wearing it. I'm going to send you one. Yeah, this is like our flag sweatshirt. And this is what we do every year leading up to Fourth of July where we partner with building homes for Heroes and pick one of the veterans that they're building a home for or remodeling one for to be more equipped to their needs. And this particular guy that was in the Navy, he was in Iraq and there was an I D and he's in a wheelchair and non communicative, so his wife speaks for him because he has a brain injury. But they're just instead of building a house from the ground up, they're just completely gutting their house and redoing it to fit their current needs. So I mean, because the housing market is totally crazy and they like where they are and so different upgrades would be great in their home. And we're just thankful for building Homes for Heroes and the work that they're doing, and just as Pimp and Joy and the Bobby Bone Joe coming alongside them and with the Shot Forward and and helping contribute to this. So that's going to be tomorrow on Friday. Well, podcasts are weird because people listen to things at different times. That tomorrow is Friday the third, and we'll have the stuff up for you know a little bit. But if you want it in time for fourth of July, then you need to order a s a p and you want it to be a part of this campaign. But I have a little Pimp and Joy card and and I'm just gonna read you know what is on the card and the shot forward puts it in the packages so you'll have a little explanation of what it is in case you give it as a gift, But it says Pimp and Joy is a celebration dedicated to people who are choosing to find and spread joy in their daily lives, even when facing challenges. The movement started with Amy from The Bobby Bones Show and her mom Judy with the positive Pimp and Joy message that she modeled so beautifully as she battled cancer. Will you choose joy for yourself and then spread joy to others? We hope, So we also hope that wearing your Pimp and Joy Garrett will remind you and also encourage you to choose and spread joy. Thank you for your purchase and know that will make a difference for a great cause. And the great cause right now is helping this veteran and his family and getting him in a home that will be better equipped to his needs and their lifestyle. And it's a d A certified and all the things. And you know, even as I read this leslie about my mom, you know the positive, pimp and joy message and how she modeled it so beautifully as she battled cancer, I see that in you. And and so you're someone that is facing this challenge, but you've modeled it beautifully and you're you went inward and we're like, okay, what am I going to do with this and how I'm going to use it for good? And you're not just sitting back and letting it control your life. You're doing what you need to do to take the reins. And you know it doesn't mean every day is easy. I know it's not, but you're getting involved, you're making a difference. I don't know if you ever thought you'd be that involved with the American Cancer Society. And yeah, and just the change in your local community in Birmingham and you know the Hope Lodge and thank you for being you and being awesome and sharing your story because honestly, I feel like you're sharing it and speaking up and getting vulnerable allows us to realize, like, Okay, this really is happening. It can happen to me, Like it's reminding me when I need to maybe even get one of those things and order it for my shower to hang up. That just reminds me and shows me, walks me through exactly how to do a breast exam and just have it right there in my shower. Yeah, You're amazing. I love you. I'm so grateful to be on this with you today and to be sharing any kind of positive message. But I really, really again appreciate all that you do for people in need. I mean, I love what y'all are doing for these heroes and building homes and obviously you're super involved with cancer and making an impact on people who have it and and bringing joy into their labs. So thank you, thank you, thank you. Just one quick story about my mom too, and how you can spread joy if you happen to be like at the hospital, is you know, Leslie, and I mentioned that some people are there alone and they don't have a great support system. Or people can't get off work or even with COVID, the they have to be alone because there's certain rules. I had to go by myself to every pet scan. I've gone by myself. Now I'm so used to going by myself that they've opened it up. And I told my husband, I'm like, Okay, I got this. If you want to come to the Dodger's appointment after the pet scan, you can. But all the other things I'm doing by myself, well, you just never know what someone is going through. So I don't know if you're at an elevator at a hospital or you're anywhere else, but you know, if someone's at a hospital or doctor's appointment, you know they might be going through a hard time. And that's one thing my mom always did was she always talk to people in the elevator, and she just made it a point to say hi to them, or compliment their scarf or there maybe their wig or their outfit, or found a way or their smile, to just talk to them in the elevator and give them like a little moment of of joy, a little sparkle of joy. I have to say, the kindness of a stranger is one of the greatest kindness is that you can feel an experience. Yeah, so just keep that in mind. And then Bobby Bones dot com for this patriotic pimp and Joy line if you want to check it out and see what they look like. It's all high quality, super cute, adorable stuff with a of the proceeds going to the cause. We don't ever keep any of the money. Um. You can also hit up the shot forward dot com slash Pimp and Joy is another way to get there, and I'll have it on my social rules at radio. Amy and Leslie, thank you again for for coming on. I just appreciate it so much and I hope I get to see you soon and hug your neck like if you make it through Nationale Nashville in like three weeks, so we'll such place before, all right, Thank you Hi very day