[00:00:00] Adam Walker: From Susan G. Komen, this is Real Pink, a podcast exploring real stories, struggles, and triumphs related to breast cancer. We’re taking the conversation from the doctor’s office to your living room
[00:00:17] What happens when your life changes in an instant? And then just when you think you’re beginning to rebuild, you’re faced with another life-altering diagnosis. Shannon Michelle knows that experience firsthand. After a devastating motorcycle accident left her in a coma with a traumatic brain injury, Shannon also had to relearn how to walk, read, speak, and navigate a life she no longer remembered.
[00:00:40] Then during her recovery, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Today, Shannon is going to join us to talk about her breast cancer experience, the emotional realities of healing, and how an unimaginable series of events changed the way she sees her life. Shannon, welcome to the show.
[00:00:56] Shannon Michelle: Hi. Thank you. So always so interesting to hear somebody tell my story.
[00:01:03] Adam Walker: I tried to keep it brief but I want to hear more. That’s perfect. I want to let… Yeah give us the the details of your story. I mean, we, you know, we hit the high points here, but I’d like to- Yeah … understand sort of what happened, how it happened and really also how you processed that as well.
[00:01:18] So let’s walk through it together.
[00:01:20] Shannon Michelle: Absolutely. Absolutely. I paused for a second because I sometimes have to honestly rethink to remember most of my life. And so I had that moment right now, so bear with me. Sure, yeah. Traumatic brain injury fun.
[00:01:37] Adam Walker: Take your time.
[00:01:38] Shannon Michelle: Yeah. So I was, it was a Sunday it was my Sunday Sun- I called it my Sunday School.
[00:01:45] I used to ride with a really lovely group. And we’d ride, we’re here in California, we’d ride the coast, Pacific Coast Highway, often, not always, but that happened to be a Pacific Coast Highway day. And I was out and about, and I needed to get back home. And so I said goodbye to everybody that I ride with, and I left on my own to get home.
[00:02:08] And that’s when my accident happened. There was tourists going down PCH looking at the ocean from what I’ve been told, did an illegal U-turn. They threw me up in the air, and again, from what I’ve been told, around 30 or 40 feet, like completely up in the middle, crashed back down. And and there’s where a lot of my miracles start.
[00:02:33] It happened to be, there happened to be an EMT on the beach with his wife. He ran up. He did his stuff and said, “If you don’t get her in a helicopter, she’s going to die.” So he did his thing. There was people blocking everybody from rolling over me because if you know Pacific Coast Highway, it’s a highway on the coast and, you know, it’s traffic most days, and people aren’t really paying attention.
[00:02:59] They’re paying attention to what they’re seeing, not actually the cars around them or a motorcycle. And so from what I’ve been told you know, they drop shippeD me into UCLA because that was the closest center they could drop ship me into. And I was in the hospital approximately three months. I was in a coma for two of the months because my traumatic brain injury was so severe that they were…
[00:03:23] They didn’t even know, honestly. They didn’t know if I was going to live, then they didn’t know what was going to happen when I, when and if I woke up. And and then I did wake up. And then when I woke up, my brain, the best way to put it would be my brain was deleted.
[00:03:41] And I had to relearn everything.
[00:03:47] I had to relearn- moment by moment where I was. They had to tell me over and over again what had happened because I couldn’t retain anything. So I would wake up at the hospital, in the nursing hospital, and I’d be like, “Where am I?” And I would get scared because I didn’t know where I was because I couldn’t retain what they told me.
[00:04:06] And so it took a long time to even learn how to, or not learn how to, but be able to let my brain reboot itself. And I was in the midst of that, and a lot of body and the brain recovery. And that’s when I had my, you know, you’re supposed to do it at your age, and I had to go in for a mammogram.
[00:04:30] And I put it off for a little while because I had so many other surgeries I still needed to do. And I thought after everything that’s happened, yeah, go ahead, do this. Tell me. And then they told me I had breast cancer, and I was… At first I laughed, and then I was overwhelmed.
[00:04:53] Like no more can happen to me than what just had happened to me, what I just described, is what I thought.
[00:04:58] Yeah. I thought I, you know, if I was supposed to die, that would’ve been it. That’s what my, that was my frame of mind at that point. And and then it took somebody like my daughter, who at the point was, I think she was 20.
[00:05:14] And she’s like, “Mom, you can’t keep focusing on the other surgeries and the other recoveries.
[00:05:23] You have to actually focus on the cancer.”
[00:05:27] My daughter is telling me that I need to focus on the cancer- Yeah … because I couldn’t retain or resonate that had to be a priority until I realized that had to be the priority.
[00:05:41] Yeah.
[00:05:42] Adam Walker: Wow. So all r- I mean, o- obviously it takes a great deal of resilience to, to overcome, I mean, such a, a massive traumatic accident, and it takes a whole nother level of resilience to, to, I mean, to overcome breast cancer, right?
[00:05:59] So I mean, so talk to me- Yeah … a l- a little bit about that resilience and what that experience has been like for you.
[00:06:07] Shannon Michelle: I learned during a lot of this process, for a lot of reasons, but I think it’s important for anybody going through anything that feels overwhelming or traumatic or a change in life, is that- I had to tell myself To stay present.
[00:06:30] And not focus on the past, especially the accident. Not focus on the future, what will this bring me, but stay super present. And stay present in each moment. Like right now, we’re having this lovely conversation, and I have to remember that the most important thing is that I share my story because I hope that it helps others.
[00:06:54] And then I have to retain why we’re here and what we’re talking about. But that happens because I stay present with you. And that I’m not trying to sort out what we’re talking about, what I say, where I’m going to end up. Again, the cancer related, you have to find a way to stay present with that disease at that moment if that is where you’re at.
[00:07:20] Is your next steps in life, what might that be? And I think that anything can be overwhelming.
[00:07:33] Everything can be misunderstood. But if you stay present, then nothing gets messy.
[00:07:43] Adam Walker: Love that. Now, y- I mean, you’ve mentioned the importance of staying present. I wonder do you have any, any practical tips about how you go about doing that?
[00:07:57] Shannon Michelle: Yes. Many. So again, for me, I had to make a hit list and put it up a bull- on a bulletin board to remember things. And I personally came up with this process PATCH, like eye patch, patchwork.
[00:08:17] Adam Walker: Okay.
[00:08:18] Shannon Michelle: And PATCH. So P, pause and stay present. A, action. Learn what, what action you need to take next. Like, what is your next road?
[00:08:31] A is action. T is thoughtfulness, and that goes to being kind to myself and being kind to others by being thoughtful to myself first and foremost. C is care, and that goes to when you’re being thoughtful, you have to think about your self-care first.
[00:08:55] Adam Walker: Yep.
[00:08:55] Shannon Michelle: And you have to resonate with if the better I build myself, reboot myself, whatever words you want to put around it, but the better care I do for myself, the more I have to give.
[00:09:09] So self-care is the most important as well in recovery. And H is all of that put together gives you a place to heal, and that is possible for all of us no matter what. How we heal and what we’re going through, all of us find a place to stay present and find the kindness to heal ourselves to be able to give to more people.
[00:09:39] And that, I mean, that is the… Thank you for asking me that, because I have not sat and thought about that for a little while, and I needed to hear it again. I really needed to hear it again. because I, just like anybody we learn to things, do things differently, and we, you know, feel like we’ve got some kind of- power i- in how we live.
[00:10:03] But really, if we don’t continually practice what we’re talking about, it can get messy.
[00:10:10] And you can let it get messy if you don’t stay present, if you don’t do your self-care, and if you know, find your way i- down a different road, it, that’s, that can take you someplace else.
[00:10:24] Adam Walker: Yeah. Yeah, that’s beautiful.
[00:10:26] I re- I really love that framework and I really appreciate you sharing. I mean, I feel like staying present is a shockingly difficult thing to do. It is. And an increasingly difficult thing to do in the world in which we live. And so I think- Really … any advice on that is so critically important.
[00:10:42] So I pr- I really appreciate that. Yeah …
[00:10:45] so you mentioned this, you mentioned earlier I want to circle back to it. Okay … you said that, you know, you were diagnosed with breast cancer and you were struggl- you weren’t really focused on it, right? because you had all these other things, and your daughter sort of had to s- had to step in and refocus you.
[00:11:03] Talk to me a little bit about that relationship dynamic and how you were able to sort of accept that direction from your daughter. because I know that’s, as a parent, that’s not always an easy thing to do. But it’s a critically important thing to do. So yeah, talk to me about that.
[00:11:16] Shannon Michelle: It is.
[00:11:17] Yeah. And I, you know, I think I, again, I was if you want to call it blessed and cursed at the same time with this brain trauma. So my daughter and I had to go through a way of processing through, at certain points, like I was the child and she was the parent- Yeah … because my brain had been so deleted. I was learning how to walk, how to talk.
[00:11:42] Adam Walker: Right.
[00:11:43] Shannon Michelle: How to cook again. I mean, some classics, like things I loved, I had to relearn. So we were going step by step in this earlier process of her being mom for a little while and me being a child. So when it- came to the breast cancer, we were still in transition on that. Like I had pseudo grown up a bit more.
[00:12:03] Yeah. But I was still evolving. I was still building this brain and rebuilding this body, and, you know, she was still, she was in a place thankfully where she was a little more- In tune with next steps for my- recovery, whatever it looked like.
[00:12:23] Adam Walker: Yeah.
[00:12:23] Shannon Michelle: And I had to listen to her, and I did. And I, I took pretty much everything else off my plate-
[00:12:34] Cause I had a hit list of all the things I wanted to be able to achieve or get back, let’s say. Right. And I had to focus on the cancer. And-
[00:12:43] Adam Walker: I know …
[00:12:45] Shannon Michelle: focusing on the cancer means, to me there’s two avenues to that. One is accepting that life has changed, and also what part of that change are you going to be a part of, and how can you ease your way through whatever you’re going through within the cancer?
[00:13:09] And none of that’s easy. No. You know? I- Yeah … I went to and had… I mean, do you want details? Like I, with my cancer-
[00:13:17] Adam Walker: Yeah …
[00:13:19] Shannon Michelle: You know, I went in thinking I’ve got this.
[00:13:25] Adam Walker: Right.
[00:13:26] Shannon Michelle: And then I went in for surgery, and they were asking me, “You, do you want the surgery or do you want the the radiation or the chemo?”
[00:13:34] Not the chemo. I think it was at first stage it was radiation.
[00:13:39] Adam Walker: Okay.
[00:13:39] Shannon Michelle: Surgery or radiation. And I’m like, “Oh, surgery.” I’ve got way too many other surgeries. I don’t want to, I don’t want to put off my other repairs. So I said, “Okay, surgery.” They opened me up, and they looked in. It was, I was supposedly a one point, and all of a sudden they opened up and they’re like, “Oh, close her back up.”
[00:13:58] They took out as much as they could, but other things got in the way. Which again as a female, this happens too.
[00:14:05] Adam Walker: Right.
[00:14:06] Shannon Michelle: I had previously in my life had small implants to make my boobs look the way they used to.
[00:14:14] Adam Walker: Okay.
[00:14:14] Shannon Michelle: And when they went in to take the cancer out, the, it was closer to a three, and it was also attached to one of my implants.
[00:14:22] And so they had to close me back up and ask, you know, ask is it, oh, we’ve gotta actually do this and this. So close me back up, ask me the questions. I say yes. They go back in. They take it all out. They take out the implants. They take out the cancer as much as, you know, they do that.
[00:14:40] Adam Walker: Right.
[00:14:41] Shannon Michelle: And they closed me back up, and I actually asked, had them take both implants out because I’m like, ” I really, I could care less about how this looks at the end of the day.
[00:14:52] Let’s just get anything out that’s not me.” Yeah. Like, I want it just- Yeah … to be as natural in my rest of my recovery as possible, and that’s, that was again my frame of mind. And the pre and post my accident, those are two different people with two different views on how- beautiful boobs look.
[00:15:13] You know? And I had to… I didn’t have to. I just was like, “I’m happy to be alive. I am happy to have options.” Yeah. “And I’m going to take my options that I can.” and so I did. So they went back in. They took it all out. I am now two years post all of that. I’ve had positive tests on the back end, so, you know, conquering, at least today conquering the breast cancer.
[00:15:44] But it was a lesson for me in my life- that just because you go through a lot doesn’t mean that you don’t have more to learn and grow from.
[00:15:55] And I did. I had to learn that I had not been… I- you never get to a point where you’re not breakable, no matter what. Yeah. And for you to believe in yourself and understand that’s all you have to do every day.
[00:16:07] Just believe you’re the best you that you can be today. That’s it. I’m the best me today I can be. What happens tomorrow and what happened yesterday I toss that out and I don’t- Yeah … look at that. Yeah. But that is what has given me strength- through all of the recoveries. I
[00:16:27] Adam Walker: love that. Yeah. I mean, you can’t…
[00:16:28] You’re right, you can’t re-litigate the past, you know? It is what it is- and you gotta keep moving on. There’s something you said that I want to circle back to. You said accepting that life has changed, and you talked about how, you know with your accident and then with your breast cancer you had to accept, I mean, essentially accept your new reality I think is kind of what you were- Yes
[00:16:48] alluding to. And so-
[00:16:49] Shannon Michelle: Yes …
[00:16:50] Adam Walker: I I think that’s probably not easy for a lot of us. No. And I think a lot of us sort of, we try to pretend that it hasn’t changed, and I think that probably causes- Yeah … more anxiety and more problems- I agree … than other- I agree. So, so talk to me about… I mean you had to accept a larger life shift than, than- Than most.
[00:17:07] most of us have experienced. Talk about that. How did you accept that? What was that process like for you?
[00:17:16] Shannon Michelle: I think the thing that resonates with me now is that I just woke up each day trying to figure out Who I was in, again, that present moment.
[00:17:33] And when I think back about how, again, my life used to be and what I f- what I lost, what I felt like I lost and what I did lose, is that I found a way to just not keep trying to rebuild the old me- and focus on the present me, and like the present me. And whatever shakes out with that, that’s who I am. And that, again, is the way that you can see yourself differently. Poof. I mean, it’s empowering. It’s a way to-
[00:18:13] To me, let go of the past, the anger, the disappointment. You can let go of things when you stay present, and you find a way to again wiggle your way around whatever it is that is happening to you today.
[00:18:33] Adam Walker: Yeah.
[00:18:33] Shannon Michelle: And just that over and over again, it’s on repeat for me. And I hope others can learn to be on repeat with just staying present with the gorgeous person they are today.
[00:18:44] because we all are so stunningly beautiful and empowering and kind and light and giving. All we have to do is stay present with that. That’s it. The rest, not worth any extra time or energy. It’s not. Even though we take a lot of, we take a lot of time and energy around some of it. How can you… I’ll give you an example.
[00:19:08] So tell me right now, and you don’t have to tell me what the issue is or what the question is, but tell me something that you’re in search of an answer for today. And you don’t have to give me the words, or you can give me the words, but just think about it for a minute.
[00:19:28] Adam Walker: Something I’m in search- So it’s through-
[00:19:29] of an answer for today. I think probably focus is what I’m in search of an answer for. I need more intense focus, I think, in my life.
[00:19:42] Shannon Michelle: Okay. And when you tell me that what speaks through me to tell you is that the focus is there. Don’t get confused by where you spend your time and energy.
[00:20:00] The focus is always there. You are a very, I’m going to start with intense, focused, and kind. Those are the words that came to me about you. And there’s something else that’s a part of me as well which seems a little, for some, a little wackadoodle. But I, with where and how I was able to come back, I was in between state, and I feel like if I stay centered and just listen, as everybody should, something’s spoken through me or to me, and for myself and for others.
[00:20:41] So even for you right now, can you give me one word after what you just expressed to me? What’s one word that represents what you need to do with what we just spoke about?
[00:20:58] Adam Walker: One word That represents focus. One word that represents that, What, one word that represents what was spoken to you when you said, “I need to focus.”
[00:21:12] Maybe acceptance?
[00:21:14] Shannon Michelle: There you go.
[00:21:15] So again, it’s just trying to simplify everything.
[00:21:22] Like you, you know, we go through life trying to sort out, fix, and do, and be the best whatever- Yeah … in whatever format we’re in, but-
[00:21:31] Adam Walker: Right …
[00:21:31] Shannon Michelle: if we can stop ourselves, stay present, and ask what do I need to learn-
[00:21:37] In this present moment, to me, that was your message in this present moment.
[00:21:43] Adam Walker: I mean,
[00:21:43] Shannon Michelle: I- And sometimes it’s just listening …
[00:21:45] Adam Walker: well, and I like what you just said, right? You said asking ourselves what do I need to learn in this present moment, and I feel like we probably don’t ask that question enough. But it sounds like you probably do, and so that’s- I- … That’s a good lesson, I think.
[00:22:00] Right?
[00:22:00] Shannon Michelle: Well, I, you know, for me, I had to.
[00:22:04] I had to focus on what was the most important thing in the present moment for me to get through-
[00:22:12] Layers and layers of survival, and I have to remember to continue to do that. When I sit in question or I am uneasy about something, I think to myself, “Okay, Shannon, you’re not staying present.
[00:22:28] You’re not just-” Yeah … You’re not listening.
[00:22:30] Adam Walker: Yeah.
[00:22:31] Shannon Michelle: You’re trying to express and be, and you’re not… It’s like the give and take about receiving and, giving and receiving. Is that right? Giving, receiving. Giving, receiving. Yeah. See, I look for words still, so there you have it. Yeah. My brain is like, it’s a beautiful brain, but sometimes it still works on word recovery, let’s say.
[00:22:52] Yeah. I- I’ll say words- Yeah … and they get a little messy, or they don’t match what I’m thinking in my brain, and I have to slow down, and I’m like, “Is that was that the word that matched what I was expressing?” And that’s what I just did with you right now.
[00:23:04] Adam Walker: Yeah. Well, that’s good. Please continue.
[00:23:06] Yeah, let’s do that. So so I think I have a question for you ab- about- perspective. And so I wonder, like, what I find myself wondering as we’re talking is everybody listening, everybody in the world has, we all have, you know, these series of problems, some of which are more serious in nature than others.
[00:23:29] You’ve obviously had on, on the more serious side, the, the, is what we’re talking about. And so what kind of perspective did that give you, like, like, on what’s important? I feel like, because I feel like we get very lost on like, you know, focusing on things that are less important. It’s easy to do that.
[00:23:47] So like, well, y- like, talk about that for a minute, if you don’t mind.
[00:23:50] Shannon Michelle: So what came to me, and what does often is the level of how we try to control things in our life- that’s right … that we’re coming from a perspective of control.
[00:24:04] Adam Walker: That’s right, yep.
[00:24:05] Shannon Michelle: And that is I, again, especially in my recovery, and I think everybody in life, we’re trying to make things come out a certain way if we do the right thing-
[00:24:18] Say the right thing, purchase the right thing. Whatever it might be, we are doing it out of thinking that we can control our lives.
[00:24:26] And that isn’t worth anything. Like, yes, we ha- we’re taught make the right decision. A, A and B equals. You know, we were taught certain things. But if you can try to think about anything that- you stress about is generally something you’re trying to control.
[00:24:51] And when you’re c- trying to control something, that is holding on so tight to something you have no power over. And so it’s like a release and, like, letting go of whatever it is you’re trying to control will, again, give you the answers, will give you the direction just by listening instead of trying to control.
[00:25:13] And that, that’s not easy either. No. Like-
[00:25:17] Adam Walker: No, it’s not …
[00:25:18] Shannon Michelle: it but it works.
[00:25:20] It really does if you actually listen to yourself, listen to your heart- listen to your guidance. Whatever, whatever words you want to put around it, because we all have different words in what we believe and what we think- Yeah
[00:25:36] and the words that go around it. But-
[00:25:38] Adam Walker: Yeah …
[00:25:38] Shannon Michelle: try to just stop controlling everything and be. Just be.
[00:25:45] Adam Walker: Yeah, I love that. I mean you just went full stoicism philosophy on me there, which is I’ve, I- I’m a big fan of stoicism. And I mean, stoicism would basically say, you know, you can control your thoughts and you can control your actions, and that is literally it.
[00:26:01] You have no- That’s it … control over anything else in- you don’t have control over- Yes … your health, you don’t have control over your kids, you don’t have control over anything else in your life but just your thoughts and your actions. And so-
[00:26:10] Shannon Michelle: 100%. 100%. And there’s freedom in that, right?
[00:26:13] Adam Walker: There’s so much freedom in recognizing- Oh … that-
[00:26:15] Shannon Michelle: There’s so much guidance …
[00:26:17] Adam Walker: yeah. The, the, you, all you can do is think the good thoughts and do the good actions- and let the cards fall where th- where they may and, Yep … and keep moving forward. So.
[00:26:27] Shannon Michelle: Well, and I, and that’s the one thing that I c- I always I shouldn’t say I always forget about, but I’m an author now and I got this award for my book.
[00:26:34] But post all of that and how, again, I was able to thrive and survive through all of it, especially with my brain recovery, traumatic brain injury, was these bullet points of things that I would say. That, that there are, I, there’s like, I made affirmation… They had affirmation cards made for me because there’s so much that I said that was so empowering.
[00:26:59] I’m like a, I’m like a, a, a, spirit that didn’t know it, and I literally, they just are about to put out these affirmation cards, which I think you would appreciate. So maybe I’ll send you a, a thing. It’s like flip book. And then it’s one of those things, I do it with my daughter, I ask her, “Okay, it’s your turn.
[00:27:18] Either pick a card or flip,” depending on which one, it, you know, is where, but we have a flip thing on the island. And she picks a card, and that’s what needs to be spoken to her in the moment. And then just try to focus on what was spoken to you today in this moment. It keeps you present, and there’s something that you need to hear, and the cards are a way to kind of hear a simple word or a sentence that will empower you.
[00:27:44] And yeah. I wish I put them … I have the cards here, but I don’t… I have the flip book. I should put that at the desk so I can flip a card for you.
[00:27:53] Adam Walker: Yeah. I love it. I love it. Well, you me- you mentioned your book. I did want to ask you about that. Yes … Step Into Your Miracle: Transforming- Yep … Trauma Into Triumph.
[00:28:02] Yep … lo- love the title, love the subtitle. Just kind of give me the quick overview about it just in case anybody- Okay … wanted to hear about it.
[00:28:09] Shannon Michelle: So the biggest thing, well, not the biggest thing, is one of the biggest things is my daughter drew the cover for me. Oh, wow. So I’m so proud of her.
[00:28:16] Adam Walker: Love that.
[00:28:16] Shannon Michelle: Yeah. Right? That’s her. That’s her. Yeah. And she doesn’t, she considers her- herself, she likes to do art, but she’s not an artist. And so Step Into Your Miracle, this came about because I- got through so much in a way that people really didn’t think I would.
[00:28:35] And so I would speak into my phone to try to remember what was working, try to remember what to do again.
[00:28:42] Because, again, my short-term memory sucked, and it still does suck, so let’s not, you know, this for that, like we’re sitting here talking, I seem pretty average and normal, more than normal, but I don’t always retain everything.
[00:28:55] Adam Walker: Yeah.
[00:28:55] Shannon Michelle: And so I have to speak into my phone, or now I write and I write down the things I don’t want to forget.
[00:29:02] And so this was me s- talking into my phone, because at the point when this started, both my wrists were broken. I couldn’t even write.
[00:29:10] I barely could read. But I would just want to retain and share with myself to not forget what was working. And so the book was around how I helped myself, and I’m hoping that others are able to kind of see something about helping themselves within their journey, what, again, whatever it be.
[00:29:30] A traumatic brain injury, body broken, breast cancer. I mean-
[00:29:35] Adam Walker: Yeah …
[00:29:36] Shannon Michelle: it helps everybody in different ways if you can stay present and listen- and let your heart guide you, not your head always. Yeah.
[00:29:47] Adam Walker: Yeah.
[00:29:47] Shannon Michelle: Yeah. And so that’s what the book is about and is, to me, hope- hopefully to help others. And it’s, it got an award a few months ago.
[00:29:57] It got a IBPA award, so it’s doing well. And yeah. Ask me anything else about that.
[00:30:06] Adam Walker: Well that’s exciting. That’s exciting. And I think your daughter is most certainly an artist by, by comparison- Yes … to most everyone else. So, Yes. … That’s wonderful. Well you know, Shannon, really, I mean you know, really just last question because I’m, I gotta, I gotta- I’d love to keep talking to you, but I’ve gotta wrap us up here.
[00:30:22] Yeah. You know, there, there are a lot of listeners, and they’re dealing with their own trauma in various capacities and various forms and mo- many or most are dealing with breast cancer trauma in some form or fashion. What do you want them to know? What’s one thing you want them to know?
[00:30:42] Shannon Michelle: I think if women could- stay open to the path that they’re being shown within their breast cancer, that it is Guiding you somehow. And you may not want to be on that road, but if you can just stay present and believe in yourself, and understand that you’re doing today the best you can do. Keep doing that through your recovery, through your, you know, whatever layer of it you’re going through right now.
[00:31:30] There’s positives and negatives to all of it, but just stay present and kind to yourself, please Because you’ve got this. You do. No matter what, just keep reminding yourself you’ve, you personally, whatever you’re going to gain from this, and it might feel like a loss as well, there’s something you’re going to gain from that as well.
[00:31:55] And yeah.
[00:31:58] Adam Walker: That’s beautiful. I wrote it down. I said, you said, “You’re doing today the best you that you can do.” And I think I think too often we forget that. Yeah. And we get caught up in our own failures, rather than realizing that, you know, at this moment, this is the best version of me that I can be.
[00:32:16] And hopefully in the next moment it continues to be a good version. But I like that. You’re doing today the best you that you can do. I love that. Yes. I love that. Shannon, thank you so much for sharing your journey, and, Yeah … just for being real and open and raw and honest and, and-
[00:32:31] and thank you for joining us
[00:32:32] on Real Pink.
[00:32:32] Shannon Michelle: That I am. Yeah. Thank you. It’s been lovely speaking with you.
[00:32:40] Adam Walker: Thanks for listening to Real Pink, a weekly podcast by Susan G. Komen. For more episodes, visit realpink.komen.org. And for more on breast cancer, visit komen.org. Make sure to check out @SusanGKomen on social media.
[00:32:52] I’m your host, Adam. You can find me on Twitter @AJWalker, or on my blog, adamjwalker.com.