It all started with a sore throat. I am a mom, a sales rep, and a singer and for months I struggled with a sore throat. After a couple rounds of antibiotics, I sat in my car massaging my neck and found a lump. Less than a week later, I had gone to a doctor, done an ultrasound and biopsy, and was told I had thyroid cancer. Treatment was straight forward, remove the thyroid and drink I-131 radiation. After much research I discovered that thyroid cancer is one of the few cancers on the rise but also has a 97% survival rate. By the end of the same month I was headed for surgery and confident about the results.
My journey took a turn there. Coming out of the surgery, I found out that my cancer was aggressive and that the nerve supplying my right vocal chord had been cut leaving my vocal chord permanently paralyzed. My surgeon told me I would never sing again and speaking and breathing would be strained, I couldn’t speak for months. It was an amazing trek after that. Over the next couple of years I had two more surgeries and endured aggressive external beam radiation which partially paralyzed my remaining left vocal chord.
Today, I am one year cancer free, talking, and miraculously beginning to sing again. I have learned many things:
- Live passionately because life can change in an instant
- Use your voice! Tell people you love them; stand up for what you believe in! Your voice and breathing is a MIRACLE!
- Listen to your body and treat it well
- Sometimes, God has a plan that is different from yours, just trust Him and go with it
Right now, I am wearing red lipstick, Bobbi Brown Burnt Red. It’s a rich, creamy red which for me symbolizes my journey and how I want to live from now on, passionate, loving, and full of life!
Anna's Lipstick Journey 
