Hey, There!
I’m Heather
I’m a Doctor, Wife, Mom, Caregiver, Coach, Podcaster, Educator… and now Blogger! Why add blogger to the already overly extended list of titles these days? You!!
I’ve been in your shoes! Or at least a similar pair likely- since you found your way to my blog.
A little over a year ago, my husband was suffering from severe migraines for a few months. He very reluctantly had an MRI after his symptoms worsened. 3 brain tumors!
In that moment…. there really are no words. Everything came crashing down.
My “advice” starts here. Breathe! Take the moment.
(If you’re wondering why the quotes around advice, it’s because this blog is not intended to guide you, or tell you what to try. I want to share my story and how I would do things if I had it all to do again. See my disclaimer for more on this, but anytime I sound as if I’m advising, it is strictly my experience and I’m speaking as if I was suggesting things to my past self).
What did I do? I panicked!!! Being in the Northeast, within the first five minutes, I called Dana-Farber, Brigham and Women’s, my brother…. Just breathe!
Cancer didn’t happen overnight and it is highly unlikely that taking a day to organize your thoughts and digest what’s happening will make any difference at all. Other than helping you to be better prepared and calm.
Unfortunately, shortly after I started this blog, my husband lost his year and a half long battle with Primary Central Nervous System Melanoma. This was a very aggressive and rare cancer that they kept telling us was going to put him in research articles for years to come.
I decided to create a grief and loss addition to this blog, to help people who also end up on the losing end of their battle. I truly believe, however, that as p#$$ed off as I am, there is a reason things have transpired the way they have.
Meaning always reveals itself in hindsight. I am a woman of strong faith and I know that EVEN THIS has it’s purpose and I just have to trust The Man Upstairs.
I was put here for a purpose and maybe helping you on this journey is what that purpose is.
Heather Leonard, DPT
SO FULL TRANSPARENCY!!
I am not a cancer doctor. I earned a Bachelors in Biology and minored in Chemistry for my first four years of college. I went on to get my Masters in Physical Therapy and then began my career in an Outpatient Orthopedic Private Practice that specialized in Integrative Manual Therapy (IMT). My patients varied from pediatric to geriatric, athletes to developmental delays, neurological disorders, vestibular dysfunction and I had a specialty in men’s and women’s health. Our clinic often saw the patients who everyone else had deemed hopeless. While working, I decided to pursue my Doctorate and earned my degree before my husband and I decided to grow our family. This blog is all about sharing the accumulation of my life experiences. I hope that what I’ve been through can help pave the way for others and help you to avoid my mistakes and embrace what has served me well.
My Mission
“Make this fight just a little easier for someone else. Provide insight into a world (cancer) that I wish no man, woman, or child, ever found themselves a part of- and if things don’t go as hoped, provide support through the next steps.”
It’s a Battle, be Armed.
Ready Set
Fight With Me
