Sandy Bobal-Zuniga Interview

Sleepwalking through depression until woken by the nightmare of cancer.

Only someone who has battled depression can understand the sheer darkness of it. Every day when you find the strength to open your eyes, you’re at the bottom of the same pit of despair. You have to squint to be able to see even a sliver of light.

I’ve struggled with chronic depression for most of my life. At one point in college, I reached such a low that I tried to take my own life.

After spending three weeks in the hospital, there was still a cloud of depression looming over me. I wasn’t capable of making good decisions. My judgment was not only poor, but it was dangerous at times. I actually married an abusive man from whom I had to go into hiding to escape.

Fast forward fifteen years, a caring husband, and a breast cancer diagnosis later.

Little did I know that my new enemy would become my strongest ally in my lifelong battle against depression; the irony is surreal when I really think about it.

Grateful is a strong word, but I will say that I’m not sorry I was diagnosed with cancer. I feel that cancer was my own personal saving grace. It served a purpose in my life—if nothing else, as a bridge to manage my depression.

Faced with my own mortality at the age of 41, I was terrified of leaving this world without leaving a mark.

Where was that suicidal college student? Now, she was willing to do anything to preserve her life when at one time she tried to throw it away.

I wasn’t prepared to settle for my life being for nothing. Suffering in silence was not an option any longer. This challenge was bigger than me, and I had to come out of hiding and share my voice with the world.

During my treatments and my surgery, I launched an online community called My Personal Breast Cancer Journey. The tagline, We’re In This Together, does a good job of summing it all up. MyPersonalBreastCancerJourney.com is a club nobody wants to be a member of, but it does provide a tremendous amount of support for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients and survivors alike, across the world.

Helping these women, who are in the same spot I found myself in last year, gives me something to occupy my mind, helps me to remain positive on my darkest days, and these survivor stories fill me with inspiration.

Cancer helped me manage my depression and identify my purpose in life, which I believe is to help other women work through their fight with breast cancer to not only survive, but to thrive and to find their own raison d'être. To let them know they aren’t in this alone and I’m always ready to provide a big hug for each of them even if it’s virtual.

Whatever obstacle you face, be it cancer, a deteriorating relationship or another type of tragedy; find a way to use it as a springboard instead of looking at it as a sentence. Use it to make your life better instead of worse. And seek support from others going through the same thing.

If you are recently diagnosed with breast cancer or a survior, grab your free guide here:

Finding Your Inner Strength Following Your Breast Cancer Diagnosis

If you know someone who has been recently diagnosed and you want to help, receive a free copy of:

How To Help: Essential Tips, Resources & Personal Stories for Breast Cancer Supporters

MyPersonalBreastCancerJourney.com is an online resource and community for women affected by breast cancer. It was founded by strong, beautiful survivor, Sandy Bobal-Zuniga. We’re in this together.

Bio: In her early 20s, Sandy Bobal-Zuniga was willing to take her own life to escape the hell of chronic depression she was living in. Fifteen years later, she was prepared to do anything in her power to win her battle against Stage 2 breast cancer.

Faced with her own mortality, Sandy was afraid to die without leaving a positive mark on the world. Before opting to undergo a single mastectomy, Sandy vowed that if she survived cancer and its havoc-wreaking treatments, she would create an organization that would educate, empower, advocate for and support women affected by breast cancer.

As founder and Chief Hug Officer of My Personal Breast Cancer Journey, Sandy is helping women around the world survive and then thrive. 

Sandy is dedicating her life to creating a legacy of compassion for women who are diagnosed until there is a world free of breast cancer. MyPersonalBreastCancerJourney.com

Jenni Wilson - Trust Your Intuition

Jack Eaton Interview

Five Never Before Published TIPS TO AVOID A SHARK ATTACK

No one is on TV talking about shark safety as often as activist Veronica Grey, also known as the Surf Lady, inventor of the world's first ever non-electronic shark repelling wetsuit (by Boz.) Last August during the annual shark week by Discovery Channel, she did four television appearances in under two weeks! This August during shark week The Surf Lady Veronica Grey has a scheduled interview with CNN! Her charity http://www.SwimWithoutSharks.com features numerous TV clips where she shares FREE lifesaving information on how to avoid a shark attack. Here she presents exclusively to Talk Story TV 5 brand new never before published tips! (Not for those who get grossed out easily.) 1. ONLY PEE AS YOU SWIM not as you stand in the same spot or sit on your surfboard idly waiting for a wave. Sharks are attracted to the smell of blood BUT NOT URINE; however, some of the components that make up blood also make up urine, so if you ARE going to pee, do it while you are in motion so that the water will quickly dissolve it as opposed to if you just sit on your surfboard and pee, now you have an entire cloud of urine just beneath you and sharks can smell parts per billion. 2. WEAR A BUTTLOAD OF SUNSCREEN ALL OVER YOUR BODY Until we heard this secret, we would only protect our face and hands with sunscreen because we enjoy a super-tan rest of our body. However, we learned to DRENCH OUR ENTIRE BODY with sunscreen and here is why. The main reason for shark bites is sharks test to see if we are food or not. Since they have such a keen sense of smell, if they detect that weird (un-appetizing) chemical suntan lotion scent all over emanating from your vicinity, chances are they won't bother to take a test bite because they know FOR SURE you are not food and sunscreen is not their version of hot sauce. 3. DO NOT SWIM WITH YOUR PETS Yeah we love our dog Flash Delirium so much that he even has his own Myspace. But when we discovered that what attracts sharks EVEN MORE than smell is SPLASHING AND THRASHING, we highly recommend keeping Fido out of the water. Splashing and thrashing reminds sharks of WOUNDED PREY because normal sea creatures swim elegantly and QUIETLY. If sharks hear a lot of commotion like that, they will come to investigate. Most surfers paddle with precise strokes that don't sound like an animal having problems, so parents with little children who frolic near the shore really need to pay attention to their noise level and splashing in sharky waters because some sharks like the bull shark can attack in as few as 18 inches of water. Some sharks have even beached themselves chasing after prey! 4. DO NOT SWIM ON YOUR PERIOD This sounds obvious but I used to, because I love surfing so much that I wasn't gonna go 5 days in a row without it each month. The peanut gallery is divided on this issue, especially with the invention of fabulous products like the Diva Cup or Instead that I wear, "Instead" of tampons, because tampon companies secretly infuse dioxin (A LETHAL POISON) throughout tampons