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HEALTHLINE

10/10/2018

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I am SO excited to be featured in HEALTHLINE, this October, Please read and share my article. XO 


www.healthline.com/health/breast-cancer/deciding-against-reconstruction?utm_source=blog&utm_campaign=influencer&utm_medium=social

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5 YEARS CANCER FREE

12/20/2017

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 I recently celebrated 5 YEARS CANCER FREE, I have been looking forward to this since the day my oncologist told me I had cancer.  I can vividly remember walking into the hospital knees shaking, I have never been so terrified in all my life.  I laid on the table and silently cried, not because of the pain but because of the fear.  I knew in the pit of my stomach that I had cancer.

That gut wrenching fear never goes away, it does get better.  I still feel that fear every time I walk into a doctors office, get a blood draw or feel any ache or pain.  The anxiety and fear and be absolutely debilitating at times.  It lurks like an ugly monster waiting to attack.

5 years CANCER FREE is a huge milestone for a breast cancer survivor.  Yes, I definitely celebrated but this year was bittersweet.  As I thought of how far I have come, I kept thinking about my "pink sisters".  I thought about how I had, had my last date with chemo but that some of my friends would never get to experience being "deported" (the surgery to remove your chemo port), because some of them would be on chemo for the remainder of their lives.  Cancer is a nasty selfish bit*h it doesn't care how much your friends and family love you.  Cancer can take away so so much for a person but it can't take away the love that we have for each other. 

So I CELEBRATE my beautiful friends that are currently battling this beast.  You women are my hero's 

a hero
   is an ordinary individual
   who finds the strength
    to persevere and endure
    in spire of
     overwhelming obstacles.

-Christopher Reeve 

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Boob Gone Rogue

10/10/2017

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PSA::::::  THIS BLOG WILL BE COMPLETELY HONEST, some of you may be offended.. BUT, these are my feelings and accounts of what has transpired in my life.

As many of you know I had a bilateral mastectomy on December 27, 2012.  SO many people have said to me, "You are so brave", "WOW so courageous", etc.. Funny things is I wasn't any of these.  Honestly, I was simply TERRIFIED and would have done literally anything to give myself better odds at being here for my husband and young boys,.  ANNNND, to be VERY honest, there was no love for my former "ladies".  My boobs had served their purpose.  They had fed two babies, for a much longer then anticipated time frame.  So for the women reading this blog, that breast fed I'm sure you can attest to the fact the "ladies" are no longer the happy perky boobs that they had been in a former life.  My pre-breast cancer boobs were a HOT MESS.  Here is a visual if I stood up and bent down my boobs looked like nasty tube socks, I swear, they could have hit the floor.   AND do NOT get me started on my nipples..........those puppies were like Vienna sausages. 

My tumor was fairly small, around a pea sized.  Doctors always ask, how on earth did you find this.  It was so easy to find, if I laid on my back flat, each boob would fall to the opposite side, so, yes, finding this tumor was no issue at all.

*****Thank you for reading my blog, there will be many more blogs relating to this issue

















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OCTOBER, TO GO PINK OR NOT

10/5/2017

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 -- So here we are in October, also known as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  Honestly, this is a weird confusing time for me.  

FIRST:  I'm a pink lover, I just love pink --  always have and always will, Regardless of breast cancer, pink will always be my thing.  So YES, you will see me in pink in October and for that matter all year long.  There, is a large part of me that agrees that breast cancer truly does need and require awareness, because we are still seeing A LOT of women being diagnosed late stage.  However, that's where things get uncomfortable for me.  Everyone wants to hear a great story, something strong and inspiring and they want it packaged in a pretty pink bow.  Unfortunately, that's not the reality.  Breast cancer, any cancer for that matter, is scary, ugly and traumatic. 

I can remember when I went through chemotherapy, I was bald, boobless and sick as hell.  I had dark bags under my eyes and my skin had a funky tone to it.  But, when we went out, I threw on my boobs, an amazing wig, lots of makeup and some lashes.  EVERYONE we came in contact with that knew me would comment about how great I looked and how, modern medicine made chemotherapy so much more tolerable.  Of course, I would say thank you and that yes things were going great.   Although on the inside I wanted to SCREAM, because I felt horrible, I wanted to rip off my wig and lashes and expose the truth to everyone.  But I didn't because that isn't what people want to see.  They don't really want to know about the pain, fear and physical scars that cancer has left.  They just want to see a false advertisement, and fake feelings so that no one is uncomfortable.  I can remember telling my husband, I so tired of "being strong", I just want to be scared shitless and for that to also be okay and accepted. 

So with all that being said, I think the whole Pink washing, etc is two-fold.  I will always wear pink, BUT I think that the truth, this hideous reality of cancer, also needs to be shared.  I also think that MORE funds need to be raised for research WE NEED A CURE.     
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About Spero-Hope

9/28/2017

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​After my breast cancer diagnosis, I started reading up on all the chemicals in the products we use every day. It was scary information. These chemicals are not natural and are, therefore, having a negative impact on our bodies. Cancer, for one thing. I vowed then to try to eliminate as much of the chemicals as I could from my life. I started with deodorant.
 
I learned that commercial deodorants are full of harmful chemicals, aluminum, and parabens. None of these are good for our bodies and may even cause cancer. Parabens, for example, mimic estrogen. I stopped wearing deodorant immediately.
 
Skipping deodorant is never the way to win friends and influence people! I’m sure I was pretty stinky during those days. My own mother even told me I smelled bad. I found recipes online for natural deodorant and tried several of them. Soon I was changing the recipes and adding my own touch to them. To my amazement, they worked great!
 
I gave away jars of my deodorant to friends and family and they loved it. My sister, Julie, who lives in the heat and humidity of Florida, liked it so much that she suggested I start selling it. I had never considered it! I researched how to start a small business, how to market a small business, and how to build a website. Soon, Spero-Hope was born.  
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Welcome to my blog!

9/26/2017

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​I know what you are thinking….You’re thinking “when will Jamie have time to write a blog? She’s always so busy.” It’s true. I am busy. I am busy being a wife to my husband and a mother to my two wonderful, active boys. I am busy being a small business owner. I am busy being a cheerleader to many women who are going through breast cancer. I am busy raising awareness and financial support for breast cancer research. Oh, did I mention the two dogs?
 
I am starting this blog because I believe I have a lot of stories to tell, my own personal story and the stories of others I know. It is my hope that the stories of my breast cancer journey, the launching and growth of my business, Spero-Hope, LLC, and the people I have met along the way will serve as an inspiration for others.
 
So, yes, I am busy, but sharing this information is important to me. When one is passionate about something, they make the time to do it. That’s what I intend to do. 
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    Jamie Lee, founder and CEO of Spero0Hope, LLC, 

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