IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE SUNNY TO BE BEAUTIFUL!

Today I celebrate my 44th trip around the sun! It is hard to believe that 5 years ago today I received the second toughest news in my life..."we found the cancer in a lymph node and we cannot be sure we got it all"..."radiation with chemo, more chemo"...  So much has happened in these five years. The journey of treatment and more loss than I will rehash. Insted I would like to focus on the good in my life.

I just returned from a weekend at the beach with my brother after finishing a 215 mile bike ride in support of the Young Survival Coalition. He drove to Cape May, NJ to pick me up and the one free day we had at the beach it rained buckets...literal flooding on the island we were staying! I could not stop  thinking about what a bummer it was that our only free day was such terrible weather. I mean, he drove  almost 9 hours to meet me at the finish line and this was the only day he had free to enjoy the scenery. Part way through the day he commented  "It doesn't have to be sunny to be beautiful" and he was so right! I have had many less than sunny days over the last five years, but I can say these have been some of the most beautiful years of my life!

Cheers to another trip around the sun and many more adventures!

Young Survival Coalition Ride

In 2009, I was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 38. Shortly thereafter, I connected with an incredible organization, Young Survival Coalition. 

On September 16, I will embark on a 3-day, 200+ mile journey in supoort of YSC. Cycling was something I took up before my diagnosis and was the one physical activity that saw me through my recovery of my own battle and the emotional journey that cancer bestowed on me over the last five years.  In 2012, I completed my first century, less than 4 months after completing my final round of chemotherapy and just 2 months before I lost my dad to a year long, valiant battle with lung cancer. In 2014, I watched my dearest friend lose her mom to pancreatic cancer and I lost my own mom after a courageous fight with breast cancer, so to this I say Suck It Cancer! and I will continue to ride and to raise as long as I can! 

YSC provides toung women with the tools and support they need to fight cancer. This organization provides vital education, outreach and advocacy programs, ensuring mo no woman is left to fight cancer alone. I will ride the miles, but I need your help. No donation is too small - every dollar helps! Together we WILL make a difference!

You can learn more about my ride and this organization at https://east.ysctourdepink.org/brandihann. 

Suck It Cancer Sunday!

We are just 5 days away from Pelotonia16! Five years ago, on July 18, 2011, I heard those three words you don't want to hear, "You Have Cancer".  I had ridden in Pelotonia twice and was planning to ride in Pelotonia11, but I was not medically cleared to exercise and could not train.  After receiving my diagnosis, I made the decision to volunteer.  I had not publicly shared my diagnosis, so I experienced Pelotonia weekend feeling a little bit alone, yet surrounded by the most supportive community anyone can imagine. 

Volunteering changed my life just as much as riding.  I heard countless stories from riders about why they ride.  Some were stories of lost loved ones, some were courageous survivors that beat their own battle and some were in the fight at that moment. I watched the first rider, Riley Adams, cross the 180 mile finish line on Sunday and his family surrounding him.  Riley was just 17 years old at the time and lost his little sister, Eden in 2008. She was just 8 years old. I watched his family rallying around him, no doubt remembering the hardest thing anyone could ever imagine going through - losing a child...yet, they celebrated that day and Riley spreading the message that we can make a difference. Good things can come from the most devastating events.  

Cancer has shaped my life and changed it's course and I would not change it for anything. Pelotonia has been a big part of this positive change.  I am so grateful for the Pelotonia community!  If I had not said yes to Pelotonia09, I would not have known the gift of The James.  I would not have known so many of the warriors that beat this disease, the heros that fought and lost their battles or many of the supporters that lifted me up through my darkest days.  No one ever wants to think they will need to take advantage a world renowned cancer hospital. While we ride in hope of a cure so that no one ever needs it - don't wait until you need it to support it!  Support it today and be a part of the cure!  You just don't know if you, your dad, your mom, your uncle, your dearest friend from childhood, or all of the above will need to take advantage of the life saving resources at The James or any other cancer hospital in the country. You see, if The James discovers life-saving treatment or ultimately, a cure, it will be shared with all. You are not just investing in central Ohio, you are investing in research that will change the course of treatment for cancer patients everywhere!   

I can tell you with certainty that 5 years ago, while I was uncertain of my future and preparing for something I could not imagine, I also would never imagine I would be riding 180 miles on a bicycle today.  That I would have the courage to do it, to train for it, to do something so out of my comfort zone.  As hard as 180 miles sounds, I will take this challenge over surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, scans and everything else that comes with a cancer battle any day!  

In 5 days, I will ride 180 miles in support of a cure!  Please join me in supporting Pelotonia by making any donation at My Fundraising Page.  

Whose life will you impact today?

We remembered this one of a kind woman today and I was reminded to not be sad, but to celebrate everything she brought to this world and embrace every day that we are blessed to enjoy on this earth.

I met Tony & Lindsay Giannobile at a time in my life that I needed inspiration. I was only a few months post treatment myself, I had just lost my dad and my mom had recently been diagnosed with metastatic Stage IV HER2+ breast cancer.  They shared their story with me and I was so touched by there positive approach to life.  Lindsay was Stage IV and metastatic, which meant there was no cure for her cancer. The furthest thing from their mind was to sit back and just wait! They were fighting every day, looking for new options. Advocating and educating others. They wanted nothing more than to have a family and had recently connected with a surrogate. They did not know exactly what the future would hold, but they were living in the moment and taking it one day at a time. There love for each other was inspiring. 

I was lucky to have the opportunity to meet this very special woman and her honorable husband. This chance meeting is such a good reminder that there are so many moments in life that will change you forever. I took the chance to attend an event by myself and was lucky that Lindsay & Tony sat at my table. I am so grateful I took the chance and met this amazing couple.

I learned so much from Lindsay and she inspired me to never take any moment for granted! My life is forever enriched for knowing her and will be forever changed. Whose life will you impact today? 

Busy Living!

I have been busy living this year!  I am marking things off my list and it has been an incredible start to 2015!  So good that I catch myself at times thinking, should I be this happy?  Really...after  the loss of both of my parents, how can I move on and enjoy life??  Is it OK to be happy?  Everyone deals with grief in their own way and I believe that living does not dishonor the memory of the lost loved one.  It does not diminish the love you had for them and it certainly does not mean you are happy without them.  Living life honors them in the best way you can!  I think of my mom & dad often through the adventures of #brandislist this year.  I am un-cluttering my life. I am clearing my head.  I am taking time to enjoy the life in a way I have not done for a long time.  My dad would get such a kick out of the updates and hearing the stories.  My mom would have joined me for a few.  As a matter of fact, there is a reason I have not done a puzzle yet and I have put off #42 for the perfect moment.  She loved puzzles and "Gone With the Wind" was her favorite movie.  I am sad that I never watched it with her...  

Cancer robs you of the future.  Cancer takes away tomorrow.  I am committed to a world that preserves the future and allows you to plan for tomorrow with your loved ones.  

It is hard to believe that Pelotonia15 is a mere 10 days away!  I am all in again this year and riding 180 miles.  I upped my game for 2015 and am a High Roller, which means I have committed to raising $4000 for this extraordinary cause.  I am humbled by the generosity of my friends, family and some people that I have just met.  I am honored to pedal the miles, to raise awareness and share the message.  #wearefastertogether  

Consider supporting Pelotonia in my honor at pelotonia.org/bhann 

2015 Life Plan

I have never been one for resolutions, but this year is different.  I have spent the last three years in a bit of a holding pattern.  It was hard to plan for the future while you working so hard to just survive the present.  After winning my own cancer battle, but losing my dad and then my mom, in a 3 year span, I am ready to get busy living!  

I was inspired by a friend who created a list of 52 things he was going to do in 2014.  He set out and accomplished all 52!  While I was nspired by the idea of the list, I was more inspired by the journey of the experience.  The relationships and the bonds he created with friends, family and colleagues along the way is the larger motivation for creating my own list for 2015.  

My Life Plan for 2015 includes 42 things to accomplish in my 42nd year of life.  I am excited for this journey and most excited for the journey of who will I meet along way and how much I will learn about myself through this process.  So, here it goes - #brandislist.

Live Your Life With Purpose!

Some things just don't make sense.  I was at my desk this morning when I received an e-mail that a main intersection in downtown Columbus was closed. While this is not a common occurrence, as the Office Administrator of a downtown law office, I receive multiple notifications about different things going on downtown, so I did not give it a great deal of thought. I find out later that there was an indescribable accident - a 21-year old intern was struck and killed by a bus that was hit by someone that ran a red light.  She was hit be a bus...  How many times has someone made the reference "I could get hit by a bus tomorrow", well today, someone did get hit by a bus.  A family is hurting tonight because their college age daughter was lost in a freak accident.  I can't imagine how they are feeling.  I have always believed in fate and that things happen for a reason, but why would something like this happen?

As a cancer survivor, I often say that life is short and tomorrow is not guaranteed.  But am I living my life as if tomorrow was not a guarantee?  I am embarrassed to say that not always.  You see, you can so easily slip back into letting the dailyness of life take over and not make every day count.  Are you doing something great with every day? Are you living your life with purpose? While I can't change yesterday, I can make tomorrow different and will not take for granted this second lease on life that I have been given! Do something great tomorrow and make a difference!