Ember’s Story
In February 2023, Ember was diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast Cancer and her life completely changed. Having no family history of breast cancer, she was suddenly thrown into the world of cancer research and treatment. Ember has always believed in finding the root cause of disease and not just treating symptoms. Her initial decision was to have surgery but against doctor's recommendations she tried to treat herself holistically and avoid chemo and radiation. Her cancer returned 6 months later and she had to reevaluate her beliefs.
Ember has felt called to help others and make a difference since she was little. While that desire has never changed, the way she helps others has evolved through the years. She has a bachelor's in psychology and a master's in professional counseling. She loves to learn and continues her education by exploring certifications in life coaching, breathwork, hypnotherapy, and yoga among others. Through her own healing journey, and learning the tools she’s implemented along the way, she’s been able to work with amazing clients on their mental and emotional health. She believes in a holistic approach to healing that includes the body, mind, and spirit. The Inspired Hope Foundation was created to provide resources and support to cancer patients and their friends/families so they can thrive during the healing experience.
Ember felt strongly that people should be able to pay for the treatment they feel will work best for them and help them with their quality of life while healing cancer. As she was listening to the audiobook Radical Hope by Dr. Kelly Turner, she had the inspired idea to create a foundation that could help patients by giving grants to help with treatment costs. Her vision continues to expand as she sees gaps in what is currently offered to cancer patients and their caregivers.
While doing research on cancer treatments, Ember felt there were really two camps. The holistic camp who believes chemo and radiation are poison to the body and should be avoided and the conventional camp who believes alternative treatments can’t replace the standard of care.
After being rediagnosed at the end of 2023, Ember decided a truly integrative approach would be the best for her. She started chemotherapy at the end of January while also using alternative treatments such as mistletoe IV’s, acupuncture, red light therapy, supplements, and more. Using this approach she was able to thrive during chemo.
Her biggest struggle/need after diagnosis was financial. She was discouraged to find only one grant that offered help with complementary treatments, which insurance also didn't cover. All of the other grants she found were only available if you were doing conventional treatment. She created a GoFundMe to help her with treatments such as mistletoe, acupuncture, red light, etc. to help her thrive during treatment.
