On the afternoon of May 14, 2014, I came out of general anesthesia with an open, jagged fishhook carved into half of my skull and an uncertain prognosis. A drill saw had cut open my head so the surgeons could remove a type and size of brain tumor they’d never seen before. And then, six weeks of radiation took my hair. Three months prior I had a ground-breaking women’s leadership, start-up, and communications consultancy, and now I was a cancer patient.

It wasn’t that I was unfamiliar with the disease. I knew exactly what I was in for. My recent ex was and still is a brilliant neurosurgeon. And 15 years earlier, my mother had lost her hair and a breast to cancer, which she only spoke about with me. She saw cancer as the beginning of the end.

I reacted differently. That day when I saw my face and head, bald and bare, I felt reborn. I was elated and I wanted to shout for joy. I was still here! I was given the gift of a second chance to make better decisions.

But I knew I hadn’t done it alone—there were dozens, maybe hundreds, of loving friends and strangers who had helped and would help me. They came together, shaved their heads, hugged me, and cheered me on

Somehow, I had become a hero, an inspiration, a survivor of the impossible. And with that I knew what I needed to do was talk about it. I needed to take away the fear and stigma, to listen to others who’d survived or were about to go through treatment. Were they ever scared? Were they ever angry? Were they ever despondent and unsure if they could go on?

Surviving Matters because there is no alternative; it’s either life or death. And for me, death is not an option. There’s too much work to do and injustice to correct. As such, I draw strength and inspiration from people who were willing to open up and share their darkness and their triumphs with me. That is what this podcast is about. It’s about celebrating life, even when the odds aren’t in your favor.

What I’m most interested in are the stories of the impossible. Surviving Matters.

I’m Holly Lynch, and you can find my podcast, Surviving Matters, anywhere and everywhere you get your podcasts. I hope you’ll join us