Posted by Mary on March 1, 2010
I’m poised for good news, I’m visualizing myself with an x-ray that shows good healing and my surgeon Dr. Kempcke telling me I can move to partial weight bearing – YES! Hold that thought for me as I wait for good news this week.
Speaking of good news I received very exciting news from my dear friend Sherry DeRosa, a cancer survivor, therapist, motivational speaker and a most talented woman recently interviewed by Fifty and Fabulous – because of course she is Fabulous. I’m attaching her link so you can meet my friend and I have to tell you she is a woman to watch! http://faboverfifty.com/interviews/551
Now that I think about it I’m surrounded by women that are in the prime of their lives, continuing to work, grow, learn and contribute to others.
My friend and business associate Lisa Hendrickson owner of Call That Girl Computer Repair was interviewed by WCCO TV last week regarding computer viruses. Lisa is no stranger to the local media, she’s known as a local social media expert and a savvy woman entrepreneur; she’s another woman to watch! http://www.callthatgirl.biz/
My good friend Kat Reed is a local author who recently published a much needed resource for those of us who have lost loved ones and struggled to organized the work to do when closing out their affairs. Kat wrote the book “Begin Here, helping survivors manage” you may have seen the featured artical in the Pioneer Press about Kat last month, her work focuses on the practical tasks that need to be managed after death. http://www.helpingsurvivorsmanage.com/about
I continue to network with new people especially women that risk it all as they evaluate their contributions to the larger community and create their own small businesses. Often my women friends have left successful careers to find their own voice moving from daughter, mother, friend and professional to writer, speaker, coach and caregiver. My new friend Carolyn Carlson is another such women to watch as she begins her work as a writer, poised to be a published author. http://carolyncarlson.wordpress.com/about/
I’m surrounded by beautiful and talented women; my sisters, aunts, neices and especially by my close girlfriends, we share dreams, values, careers. We are moved by sharing our personal stories of joy and sorrow, I think we are all
Women to Watch!
Mary Chapa, RN, CSA, President
Eliza One, Inc.
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Posted by Mary on June 30, 2009
Mom - An Independent Woman
One of my mother’s key values was the importance of “Choice,” her underlying principal was for women to be independent, strong and employed. “It’s important to work hard and get an education” she said, typical values growing up in Minnesota during the 1950’s and 60’s. I lived my life believing this until I became a Director several times over and learned that budget cuts are painful choices and that we let people go even though they had an education and worked hard. It’s been two years since I “chose” to leave my corporate job and reinvent myself, I’ve moved away from health care management and sales management in private industry back to healthcare but from a holistic health and wellness perspective.
I’ve made lots of choices, trying on different ideas based on a holistic perspective and building from my healing practice foundation. I’ve experimented the past two years thinking through what type of business I wanted to create until something became clear and the clarity came through personal discomfort. What are my strengths, what work is satisfying and can I evolve the business into an eventual retirement practice?
After my father died last fall I realized I used my nursing skills to manage his medical care over several years, I did the same when my mother died from cancer and subsequently other family members requested my support. When my sister died recently I organized the work that needed to be done with my remaining sisters, closing out all her final affairs. Having assisted with end of life activities for both parents and a younger sister I learned a lot through very different experiences and it became clear that being a daughter, sister and friend with a health and healing background could be helpful to others.
Some choices are obvious and other opportunities come to us unlooked for but life is an interesting journey and I have a myriad of choices. I consider myself a strong independent woman, I learned from my Mother.
Mary
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Posted by Mary on April 25, 2009
My sister Faye’s funeral is over and as we’re picking up the pieces of our lives it almost feels like we’re sleep walking, hoping to wake up and know that this was all a dream and Susie is home from her vacation in Cancun. In the mist of our sorrow my sisters and I talk about how we just burst into tears when we remember she’s gone, it’s still a shock and the hole in our hearts a very raw wound.
As the big sister I’ve organized the work to be done like a project, creating a spreadsheet with all the information, action items and duties to be performed. I did the research on the legal financial responsibilities and spoke to the appropriate authorities as I determine the paperwork that needs to be filed to close out her affairs. We’ve visited her apartment, it’s hard to visit her home and be assaulted by all the memories but somehow I keep pushing us to move forward one step at a time.
I had a task on my to-do list to talk to my sister’s primary care physician about her heart attack and why everyone missed the signs – this took us all by surprise. I spoke to her doctor Thursday afternoon and he was saddened to hear of her sudden death. We reviewed and discussed her medical history, past vital signs and lab work but found no indication of an impending cardiovascular problem, and her blood pressure and cholesterol were consistently good. Faye worried a bit about her weight but she felt lucky that she didn’t have hypertension or any of the early signs that my brother and I have (we take after my father’s side of the family). I asked the doctor how we could have missed this, I know I should know better than to second guess what happened but I couldn’t help myself I just wished I could have my sister back.
My friend Mary is walking today for the American Heart Association, she said she will do this in memory of my sister Faye “Susie” Chapa. I’m including the website for the American Heart Association and the Women Heart organization websites because they have a lot of good information on Women and Heart Disease
http://www.womenheart.org/
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=2859
Coming from the healthcare industry we think we know everything but I now have my work cut out for me as I look at my own health risk. I’ll be visiting these websites often as I construct an action plan for myself so I don’t leave loved ones wondering “why or what if?”
Choosing Life,
Mary
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