For 17 years, I lived a storybook existence. I was married to my college sweetheart. Together, we designed and built our dream home in Santa Barbara, CA. I also owned and operated an 18-room inn, just steps from the Pacific Ocean. My life was great! Suddenly, one day, it was over. My husband asked for a divorce, we were forced into bankruptcy, and I lost the home and business. I often joked to friends: "At least I have my health!" Then I heard the devastating news: "Beverly, you have breast cancer," with only a 40% chance of survival.

I started my treatment filled with rage, fear and anxiety. I felt like an emotional whirlpool. What helped me change my attitude, address my fear of death, and find peace in what seemed like a hopeless situation was comfort in keeping a daily journal. The more freely I wrote, the closer I got to my feelings, which helped me to express myself more clearly, accept my emotions and experience an inner peace.

Healing Companion

After conquering cancer, Beverly Kirkhart made the decision to devote her life to helping other cancer survivors take control of their lives.  In 1996, she co-founded the highly-regarded Breast Resource Center of Santa Barbara with surgeon and best-selling author Dr. Susan Love.

Along with Kirkhart's new book, My Healing Companion, she is co-author of the revised edition of Chicken Soup for the Surviving Soul: 101 Healing Stories About Those Who Have Survived Cancer. 

Beverly has been featured on national television and has been asked to speak by numerous groups across the country.  During the last few years, Kirkhart has visited 30 states and 60 cities as a keynote speaker, guest author and workshop leader for such organizations as the Susan G. Komen Foundation, the American Cancer Society, the Oncology Nurses Society, the Southern California Society of Radiation Therapists, and John Hopkins Hospital, among other cancer research, non-profit groups, and medical centers.

Based on Kirkhart's powerful experience of writing through her own journey with cancer, Empowering Yourself Through Words© is a dynamic journal writing program designed with strategy-packed sessions from My Healing Companion. Sponsored by Roche, this empowering workshop is presented across the nation for both the medical professionals and cancer patients.

For more information on Beverly Kirkhart's amazing story and My Healing Companion go to: www.beverlykirkhart.com

Express Yourself

Because I found journaling to be liberating and positive, I decided to share it with others. I created My Healing Companion, an innovative journal rich with the reflections of my own experience and designed to guide you through a journey of understanding and empowerment.  It is a book written by a survivor for survivors - A friend and companion to help travel the road to emotional recovery.

We all face cancer differently. How you respond to your disease, and how you move through your cancer journey is up to you. Writing in a journal is just one way, and it may not be the only way you confront your cancer. However, I encourage you to try it..What do you have to lose? You have much more to gain. You may find comfort in the special thoughts and activities in your journal. Keeping a journal may help you get through each day, face the tough issues and possibly start a new life.

I invite you to click on the "Activity Sheet" and begin to record your own journey of self-realization and empowerment - and ultimately find serenity on the road to survival.

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