The Good Movement

12/13/2025

Another update to the digs! Getting photo shoot ready!

So thankful for my patients this holiday season and the opportunity to help them improve their quality of life 💕

12/01/2025

Reminder: Feel them on the first! Early detection is your best chance at a good prognosis.

11/10/2025

🌸 Big News for Survivors 🌸
The FDA is moving to remove the Black Box warning from low-dose vaginal estrogen products — and this is especially meaningful for breast cancer survivors.

For years, that warning created fear and confusion, even though research has consistently shown that low-dose vaginal estrogen stays local (in the tissues) and does not significantly raise systemic estrogen levels.

💗 What this change means:
• Survivors experiencing pain, dryness, tearing, or painful intimacy may have more access to the treatments that can actually help.
• The “scariness” of the previous warning discouraged many providers from prescribing it — even when it was safe.
• Removing the warning supports individualized decision-making, not fear-based avoidance.

✨ Bottom Line:
This shift acknowledges what research and clinicians have known for years — breast cancer survivors deserve comfort, sexual wellness, and pelvic health support. Relief is possible. You do not have to suffer through it.

09/01/2025

🎓✨ Officially a Doctor of Physical Therapy!

After years of hard work, I’ve graduated, passed my boards, and am stepping into the next chapter of my career—specializing in pelvic health and building my own practice.

This path is deeply personal for me. The same week I started DPT school, I also began my journey with cancer treatment. Living through that experience gave me firsthand insight into how much our bodies—and our sense of self—are impacted by medical treatments. It also lit a fire in me to help others reclaim strength, confidence, and connection with their own bodies.

I can’t wait to serve this community and create a space where people feel supported, understood, and empowered in their health journey. 💙

Here’s to healing, helping, and new beginnings.

08/25/2025

Just over 2 years ago, on the very day I started my accelerated Doctor of Physical Therapy program at , I got the call confirming I had breast cancer. 💔

Jeff and I were brand new to our city and state with no support system nearby. Still, I never questioned whether I’d continue with school. I needed something to hold onto—a sense of control, and the promise I had made to myself.

From the very beginning, I knew I wanted to work in pelvic health. I wanted to show up better for the clients I had already served and for the ones I hadn’t yet met.

Fast forward to today: after surgeries, chemo, radiation, and more than a few bumps along the way… I kept that promise. ✨

I am officially a Doctor of Physical Therapy.
And now I get the privilege of walking alongside incredible humans as they navigate an often overlooked and taboo part of life.

Here’s to resilience, purpose, and honoring the promises we make to ourselves!

08/09/2025

🎉 Big milestone – I just finished my third clinical rotation in pelvic health & lymphedema!

Over the past few months, I’ve seen how deeply pelvic health and lymphedema impacts people’s daily lives. It’s not just about rehab—it’s about being able to laugh without worry, being intimate without pain, regaining dignity, returning to the activities you love, and trusting your body again after it betrayed you with cancer.

I’ve had the privilege to work with incredible patients who reminded me why I chose this path in the first place. Every story, every breakthrough, every tear of relief… they’ve all fueled my passion to make this my career. 💜

Feeling so grateful for the mentor , patients, and experiences that shaped this rotation. I can’t wait to keep learning and to keep making a difference in this amazing specialty.

Thank you for my “starter kit”. Working with you has been amazing 💕

07/28/2024

When asked about my journey and how I am doing, I often struggle to convey what it’s like in simple terms. However, I found an analogy that, while it may never fully help someone understand the lived experience, makes it relatable for people from all walks of life and backgrounds.

I describe the breast cancer journey as a book.

Chapters
Genre Variations
Plot Twists
Character Development
Supporting Characters
The Never-Ending Story

07/25/2024

https://www.thegoodmvmt.com/blog/breastcancerjourneylikeabook

When asked about my breast cancer journey and how I am doing, I often struggle to convey what it’s like in simple terms. However, I found an analogy that, while it may never fully help someone understand the lived experience, makes it relatable for people from all walks of life and backgrounds. I

01/26/2024

This past week has been another wild ride that is life after breast cancer diagnosis 🤪 I finished up radiation a few weeks ago, all in all I would say it went fairly well initially. Certainly side effects but manageable. However, unexpected side effects like to creep up and do SNEAK ATTACKS out of nowhere. I was experiencing more chest pains after radiation (had a bout during chemo) so went in for more tests to make sure it wasn’t anything serious. Thankfully those tests came back without any red flags. Likely dealing with some inflammation of chest cavity. But the blood tests found my WBC and neutrophil count critically low. Neutrophils are responsible for fighting against infection (thank you physiology course). So this was not great news for a few reasons. Obviously, on a normal day not great but Jeff and I had planned a working vacation to puerto Vallarta to celebrate me being done with radiation and chemo the following week. I was going in every few days to see if my WBC was going up. Unfortunately, numbers were not getting to where they needed to be. We were worried we would have to cancel. Thankfully the doctor understood how important this trip was to our mental health that she gave me the green light with some additional precautions.

So here we are in PV Mexico 😊 Enjoying the sun, some good food, and of course a good drag show 💜

12/20/2023

Last week I started radiation. 8 weeks out from chemo. For those of you that don’t know Radiation is generally a 15 minute appointment every day for at least three weeks. The goal with this treatment is to prevent the reoccurrence from happening in my breast. Possible side effects Include: burns, scarring, heart defects, hyper pigmentation of the skin, brain fog, fatigue, and increased risk for fractures.

Many of these side effects do not become apparent for quite some time.

Strangely, I felt more emotion going into my first radiation appointment that I did for any of my chemo sessions. I suspect that part of it Has to do with just being further into the overall treatments, and being more mentally exhausted than I was when I was doing chemo.

The reality is the longer the treatments persist the more it takes out of you mentally and physically. I also think that there was this expectation that once I was a few weeks out from chemo, I would be back to nearly my normal self and those were lofty expectations that were bound to come up short.

My hair is still falling out although it seems to be slowing down and I do believe new hair is coming in, I am now all the sudden losing all my eyelashes. I am still feeling fatigue and mental fog from chemo and I’ve started experiencing new aches and pains that I am hoping will not be the new normal for me.

It’s funny, when you’re in the middle of a treatment like chemo it’s in some ways, oddly comforting. You’re in it, you’re doing it, and there’s no time to think about anything else. And you know that the reason you’re physically feeling a certain way is because of the treatment and you assume that once the treatment is done, it will be done. But the reality is sometimes that’s not the case.

I’m eager for my body to feel like mine again. To look in the mirror and see myself and not just a sad version. I know that it will get better but you also start to wonder if this will be my new norm. Trying to find a balance of optimism but realism. Trying not to lose sleep over something you can’t control. Just trying to take it day by day.

06/20/2023

Dear Friends and Family-
A few weeks ago I started my doctor of physical therapy program at Tufts University. The same day I was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. Needless to say it was a shock. I was not aware of any family history and I have always lived a very healthy lifestyle. It seems to just be a s**tty hand dealt.

There is never a good time to get cancer but it happening just as I start my accelerated DPT program could not be worse timing. I’m being thrown into the deep end for sure on both accounts. But it is EXTREMELY important to me that I continue the program through my battle. I have worked very hard to get to this point and it’s a healthy distraction. I am fortunate to have chosen a great university that has professors that are doing what they can to work with me thru this challenging situation.

Even through this s**t storm there are some beams of light. My husband Jeff has been a huge advocate for me and has done everything short of camping outside a doctors home to ensure I get into appointments asap. He has called in every chit he had with any person he thought might have a contact. Because of his incredible persistence I was able to be seen at Henry Ford within a week of my diagnosis. I have my lumpectomy scheduled for Monday. I would still be waiting if it wasn’t for Jeff and the kindness of strangers willing to advocate on my behalf.

** rest of caption in comments **
This is from todays lumpectomy