Today marks the anniversary of my rebirth.
Fifteen years ago, I had an emergency hysterectomy…
It’s not something you plan for. Not something you expect when you’re just living your life.
And yet, there I was.
One ovary the size of a grapefruit.
The other, the size of an orange.
Cancer had never crossed my mind. Not once.
But every doctor who saw my scans was sure.
“It looks like advanced cancer,” they said. “We’ll open you up. If it’s bad, we’ll close you back down and send you to chemo.”
I didn’t pray. I didn’t believe in prayer.
But I had friends who did. And they wanted to put me on what they called a prayer chain.
I had no idea what that was, but I let them do what they needed to do.
When one asked, “What do you want me to pray for?” I surprised myself by answering:
Good looking insides.
I didn’t ask for healing. I didn’t ask for a miracle.
I asked that, when they opened me up, the surgeon would like what he saw.
And he did.
They had to remove both ovaries, along with my uterus.
In total: 15 tumors on my ovaries and intestines, and four liters of fluid in my stomach.
Fifteen tumors — all borderline.
No chemo.
No cancer.
Just one surgery.
Just a scar (shorter than I expected),
a new story,
and a deeper knowing.
Today? I believe in the power of prayer.
Because something — love, faith, intention, grace — held me when I couldn’t hold myself.
Thank you again to everyone who prayed for me.
That experience taught me how to dream again.
Not the kind of dreaming that comes with pressure and shoulds and expectations.
But the kind that whispers: Wouldn’t it be fun if…?
That was the beginning of something. The beginning of me.
Not the good girl who followed the steps,
or the woman who got the job,
or the daughter who became a caregiver.
But the one who dances,
who creates,
who speaks,
who dares,
and who does.
The one who listens for what’s true —
and follows it.
So today, I celebrate that moment.
The one that scared the shit out of me.
And saved me.
Tonight, I’ll raise a glass:
To good-looking insides.
To courage.
And to the life we can choose to live fully, right now.
With love,
Coach Jasmyne
Live the Life You Want
P.S. I shared this story in Season 1 of my podcast Dream it! Dare it! Do it! Live the Life You Want! with Mer Monson, a breast cancer survivor.
The episode is in English. Click here if you feel called to listen.