Her journey like everyone else that faces cancer was terrifying!! This is her guest post, explaining her journey and will hopefully reach out to those of you that find yourself in a similar situation, who are looking for guidance and inspiration with their own battles.

Whenever my seven-year-old daughter hears anything about cancer, she always notes that she saved my life. She has said this so often that it is as common as saying that she needs something to eat. Many people do not know that what she says is true, but I will always be the first to say that she is definitely right.

My husband Cameron and I had been married seven years before we thought about having kids. I was 35, so I was a little apprehensive about having kids at an older age. I did not really think about how long it would take to become pregnant, but three months later, I was indeed pregnant! Just like any mother, I was so excited, shocked, and nervous. It did not take long for me to start having my motherly instincts. I would rub my belly and get excited knowing that our child was growing inside of me. Throughout the pregnancy, I would always wonder what type of mom I was going to be.

For the most part, I had a smooth pregnancy. As we neared the due date, Lily was breech; therefore, I had to have a C-section. Even with this situation, I still looked at the bright side of things. When I finally held her, I knew that I would do everything that I possibly could to give her a life of protection, love, and happiness. My world was absolutely perfect at this time. As a matter of fact, it was so perfect that I never imagined that I was about to experience an incredible storm.

It was only 3 ½ months after Lily’s birth that I learned that I had malignant pleural mesothelioma. My doctor told me that without treatment, I would only have 15 months to live. After the diagnosis, I sat in a state of shock and disbelief. I could not imagine leaving Lily and my husband Cameron all alone. While I sat there thinking, Cameron made the decision for us to go to Boston for my treatment. I would be under the care of one of the world’s best mesothelioma doctors, but it also meant that I would have to have my left lung, my diaphragm, and my heart’s lining all removed. For 18 days, I had to stay in the hospital for my recovery. Afterwards, I spent two weeks in an outpatient facility and two months at my parent’s home in South Dakota. Lily had been staying with my parents during this time. They went from being grandparents to full time caretakers. The most wonderful, helpful people surrounded my parents and helped to raise Lily during that time, and I could not be more thankful to them. Finally, I returned home to Minnesota and began having chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

Just like any other mother would have done, I decided to make sacrifices to ensure that I would be in my daughter’s life for many years. In my case, I had to sacrifice being away from Lily for her entire sixth month of life. This was an extremely difficult decision, but I knew that Lily needed me to live; therefore, I had the courage to go through all of my treatment procedures.

Mesothelioma is a dire disease, but because I was a mother, I had the strength to keep fighting. Because I knew that Lily needed me, I was able to try to make it through each day. Therefore, when Lily says that she saved my life, she is 100% correct. She gave me all the courage I needed to fight.

What an inspiration Heather is to all of who face health battles. Our children may be only young but they are often who we look to for inspiration and courage during tough times. It’s so wonderful to hear that after all the intense treatment and long recovery, Heather is still here almost 7 years later and cancer free!

If you would like to read more about Heather, her story and this horrible form of cancer that is such a deadly killer (however, 100% preventable) please head over to her blog. The more people that we can inform about the dangers of asbestos to prevent others contracting this horrible disease, the better!

A big thanks to Heather, from all the way over in the States for sharing with us, you are a true inspiration and survivor!!!

After meeting Cassy, Jack’s Mum, for the first time last year…I walked away feeling like such a jerk (to put it bluntly). I sat there complaining about how terrible Addi’s sleep had been only to find out her full story (which of course made me so greatful for the health of my little boy). Jack was born with a rare disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) (type 2). SMA is a disease that attacks the Survival Motor Neuron Gene. This gene ensures the survival of the nerves that control gross motor function. This disease is progressive, which means that as Jack grows older his symptoms will become more severe and life threatening.

This completely uplifting woman had been through what most of us would struggle to imagine, her world had been turned up side down and yet here she was still with a great big, beautiful smile on her face!!

The Lenehan’s are an amazing family, here is there story told by Cassy Lenehan:

An Ongoing Journey, Our story of Life and Now, Love the Lenehans xoxox

It was a shared moment of delight and excitement when Joe and I found we were pregnant with our first child, Jack, June 2007.

The pregnancy seemed normal as there were no complications and being the first child not knowing that anything should be different as from a normal pregnancy. Jack was born on 7th April 2008. Jack was born with quite an oversized head. The first 4 months Jack seemed to have the fine motor skills and interact with everyone, stories free play enjoyed bath time and always smiley.

At about 6 months we agreed that we should see our GP and have him checked out as his gross motor skills, rolling, head control, leg control, lower back control and his weight bearing weren’t up to what they should have been for a 6month old, we felt something wasn’t right, at this stage Joe was working out of state so I booked him in to the GP and we got a referral to see a Pediatrician which we first got in around the 8month stage. This was when we were first in touch with the Bundall Outreach team for the Gold Hospital where we met a lovely team of therapists who started working with Jack on a weekly to fortnightly bases with his physiotherapy.

Our first visit to the Pediatrician, we were told Jack had low tone of the muscles as he was able to sit up and had ok head control, maybe this could be due to such a large head? We were told to come back at 12months of age. Our second visit round we were introduced to blood testing with Jack, there were a few neuromuscular conditions that had been explained and it was at this stage we had to go to see a Neurologist to find out the problem. October 26, 2009 we had our first appointment with the Neurologist in Brisbane, it was here that we really came down to realization that our now, quick witted, cheeky, inspirational little boy could defiantly have a rare condition called Spinal Muscular Atrophy type 2.

Just from our initial consultation we were told of a 90% answer what he thought Jack may be suffering from or shall I say the condition he may be diagnosed with. November 13th, 2009 we had the call to come up to the Neurologists office to find the answers we were not wanting to here. It was on the November 16th, 2009 that Jack was diagnosed with SMA type 2.

Our hearts were shattered, our world turned upside down, though it was right here when we realized we needed to ensure a comfortable life for Jack, to make it as independent as possible with all the love in the world, to ensure his happiness and prevention of early deterioration and pain.

As of this day, we continued with Jack’s weekly daily physio of stretching and massage and weekly swimming. Early December we were passed onto Montrose Access Arundel team, who are a team of specialists that work with our family to ensure Jack’s has early implementation of postural supportive chairs, bathing chair, standing frame for the prevention of osteoporotic bones, joint contractures and scoliosis. Ensuring Jacks accessibility to our house is as comfortable, his day to day living easy for him.

Jack’s lives without limitations even though he has a physical disability he makes up for it in many other ways, he will always give it a go not matter how many times it takes him, jack is a problem solver who completely keeps us on our feet and our brains going 100 mile an hour, jack likes to live without fear, he is very clever, has the craziest sense of humour, enjoys to read, paint, draw, free play, play group, his friends, hooning around everywhere in his chair especially over the mud and bumps that’s his favourite, he is a water boy through and through loves the beach and the pool, his favourite show is the Australia’s funniest home video show, at the moment he is becoming the bossy 4 year old getting more and more witty every day and has conquered the DSI Santa brought him for Christmas! He is our inspiration to living life without limits, there is no word such as “Can’t Do it” with our little Jacko he will always give it a try…. He loves lady gaga and the new Autodance.

As to date, we have had a few colds and infections with Jack, thankfully he has passed these. His taste buds are quite infectious, he loves all kinds of foods but does however suffer from low tone when he is fatigued he can’t swallow properly and likes to save a little food on the inside of his cheek, we always check for this when he is fatigued. We started him on Epilium December 2009, we know it is not a cure and is working towards slowing the deterioration of his nerves, this working together with his daily physio in his heated pool, all these factors together are making a huge difference in Jacks head control, postural strength, fatiguing and most of all is giving him a better quality of life and experiences.

We make sure not to overdo it with him but rather find that happy medium; we don’t over use his postural seat’s, maintaining a healthy limit of relaxing time to sitting up. As of August 2010 we now have a new neurologist and respiratory specialist from the Royal Children’s hospital Brisbane and are great full that we are lucky to be guided by Australia’s best.

It was early 2010 that we contacted SMA CEO Julie Cini to let her know of Jack’s diagnosis and to learn of what the Association is all about. Julie was fantastic is explaining the condition and putting us on the further specialists and also explained to us that if need be in need of assistance, how SMA Australia is alive to support the children and their families living day to day with this condition and to help find a cure.

The past few years has been hectic holding fundraisers and having house renovations done. We truly have been blessed with much help from our community of life long family and friends, organizations running appeals for Jack, from this our home is now wheelchair accessible. Jack can play with the toys from his shelves, wash his hands, swim freely, run around the whole house on the concrete with the dogs, open the gate to go out on the road and see his friends; most of all go wherever he wants to without limitations.

Jack has a Permobil Powered wheelchair and we have had our car converted to suit Jack’s wheelchair in which he calls “Weegie”. I CAN NOT explain in words how much extra enthusiasm this has brought to Jacks quality of life and shall I say his adrenaline loving personality.

Next year Jack will be going to school….. OMG Prep. He is so excited as are we are for him. Our little man is living life as good as can be, next week we have a few tests as he is hips are out 50%, meaning they are dislodged when he is sitting and they sit back in place when he is laying down, a little frog liked. We decided not to give him a full hip reconstruction as for 1, he would of had 60% chance of coming out of the op and two, it hurts to say but why do such a big op if our little man will never walk.
Most nights he rolls from 15 to 30 times on a bad night after pain relief and 4 hours sleep the turmoil of pain begins, even though it seems hard at the time to get rid of the cramps and pain, through the tiredness in the morning you hear him wake, mum, mum I’m hungry I want to get up, the rest of the morning and day he shows no sign of pain he endured the night before, this alone builds strength to get past the night before and what this disease brings to his life, over and over again …
In a couple of weeks we are yet to endure more tests and sleep study’s as in a nutshell this disease is now taking over his spine, which makes many problems for his lungs….. The pain relief is working for now we just wish for a miracle to slow this disease down….

Even though it is a hard road and going to be an even harder Journey, we thank God for the beautiful man he has given us…. Some nights are a little horrid with sleep apnea and needing to be rolled constantly, most days after a bad night you wonder how he gets through all this pain…. “Our Jack” is a special gift from God, here to teach us all that we should be great full for the life we lead and never take it for granted. Enjoy every day and the precious time you have to make that difference to quality of life.

Once again we thank our friends, our family our fans and followers for making us and our life complete, without you we would be lost. Love Cassy Lenehan, Joey Lenehan and Jack Lenehan xox

Since this was written, Jack started school and is loving it!! The cheeky little monkey is now five and makes every day special, laughing all the time…even on the cloudiest of days.

I can’t begin to imagine the struggles that they face each day but somehow they power on. Cassy is one of the most inspirational mums I have ever met and such a beautiful person. You can’t help but smile in her presence. Thank you so much to Cassy for sharing her story.

Here is Jack’s website if you would like to pop over and take a look, and you can also find him on Facebook. For more information about SMA check out the Spinal Muscular Atrophy Association of Australia.

I was lucky enough to sit down and chat with Timiney Colefax the proprietor of Bumblebee Boutique about her range of children’s accessories and photography props. She has not only created this beautiful boutique range available to the general public and professional photographers but is also a qualified Interior Designer! Timiney specialises in decoration and design of nursery and children interior spaces.

If you haven’t already, then have a look at the wonderful products available at Bumblebee Boutique including headbands, fur throws, boys accessories, maternity belly wraps and one of my favourites, her unique range of children sized French Provincial furniture.

Firstly I’ll start by saying that I love everything that you have in your online boutique!! I suppose that I will always be drawn to boys items now that I have two boys of my own but girls bits and bobs are absolute eye candy for me!

I adore your little boy’s photography props, they are very unique. Where do you get the inspiration for your designs?

My Nephews were my biggest inspiration – It was always hard to find funky little accessories for boys and when I started making them I just got carried away – Now my range of boys props are my largest seller.

Your furniture seems to be incredibly popular, I’ve never seen anything like it here in Australia before, tell us a little bit about it.

I fell in love with this miniature furniture when I saw it at a design show in Melbourne. Not only did I have to stop to look at it I noticed everyone was stopping to look. It was then that I decided I had to get my hands on these pieces. The person that was exhibiting at the design fair no longer imports this furniture so I put myself to work to find out where and how I could make and import this furniture myself.  There has been a lot of trial and error but I was determined to create my own line.

I focus on French provincial and Traditional children’s miniatures where I select the timber and the fabric style that the piece is made in and in some cases I have to recreate from scratch by down scaling which is probably the hardest part. The furniture is my focus in developing my business, as an interior designer this is my passion.

Your woven rugs look very detailed, how long does it take you to make one?

Our woven rugs take 2 hours to make and depending on the size take anywhere between 4-6m of fabric. I find them so therapeutic to make and the response to them has been fantastic. Unfortunately due to the time frame it takes to make them I have had to limit fabrication to 2 a month, but that just makes them more unique.

What are some of your favourite colours to work with?

I have to say green is my favourite but I do have to be sympathetic to the market as green is not a popular choice for home renovations or design or even photo shoots. So other than that I love working with soft greys and accenting with splashes of colour like yellow, blues or pinks.

What are some of your newest products that you have added to the range?

I am just in the process of introducing a new range of boys clothing. There will be items available for ages 1-8. Also I have a large shipment of furniture due in the middle of April, when this arrives I will have some new furniture deigns to show that I am really excited about.

What would you say has been your most popular item?

In the way of enquiries my chaise lounges would have to be the most popular items but if we are referring to sales it would be a close call between the fur throws and boys suspenders.

Are there any products that you are considering adding to your range in the near future?

I am forever adding products to my range and I am always open to suggestions – most of the items I do stock or make now have been prompted by photographers or the general public wanting something in particular or something completely different.

 I am considering adding cake smash sets to the range at the moment. I had one customer request a custom order done with bow tie, suspenders, bloomers and party hat. The response to this idea has been amazing! So over the next few weeks I will be working on some coordinating designs to see how they go.

I see your props used in so many stunning newborn photo shoots. Do you offer special incentives for photographers wanting to purchase your products?

We offer a few things to our photographers if they share the photos through Facebook using our products they become a VIP, entitling them to 10% discount off our full product range (excluding sale items). We also offer free advertising through our Website where each photographer will get their own page in our gallery to put whatever marketing material or details about their business along with the photos they have taken. This allows the general public to browse for their photographer in the one place and has proven to be very popular. I regularly get enquiries as to what photographers I recommend. 

Do you offer payment plans?

I now have introduced a lay-by option for purchases over $50 – not including sale items.

A big thanks to Timiney from Bumblebee Boutique for taking the time to have a chat about her wonderful business. Drop by and check out her wonderful range today at her Facebook page or Website.