Our first guest is Terese Luikens, author of “
A Heart’s Journey To Forgiveness,” available in the Kindle Edition. Terese Luikens has been married to the same man for forty-two years, although she is on her third wedding ring, having lost one and worn out another. She lives in Sandpoint, Idaho enjoys being a mother to three grown sons and grandmother to her much-loved grandchildren. She is a schoolteacher and yoga instructor. She has been published in Mother Earth News, The Secret Place, Decision Magazine, The Upper Room, Hearts at Home, and the Epoch Times.
Terese discusses this heartfelt memoir, “A Heart’s Journey To Forgiveness,” which documents the chain reaction of a tumultuous family history. From her stormy childhood to the far-reaching effects of her father’s suicide, Terese shares her inspiring journey to escape the shame of her past, find healing and love, learn to trust, and discover faith in a real and personal God. Frequent moves. An emotionally absent mother and an alcoholic father. Suicide. The sixth of seven children, Terese grew up in an unstable and chaotic household—invisible to her mom yet cherished by her alcoholic dad, who took his own life when Terese was thirteen. This heartfelt memoir documents the chain reaction of a tumultuous family history. From her stormy childhood to the far-reaching effects of her father’s suicide, Terese shares her inspiring journey to escape the shame of her past, find healing and love, learn to trust, and discover faith in a real and personal God. You can read her blog, Why Bother, at Tereseluikens.com, and her book is available on Amazon.
Our next guest is Dr. Scott Kurtzman, a surgeon who is a leader of the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers at the American College of Surgeons, he will discuss how pandemic-related delays in mammography will likely lead to more cancer-related deaths in the coming years, and why it’s critical for anyone who has put off a mammogram during the pandemic to get their screening completed soon. While the long-term impact of delayed cancer screenings is still unknown, surgeons remain concerned, urging women to stay vigilant and up to date on their mammograms. Dr. Kurtzman is a Professor of surgery at the Quinnipiac University Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine, North Haven, Connecticut, and chair of surgery at Waterbury Hospital in Connecticut. Dr. Kurtzman is a surgical oncologist specializing in breast, soft tissue sarcomas, and skin melanomas. As part of his training, he completed a surgical oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He is a co-author of the study published in Cancer, citing declines in cancer screening during the early months of the pandemic. For more information, please visit www.facs.org/cancer-screening.
Did you know that in 2022, it is estimated that 14,100 individuals in the United States will be diagnosed and 4,280 will die due to cervical cancer? A program called “CeMe” was created in partnership with Seagen and Genmab to give representation to the diverse women who make up the cervical cancer community and share stories that foster deeper connections and empower women in their care.
Today our first guest will share her story of surviving Cervical Cancer. Aisha is a single mom, and at the age of 32, Aisha found herself balancing a cervical cancer diagnosis and being a single mom to her young children. Today, she’s a Cervical Cancer Program Coordinator at SHARE Cancer Support, where she helps cancer patients connect with the resources they need when they are diagnosed. For more information, go to sharecancersupport.org/cervical-cancer.