“A Face of Strength” p.24

Hello and welcome to “A Face of Strength.” This is a social media awareness campaign designed to celebrate the inspiration, strength, and wisdom of brain tumor and cancer survivors (and supporters).

By the way, my name is Wendy Santana. I’m a brain cancer survivor and “2nd Chance 2 Live” is my blog.

I launched “A Face of Strength” (#aFaceOfStrength) via “2nd Chance 2 Live” on March 7, 2021. It was inspired by Jennifer Marie, a fellow brain cancer survivor. Jennifer Marie reached out to me in February of 2021 wanting to share her story. At the time, I was primarily interviewing survivors who had authored memoirs (click here to view my suggested reading page), so I didn’t yet have a way to incorporate Jennifer Marie into what I was doing. I ended up referring Jennifer Marie to a few other sites but she was so sweet (and strong) I couldn’t let it go. The idea for the campaign literally flooded me early in the morning a few days later.

Sadly, Jennifer Marie’s brain cancer progressed during the year from Astrocytoma to Glioblastoma and she succumbed to the disease on July 20, 2021. She was 35-years-old and fought for 13 years.

Jennifer Marie believed in promoting awareness 365 days a year and so my goal is to create 365 Inspirational Quotes by Brain Tumor/Cancer Survivors & Supporters! (#365IQbyBTCSS) all of which will include the hashtag #RememberingJenniferMarie.

Congratulations to the following individuals who have recently been recognized:

This campaign is for brain tumor and cancer survivors (or their caregivers and supporters). It can also be utilized to memorialize a loved one.

If know someone who should be featured as “A Face of Strength,” please send me a private message on Facebook @2nd Chance 2 Live or Instagram @2nd_chance2live. You can also email me: [email protected]

The following is what you will need to provide:

• your name and clarification whether you are a brain tumor and/or cancer survivor (or supporter)
• a photo of the survivor (or the person who is being memorialized)
• a sentence or two that can be used to create an original quote

Tips for providing original quotes (for survivors):

1. Keep it short (one or two sentences is best)
2. Think about an obstacle that you have overcome in your journey
3. Think about what motivates you to keep going
4. Think about what you are most grateful for or what you enjoy
5. Think about what advice you would give to someone else going through a serious medical challenge

Tips for utilizing this campaign to memorialize a loved one:

(note: the quote will come from you as the supporter – click here for an example)

1. Think about the digital footprint you are helping to create on your loved one’s behalf (what would she/he want her/his legacy to be?
2. Think about a favorite saying your loved one had
3. Think about how your loved one’s strength inspired you (and your family)

We have so much to offer…let’s show the world what we’re made of, with one (searchable & shareable) image for each day of the year!