By Leslie Lindsay  (image source: PRbyTheBook, 10.25.12) 

I am honored to feature a special guest Maimah Karmo,  a breast-cancer survivor and the founder of the Tigerlily Foundation, an organization that educates, empowers and advocates for young women affected by breast cancer. The idea was born after her second chemotherapy treatment, and when she appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show to tell her story, Oprah’s advice was emphatic: Maimah must write a book.

So Maimah did. Fearless: Awakening to My Life’s Purpose Through Breast Cancer (Brown Books, October 2012) is about her transformation, and how she learned that a challenge can be a gift.

And now here’s Maimah on her journey:

“You’ve connected with some amazing, inspirational women along your journey. What have you learned from them?”

MK: “I have learned, as one of them said, “to eat life with a big spoon”.  Life is so short, and we are so powerful. The women who make a difference don’t live scared – they show up and say what’s on their minds.  They are passionate, purposeful, have faith and an amazing personal strength that comes from a sense of knowing oneself. They live with their heads held high and are never victims of this or that, but tend to see life with the glass half full, learning from mistakes, living with grace and knowing that their actions reverberate on a larger scale.”

[Leslie’s note:  LOVE this concept of “eating life with a big spoon!”] 

“What was connecting with Oprah like? (Everyone always wants to know!)”

M.K. “She was amazing. She is a wonderful host – compassionate, kind and warm. You almost forget she is there, you feel like you’ve known her forever and that you’ve sat on that couch before with her in her living room.  She has a way of focusing on each person and making them feel special. She was amazing. I love her even more after meeting her. She is 100% the real deal and is doing so much to help so many.”

[Leslie’s note:  how often do we bump into others who are the ‘real deal?’  What can you do to make each person you interact with feel special and important?  Do it everyday and you’ll begin to see benefits for yourself.]

(image source: http://www.vibevixen.com/2012/10/pink-breast-cancer-awareness-month/

Fearless is a stunning account of Maimah’s upbringing in Liberia—which was uprooted when she was 15 years old, and her family was forced to flee to the U.S.—to living the American Dream, watching it all fall apart with a breast cancer diagnosis, and ultimately, bouncing back.  Loook for it where books are sold, available Novemeber 1st, 2012.  http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_13?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=fearless+maimah+karmo&sprefix=Fearless+Maim%2Caps%2C283&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Afearless+maimah+karmo&ajr=0

Today, Maimah has made her mark in the world of breast cancer, and her work has been celebrated everywhere from The Oprah Winfrey Show to Redbook Magazine to ­­­­Good Morning America.

For more information on Breast Cancer Awareness, see:

• National Breast Cancer Awarenss Month: http://www.nbcam.org/
• The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) http://www.cdc.gov/Features/BreastCancerAwareness/
• Breast Cancer Awareness http://www.breastcancerawareness.com/

[Leslie’s Note: October is a special month for me–it’s the time of year I celebrate my wedding anniversary to my suportive hubby, but also a time for remembering my Grandmother who passed away from breast cancer nine years ago. She would have been 80+ years old on October 20th. Here’s to Breast Cancer awareness month.] 

For more information on Maimah and her work with the Tigerlily Foundation, please see www.tigerlilyfoundation.com, and www.maimahkarmo.com. MAIMAH KARMOwas born in Monrovia, Liberia, and lived there until fleeing to the United States with her family in 1989. She lived in New Jersey before moving to Virginia, where she currently resides with her daughter.

Thanks to PRbytheBook for allowing “Practical Parenting…with a Twist!” to feature Maimah on her touching journey.