On Dec. 15, 2023, almost six months to the day after taking over as the CEO at Cherryland, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. The early days of my diagnosis were the hardest and darkest days of my life. I knew my life had irrevocably changed; it just wasn’t clear yet what that change would mean for me.

Over the last 10 months, I’ve endured four months of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, and an additional six months of targeted immune-based therapy. Most days, my body feels like a foreign country.

Despite the treatments and their brutal side effects, I have managed to continue to work alongside our team here at Cherryland, which has given me so much joy and purpose.

I continue to be deeply inspired by Cherryland’s mission to power rural communities. But beyond that, this year, I have also been reminded of the deep goodness of our team at Cherryland. They showed up for me in big and small ways, and I will never be able to repay them.

When I walk into Cherryland, I feel loved, and I feel safe. The Cherryland family is my family. It feels like home to me. Early on, I asked one thing of our team—while this year will be hard for me, help me make it a great one for Cherryland.

Unsurprisingly, they delivered.

From long-range financial planning to analyzing our facilities’ needs as we outgrow our current location, it’s been a busy year. Our team has managed another wild construction season, keeping projects on time and on budget for our members. We’ve tackled a major overhaul of our metering system. And, as always, we’ve maintained industry-leading electric reliability. No one keeps the lights on better than us.

The team at Cherryland excels at doing hard things. I take heart in that because it reminds me that I can do hard things, too.

While our team was making this Cherryland’s best year, cancer was shaping me as a person and teaching me lessons that I hope will make me a better leader for our team.

I have learned to focus on what I can control and let go of what I cannot. I have learned to cling tightly to joy and hope, even in the face of loss. I have learned to move forward without hesitation through uncertainty and fear. And I have been reminded of what happens when we call on our deepest humanity and take care of each other through hard times.

I’m not done with my cancer treatment yet. I still have three months to go. Then, I’ll transition from active treatment to survivorship, which I’m sure will bring its own challenges. It’s common to hear people talk about being “cancer free.” But that doesn’t seem quite right to me. Cancer has changed me, and it will now always be part of my life in some way. I think of the next phase of my life as cancer adjacent.

I will carry the lessons I’ve learned alongside me. I’ll also carry the worries and fears that my cancer might come back. I’ll live with the side effects of the drugs that saved my life. I’ll love a little harder. I will continue to embrace the privilege of working alongside a team that I consider family. And I will unapologetically find purpose in our electric cooperative mission.

This has been the hardest season of my life, but it has also been so heartbreakingly beautiful. And, for that, I am grateful.