Never Be Afraid of Living

I had the pleasure of speaking with Brianne Schwantes today for my Engaging Brand podcast - the show won’t air until next week. However, I feel so uplifted that I just have to tell you about her story.

Brianne was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta an illness that makes your bones brittle. She was not expected to live, no one dare handle their little baby, expecting that her bones would break. That was until Grandma Eileen held her and said

“No one should be afraid of life. Bad things are going to happen, and we’ll just deal with them one at a time”

She is an inspirational woman, that I am privileged to have talked to  and there are so many I want to share with you whilst you are facing your bereavement.

• “No matter what the obstacle or problem facing you, life is about two choices. You can choose to give up, or you can choose to stay your ground and fight”
• “People make difference in small ways, in big ways..It doesn’t have to start a giant project all your  own. Every little helps.”
• By Bill Clinton on her volunteering work “Very few of us have to take the risks to serve that Brianne takes every day”
• “Throughout my life I never once gave myself the option of not recovering”
• “She has no limitations. She just does it”

When faced with death of a loved one, we can give up. Brianne should be our patron saint of hope. She shows us that no matter the pain, no matter the problems we face in grief, we can fight our way through. She doesn’t sit around, moping about her lot in life…she gives to society through volunteering.

I cannot wait for the interview to come out, for people to hear someone who has enormous life challenges to face….speak with such infectious enthusiasm. She thanked me at the end of the interview - the pleasure was surely all mine.

Today…don’t be afraid of living on your own, don’t give up on   life…stand your ground and fight for that happiness you desire