Fifteen years ago today, I went into a 9-hour surgery with Stage 3C breast cancer.

I had a newborn, a one-year-old, and a 75% chance of survival.

I remember very little about the fear. I remember wanting to stay. I wanted to watch my children grow up.

What followed were months of chemotherapy, radiation, surgeries, and years of rebuilding. Not just my body, but my life.

June 16th became my second birthday.

Today, my youngest is 15.

I’m a chef. A mother. A founder. A survivor.

The woman who entered that operating room could never have imagined what would come next.

She couldn’t have imagined writing books, building a company inspired by healing through food, traveling to Italy to create partnerships, or creating a nonprofit to help feed children and invest in the next generation of food thinkers.

What began as a fight to stay alive became a mission to help others live better.

Fifteen years later, I don’t spend much time thinking about the odds.

I think about the gift of time.

Time to raise my children.
Time to build.
Time to serve.
Time to create.
Time to become the woman I was meant to be.

I survived this so I could build something beautiful.

And I’m just getting started. 🌿

#chefJuleshouser #breastcancerfighter