Rachel is the founder and managing partner at Rasa Spa in Ithaca, NY and in charge of services and operations the Spa at the Inns of Aurora. She’s a committee member of the Community Foundation’s Women’s Fund, a board member of Family & Children’s Services, and the current Chair of the Tompkins Chamber and Convention and Visitors Bureau. Rachel has been a photographer for many years and her passion was reignited when she started pointing her camera at birds and it became quite a valuable part of her life as she found her way through her diagnosis and treatment. 

I saw Rachel somewhat regularly thought her cancer journey, starting with me all but barging into her home to make sure she was ok, so it was a real treat to catch up with her and learn a little bit more about how she found her way through her diagnosis.

Rachel has been cancer-free for five years.

0:00:00 How the cancer was discovered

0:11:35 Unexpected second surgery 

0:19:25 Second opinion for adjuvant therapy

0:25:50 Radiation

0:37:50 Tattoos 

0:44:00 Radiation side-effects

0:49:00 Something within the psyche that needed to go

0:56:00 Life opens up through diagnosis & treatment

1:02:30 Tamoxifen

 - recorded July 9, 2020