Facing reality without argument: Meet @naturegirl5

Member Spotlights feature interviews with fellow Connect members. Learn more about members you’ve connected with and some you haven’t met yet. Nominate a member you think should share the spotlight. 

TERESA: What brought you to Mayo Clinic Connect? 

@naturegirl5: I was diagnosed with endometrial cancer in 2019 right after I retired. I know so many people who were diagnosed with serious health problems shortly after their retirement and now here I was “joining the club”. It’s not how I figured my retirement would start but “if you argue with reality you lose”. I found the Gynecological Cancers group when I was looking around on the Mayo Clinic web site and that’s where it all began.  

TERESA: What about Mayo Clinic Connect makes you feel comfortable to share openly and motivated to take part in the patient community?

@naturegirl5: Mayo Clinic Connect is carefully moderated and is transparent about this. I quickly learned that every post is read by the moderators and so I felt confident that this site would be a safe place for me. I was still physically and emotionally healing from endometrial cancer, and I wanted and needed a support group. But from where? I didn’t know anyone personally with this type of cancer and here was a safe place with others who had been through what I had been through.  

TERESA: What groups do you participate in?

@naturegirl5: My main group is Gynecological Cancers. I had a total hip replacement three years ago so I participate in the Joint Replacements group. I receive the Digest email daily with all the new postings and when I see something related to my experiences, I jump into other groups and discussions.

TERESA: Tell us about a meaningful moment on Mayo Clinic Connect. 

@naturegirl5: I was in shock and very frightened when I received my cancer diagnosis. So many moments were spent those first few days with that life altering diagnosis on my mind. There have been Mayo Clinic Connect posters who wrote about their fear after receiving a cancer diagnosis. I can certainly relate to that. Some have been unhappy with the limited options they were offered and weren’t sure what to do. I encouraged one woman to seek out a second opinion and suggested Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida as that campus was closer to her. She continued posting about her cancer journey and ultimately felt cared for and had a good outcome at Mayo Clinic. And now this same poster has jumped in and supported other posters in the Gynecological Cancers group. 

TERESA: What energizes you, or how do you find balance in your life?

@naturegirl5: My on screen name, or username, is NatureGirl5. I chose that name because whenever I need balance and energy I go outside. I love to amble in the woods during the summer months and put my hands and feet in the soil in my garden. When I meditate the images I find the most calming are in nature. I imagine digging my toes in the warm sand on a Hawaiian beach while watching and listening to the ocean waves. 

TERESA: What food can you simply not resist?

@naturegirl5: Chocolate. What else is there?

TERESA: What do you love about where you live or vacation?

@naturegirl5: I live in an area with lots of outdoor opportunities and I seek out the same on vacations. I often say that I’m not a “city person” and the best vacations are the ones I’ve spent on an oceanside cliff smelling the salt air while looking at birds through my binoculars. I’m very afraid of heights and I once laid myself down on my stomach on a cliff and hung over it just to look at Atlantic Puffins. 

TERESA: Puppies or kittens?

@naturegirl5: Oh, both! I could not imagine my life without cats or dogs.