#18: “We Have Derailed”

Cocoon

It’s often the long view of life that is the clearest. We know where we want to go, where we want to end up, but it’s the getting there that is difficult. If we are serious about what we want, we do whatever we can to stay on track.

When Grace Poulsen was 28, she had just finished breastfeeding her 2nd daughter. Her husband, Dave, was working through his residency as an ophthalmologist. And their life in the Bronx, New York, was busy and mentally and physically taxing.

And then she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

The next year of their life became a mess of doctor appointments and cancer treatments—as well as a last minute attempt to preserve the Poulsen’s hope of having any more children.

We talked with Grace and Dave about the cancer—which derailed their already very busy and stressful lives—about Grace’s art, her changed body, and about how they plan to get back on the path to where they always hoped to be.
You can see more of Grace’s art at gracepoulsen.com, and read about how the Poulsen’s managed cancer and kids here.