Wanda Johnson

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

SKILLS

ABOUT WANDA JOHNSON

Many times in life we try to connect the dots between our experiences, but sometimes, the obvious connections elude us. In October 2007, I was driving on a busy interstate in Texas, with a very dear passenger in my car. Then a freak accident, air bags exploded, neither of us were injured and minor damage to car. We sat on the side of the road, vehicle pretty much in tact, dazed and in awe of the unknown event that we had just experienced together. A month later, my life, as I was living it, was abruptly put on hold, as I suddenly found myself in Alabama to become a full-time caregiver for my sister who was diagnosed with advanced gallbladder cancer. Fourteen months later, another major life detour, back in Texas and I was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. You guessed it. Now there were many dots that I was trying to connect, but very quickly learned it would be an act in futility. Sometimes, all we need to do is recognize that the dots (experiences) are very closely connected and sometimes overlap. We can waste very valuable time trying to understand experiences rather than just embracing, traveling through and learning from them. Maybe those experiences in late 2007 were the precursor or not, to my own personal journey through cancer that began in April 2009. I choose to think there is definitely a connection. Maybe even a divine setup. Whatever the tag, I chose to not just embark on it but to fully engage and be receptive to whatever new experiences I would encounter along the way and any time thereafter. The journey started with becoming a Caregiver, Care Advocate, Speaker to Consumer Reviewer with the Breast Cancer Research Program, sponsored by the Department of Defense. Here are some highlights: 2022, Volunteer Advocate, Mitchell Cancer Institute, Alabama Speaker, Annual Volunteer Cancer Conference, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Texas Podcast, Cancer U Thrivers Member, Partners In Pink Breast Cancer Coalition, Texas Graduate, Project LEAD, 2016 Member, Breast Cancer Collaborative of Texas Speaker, community events, conferences, support groups Volunteer, Susan G. Komen, Texas Project Coordinator and Support Group Leader, Reconstruction of A Survivor, Texas Patient Volunteer, CanCare, Texas Volunteer, myCancerConnection Program, MD Anderson Cancer Center Patient Caregiver and Introductory Course to Patient Advocacy, Alabama