The Story Behind The Healing Journal Collection

April 3, 2008. A day I'll never forget.

My husband Philip was diagnosed with Stage 4 esophageal cancer at just 42 years old.

What we initially thought was heartburn or a hiatal hernia quickly became a life-changing journey filled with doctor appointments, scans, procedures, chemotherapy, radiation, surgeries, hospital stays, medications, questions, and more information than I ever imagined one person could keep track of.

During that time, I carried a notebook everywhere.

I wrote down appointments, procedures, medications, phone calls, questions and answers from doctors, and anything else I thought we might need to remember. That notebook became my lifeline.

But it wasn't organized.

I would find myself flipping through pages trying to locate an important date or piece of information while also trying to remain emotionally strong for my husband. I wanted Philip to concentrate on healing while I handled everything else.

Fifteen years later, I found myself on the other side of that notebook.

After a routine mammogram and follow-up biopsy, I was diagnosed with breast cancer myself.

My first thought was to do what I had done before.

I went out and bought another notebook.

Because I already knew how quickly appointments, tests, procedures, medications, questions, and emotions could become overwhelming.

As I began navigating my own cancer journey, I kept thinking:

There has to be a better way to keep all of this information together.

I wanted something where I could quickly find an appointment date, write down what my doctor told me, keep track of medications and treatments, record symptoms, and have all of the important information in one place.

That realization became the beginning of The Healing Journal Collection.

I created these journals from the perspective of someone who has now experienced both sides of the journey — the caregiver and now the patient.

I've sat in the waiting rooms, listened to doctors explain difficult things, tried to remember countless questions, and understood how overwhelming it can be when your mind is already carrying so much.

Each journal is designed to help patients and caregivers keep track of everything going on in their lives — appointments, treatments, medications, symptoms, important medical information, questions they have, and personal reflections.

But I wanted them to be more than medical record books.

I wanted them to be something you could make your own.

A place for encouraging words. A favorite quote. A prayer. A thought you don't want to forget. A little piece of hope on a difficult day.

The Healing Journal Collection was created with compassion, organization, and hope in mind.

My hope is simple:

That these journals can help someone feel a little less overwhelmed and a little more in control during a time when so much can feel completely out of control.

I didn't create these journals because I had all the answers. I created them because I know what it's like to need someplace to put all the information, thoughts, and feelings that come with a cancer diagnosis.

If people find these journals and thinks, “This is exactly what I needed,” then creating them was worth it for me.

When I see a journal has sold, I say a prayer that God will carry that person through this journey and guide them in the right direction of how to get through it.

Stay strong, keep the faith, Give It to God,

Cheryl Wageli