Live Your Best Life

[LUNGevityKristin]

"It’s been two and a half years since my stage IV lung cancer diagnosis. During that time there
have been radiation treatments, a hospital stay, progression, my husband’s own cancer
diagnosis, his surgeries, his chemo and radiation treatments and his own hospitalizations.
But through it all there was always positivity. Early on I read the statement, “Don’t waste your
cancer,” written by another lung cancer survivor. I tried to take this to heart, so while living in
this new world of absolute and complete uncertainty, I focused on what I could control; making
the most of every day. My goal became to celebrate everything, no matter how small. I started
ending all of my social media posts with the hashtag #bestlife and sought to live by that motto.
On a recent girl’s weekend, my friends surprised me with Best Life t-shirts in honor of my
mantra. The shirt became my inspiration for my own BEST LIFE themed team shirt for an
upcoming lung cancer walk. The shirts turned out so well, that we decided to sell them as a
fundraiser. Shirt sales were better than expected, even as people began sheltering in place.
New merchandise was added which is selling well too! The community really embraced the
idea which led me to look into starting a non-profit based around the idea of living your best
life.
The recent forced isolation has allowed me to finish setting up this new non-profit called
yEAHbestlife. Its purpose is to raise funds for lung cancer research, its mission is to encourage
others to live their best life no matter your situation, because today is all that we really have.
Cancer woke me up, but I believe that this idea speaks to everyone. Even during quarantine,
people are sharing photos of themselves wearing our shirts living their best lives. In the
darkness, there can be laughter, meaningful memories, and hope.
In less than three months a team shirt has become its own non-profit, raising funds,
awareness, and encouragement, urging everyone to make every day count. Even with a
terminal diagnosis, I have found that laughter and enjoying life fosters healing.
I refuse to 'waste my cancer'.”
-Erika Arquilla Hlavacek
@yEAHbestlife