TERRA GOOD
LOVING FIERCELY. EMPOWERED. AUTHENTIC.
MEET TERRA GOOD
Born and raised in Wisconsin, and a transfer to Florida in high school, Terra Good traveled the world as an international admissions counselor. Despite the grueling schedules and physical demands of the job, she felt passionate about helping students and their families.
Just a few days before her 40th birthday in February of 2021, Terra learned that the lump she had discovered during a self-exam a few months before was malignant. The diagnosis of ER- and PR- positive, HER2 negative, stage II cancer would mean surgery, chemotherapy of Doxorubicin (Adriamycin) and Taxol, and radiation followed by 5 - 10 years of daily Tamoxifen. Terra knew the demands of her job would make the treatment even more challenging. After discussions with her husband, she made the terrifying decision to leave her job to work at her husband’s environmental engineering business. It paid off, allowing her to enjoy more autonomy, time with her family, and financial freedom.
After initially resisting her diagnosis, Terra realized that the only thing she could control was how she lived her life from then on. She accepted her situation and threw herself into research, learning about everything from conventional treatments, to nutrition, and exercise. Determined to treat her whole person, Terra sought alternative treatments during radiation and chemotherapy, such as acupuncture, massage, shamanic journeying, tapping, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), which is associated with a reduction in the vividness and emotion associated with the trauma. It led to a life change, including her how and what she eats, how she moves, how she loves, how she stresses, how she meditates, and how she works.
Today, Terra is cancer-free. She lives with her husband of more than five years, her stepdaughters Sarah (17) and Gracie (14), her golden doodle, Sadie, and two mischievous cats Tango and Kiki in Daytona Beach, Florida.
WHAT IS THE SECRET TO MAINTAINING A POSITIVE OUTLOOK?
Gratefulness. I think it is that simple. Oprah introduced me to one of my favorite quotes by German mystic Meister Eckhart. He said, “If the only prayer you say in your entire life is ‘thank you,’ that will be enough.”
HOW DID YOU BECOME CONNECTED WITH IRISE ABOVE BREAST CANCER?
In October 2021, after just having completed 8 rounds of chemo, I happened to turn on The Today Show and saw the segment on the iRise Above Foundation. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. These women “looked” like me. They were young, vibrant, and enjoying an incredible adventure trip in Utah with other thrivers. I immediately went online to explore the iRise website, and what it would mean to take an adventure trip like the one I saw on the Today show. I was a little disheartened when I first found out about the total cost of the trip. I put it on the back burner, thinking that I couldn’t afford a trip like this after all the medical bills I had been faced with over the last year.
A week later, after a particularly de-humanizing experience with setting up my radiation treatment, I looked at my husband, and through tears told him I was going on the iRise Above Utah Multi Sport Adventure experience. I told him I didn’t know how I was going to pay for it, but I would find a way. I paid my deposit, and Gillian, the founder of iRise Above Foundation immediately set up a Zoom meeting with me. In our meeting, we discussed crowdfunding to pay for the trip. I was hesitant to ask my family and friends to help me, but Gillian assured me that everyone who crowdfunded was able to raise funds. Within weeks of posting my crowdfunding link on social media, my friends and family had fully paid for my healing trip. I will be forever grateful for the generosity that was shown to me during my cancer treatment.
The iRise Above Utah Multi Sport Adventure experience was pivotal in my healing journey. It meant the world to me to be surrounded by young women who had been through some of the same challenges as me. Now I have eight new, incredible friendships and a wonderful support network of thrivers!
WHAT IS THE MOST DIFFICULT DECISION YOU’VE HAD TO MAKE TO PURSUE YOUR DESTINY?
Leaving my long-time career after being diagnosed with cancer was one of the scariest and most difficult decisions I’ve ever made. It felt like jumping off a cliff, as I left the security of a “traditional” job/workplace, health insurance and tuition benefits. Luckily, my husband was there to assure me that it was all worth the risk to focus on our family, my health and our business.
WHAT IS THE BEST LIFE LESSON THAT TOOK YOU THE LONGEST TO LEARN?
Since being diagnosed with cancer, I have focused on worrying less. That doesn’t mean that I’ve learned to not worry, but I’m aware and mindful of my worry in a way that I was not before I was diagnosed with cancer. I truly work on being present through meditation and yoga, and when you are in the present moment, worrying becomes less of an issue.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE AND WHY?
My favorite quote is by Glennon Doyle: "The most revolutionary thing a woman can do: the next right thing, one thing at a time, without asking permission or offering explanation."
When a woman is first diagnosed with breast cancer, I think that the sadness is quickly followed by overwhelm. Overwhelm regarding all of the research and things to do, and all of the treatment you have to wrap you head around. The truth is that you can't take it all on at once, and you must decide to just do the next right thing, one thing at a time.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE EMPOWERED?
When I think of the word “empowered” I think of the cancer journey and what I want every woman to know. When a woman is first diagnosed, she is put on a figurative freight train. Oncologists and surgeons overwhelm you with a firehose of information about treatment and what will happen next. I felt the need to pull the metaphorical emergency break! It is important that women maintain a sense of empowerment during this difficult time, and ask uncomfortable questions.
I didn’t have the luxury to be self-conscious, so I asked questions that I was afraid to ask. Luckily, I had a close breast cancer thriving friend who suggested that I look into cold capping, since I shared with her that I was devastated to lose my hair through chemo. I had never heard of cold capping before this moment, so I empowered myself and dug into the research. This treatment is used in conjunction with chemotherapy, and essentially freezes/protects hair follicles to save them from being killed off during chemo. I found that some women who used the treatment during chemo were able to save the majority of their hair. Unfortunately, this treatment is not covered by insurance, as it is considered elective, and it is very expensive. The public hospital where my oncologist was located also did not offer cold capping treatment. I decided that this treatment was so important to my mental and emotional well-being, that I changed my oncologist and my treatment hospital so that I could pursue cold capping. This decision was incredibly empowering, as I felt like I was in control of one small part of my treatment.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BOOK AND WHY?
I am a huge Glennon Doyle fan. If I had to choose my favorite book by Glennon, it would likely be Untamed. The reason I love this book is that it questions the social norms for women, and provides numerous opportunities to look at life, and our roll in it, differently.
These are some of my favorite Glennon Doyle quotes:
“You are not supposed to be happy all the time. Life hurts and it's hard. Not because you're doing it wrong, but because it hurts for everybody. Don't avoid the pain. You need it. It's meant for you. Be still with it, let it come, let it go, let it leave you with the fuel you'll burn to get your work done on this earth.”
“I'm not a mess but a deeply feeling person in a messy world. I explain that now, when someone asks me why I cry so often, I say, 'For the same reason I laugh so often--because I'm paying attention.' I tell them that we can choose to be perfect and admired or to be real and loved. We must decide.”
“In all my close friendships, words are the bricks I use to build bridges. To know someone I need to hear her, and to feel known, I need to be heard by her. The process of knowing and loving another person happens for me through conversation. I reveal something to help my friend understand me, she responds in a way that assures me she values my revelation, and then she adds something to help me understand her. This back-and-forth is repeated again and again as we go deeper into each other's hearts, minds, pasts, and dreams. Eventually, a friendship is built - a solid, sheltering structure that exists in the space between us - a space outside of ourselves that we can climb deep into. There is her, there is me, and then there is our friendship - this bridge we've built together.”
“I have met myself and I am going to care for her fiercely.”
BREAST CANCER RELATED
HOW OLD WERE YOU WHEN YOU WERE DIAGNOSED WITH BREAST CANCER? WHAT WERE THE CIRCUMSTANCES?
Just a few days before my 40th birthday in February of 2021, I learned that the lump I had discovered during a self-exam a few months before was malignant.
I didn't feel sick, yet I knew even before I was officially diagnosed that the news from my doctor would not be good. My doctor told me the terrible news late afternoon on a Friday, and after spending the night reeling from the news, I decided to pick myself up the next morning and go to yoga. It wasn't just yoga, it was outside goat yoga. It was healing and cathartic to be among the animals, and helpful to cry when I needed to throughout my practice. I decided that breast cancer was not going to define me or stop me from the things that I love the most in this world.
WHAT DID YOUR TREATMENT INVOLVE?
The diagnosis of ER- and PR- positive, HER2 negative, stage II cancer required surgery, chemotherapy of Doxorubicin (Adriamycin) and Taxol, and radiation, now followed by 5 - 10 years of daily Tamoxifen. Cold capping was also an important part of my cancer treatment, as it allowed me to keep the majority of her hair. I also sought acupuncture treatments, physical therapy, and lymphatic massage, as well as trying to keep up with mental and physical health through yoga.
WHAT IS THE MOST POSITIVE THING TO COME OUT OF YOUR BREAST CANCER JOURNEY?
I think the most positive thing that came out of my breast cancer journey would be my closer relationship to my husband, Bill. He truly embodied our marriage vows of “through sickness and health” when he came to every appointment, every chemo treatment, and learned to just hold me as I cried, without trying to fix anything. He showed so much strength when I didn’t have any, and I’m so grateful that he was by my side through my treatment.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO YOURSELF WHEN YOU WERE FIRST DIAGNOSED?
Surrender. It took me a few months to fully embody the idea of surrendering to the diagnosis, and what was real and happening in the moment. I put up such a wall of resistance, and this is what caused me the most pain at the beginning of my cancer journey.
Also, I would tell myself that being vulnerable is important and that leaning into my friends and family for support is ok! A very dear friend created a shared calendar so my friends could sign up to send me an uplifting card, note or letter through the mail every day during my treatment. I received hundreds of uplifting letters and notes from friends and family. Some of my oldest friends put together a fund raising website to help me pay for my cold capping treatment!
BIG PICTURE
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE?
Service. I feel like my goal in life is to leave things a little better than how I found them through kindness, giving back, loving hard and being authentic. I think I’ve also given myself permission to realize that life doesn’t require that we are all heroes and heroines, solving major global issues, but small acts of kindness and generosity can change the world.