Janice's Global Cancer & Gift of Confidence Tour™!!!

Hi * I am a Native New Yorker now living in Washington, DC. I am the first Models Editor of African descent for Seventeen Magazine, author of the Got It Goin’ On® empowerment handbook series and program for girls (www.janiceferebee.com), international speaker, girls’ empowerment advocate, recognized on Oprah, recipient of a 2003 Essence Award, and a social worker with over 30 years of experience and expertise empowering girls, now battling Stage IIb fallopian tube cancer, the rarest of all gynecologic cancers (only 1% of women are diagnosed each year). To honor my mother who died on New Year’s Day 2003, whose last conversation with me was to encourage me to take my work around the world, and sister who died of lung cancer in 2005, my coping strategy for each of my six grueling and aggressive chemo cycles - 9/2011 to 12/2011 - was to visualize traveling to one of the nine “Sleeping With the Stars” destination locations featured in the August 2010 Conde Nast Traveler Magazine (http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/articles/502771?all=yes) – It worked!!! The nurses at the award-winning Washington Hospital Center were always eager to know where I was going next (Utah, South Africa, Mexico, Australia, Italy, Kenya [2], Egypt, and India). Prayerfully, with the support of the destination locations and local women/girls’ groups, it is my dream to make those visualizations a reality - kicking off the tour in Montego Bay with my father's 90th birthday and workshops for the women and girls in that community. I want to not only experience R&R as part of my survival/recovery, but to also share my cancer journey and raise awareness about cancer prevention/education to underserved women, and the gift of confidence/empowerment with the girls in those communities.

I made a choice to go through this life changing experience with dignity, humor and grace, along with a lot of love and support from family and friends. I had chemo on my 56th birthday and was able to hang out that evening with the debut of my BALD & BEAUTIFUL hairstyle (photo attached). I completed my chemo during the Christmas/New Year holiday 2011 – what a special gift! I have since been given a positive prognosis and want to show my gratitude through this spectacular global tour. God gave me another second chance. He allowed me to achieve 20+ years of long-term recovery from drug/alcohol abuse and now He’s done it again.

2012 is my year to be FEARLESS and go after my dreams!!!! Make this your best year ever, too!!!! God's Best!!! Globally Yours, Janice Ferebee, MSW