Lisa Gets a New Name

“Get your affairs in order and spend as much time with your children as you can.” Those words stopped me in my tracks. I knew I was sick, but I had no idea I was potentially dying. I was 37 and had two small children. When you are given the sentence of having a very short, finite amount of time ahead of you, you get real with how you want to spend it.

I chose to spend as much time with my children as possible. I wanted them to know me and know in their heart that no matter what, I would always be a part of them. I also didn’t want the time to be spent in Doom-and-Gloomville. For those that don’t know me, I’m an optimist at my core (but that’s another blog post). So I decided that when I wasn’t with them, I would research and look for doctors that would give me a different diagnosis and prognosis and poured over books learning as much as I could about environmental toxins. It kept me focused and not thinking about what might be.

The outpouring of support and love that I received from my family is something I will never, ever forget. There were prayer chains, calls to connect me with new doctors, shared articles of some new surgical technique. It was the most overwhelming and beautiful show of love and support I could ever imagine. And yet, selfishly, I really wanted to spend time with my kids most nights and not recount several times what the latest doctor visit results were.

I suddenly had an idea. I would blog to keep everyone informed at the same time. If I received new news, I’d blog it. If I saw a new doctor, I’d share what they said. With a couple of keystrokes and a few lines of code to change the color theme on a template, I had a blog. It just needed a name.

I knew I didn’t want to use my real name, Lisa, too boring. I wanted it to represent my new journey in life, declaring my independence, the continued strength and optimism. After all, I had every intention of finding a different prognosis and living happily ever after. And with that, ‘Indie Lee’ (Indiependent Lisa) was born. I call this my Go Indie moment.

For me, every time I hear ‘Go Indie’, I am reminded of this beautiful transformation. It represents my awakening and commitment to live a cleaner lifestyle and empower others to be mindful about what they put on their skin. I believe we all have these moments when we are called to do something greater that taps into your inner strength. This is my story. I would love to hear your Go Indie story.