We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Teresa Weilbacher. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Teresa below.

Alright, Teresa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

My parents taught me to always respect others and most importantly to respect myself. They also taught me to
stand up for what I believe in and to be completely honest at all times.They brought me up in a strong devout Catholic faith and instilled in me the power of prayers. They also taught me to be proud of my Hispanic heritage and to always be kind to others.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a 76 Year old retiree who enjoys life with my family and friends. My husband of 56 years and I love to travel and visit our 3 sons and their families who live in other cities. My life consists of working out 4-5 days a week, volunteering for the American Cancer society, spending time with friends, interior design projects and being able to spend time with my 3 sons, daughter in laws and my six beautiful grandchildren.
In my early marriage before children I worked for Southwestern Bell Telephone company as a head stenographer. When my children were born I chose to be a stay at home Mom, joyful to be able to raise my children and care for them before they left for college. While I was raising my sons I kept myself busy teaching exercise classes at the local YMCA and teaching Jacki Sorsenson”s Aerobic Dance. When my sons began their college journey I went back to work as a pharmacuetical representative earning numerous awards for sales and creativity in promoting our products. My happy content life stopped when I was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent chemo and radiation. When I completed my treatments and was in remission I went back to school to study interior design. I used that knowledge to stage family and friends homes and remodeled my home with confidence. And then my life was filled with happiness as I became a grandmother of 6 grandchildren. My breast cancer returned 15 years later and I am now in remission. I volunteer with the ACS with the Ranch Chic Fashion show to raise cancer awareness and raise funds for research to find the cure.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

None of these questions relate to me as I no longer have a career, I’m a reitree. I do volunteer work and make myself available for friends that are dealing with cancer to care for them and offer my support.
I feel that my cancer journey illustrates my resilience as I focused on doing everything I could to manage my cancer. Being brave as I went through chemo, losing my hair and being sick after each treatment made me determined to not let cancer be the boss of me.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I get great joy in staging family and friend’s homes and the quick turnaround of the sale of their home.
Also I get great pride in remodeling rooms in my house and the compliments received from others.