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

Dana, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

My mission is self-advocacy and awareness. I was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer in my early 30s. After battling the initial treatment and multiple recurrences throughout my 30s into my 40s it became clear I needed to create awareness. I did a lot of my own online research when it came to medical decisions, some of it was life-changing. I also spoke up when I felt the decision being made was not right for my body. I believe my story would be much different had I not spoken up.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

How I came to be a blogger is two reasons. The first is due to my breast cancer diagnoisis in 2011. I was in my early 30s, a young mom, and considered not a norm for who is typically diagnosed. At the time social media was just starting to grow. The newly diagnosed were invited to join support groups at their local hospitals to meet fellow survivors. I was not excited about this idea. I was not ready to meet others especially in a hospital setting. I wanted to be able to control who I met at the time. I did not want to hear any negative stories. I was scared. I felt being online helped me to filter out the stories. I was also able to share my own story and it reach people in areas I would otherwise never go. I have friends all over the world who understand me and we talk often. It is now a huge community. We have witnessed so many ups and downs each other. We have lost fellow survivors. We have seen fellow survivors move on and have children. We celebrate each other. We support one another. It is not the job of only one person. It does take a community. All it takes is one newly diagnosed young woman to see one of our profiles, she will feel as if she is not alone in her journey. The second reason I blog is my horsemanship journey. I have a horse named Bella. We have been partners for three years. I have been riding since before she came int my life. I believe horses are healing creatures. They live in moment.
They teach us to live in the moment too. I like to blog about my journey to hopefully inspire others who may be facing a tough time in their own horsemanship journey. It is very much day to day. Some days are awesome, followed by a possible dark day. For example, Bella had a virus this summer. I blogged about how she was sick. I then blogged about how she got better. It is not always about the perfect ride. It feels as if our sport focuses a lot on the perfection. There is so much more going on behind the scenes. I hope to capture the realness.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

It was November 2012. I discovered a lump in my neck. I had just finished six months of chemo and radiation the summer before my initial diagnosis. The results came back positive for breast cancer. It had managed to make its way up to my neck. After a scan, we discovered it was only in the lymph nodes in my neck. I sought a second opinion before deciding on a treatment plan. I had to be smart about my path. I had a two-year-old. He needed his mom. I went to another oncologist in the area. It was a female oncologist very well known and spoken highly about. If she is a woman, she might have a deeper understanding. I remember her coming into the room very businesslike. She was quite frank. She didn’t think the medicine my current oncologist was suggesting would work. She didn’t know chemo would work for me in general. Her reason, the cancer came back way too fast. She suggested only taking a hormone blocker. I was stunned. I had hoped she would understand. She was giving up on me. She was giving up on my son. I thanked her. I kept it very short. We had an appointment with my oncologist after seeing her. He was very encouraging. He suggested taking a 3-month treatment plan. We decided to do it. Three months later the cancer had disappeared. I had a scan and it showed no evidence of disease. I had lost my hair again. I was skinny. But I lived my life. I enjoyed the three months with my son and husband. I had to also receive radiation to my neck. This required me to go to the same hospital the previous oncologist was at. As I left my mask fitting in tears, I needed to wear a mesh mask for the radiation treatment, I saw the female oncologist. She didn’t recognize me with my bald head. It is funny, I was going to try to forego the radiation because of the mask. But when I saw her after that appointment it was a reminder. Don’t give up. I completed my radiation. I would not see another recurrence for nearly four years after this treatment plan. I do believe that maybe this oncologist was meant to put the fire under me to keep going. She did her job in a different unknowing way. I thank my faith for leading me in the right direction.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I had hoped to help others after I was diagnosed. I didn’t realize at the time it would be way too much to take on. I was going through treatment on and off. I was raising a young child. Yet, I felt a calling to help my community. When I was first diagnosed I had a mastectomy without reconstruction. The clothing would not fit the same. In particular swimwear. I decided to create a swimwear line for women like myself. There were not a lot of good options. We were asked to go to a small boutique just for survivors. It felt very hush-hush. The mainstream companies were not interested in having swimwear made for women like myself at the time. I created a collection that would improvise and help cover up scars. I promoted it. It was well received. Yet after a while it got to be difficult to keep up. I was being diagnosed with recurrences, and going through treatment. I was not able to keep up. I decided to stop the collection. I was upset about this because I really wanted to see it through. Yet my path was meant to go a different direction. However, now the major companies do have options for women like myself. We don’t have to go to a small private boutique. Our community came together to make our voices heard. I now enjoy writing and taking photos of my journey. It is more enjoyable and less stressful.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thegypsygirl.com
• Instagram: Bella_the_gypsy_girl

Image Credits

Dana Dinerman