ST. LOUIS — June is national cancer survivor’s month. Jaime Zografos made it through her cancer journey a few years ago. She is a true comeback story. A story that goes beyond her fight against the disease.
“My journey has been tumultuous, we’ll call it,” Zografos told 5 On Your Side.
The St. Louis entrepreneur has traveled a turbulent road. “I had a lot of childhood trauma, two divorces, had cancer,” she said.
Zografos uses the metaphor of a leaf blowing to describe the ups and downs of her past.
“It’s amazing when they’re all going in the same direction. Then all of a sudden the wind shifts and they're all going over your head and you’re still fighting the leaf blower to push ‘em over there. And I’m like, this is life,” she said.
She had an awaking as she made her way through the content setbacks. “I’m like this is bigger than me,” Zografos said.
The realization gave her inspiration. “I’m going to create something and I’m going to use it to help other people,” she said.
Zografos believes in the value of words. “They’re everything. They matter and they create your life,” she said.
She decided to put her words down on paper and tell the story of her life. She was very open with her writing and described the peaks and valleys in detail including the car accident that nearly took her life.
“My face had smashed into the steering wheel,” she recalled.
Zografos put it all down in her new book: "Shift with Intention and Soar!"
“This one was an easy write. A resource guide that people can use when they get lost. Because the worst thing about my journey that when they were dark, I didn’t know where to go,” she said.
When it came to shedding a light on how to navigate a tough journey, she called on the assistance of 42 other writers and they shared their stories.
“I was very intentional about who I wanted in the book,” she said.
Zografos’ book is a compilation of chapters touching on how each person made it through their situation. She believes the pages offer something different for everyone.
“Not every chapter is going to resonate with everyone and that’s what makes it unique,” she said.
But she stresses that this isn’t a quick fix for someone’s struggles because journeys take time.
“Took me years to believe in myself,” she said.
But she does believe that the leaves of someone’s life can eventually blow in the right direction.
“Life gets easier when we follow the way the universe guides us. This book brought a lot of joy into my life. I’m happy,” she said and smiled.