ME, NEW-YORK AND MY STRETCH MARKS

And there I was, I landed in the big U.S of A. Standing in the airport felt like a dream. As so many people before me came to this great land to pursue their wildest dreams, I was ecstatic. A young, fearless woman who was ready to take on the world. As I walked through JFK airport, embracing this new life I was given, I remember looking up and wondering "what is my purpose? why am I here?". After such a hard fight against cancer, I was back and knew I'd been put on this planet for a certain reason, only, I had yet to know what it was.

Not knowing where to begin, I explored. There wasn't a day that I stayed home, I walked the city through rain, snow, and sleet. I explored the lights, sounds, sights, everything I could possibly grasp. Usually people learn to ignore or filter out the massive billboards and ads, but I felt as if I was born again, and everything I was seeing was new to me. One thing I can never forget was standing in the middle of Times Square. It felt like I was in a movie. Something so surreal I had imagined for years was finally right in front of me. This is where I knew I had to be. I had all this energy all of a sudden, I just wanted to work hard and be the absolute best I could be, no matter where the tides were to take me.

Excitement of this new place was first, but then came reality, and it hit me hard . After an immense amount of weight gain and loss, my skin looked like the war it had been forced to go through. I beat cancer, every inch of me beat cancer, but stretch-marks covered my entire body. It felt like a nightmare, even though I have been given this new opportunity to life, head to toe I was scarred from the cancer that took a hold of my life before. It was a constant reminder of what I endured during those tough years. A reminder of how bad things used to be, and how I might never be able to shake it off. I was always aware of how much stronger this experience made me become, by force of circumstances, but even with all that strength, seeing everyone in New York looking glamorous, heading to events, and putting their best forward, took a toll on my own self-worth. I still had this mental wall built up because of these stretch-marks and my outer look in general. I felt like I was forced into this, against my will. It was a lot of things, but fair wasn’t amongst them. How in the world can I begin the healing of my body and mind when all I can think about are these battle scars that I am constantly reminded of every time I look in the mirror?

I then started my extensive research on skincare - I wasn't going to give up. I longed to feel good, all over, from within and the out. From botox to microdermabrasion, laser surgery, and chemical peels I read about it all but nothing seemed like it was going to make it right again. I spent countless hours researching different skincare methods to the verge of obsession. Yet, no progress has been made, I didn't want to go with chemical substances and let alone surgery that wasn't even going to make me perfect again, it seemed as if stretch marks are incurable. It all seemed hopeless until one day my research brought me to a phrase so familiar I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of it on my own, "Dead Sea Minerals". Being from Israel the Dead Sea was a flashback to my days at home, to my first post-cancer era. My doctor, Arianna, had suggested using those minerals when my was fragile and rejected everything else, after chemotherapy. With such beneficial properties such as a 29% salt content, and with natural minerals such as magnesium, sulfur, and zinc, the Dead Sea was the perfect natural medicine to heal my battered skin.  The salts could rejuvenate my skin and fade this impaired layer I detest. This was exactly what I needed to get my mind in the right place to pursue my new dream.

I had always known that I wanted to make a change in the world. I felt like I received the gift of life and the flame of returning the favor and making people feel the same way I do, was burning inside me. This deep sensation of wanting to help others was leading me and I discovered how I was going to do it - with the healing powers of the Dead Sea. Extending this knowledge about the Dead Sea to people who may be struggling with skin issues such as eczema, acne, and psoriasis was what I wanted to focus my energy on. Letting people know there is hope for skin issues even though it may not seem that way. I had found hope, and I wanted to share it. I felt like I belonged again, and I knew that here lies my near future. I was ready to go all in.