The Healing Chapter

A gentle space for healing and self-discovery—without pretending it’s easy. Journal entries, affirmations, and raw reflections from the scarred, the surviving, and the still-soft. From survival to revival, and everything in between. 🌿. Curated by: Ashli Thurman 💛

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Not the “F” word you’re thinking of.

This one’s about faith—the kind that holds you quietly when no one else does.

✨ New blog post up now: 🔗 Read: “The ‘F’ Word”

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because sometimes... it really IS that SIMPLE.

[arwannn]

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Reminder: You’re allowed to heal softly.

Not every day has to be a breakthrough. Some days, healing looks like: ☕ Drinking your coffee or tea before it gets cold 📚 Re-reading the book you already love 🌸 Taking a shower just because it feels good 🧦 Matching your socks (or not—no pressure)

You’re still growing. Still blooming. Even when it’s slow. Even when it’s quiet.

🌱 Here’s to gentle mornings and loud laughter returning in their own time.

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“A warrior in healing. This was me, mid-battle—bald, bruised, and still smiling.”

I was 25 when I was diagnosed with cervical cancer caused by HPV. Within days, I was told I’d need a hysterectomy. I had to meet with a fertility doctor to discuss options I couldn’t afford— all while trying to process a future I didn’t choose.

That was just the beginning.

Since then, I’ve faced:

Two recurrences

An ileostomy, colostomy, and nephrostomy

A breast cancer scare

A life saving blood transfusion that led to an HIV test

Multiple organ complications from chemo

And the moment I had to sign over temporary guardianship of my son

But I’m still here.

In remission. Still healing. Still fighting for every tomorrow.

This is why I started The Healing Chapter—to tell the truth out loud. To speak on HPV, cancer, motherhood, and what it means to survive a system that nearly broke me.

If even one person feels seen because I shared this, it’s worth it.

🌱 🔗 Read the full story: Why I’m Here — And Why I’m Sharing My Story

[vexheart]

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✨ New Post: What Cancer Taught Me About Silence, Systems, and Survival

One virus. Zero accountability. A lifetime of impact.

I didn’t just survive cervical cancer—I survived a system that failed to protect me, failed to warn me, and still fails so many others. This isn't just my story—it's a warning, a wake-up call, and a rallying cry for change.

It’s about HPV. It’s about healthcare. It’s about who gets left behind—and who pays the price.

This is what happens when we stay silent. This is what happens when we don’t fund research. This is what happens when women like me are told to “wait and watch.”

📣 If you’ve ever felt failed by the system, this one’s for you.

✍️ Read the full piece now: 🔗 ashlib2bk.wixsite.com/the-healing-chapter/post/what-cancer-taught-me-about-silence-systems-and-survival

#CancerSurvivor #HPVAwareness #HealthcareAdvocacy #Survivorship #TheHealingChapter #HealingOutLoud #SilentEpidemic #ReproductiveJustice

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“I lost my hair, my uterus, and my career—but not my future.” This is my story, in my own handwriting. A survivor’s journal, carved from the messy middle— for anyone still figuring it out. 🌱

If you’ve ever had to start over… If you’ve ever felt like you were the broken part… This post is for you. You are not behind. You are becoming.

🖋️ Full story now live on the blog: 👉 Read it on The Healing Chapter

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“I lost my hair, my uterus, and my career—but not my future.” This is my story, in my own handwriting. A survivor’s journal, carved from the messy middle— for anyone still figuring it out. 🌱

If you’ve ever had to start over… If you’ve ever felt like you were the broken part… This post is for you. You are not behind. You are becoming.

🖋️ Full story now live on the blog: 👉 Read it on The Healing Chapter

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🥋 4 Years on the Mat

Today marks four years since I stepped onto the mat for the first time—faceplanted during warmups—and somehow still came back for more.

I started jiujitsu because I watched it build confidence in my son. I stayed because it gave me something I didn’t know I needed.

It’s not just a workout. Not just a skill. Not just a community.

It’s where I remembered what my body could do. Where I stopped feeling like a science experiment. Where I wasn’t treated like I might break— even when I felt like I already had.

Jiujitsu humbles you. Heals you. Sometimes bruises your ego and your elbows. But it gives you back pieces of yourself you didn’t even realize were missing.

So today, I’m honoring four years of rolling, rebuilding, reclaiming.

I’m not where I started. And I’m not done yet.

🌀 It’s not just a mat. It’s where I get my power back. 💙 —Ashli

📖 Read more of this reflection: Grit, Grace, and Gi 

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Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is protect your peace.

This started as a 5 a.m. reflection—coffee reheated, hoodie on, mind humming like a radio loop.

I’ve been through cancer, trauma, ADHD, and raising a son while learning to advocate for myself in spaces that weren’t built for me.

I’ve sat in “healing circles” that felt more like pyramids. Been in rooms where silence was used to control instead of comfort.

But here’s what I know now: 💛 Peace is powerful. ✊ Power should never come at peace’s expense.

I wrote about this in my latest piece, “Peace, Power & Low Taper Fades.” It’s a love letter to healing, advocacy, and the quiet revolutions we carry within us.

Peace, Power & Low Taper Fades

A 5am reflection from a single mom with ADHD—on parenting, power, empathy, and the difference between real connection and curated ones. Beca

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THE HEALING CHAPTER // a new beginning

Today I’m opening a new chapter—literally and figuratively.

It’s called The Healing Chapter.

It’s not a scrapbook of my past. It’s a public diary for what’s next. The messy, brave, ongoing story of what it looks like to heal while still moving forward.

I’m a cervical cancer survivor. A single mom. A woman from Oklahoma who’s beat the odds more than once:

– I left a toxic relationship. – Got my GED. – Turned a passion into a career. – Started college. – Chose divorce during cancer treatment. – And I’m still here, still fighting, still hoping.

This space isn’t about perfection or performance. It’s about grit, grace, and the in-between.

I’ll be sharing moments from this new season of life: Going back to college. Navigating healing. Learning how to live again—with scars, with strength, and with an open heart.

I don’t know exactly where it’ll go… But I do know this:

Even in the darkest chapters, there is a path forward.

🖋 Follow along. Say hello. Walk with me.

With love and strength, Ashli

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“Maybe this is what growth feels like…” 🌿

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new series i'm workin on ~