“There is a great joy that comes with dreaming big and believing in yourself. Even if it never comes about, imagine how wonderful it will be to be able to say, ‘I dared’.”

-Kornelia Hanna

Always having had a passion for acting, Kornelia Hanna who was born and raised in Austria, loved to play dress up and started reenacting whatever she saw and liked watching TV. Her school’s curriculum in a small town in Austria did not offer acting classes and the closest acting conservatory was in Vienna, way too far from where she lived and also prohibitively expensive where only the privileged got admitted.

When she told her father who knew that she was a huge fan of Marilyn Monroe that she wanted to become an actress his response was, “do you think you are Marilyn Monroe?” With that, her dream of acting was crushed right there. After graduating from Business School she worked as an assistant and court stenographer at the local criminal court. A far cry from a creative career.

At the age of 24, the opportunity to work for the Austrian Trade Commission in New York appeared. She took the plunge and moved across the pond to be a project coordinator in charge of fashion and textiles mostly doing market research for Austrian companies wanting to sell their designs in the U.S. It was here where her childhood passion for acting resurfaced. She applied and was accepted at the famous Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute into a full 2-year evening program. A dream came true but with a challenge. Working for the Austrian Trade Commission (ATC) with an Austrian governmental visa, she could not work in the U.S. in any other position because this kind of visa was restricted to the position she held at the ATC. Another door closed in her face.

Ten years later, with U.S. work papers taken care of now, she took another huge step into uncertainty by moving to Los Angeles and giving acting a real shot. With small parts here and there, which allowed her to obtain the coveted SAG-AFTRA card, she lived that life until her money ran out but eventually she had to look for a regular job again to support herself. She started working as a corporate flight attendant at the service of business moguls and celebrities flying private jets all while continuing taking acting classes hoping for that big break.

In her thirties then, she recalls people questioning that she could land great roles and become a successful actress at her age, although she never looked her age and is a very attractive woman.

I will never forget the attention we would get when going out or just taking a walk around town because of her stunning looks. Except for a few close friends, she kept her desire of wanting to be an actress mostly close to the vest throughout her life fearing she would be ridiculed and laughed at. But that was then.

Meet the inspiring and empowered Kornelia Hanna today.

In her fifties now, she feels more confident than ever. So, what changed, you may wonder? Well, sometimes it takes a major life event to shake up your attitude. For Kornelia, that came in January 2018 when she was diagnosed with Stage I triple-positive invasive ductal carcinoma of the left breast. It rocked her world.

“I had been living a very healthy lifestyle that included periodical weekly detoxes such as colon, liver, and kidney cleanses. I had been exercising regularly and had always made a point of eating healthy organic foods and drinking fresh-squeezed veggie juices. Occasionally, I would eat meat but more fish, I took supplements and I made sure to drink plenty of water to stay well hydrated. So, the question in my mind was, what went wrong?”

We’ll let Kornelia tell her journey in her own words here as only she can.

“Upon reflecting on my life’s habits until this point, I realized stress had gotten the best of me in 2017 when my sister was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer. I flew to Europe to be by her side for some of the time as she went through chemotherapy. I started drinking more than just a glass of wine with dinner to cope with the stress and drank up to ½ bottle of wine daily, a whole bottle when I socialized. I made poor eating choices that included fried foods and desserts. I accumulated belly fat, I was menopausal, and my hormones did their number on me. One day I took a hard look in the mirror and I didn’t like what I saw, so I coped by indulging in yet an extra glass of wine.

It was on this life-changing day when I was diagnosed that I got my wake-up call and my mindset shifted. I started reconnecting with my Higher Self for the first time in a long time. It was then that I realized I didn’t have to fight breast cancer but to start treating myself right again. I did all the research and figured out what protocol would best suit my circumstances and so my healing journey took flight.

My chosen game plan started with an initial 6-week intensive detox program. This program consisted of consuming herbal teas, homemade vegetable potassium broth, various tonics, and regular colon hydro-therapy sessions. I also went on a high turmeric protocol taking 8g of turmeric extract (standardized to 95 % curcuminoids) daily for 8 weeks.

After the deep cleanse protocol,  I continued my healing journey by adhering to a vegan diet consisting of organic plant-based meals and the following daily self-care routine.

-       Dry skin brushing

-       Long tranquil walks in nature

-       Fresh-squeezed vegetable juices

-       Meditation

I believe in the miracle of the healing power of nature. But at Stage I cancer, I didn’t want to take a risk to advance to Stage II if that one specific natural approach I took didn’t work for me. I had a lumpectomy in March 2018, but cancer had already spread into the surrounding tissue and I subsequently had a skin-sparing mastectomy of my left breast and reconstruction with DIEP flap (tummy tuck – use of stomach fat for reconstruction) in April, followed by chemotherapy in June. With a positive mindset, I began the four rounds of chemotherapy in three-week intervals. I felt the effects of chemotherapy such as body pain, exhaustion, and brain fog, but nothing my new resolve couldn’t handle. I never went through nausea and my spirit was “on a high”.

One day, after all my surgeries and in the middle of chemotherapy, when I stepped out of the shower, I looked myself over in the mirror. What I saw was my whole tummy scarred from left to right, my left breast scarred with a huge round mark, and my hair shaved completely. To my surprise, I loved what I saw. I haven’t felt this beautiful in years. A sense of empowerment came over me. I knew I could do anything I set my mind to.

After chemotherapy, I continued every three weeks with Herceptin infusions to prevent metastases. My treatment concluded in June of 2019. The best news I then got was a clean bill of health.

What I did next was out of my new character and sabotaging my body. I ended up drinking wine once more and I again got sloppy with my diet. I fell prey to some old and unhealthy habits. As a result, I didn’t feel beautiful anymore and my sense of empowerment was fading. I questioned my spirit: Where did that feeling of empowerment go? I told myself I got to shave off my hair and go bald again because that’s when I felt the best through treatment.

I started meditating regularly again when that “Knowing” came over me and I heard my Higher Self telling me, “You don’t need to shave off your hair, just do everything you did when you went through chemotherapy”. I heard it loud and clear: “Just do that”. I realized on my healing journey the survival part was empowering me to have a strong self-care routine.

I am happy to say the healthy ways I adopted when going through cancer treatment are my lifestyle choice again. I once again feel beautiful and I know the better I treat my body the better my life and health are going to be. I gained the wisdom knowing beauty and empowerment cannot be found outside oneself; it always is an inside job. When you do what’s right for your body, mind, and soul you will always love what you see when you look in the mirror and you will know that you can do and achieve anything you set your mind to.

I am in awe of how much power we possess to change our lives for the better with true self-love and self-care.

Breast cancer awoke my spirit to dig deeper inside my soul than ever before. It has been a journey I consider myself blessed to have been on. Breast cancer made me embrace all that I am for the first time in my life. For this gift I am grateful, and I have found the strength to move forward in life showing others what is possible.”

We asked Kornelia how she felt when she faced the first day of chemotherapy.

“I wasn’t scared but still a little uneasy with ‘going on this adventure’. However, I knew I would have the best possible outcome with my oncologist and with my being proactive and I had done a lot of research. Deep down I also knew I could rebuild my body back to strength and health. 

And then one week before my first chemotherapy treatment I went to a wig store. Next to me in the chair sat a lady in her early 60’s (she told me later, she was the same age as I when she got breast cancer), well groomed, old Hollywood chic and she had a little poodle with her. She overheard my conversation with my wig consultant. When I sat alone for a couple of minutes, she looked over to me and asked, “You are going to have chemotherapy, right?” I said yes. She smiled at me and said, “Don’t be scared, I had chemotherapy for breast cancer 10 years ago. I was alright and still feel great today. You will be fine.”

After I got my health back last year, I realized all that I am, and today I couldn’t care less who laughs at my dreams. There is a great joy that comes with dreaming big and believing in yourself. Even if it never comes about, imagine how wonderful it will be to be able to say, ‘I dared’. As with any dreams and goals we have in life, I also believe that hard work and consistency is key. If you put in an honest effort you will have a shot at it. Only quit if you don’t enjoy the process of working on your dream because that is when life would pass you by.”

The ImageMakers & Influencers Magazine would like to thank Kornelia for sharing her inspiring journey. Together, we hope to help as many people as possible to believe in themselves,  move towards their goals, learn to lead a healthy life and be less scared when confronted with a serious health crisis. We are here for you and are rooting for you.

Final Thought

With the unexpected sudden death of Kobe Bryant, his young daughter, and 7 other souls,  it has become inherently clear again that life is uncertain and we don’t know when our last day will come. So, laugh a lot, dare to live, be kind, follow your dreams and be well. We can’t live forever but we can create something that will. At a minimum, create a positive environment.

Always ask yourself, ‘How do I want to be remembered?’

<All images used in this article are a courtesy of Kornelia Hanna>