Founder's story

There are moments in life that change everything, quietly at first, and then all at once.

Mine began with a diagnosis: breast cancer.

What followed was a journey I never could have fully prepared for; chemotherapy, surgeries, a double mastectomy, and the kind of physical and emotional exhaustion that touches every part of your life. Treatment wasn’t just about healing my body. It tested my identity, my strength, my hope, and my sense of self.

There were days I felt strong. And there were days when even getting out of bed felt like a victory.

In the middle of it all, I held onto something. Every year, my husband and I travel to Mackinac Island. Sometimes once, sometimes twice. It’s our place, our reset. No cars, no rush, just quiet, beauty, and space to breathe. There’s something about the island, the waves along the shoreline, the sound of horses making their way through town, the scent of lilacs in the air, and the peaceful rhythm of island life that brings you back to yourself.

During treatment, I would close my eyes and picture it. I imagined the ferry ride across the water. The peaceful mornings. The feeling of being fully present, without fear, without appointments, without the weight I was carrying.

That vision became an anchor for me.

And when I finally returned to Mackinac after treatment, it meant more than it ever had before. It wasn’t just a trip; it was a deep exhale, a reconnection.

But I also realized something important: Not every woman gets that moment.

After cancer treatment ends, the world expects you to go back to normal. But there is no “normal.” There’s a quiet exhaustion. A need to process everything you’ve been through and a longing to feel like yourself again.

That’s where the idea for Lilac Harbor was born.

Lilac Harbor exists to give women that same space I held onto during my hardest days, a place to rest, to reconnect, and to begin again. A place where healing continues, not in hospitals or treatment rooms, but in peaceful moments, fresh air, and gentle restoration.

Because surviving cancer is only part of the journey. You deserve a moment to breathe after. You deserve a reset.

And you deserve a place where healing feels soft, supported, and full of hope.