Why?

Wow, how can a 3-letter word mean so much? To answer “Why did I start From Yard to Tables?” I have to first address “Why do I so passionately care about organic gardening and landscaping?”

For me, I guess it starts back in high school – my dad, a chemical engineer, got cancer for the first time. At 16 years old, I could not comprehend how my rock, the only member of my immediate family, might not make it through the year’s end. He did and with the help of friends and family we threw him a surprise 60th birthday, because it was a blessing he made it to that milestone.

My dad cutting his 60th birthday cake

Then he got cancer again – this time Stage 4 lymphoma. Some say it was bad luck, some say chemo causes lymphoma, some said it was due to being around so many chemicals. Oof talk about a punch in the gut for both of us – “terminal cancer.” Well fast forward to today, in what can only be called a miracle, my fighter of a dad is still living his wild hippy self at 75 years old! I rejoice in every text, phone call, hug and memory we have together. He attended my high school, college and graduate school graduations, walked me down the aisle at my wedding, and held our son, his first and only grandbaby, the day we came home from the hospital. I know these moments are not promised.

My dad and I dancing during my wedding

As my life has been so defined by my father’s health journey, I have spent years, no, decades researching cancer. What it is, why some people get it and why others don't, what contributes to it, what helps treat it, and more.

What I’ve learned is that some instances of cancer can be prevented. In a study titled Cancer is a Preventable Disease that Requires Major Lifestyle Changes, published in the National Library of Medicine, researchers found that

“only 5–10% of all cancer cases are due to genetic defects and that the remaining 90–95% are due to environment, and lifestyle provides major opportunities for preventing cancer.”

Holy crap, some cancer is preventable!? Sign me up, and why doesn’t everyone know we can lower our risk for this deadly disease!? I wanted to shout this news from the rooftops! Once you experience something so terrible, you can’t unsee it and it changes you forever.

Now, I am in NO way the poster child of how to live the healthiest lifestyle – I enjoy wine, I eat fried food sometimes, I go weeks without exercising when my motivation sucks – but I try spend more time living healthy life strategies than I don’t. And I’m really good at researching and reading and trying new things! The more I learned here and there about the impact of pesticides, GMOs, herbicides and chemicals on the health of humans, animals, and our environment, the more motivated I became.

Exercise. Diet. Toxins. These are some of the major environmental factors that can lead to cancer. So, I researched and changed out the cleaning products in our house to chemical free, found an all-natural lawn care company, only use non-toxic candles and scents in our home, buy and grown organic food, and more! Are these swaps more expensive? Yes sometimes but not always. Chemical free cleaning products aren’t necessarily more expensive. Some organic produce is more expensive, but not when you grow it yourself! That’s why I dove into organic gardening.

I started From Yard to Tables because every ounce of my soul believes in the power of our collective ability to improve the health of our bodies – and the world. And to be honest, just making changes to my own life wasn’t satisfying enough for me. I want the world to know there are options to live a healthier life. While I’m not a doctor, or a scientist, I want to use the skills I have – storytelling, communicating and organic gardening – to help prevent cancer and save lives.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for following along and fueling my desire to make even just a small change the world. I hope to instill confidence in my followers that you CAN make small changes that WILL make a difference in your life! I’m here to help you 😊

My very first crop of organic peppers and tomatoes from pots, when I didn't even know what I was doing!