Lydia Earhart

Fall is always the busiest times for both of our publications, CityLife and The Forum. It also happens to be the time I seem to get the most of my premature gray hairs.

From galas and fundraisers to some of the biggest stories, the fall is crazy, and I kind of like it that way.

Earlier this month, I had an interview with a local TV station about CityLife. I can count on one hand how many times in my life I have been personally interviewed, and I don’t mind keeping it that way. I went into print journalism for a reason. Like most of us do, I tend to freeze up when I see a huge camera in my face.

For this interview, I channeled some of my favorite editors from a few national magazines. I wasn’t channeling their words as much as I was trying to mimic characteristics that I look up to in my personal career, such as poise and clarity.

It was like playing Halloween without the benefit of a costume or a mask – no candy involved either. I’m no Oprah, but it is part of the job.

I love the variety of women we reach each month and who enjoy reading our publication. We take seriously the topics that we cover.

Unfortunately, one subject that most of us has or will deal with is breast cancer. In my meeting with Lanya Bernard, a breast cancer survivor, you would never know she has been through so much.

Her type of cancer was able to be treated without any form of radiation or chemo.

For this cover story, I met with Bernard and a group of her closest friends. Each of them agreed that they loved Bernard’s joie de vivre. I could sense through her battle the group was thinking that they signed on to be the daily dose of positivity in her life, though it was completely reversed.

Bernard stayed positive throughout the whole ordeal. She said her friends and family did the worrying for her. It’s interesting to hear a breast cancer story through the people it affects around the survivor, and that is just the angle on which we focused this month’s story on.

During the interview, Cathy Zahn, Bernard’s friend of more than 13 years, gave me a little more insight to their friendship. Zahn admitted throughout Bernard’s journey with cancer, Zahn turned into the more needy one.

Bernard proves that with a strong support system you can get through anything. But make sure to keep having fun just like “Team Lanya.” (Page 29).

Aside from our cover story, the Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce and Bossier Chamber of Commerce have welcomed 16 women into the sisterhood of success known as the ATHENA Awards. Read more about them on Page 25.

October is the month to celebrate successes and this is issue all about those triumphs.