In 1990, Jo Lee Dibert-Fitko was diagnosed with spinal meningitis and a pituitary tumor. During her battle, she "self-prescribed cartooning as a tool for healing and wellness." The experience planted the seeds for her to leave her corporate job to become a cartoonist and writer. She currently blends that with her work counseling pituitary tumor patients.
In an interview, she gives a response worth sharing to a question about the courage it took to jump the corporate ship and go it alone.
It did take courage and it was a risk but the much larger risk would have been to stay in a career where I was very unhappy, unfulfilled and stressed out, factors that contributed to my illness to begin with. Besides, they had taken away my health insurance and reclassified my position, making my choice easier.For the first time in my life , I decided to make ME a priority. Many of us are raised to believe that placing ourselves first is selfish, when actually it is the most unselfish thing you can do. If you do not take care of your own physical, mental and spiritual health, if you don't love yourself, you will never be able to fully give of yourself and your talents to others. It took a major illness for me to discover this.
What kept me going? The fact that my health was improving was a major factor and I was truly excited about my cartooning. I also decided to reintroduce my love of writing and singing back into my career, two "joys" that I had abandoned for almost twenty years. I felt then and continue to feel and know I was given the gift to cartoon for a reason. When you are blessed with a talent that changes your status from life-threatening to life-affirming, how could I possibly choose otherwise!
Wow!
Curt Rosengren
Passion Catalyst SM
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