00:00 Welcome to Diary of a Dreamer, where resilience unlocks your potential. I’m Tasha Eizinger, and each week I’ll bring you powerful stories and practical insights from my own experiences and inspiring guests. Whether you’re facing challenges or chasing dreams, this podcast is your go-to for motivation, building confidence, and practical tips for transforming obstacles into opportunities. Let’s dive into today’s episode and start turning your dreams into reality. Each week I’ll bring you powerful stories and practical insights from my own experiences and inspiring guests. Whether you’re facing challenges or chasing dreams, this podcast is your go-to for motivation, building confidence, and practical tips for transforming obstacles into opportunities. Let’s dive into today’s episode and start turning your dreams into reality. 

0:36 When I was 26 years old, I was fighting for my life and we didn’t know why. I went from being a fit, healthy, active person. You know, I ran a half marathon. I hiked a mountain in Montana and as somebody from Indiana hiking at that altitude – that was quite an adventure and so much fun. But I went from that to having to crawl upstairs to go to bed at night and on the nights that I was too weak to crawl my husband would have to carefully carry me upstairs.

01:07 On my very worst days, I would teach from my wheelchair, wasn’t every day, it didn’t happen very often, but it did happen. I even struggled to walk all day long. I’m grateful for my mindset. That helped me work through those days and to stay positive and focus on what I could control. But it was hard, it was really hard.

01:33 And I know a lot of people when they hear my story they think, Oh my goodness, you were in a wheelchair some days. Those weren’t my worst days. As a matter of fact, my darkest moment was when I reached acceptance for my reality. I’m an optimist. So I always have hope. I am somebody who sees every obstacle as an opportunity for growth and learning and becoming a better version of myself.

02:01 There also comes a point that you have to realize – this is my life. and all of my goals and dreams that I once had, are going to have to change. I knew that I could no longer be a classroom teacher. I went from being a teacher that would sometimes jump up on the desks or run outside as we diagrammed sentences with my students and was high energy to having my students help me walk back to the pew at Mass or they pushed me in my wheelchair some days. I just couldn’t be the teacher that my students deserved so I was no longer going to be a classroom teacher.

02:42 However, when I was coming to a place of acceptance, I thought, “What can I do?” I thought maybe I could encourage children to go for their goals and dreams, and I could, on my worst days, maybe sit in my wheelchair and teach them that way as a public speaker and just go school to school. And maybe this would be a way that I could make a little extra

03:04 to help pay for all of the expenses. I’m not just talking about medical expenses. There’s lots of other things that go into being sick, many things that you pay for that you wouldn’t normally pay for to try to survive and to get well. So I thought, “That’s nice. I can encourage these children to go for their goals and dreams and could also make a little extra money so I can keep going.”

03:32 And even like my family and friends, maybe I can just encourage them -be their number one supporter. This next thing, I’m not very proud of, but I realized how unfair it was to my husband. We were newlyweds. We’d only been married a couple years. And I went from being full of life, energetic, a five foot two and a half firecracker to barely even having a conversation. Sometimes I was so weak and exhausted.

04:02 He would come home and I would just say, “How was your day?” And he would say it was fine, and then I would close my eyes. That’s all I had the energy for. I struggled to do most things because I was so weak. It wasn’t fair to him. So I thought I could give him an out. I know we said in sickness and in health. As vows, I understand that.

04:28 However, I also understood we were so young. There was no end zone of me getting better. None of the doctors could figure it out. None of the test results revealed anything. So who knows what we’re in for? He could start a new life with somebody new and build a future with somebody else. I later confessed this to him and he was not happy about that.

04:56 So I know he wouldn’t have taken me up on that offer now. But it was something I strongly considered. I also knew that as sick as I was, I couldn’t even take care of myself some days. So there was no way I was going to be able to take care of children. So my lifelong dream of becoming a mom was gone. The other thing I knew was, I wasn’t imminently dying, but I also wasn’t going to live to the triple digits.

05:25 And I’m not going to be able to probably live to the triple digits well. So my first goal was to make it to at least 40 years old and do that to the best of my ability. 

05:38 And ultimately, I wanted to live one day longer than my mom. This dark moment of acceptance was really hard. But I was still trying to make the best of my situation, to think of the people in my life, and how I could still live my life to the best of my ability. I, Tasha Eizinger, am so grateful to share that I am in my 40s. My husband and I have been married for almost two decades. We have two beautiful children. I am healthy and well.

06:16 I am actually still encouraging children and teaching children. It’s just not in the confines of a classroom. It’s such a blessing to be able to take those encouraging messages that I’ve created for children and transforming them in a way that adults will relate to it as well. So I’m here to remind you of your resilience. We all have a story of being resilient and working through something maybe we once thought was going to be impossible. Yet, here we are.

06:49 Through this series that I’m doing, I want us to dive in and figure out ways to take you closer to your goals and dreams. Sometimes that means reframing them. Sometimes, it means having a different mindset, which is your attitude and perspective, and sometimes it’s something really tactical like better game planning and tracking. We’re gonna dive into all of that together. I know that no matter where you have been in your past your future is bright.

07:15 Thank you for tuning into this episode of Diary of a Dreamer. I hope you found the stories and tips shared today to be a source of motivation and strength. Remember, every challenge you face is a chance to grow and move closer to your dreams. Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this podcast with anyone who could use a boost of encouragement. Join us next time for more insights and inspiration to keep you on your path to success. Until then, keep dreaming big and embracing the journey.