Author Archives: Ann Hovey

Black Box

My first “real job” occurred the summer after I graduated from my Masters in Statistics.  It wasn’t exactly a “dream job”… although it produced great fodder for learning and success.   My Dad prevailed upon his VP of Manufacturing to accept me at one of their plants as a summer student.  His desire was for me to […]

Hope and Fear

Today… hope and fear have been battling each other in my head!  As the day has progressed, I’ve been keenly aware that when my head is filled with hope, there’s no room for fear, and when I’m worried, hope evaporates. Today was Cailyn’s last chemo before her foot surgery on April 5th.  If the results […]

Unique Presentation

I have just had a most interesting experience with Cailyn.  As her school is preparing for their “Relay for Life”, one of her friends asked her if she would speak about her journey at an assembly scheduled to get students involved in the fund-raising experience. She agreed, and immediately asked me if I would help […]

Title of First Book

I share our healthcare journey with nurses, doctors and residents.  My greatest goal for these presentations is to inspire medical professionals to respect the critical role they play in enabling parents / caregivers to become the strong partners with whom they’d like to work.  There is no question that we want to be viewed and respected as […]

Significance of the Dragonfly

I have been asked why I feature a dragonfly on my website… Dragonflies symbolize “Hope” to me. Shortly after Cailyn’s diagnosis and first surgeries, a visiting friend noted that there was a dragonfly circling me. My friend commented that the dragonfly was bringing us good luck. I held onto that idea like a drowning person […]

Just Keep Swimming

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve muttered this phrase to myself over the last few years.  I love the Dory character in “Finding Nemo”.  The wisdom she’s famous for offering is simple, but I think its simplicity is what contributes to its power.  To me, “Just Keep Swimming” means just keep going… make […]

Hand of Cards

I’ve learned that it is very rare to find someone who is thrilled with every card in their hand of cards.  My older daughter is no exception.  In November 2012, Cailyn learned that we weren’t going to be stopping her weekly chemo regimen in two years.  Considering that she had been doing weekly chemo since […]